This course is a comprehensive introduction to development project management. Designed for people who want to build or increase their skills in project management and who work or are looking to work with international development organizations, donor and public institutions, NGOs, non-profit and community-based organizations, Government and donor agencies, and anyone interested in a career in development project management.

You will learn the most important concepts in project management, such as the project life-cycle, process management, roles and responsibilities of a project manager, organizational structures, program and portfolio management and use of various management techniques. This course promotes and facilitates a collaborative learning approach in an online environment. Students participate in discussions as part of the assignments and receive feedback from the course instructor. Students “learn by doing” through the class exercises, while lecture points are reinforced with class discussions and videos.

Course Content:

Lesson 1 – Development Project Management

• Definitions of project management
• Project management constraints
• Development challenges
• A systemic approach
• The project management ecosystem

Lesson 4 – Roles, Responsibilities, and Skills

• Role and responsibilities of the project manager
• Managerial skills of project managers
• Interpersonal skills for project managers
• Influence and power of the project manager
• Project management competencies

Lesson 2 – Project Management Processes

• Scope and project log frame
• Schedule management
• Budget management
• Quality management
• Team and stakeholder management
• Information management
• Risk and contract management

Lesson 5 – Project Management Structures

• The project structure
• Factors in designing a project structure
• Types of project organizational structures
• Project structure
• Program structure
• Matrix structure
• Project governance

Lesson 3 – The Project Management Cycle

• Initiation and planning phase
• Implementation and monitoring phase
• Adapting and closing phase
• Project management cycle
• Adaptive project management

Lesson 6 – Strategic Project Management

• Integrated project management
• Program management
• Portfolio management
• Project maturity model
• Project management office

Course Information:

• Course materials are available for download from the online course module page to allow for printing and review.
• Evaluation. It is required that participants complete the course evaluation after they take the final exam.
• Credits. This course provides 35 PDUs (Professional Development Units)* or 35 contact hours.
• This course is part of the certification program CDPM (Certified Development Project Manager). For more information about this program, please visit our website at https://www.pm4dev.com/elearn/cdpm.html

The course is asynchronous; the instructor provides materials, lectures, tests, and assignments that can be accessed at any time. Students are given a timeframe during which they need to complete the assigned activities, participate in discussion forums, and submit their exercises in order to receive a grade. The course is based on the fourth edition of the textbook Fundamentals of Project Management.

Click here to download a copy of the Course Brochure

Student Feedback

“The course provides a great overview of the core concepts of project management and how to apply these to real-world settings. I enjoyed having the opportunity to engage with the materials and interact with fellow students in the discussion forums. I thoroughly recommend PM4DEV courses to anyone looking to build their capacity and knowledge of project management concepts.” – Thomas Urry, co2balance – UK

“This is course, and others like it, are essential to the health of the International Development Field as it ensures that Project Managers are implementing projects in ways that actually help the vulnerable populations that are the focus of the field. ” Maria Zupan – USA

“Educative, interesting and practical. I loved the information shared by my course mates in the discussion forums because they were practical making the course useful.” Florence Kariuki – Kenya

“This course was eye opening and enabled me to contextualize my work. The timing could not have been better.” – Diana Opollo, ADRA Canada

“This course was a true delight and has equipped me to take on projects with confidence and competence going forward!” Catherine John – India

“This is one of my favorite course, and it has given me an opportunity to enhance my managerial skills in project management. I have been using this course to empower the people I supervise with aim to create a new merging leadership in project and program management. I can say with confidence that, this course has added a great value to my work experience and has enhanced my capacity to manage a project effectively.” Roger Kabuya – LIHC, Canada

Click here to read more feedback from our students

In 2013, PM4DEV became a PMI Global Registered Education Provider (R.E.P.) It means that our courses meet the strict criteria from the largest project management organization of the world, and that increases the value you obtain from learning at PM4DEV. Your investment in learning is secure, and you can be certain that our courses have the quality you expect.