Associate Project Manager Apprenticeship

Upon completion of the apprenticeship, Project Managers will have knowledge and an understanding of:

• Purpose and formats for consolidated plans to support overall management, taking account of lessons learnt and how the plans balance fundamental components of scope, schedule, resources, budgets, risks and quality requirements.

• Stakeholders: their perspectives, different interests and levels of influence upon project outcomes.

• Different types of organisational structures and responsibilities, functions and project phases on different types of project. How governance can control and manage the successful delivery of projects. The significance of the project management plan (PMP).

• Key contexts of a project communication plan, its effectiveness in managing different stakeholders. Factors which can affect communications such as cultural and physical barriers.

• The vision and values of the project and its links to objectives; the ways in which these can be effectively communicated and reinforced to team members and stakeholders. Leadership styles, qualities and the importance of motivation on team performance. Characteristics of the working environment which encourage and sustain high performance.

• Funding, estimating, overheads; direct costs, indirect costs, fixed costs, variable costs and an overall budget for a project; tracking systems for actual costs, accruals and committed costs; alternative cost breakdowns to provide for graphical representations, and performance management.

• Preparation and/or maintenance of business cases, including benefits management.

• Requirements management, and evaluation of alternative methods to learn from the past to improve delivery. Project scope change control, baseline change management, configuration management.

• Scheduling and estimating for project activities including how they can be quality assessed. Progress monitoring and metrics to assess work performed against the schedule. Schedule management methods to evaluate and revise activities to improve confidence in delivery.

• Quality management processes, assurance and improvements. Outcomes of a quality management plan, metrics for processes and quality standards.

• The different contexts in which projects can be delivered, including health, safety, and environment management. The interdependencies between project(s), programme(s) and portfolio management. Project phases and key review points, across project life cycles.

• The need for and implementation of a risk management plan. Risk management methods and techniques to identify and prioritise threats or opportunities. Mitigation actions to minimise risk impacts and to optimise benefits by managing opportunities.

Upon completion of the apprenticeship, Project Managers will have and be able to exhibit skills in the following areas:

• Manage stakeholders, taking account of their levels of influence and particular interests. Manage conflicts and negotiations. Communicate to a variety of different audiences. Contribute to negotiations relating to project objectives.

• Develop and agree project budgets, monitor forecast and actual costs against them and control changes. Support funding submissions. Tracking systems for actual costs, accruals and committed costs; structures for alternative cost breakdowns.

• Contribute to the preparation or maintenance of a business case including achieving required outcomes.

• Determine, control and manage changes to the scope of a project, including assumptions, dependencies and constraints.

• Prepare and maintain schedules for activities aligned to project delivery.

• Identify and monitor project risk or opportunity, plan and implement responses to them, contribute to a risk management plan. Respond to and manage issues within a defined governance structure.

• Develop a quality management plan, manage project assurance, and contribute to peer reviews. Utilise an organisation’s continual improvement process including lessons learned.

• Develop resource management plans for project activities, acquire and manage resources including commitment acceptance, monitor progress against plans.

• Consolidate and document the fundamental components of projects. Monitor progress against the consolidated plan and refine as appropriate, implementing the change control process where relevant.

• Facilitate a procurement process, contribute to the definition of contractual agreements and contribute to managing a contract.

Upon completion of the apprenticeship, Project Managers will exhibit the following behaviours:

• Communicates direction, and supports the vision for project delivery.

•  Understands and is effective as part of an integrated team.

• Working effectively with and influencing others, taking account of diversity and equality. Influences and facilitates effective team performance.

• Demonstrates clear commitment to achieving results, and improving performance.

• Promotes the wider public good in all actions, acting in a morally, legally and socially appropriate manner. Promotes and models the highest standards of professional integrity, ethics, trust and continued development.