Steering Complex Projects
Why enrol in the Steering Complex Projects programme?
'Meet the objective' is the obvious goal for any project—but the objective is not always ROI. When the aim is organisational change, learning outcomes or culture change, a different approach may be needed. This programme can help you gain the expertise to take on more complex and novel projects while successfully connecting the dots between your strategic goals and your project goals. You’ll learn project management processes along with ways to build organisational capability to ensure that not only are your projects completed, but also that your outcomes are predictable.
Who is this programme for?
This programme is focused on the “why” and “how” of managing complex projects, and provides essential best practices regarding their successful completion as well as delivering value for stakeholders. The programme is ideal for:
C-suite and senior-level executives seeking an overview of project management as well as insights on choosing the most appropriate project approach based on their strategic objective.
Highly experienced PMP-certified project managers looking to go deeper than traditional PMP courses and develop their leadership skills in project management.
Consultants who need the skill to articulate the case for projects and influence multiple stakeholders.
The programme’s lessons are applicable across most major industries, including banking and finance, consulting, government, infrastructure, professional services, real estate, technology and telecom.
What you will learn
Throughout this eight-week programme, you’ll learn to select the best approach for your projects to ensure they meet your strategic objectives and deliver value for your stakeholders.
Understand the strategic goals of the organisation and articulate what the project outcomes will contribute to the strategy; understand the political process of creating project goals, including negotiating and seeking win-win coalitions; translate high level strategic goals into project goals.
Identify the key characteristics of execution projects; understand the managerial relevance of the critical path and limitations; identify uncertainties and take mitigative or responsive actions.
Identify the key characteristics of novel projects and the technical steps of managing them; articulate steps to follow when encountering unforeseeable uncertainty; understand pivoting/iterating and parallelism, and how to incorporate them into project planning and monitoring.
Identify the four methods for managing a change project; generate guidelines for managing the social dimensions of change; author a template for stakeholder management.
Identify and apply ingredients of goal clarity and three criteria for them; articulate competency-driven values for a project; analyse how to deal with rule-breakers and high-performers and establish related guidelines.
Understand the role governance plays in maintaining strategic alignment in projects; identify the five elements of well-designed governance structures; build a framework for managing the governance structure with accountability measures.
Understand what contracts can and cannot do, and identify the four different types of contracts for an appropriate fit; understand the role that co-location can play in project management; understand how renegotiation must be built into the contract from the beginning.
Identify the tools for each project type and how to deploy them; make informed choices from the portfolio of tools to ensure projects encourage learning within the organisation; apply established methods of knowledge exchange and learning tools in a way that is appropriate to the challenges of a project.
For more information on the syllabus, download the brochure.
Programme highlights
Translate high-level strategic goals into project goals.
Identify the key characteristics of different types of projects, and articulate the appropriate management and personnel systems for each.
Anticipate project uncertainties and take mitigating or responsive actions.
Build a framework for managing governance structures with accountability measures.
Develop effective practices in relationship management and exercising influence.
Apply established methods of knowledge exchange and learning tools in a way that is appropriate to the challenges of a project.
Case studies
Each week starts with a vignette or case reading in which participants examine not only the technical aspects of project management, but also the managerial and strategic implications. The vignettes compel participants to confront the problems of:
Project strategy
See how a struggling natural resources company facing an uncertain future weighs the merits and risks of multiple projects to determine which one(s) will help move their organisation forward.
Project planning
An engineering company that builds drones is tasked with delivering a product proposal to a customer within an abbreviated timeframe. Follow their consideration of the benefits, duration, risks and costs of different activities in an effort to maintain their project schedule.
Novel projects
Follow the journey of a turnaround CEO at a software startup tasked with a project with many unknowns that require her to get to the source(s) of the organisation’s problems in order to determine the appropriate goals for the project.
Team composition
Delve into the makeup of two teams racing to reach the South Pole first in 1911 and see how their composition impacted their success, from their goals, values and problem-solving processes to team roles, interpersonal dynamics and leadership.
Governance
Discover how stakeholder buy-in and leadership issues led to the failure of a knowledge management project undertaken by an enterprise software management company.
Project contracts
Explore fundamental problems with contracts and how an integrated approach can enhance success through the lens of three high-profile project contracts—the Eurotunnel, the Panama Canal expansion and Heathrow Terminal 5.
Project learning
Evaluate the efficacy and necessity of a variety of tools used by an IT consulting firm to ensure that learnings from individual projects could be utilised by their entire project organisation.
Faculty
Professor of Operations and Technology Management
Before coming to CJBS in 2011, Professor Loch was the GlaxoSmithKline Chaired Professor of Corporate Innovation at INSEAD, where he also served as Dean of the PhD programme an...
Professor of Operations Management, MBA, PhD (Case Western University)
Dr Sengupta has served as adviser on several projects with the U.S. Government Department of Defense as well as NASA, besides consulting with organisations in Silicon Valley a...
Testimonials
Certificate
Upon successful completion of the programme, participants will be awarded a digital certificate of completion by Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education.
Please note that this programme can be incorporated into the completion of the Cambridge General Management Certificate of Achievement (GMCA). It will be credited as an 'in-person' two-day programme for the purpose of meeting the GMCA requirements. If you require more details on the GMCA and wish to speak to our advisers, please contact executive.education@jbs.cam.ac.uk.
Note: After successful completion of the online programme, your verified digital certificate will be emailed to you in the name you used when registering for the programme. All certificate images are for illustrative purposes only and may be subject to change at the discretion of Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education.
FAQs
How do I know if this programme is right for me?
After reviewing the information on the programme landing page, we recommend you submit the short form above to gain access to the programme brochure, which includes more in-depth information. If you still have questions about whether this programme is a good fit for you, please email us on the email address mentioned above learner.success@emeritus.org, and a dedicated programme adviser will follow up with you very shortly.
Are there any prerequisites for this programme?
Some programmes do have prerequisites, particularly the more technical ones. This information will be noted on the programme landing page, as well as in the programme brochure. If you are uncertain about programme prerequisites and your capabilities, please email us at the ID mentioned above.
Note that, unless otherwise stated on the programme web page, all programmes are taught in English, and proficiency in English is required.
What is the typical class profile?
More than 50% of our participants are from outside the United States. Class profiles vary from one cohort to the next, but generally, our online certificates draw a highly diverse audience in terms of professional experience, industry and geography—leading to a very rich peer learning experience.
What other dates will this programme be offered in the future?
Check back at this programme web page or email us to inquire if future programme dates or the timeline for future offerings have been confirmed yet.
How much time is required each week?
Each programme includes an estimated learner effort per week. This is referenced at the top of the programme landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the programme brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page.
How will my time be spent?
We have designed this programme to fit into your current working life as efficiently as possible. Time will be spent among a variety of activities, including:
Engaging with recorded video lectures from faculty
Attending webinars and office hours, as per the specific programme schedule
Reading or engaging with examples of core topics
Completing knowledge checks/quizzes and required activities
Engaging in moderated discussion groups with your peers
Completing your final project, if required
The programme is designed to be highly interactive while also allowing time for self-reflection and to demonstrate an understanding of the core topics through various active learning exercises. Please email us if you need further clarification on programme activities.
What is it like to learn online with the learning collaborator, Emeritus?
More than 300,000 learners across 200 countries have chosen to advance their skills with Emeritus and its educational learning partners. In fact, 90% of the respondents of a recent survey across all our programmes said that their learning outcomes were met or exceeded.
All the contents of the programme would be made available to students at the commencement of the programmecourse. However to ensure the programme delivers the desired learning outcomes, the students may appoint Emeritus to manage the delivery of the programme in a cohort-based manner, the cost of which is already included in the overall programme fee.
A dedicated programme support team is available 24/5 (Monday to Friday) to answer questions about the learning platform, technical issues or anything else that may affect your learning experience.
How do I interact with other programme participants?
Peer learning adds substantially to the overall learning experience and is an important part of the programme. You can connect and communicate with other participants through our learning platform.
What are the requirements to earn the certificate?
Each programme includes an estimated learner effort per week, so you can gauge what will be required before you enrol. This is referenced at the top of the programme landing page under the Duration section, as well as in the programme brochure, which you can obtain by submitting the short form at the top of this web page. All programmes are designed to fit into your working life.
This programme is scored as a pass or no-pass. Participants must complete the required activities to pass and obtain the certificate of completion. Some programmes include a final project submission or other assignments to obtain passing status. This information will be noted in the programme brochure. Please email us if you need further clarification on any specific programme requirements.
What type of certificate will I receive?
Upon successful completion of the programme, you will receive a smart digital certificate. The smart digital certificate can be shared with friends, family, schools or potential employers. You can use it on your cover letter or resume and/or display it on your LinkedIn profile.
The digital certificate will be sent approximately two weeks after the programme, once grading is complete.
Can I get the hard copy of the certificate?
No, only verified digital certificates will be issued upon successful completion. This allows you to share your credentials on social networking platforms, such as LinkedIn, Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).
Do I receive alumni status after completing this programme?
No, there is no alumni status granted for this programme. In some cases, there are credits that count towards a higher level of certification. This information will be clearly noted in the programme brochure.
How long will I have access to the learning materials?
You will have access to the online learning platform and all the videos and programme materials for 12 months following the programme start date. Access to the learning platform is restricted to registered participants per the terms of agreement.
What equipment or technical requirements are there for this programme?
Participants will need the latest version of their preferred browser to access the learning platform. In addition, Microsoft Office and a PDF viewer are required to access documents, spreadsheets, presentations, PDF files and transcripts.
Do I need to be online to access the programme content?
Yes, the learning platform is accessed via the internet, and video content is not available for download. However, you can download files of video transcripts, assignment templates, readings, etc. For maximum flexibility, you can access programme content from a desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile device. Video lectures must be streamed via the internet, and any livestream webinars and office hours will require an internet connection. However, these sessions are always recorded, so you can view them later.
Can I still register if the registration deadline has passed?
Yes, you can register up until seven days past the published start date of the programme without missing any of the core programme material or learnings.
What is the programme fee, and what forms of payment do you accept?
The programme fee is noted at the top of this programme web page and usually referenced in the programme brochure as well.
Flexible payment options are available (see details below as well as at the top of this programme web page next to FEE).
If you apply by an early deadline, you may receive a programme fee benefit. If you believe you may qualify for other discounts, please check with your programme adviser to confirm the applicable discount that will provide the greatest benefit and if there are specific terms and conditions for use. For more information, please connect with a learning adviser or email learner.success@emeritus.org.
What if I don’t have a credit card? Is there another method of payment accepted?
Yes, you can do the bank remittance in the programme currency via wire transfer or debit card. Please contact your programme adviser, or email us for details.
I was not able to use the discount code provided. Can you help?
Yes! Please email us with the details of the programme you are interested in, and we will assist you.
How can I obtain an invoice for payment?
Please email us your invoicing requirements and the specific programme you’re interested in enroling in.
Is there an option to make flexible payments for this programme?
Yes, the flexible payment option allows a participant to pay the programme fee in instalments. This option is made available on the payment page and should be selected before submitting the payment.
How can I obtain a W9 form?
Please connect with us via email for assistance.
Who will be collecting the payment for the programme?
Emeritus collects all programme payments, provides learner enrolment and programme support and manages learning platform services.
Are there any restrictions on the types of funding that can be used to pay for the programme?
Programme fees for Emeritus programmes with Cambridge Judge Business School Executive Education may not be paid for with (a) funds from the GI Bill, the Post-9/11 Educational Assistance Act of 2008 or similar types of military education funding benefits or (b) Title IV financial aid funds.
What is the programme refund and deferral policy?
For the programme refund and deferral policy, please click the link here.
Didn't find what you were looking for? Write to us at learner.success@emeritus.org or Schedule a call with one of our Programme Advisers or call us at +44 203 479 4043 (UK) / +1 315 819 0707(US) / +65 3163 8580 (SG)
Flexible payment options available.
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