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International Project Management (IPMA)

Module description

This module will enable you to utilise your knowledge and understanding on the key aspects of project management learnt throughout the Project Manager Integrated Degree Apprenticeship giving you an opportunity to achieve the Level D Certificate with the International Project Management Association. The Level D Certificate will be updated over time to ensure relevance in line with principles and practices across industries. This will enable you to demonstrate your understanding of the fundamentals of project management, demonstrate your understanding of the principles and themes of building a successful project from planning to implementation. It will cover the entire project lifecycle, including aims and objectives, budgeting and timescale, team development, resources, and scope. From this you demonstrate clear insight into project management through to completion, including the fundamental business skills and behaviours associated with project success. Material for this module will be updated to align with the IPMA Level D Certificate.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module aims to equip you with the skills and knowledge required to fully demonstrate your broad knowledge in all aspects of project management. It will aim to keep you informed about the evolution of project management and foster professionalism through continuing education. Any updates in the latest IPMA Level D Certificate will be covered.
You will recognise the role of a project manager, sponsor, and stakeholders, through the project justification aligned to the strategic aims of the business, into project set up and throughout the lifecycle, in both academic and employment context. This will be achieved by exploring all aspects of project management as described, and considering how the principles and processes are applied to ensure projects are delivered effectively to achieve the optimum outcome through scenario based and case study activities and discussions.
You will also engage in refreshing all learning from the programme up to this point, and exam practice in preparation for the IPMA Level D Certificate.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Design how to develop and manage projects within different planning frameworks to balance the fundamental components of the project. (Knowledge 5)
• 2. Critically discuss how to prepare and maintain resourced project schedules and how to use these for project monitoring, control and delivery. (Knowledge 5)
• 3. Critically analyse schedule integrity, dependencies and their implications. (Knowledge 5)
• 4. Evaluate requirements and methods for data capture and analysis in a project environment. (Skills 8)
• 5. Evaluate project schedule integrity including identification and resolution of scheduling problems. (Skills 8)

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Critically discuss how to manage the project within the constraints of time, cost and quality. (Skills 4)
• 7. Recommend how to control expenditure and produce status reports as required, including control of costs against budgets, forecasting, and establishing performance indicators as required by funding sources. (Skills 4)
• 8. Evaluate and measure progress and actual costs against plans to determine a full understanding of project performance. (Skills 4)
• 9. Identify, achieve and maintain quality standards appropriate to the context and specific requirements of project activities. (Skills 4)
• 10. Evaluate resource acquisition and management techniques to balance programme and project needs against resource demand. (Skills 8)
• 11. Critically discuss how the negotiation of the allocation and scheduling of internal and external resources meet programme and project demands. (Skills 8)

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 12. Maintain professional conduct so as to enhance the honour, reputation, and usefulness of project management as a professional discipline. (Behaviour 4)
• 13. Critically analyse the bigger picture and work enthusiastically and creatively to analyse problems and develop innovative and workable solutions to problems. (Behaviour 6)

Syllabus plan

This module will refresh previous taught content (aligned with IPMA Level D Certificate)

Schedule project activities to achieve the optimum time execution.

• how to establish the activities required to deliver a project (such as use of a Work Breakdown Structure)
• how to determine the work effort and duration of activities (estimating techniques such as analytical, comparative, parametric, three-point, PERT formulae)
• how to decide on a schedule and stage approach (such as waterfall, iterative)
• how to sequence project activities and create a schedule
• how to monitor progress against the schedule, adjusting if necessary (such as earned value analysis)

Ensure required resources are available and appropriately assigned.

• how to develop a strategic resource plan to deliver a project
• how to define the quality and quantity of required resources
• how to identify the potential sources of required resources
• how to negotiate the acquisition of required resources
• how to allocate and distribute resources to meet the requirement
• how to evaluate the use of resources and take necessary corrective actions

Establish and maintain a balanced and integrated view over the management of a project.

• how to develop and get agreement on the project plan
• how to initiate and manage the transition to a new phase of the project
• how to control performance against the project plan and take remedial action where necessary
• how to report on progress
• how to assess, get agreement on, and implement project changes
• how to close and evaluate a project phase or project

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (ie a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Dittmann K, Dirbanis K, & Meier T (2021) Project Management (IPMA) Study Guide for Level D and Basic Certification (GPM), Haufe Lexware
• APM (2019): APM Body of Knowledge 7th edn A.P.M.
  Burke, R. and Barron, S. (2014) Project Management Leadership: Building Creative Teams , J Wiley and Sons
• Kertzner (2017): Project Management 12th edn. Wiley
• Lock (2013): Project Management 10th edn. Gower
• Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management Harlow, Essex, Pearson Educations Ltd
• Meredith & Mantel (2018): Project Management; a managerial approach 10th edn. Wiley
  Newton, R. (2006) Project Management Step by Step, How to Plan and Manage a Highly Successful Project, Pearson Education Ltd
• Reiss (2007): Project Management Demystified 3rd edn. Spon Press

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• IPMA Level D Qualification | APM Exams
• Association of Project Management http://www.apm.org.uk/
• ISO 9000 http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_9000
• Prince 2 http://www.prince-officialsite.com/
• Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) https://scaledagileframework.com/

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

• Bamber, M., Parry S (2018) Accounting and finance for managers: a decision-making approach 2nd edition, New York: Kogan Page (ISBN: 9780749481148)
• Callahan, K.R., Stetz, G.S., Brooks, L.M. (2011) Project Management Accounting: Budgeting, Tracking, and Reporting Costs and Profitability Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc (ISBN: 9786613176158)

Key words search

IPMA Level D qualification; Association of Project Management (APM)

DA standard: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/media/4685/st0411_project-manager_l6_ap-for-publication_241120.pdf