UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

ADVANCED PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
ONLINE SHORT COURSE
Take your project management skills to an expert level
ABOUT THIS COURSE
With the move towards projectised organisations, project success is as much about power and politics
as it is about plans and processes. This course aims to teach the expert-level project management skill
necessary to address these multi-layered considerations and will extend the student’s knowledge beyond
the basic concepts of project management. Become invaluable to any employer as a project manager by
addressing process problems and providing the solutions for optimal project performance. You’ll walk
away with a fully developed project charter and project plan, applicable to your organisation and your
role, and highlighting your competency as an advanced project manager.

12 weeks, R 19,900 10-12 hours/week of

excluding orientation incl. VAT self-paced learning,
entirely online

Each module is released weekly, allowing a flexible but structured approach to learning. You’ll be supported as you engage
in individual activities and group discussions, ensuring you feel confident to submit your best work at each weekly deadline.

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

COURSE REQUIREMENTS
This course is relevant to professionals who have experience in project management.
In order to ensure that this course is suitable for you, you’ll be required to submit a suitable project to
your Head Tutor for approval once the course goes live. This approved project will be used as a building
block for your ongoing project plan. It’ll also ensure that at the end of this 12-week online short course
you’ll have a completed plan for a real-world project that can be practically applied in your current role.

PLEASE CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING RECOMMENDATIONS

SURROUNDING THE PROJECT YOU SELECT TO USE DURING
THIS COURSE:
• The project should be one that you have a working knowledge of, where you fulfilled a role on the project,

i.e. as project manager, project sponsor, or project team member

• The project should either have already started, and be well underway, or should be a project completed

within the last 10 years

• The project should ideally be of medium to large scale in relation to its rand value, the number of project

stakeholders, and the project duration

• You should have access to all or a majority of the project documentation

If you would prefer to do a foundational course in project management, please contact

us to speak to an Enrolment Advisor.

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

HOW THIS COURSE WILL HELP
YOU DIFFERENTIATE YOURSELF:

With the only fully online short course in advanced project management in the country,
you’ll take your project management knowledge beyond the basics.

Be guided by an industry expert, with years of experience in the field

of project management.

Walk away with a full-developed and viable project plan, created specifically for your
organisation and professional role.

YOU’LL WALK AWAY FROM THIS COURSE CONFIDENT

IN YOUR ABILITY TO:
• Propose a suitable project that requires an extensive project plan

• Deconstruct the role of the project manager in terms of practical examples

• Apply your knowledge of the project management process to a practical example

• Develop a project charter for your chosen project and the ability to evaluate project scope

management related to a practical example

• Apply EVM (Earned Value Management) and investigate project quality management,

and recommend project HR management techniques in terms of a practical example

• Create a completed and viable project plan including the project scope, stakeholder integration,

time management plans, project cost and risk management plans, the project quality communication

and procurement management plans

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
This online course integrates rich, interactive media such
as videos, infographics, and e-learning activities as well
as traditional didactic components such as written study
guides (course notes). There are also opportunities for
collaborative learning through discussion forums. The
following modules contribute to the holistic approach
your learning path takes:

ORIENTATION MODULE
Welcome to Your Online Campus
(ONE WEEK)
You’ll be welcomed with a personal call and get introduced
to your online teaching and technical support network.
Begin connecting with fellow students while exploring the
navigation and tools of your Online Campus. Be alerted to
key milestones in the learning path, and review how your
results will be calculated and distributed.

You’ll be required to complete your student profile, confirm

your certificate delivery address, and submit a digital copy
of your passport/identity document.

MODULE 1
Strategic Project Management
• Explain how the traditional organisational structure
is changing
• Review the processes of project portfolio management
• Differentiate between the different uses of the project
management office
• Evaluate the processes and responsibilities of benefits
realisation management
• Analyse a project in terms of project success criteria
• Produce a proposal for the ongoing project you will
use over the remainder of the course

WHAT IS THE
UNIVERSITY OF
CAPE TOWN?
Learn more about UCT

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

 MODULE 2
The Project Manager
• Articulate the differences between managers
and leaders
• Distinguish the knowledge, skills, and abilities
of a successful project manager
• Apply the organisational knowledge required
of project managers
• Identify the possible career paths available
to project managers

MODULE 3
The Project Management Process
• Discuss how the project lifecycle, project
management process, and project management
knowledge areas interact
• Use various project management methodologies
• Illustrate the typical effort required to complete
project processes
• Implement key management activities required
in the project lifecycle

MODULE 4
Managing Project Integration,
Stakeholders, and Initiation
• Evaluate the high-level integrating project
processes required to run a project
• Develop a suitable project charter for your
ongoing project
• Formulate suitable project objectives
• Categorise and manage key project stakeholders
• Recommend a stakeholder
management approach
• Complete the initiation of a project

MODULE 5
Managing Project Scope
• Illustrate the processes, tools, and techniques
of project scope management
• Articulate how to validate the project scope
• Evaluate critical factors when defining
project scope
• Reverse engineer high-level work
breakdown structures
• Debate how to monitor and control scope creep

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

 MODULE 6
Managing Project Time
• Articulate the processes, tools, and techniques
of project time management
• Create a work breakdown structure
• Critique the effectiveness of network diagrams
• Develop a schedule using relevant estimating techniques
to aid the creation of the cost management plan
• Produce a plan for monitoring and controlling
the project schedule

MODULE 7
Managing Project Cost
• Articulate the processes, tools, and techniques
of project cost management
• Calculate project costs using estimation techniques
• Use Earned Value Management to control
project performance
• Demonstrate how to determine a project budget

MODULE 8
Managing Project Risk
• Deconstruct the concept and the importance
of project risk management
• Measure project risk
• Produce a risk analysis
• Formulate risk responses
• Propose a plan to control and monitor project risks
• Assess the need to communicate project risk and utilise
the McFarlan approach

MODULE 9
Managing Project Quality
• Articulate the processes, tools, and techniques
of project quality management
• Differentiate between quality management,
quality assurance, and quality control
• Apply project quality management skills to build quality
into the overall project plan
• Categorise the different stakeholders responsible
for quality outcomes
• Distinguish the different levels of OPM3

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT


IAN LUYT
Past GetSmarter Student
I thoroughly enjoyed
having a subject matter
expert one click away. By
engaging in the discussion
forums provided for in
each module, the head
tutor engaged and
responded swiftly
and effectively.
UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT
MODULE 10
Managing Project Communications
and Procurement
• Apply the methods of information distribution
• Reflect on the Lessons Learned technique
• Create a weekly project report
• Analyse the management issues relevant to
outsourcing
• Evaluate seller proposals and create a Request
For Proposal (RFP)
• Differentiate between the various types and
applications of contracts
• Assess how to monitor and close a contract
MODULE 11
Managing Talent Projects
• Illustrate the processes, tools, and techniques
of Project HR Management
• Articulate how to recruit project team
members
• Analyse why talent leaves organisations
• Investigate how to motivate project team
members
• Hypothesise how to create a productive work
environment
• Recommend coping mechanisms to manage
work stress
MODULE 12
Project Delivery and Closure
• Analyse what makes people resistant to change
• Evaluate change management activities and
build them into the project plan
• Develop a strategy to implement project
deliverables
• Propose a plan for closing a project
• Plan a post-implementation project
review members
WHO YOU’LL LEARN FROM
YOUR TEACHING TEAM
These professionals guide the course design and delivery, and may appear in a number of course videos.

HEAD TUTOR
PATRICK BROWNING
Skills Development Coach

Patrick is an experienced leadership and management consultant, facilitator, and coach with qualifications
in industrial psychology, and an extensive background in all aspects of business management and
development, including supply chain, business logistics, and project management. His expertise in the field
of project management make him the perfect industry mentor for those wishing to expand their knowledge
beyond the basics.

GUEST LECTURER
DEREK SMITH
Professor and Project Management Specialist

Derek is a highly acclaimed professional, with over 45 years’ experience both locally and internationally. He
managed numerous international projects before becoming professor of information systems at UCT, and also
founded a private training company where he has successfully taught project management for over 25 years.

YOUR SUCCESS TEAM

GetSmarter, with whom the University of Cape Town is collaborating to deliver this online course, provides a
personalised approach to online education that ensures you’re supported throughout your learning journey.

HEAD TUTOR SUCCESS MANAGER GLOBAL SUCCESS TEAM

A subject expert who’ll
guide you through
content-related challenges.
Your one-on-one support
available during University
hours (8am–5pm SAST)
to resolve technical and
administrative challenges.
Available 24/7 to solve
your tech-related and
administrative queries
and concerns.

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

A POWERFUL
COLLABORATION
Since 2007, the University of Cape Town has partnered with
digital education provider GetSmarter to take the university’s
renowned education online. The move towards delivering
education through the online model is strongly driven by UCT’s
goal to broaden access to education from Africa’s leading
university to those who previously would not have been able to
access it due to geographical constraints.1 UCT’s scope extends
to all areas of sub-Saharan Africa, and opportunities are being
investigated for providing both UCT and its future students
with opportunities for further growth.

WHAT IS THE
UNIVERSITY
OF CAPE TOWN?
Founded in 1829, UCT has a proud tradition of academic excellence
and effecting social change and development through its pioneering
scholarship, faculty and students. UCT’s reputation for excellence
is underpinned by its distinctive research, led by its distinguished
faculty, many of whom are world-leaders in their field.2

WHAT
IS GETSMARTER?
GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, Inc., partners with the world’s leading
universities to select, design and deliver premium online short
courses with a data-driven focus on learning gain.

Technology meets academic rigour in our people-mediated

model, which enables lifelong learners across the globe to obtain
industry-relevant skills that are certified by the world’s most
reputable academic institutions.

1
QS Top Universities (Jan, 2020).
2
Times Higher Education (2019).

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

EARN A CERTIFICATE FROM
AFRICA’S LEADING UNIVERSITY
Earn a certificate of completion from the University of Cape Town, Africa’s leading university, 3
as recognition of your newly developed skills.

Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be
issued with a UCT certificate of completion, you will need to meet the requirements outlined in the course
handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.

Your certificate of completion will be issued in your legal name and sent to you at no additional cost.
All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion
of the University.

3
QS Top Universities (Jan, 2020).

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

HOW BROWSER REQUIREMENTS
We recommend that you use Google Chrome

YOU’LL LEARN as your internet browser when accessing

Every course is broken down into manageable,
weekly modules, designed to accelerate your
learning process through diverse learning activities:
• Work through your downloadable and online
instructional material
• Interact with your peers and learning
facilitators through weekly class-wide forums
and reviewed small group discussions
• Enjoy a wide range of interactive content,
including video lectures, infographics, live
polls, and more
• Investigate rich, real-world case studies
• Apply what you learn each week to quizzes
and ongoing project submissions
the Online Campus. Although this is not a
requirement, we have found that this browser
performs best for ease of access to course
material. This browser can be downloaded here.
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS
Certain courses may require additional software
and resources. These additional software and
resource requirements will be communicated to
you upon registration and/or at the beginning of
the course. Please note that Google, Vimeo, and
YouTube may be used in our course delivery, and
if these services are blocked in your jurisdiction,
you may have difficulty in accessing course
content. Please check with a Course Consultant
before registering for this course if you have any
concerns about this affecting your experience with
the Online Campus.

TECHNICAL
REQUIREMENTS
BASIC REQUIREMENTS
In order to complete a course, you’ll need a
current email account and access to a computer
and the internet, as well as a PDF Reader.
You may need to view Microsoft PowerPoint
presentations, and read and create documents
in Microsoft Word or Excel. Installing Adobe Flash
Player will give you full access to certain course
content, such as interactive infographics.
However, you’ll still have access to this content
in the form of a downloadable PDF transcript
if you’d prefer not to use Flash.

UCT ADVANCED PROJECT MANAGEMENT ONLINE SHORT

 UNIVERSITY OF CAPE TOWN

ADVANCED PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
ONLINE SHORT COURSE
Take your project management skills to an expert level

REGISTER NOW

CONTACT US
+27 87 551 8063 | uctonline@getsmarter.com