MSP® Practitioner eLearning - $679 (with exam)

Learning Objectives

Module 1 covers the key concepts relating to the principles, governance themes and transformational flow of MSP, and how they relate to each other. It goes through the drivers that cause organizations to initiate change programs, the areas that may be affected by changes and the different impacts that a program can have. Finally, it covers the program information baselines and the reasons why business alignment is important.

By the end of the module, students should be able to identify if a change initiative should be managed as a program or project. They should also have a clear understanding of how each role contributes to program governance through a program’s lifecycle.

Learning Objectives

Module 2 examines the key concepts relating to the governance theme of ‘Organization’, together with the ‘Programme Office (PO)’.

It also identifies the key attributes and activities developed by the members of a program and covers the transformational flow activities associated with the Organization theme.

Learning Objectives

Module 3 covers the governance theme of ‘Vision’ and goes through the reasons why making major changes to a vision statement should be avoided.

It specifies which activities and roles are involved in the transformational flow, as well as those used for the development and maintenance of vision statements.

Learning Objectives

This module describes the steps of the stakeholder engagement cycle. It covers the typical contents and factors which must be considered for:

The stakeholder engagement strategy
Stakeholder management
The stakeholder map
The program communications plan
Business change management
The influence/interest matrix

It also outlines the major roles involved in stakeholder engagement, as well as their respective responsibilities, and describes the transformational flow activities associated with the governance theme of ‘Leadership and Stakeholder Engagement’.

Learning Objectives

Module 5 is dedicated to the governance theme of ‘Benefits Management’. It covers the drivers for Benefits Management and benefits categorization, including:

The ‘3 Es’ of categorization by value
KPIs and benefit measurements
Financial impacts
The differences between cashable and non-cashable benefits
Types of corporate objectives which benefits may support
Stakeholder impact
Timeline
Level of risk

It also describes the typical contents and/ or format of:

Benefits management strategies
Benefits maps
Benefit profiles
Benefits realization plans

Lastly, this module identifies specific roles and responsibilities and goes through the transformational flow activities associated with the governance theme of Benefits Management.

Learning Objectives

Module 6 covers the governance theme of ‘Blueprint Design and Delivery’. It covers the theme’s main characteristics, such as the nature of collaboration between Blueprint Design and Delivery, the other governance themes and the documents with which it should be aligned.

The module describes the purpose of ‘options analysis’ and the factors which need to be considered when arranging solutions into projects, tranches and workstreams.

Finally, it covers the transformational flow activities associated with Blueprint Design and Delivery, as well as the specific roles and responsibilities within the theme.

Learning Objectives

Module 7 covers the key concepts relating to the governance theme of ‘Planning and Control’, with careful attention to:

Monitoring and controlling strategy
The program plan and project plan
The projects dossier and project briefs
The resource management plan and resource management strategy
The benefit profiles and benefits realization plan

To conclude, it describes how each role should apply the guidance provided by the ‘Planning and Control’ theme throughout the life of a program, and identifies transformational flow activities associated with the theme.

Learning Objectives

Module 8 covers the governance theme of ‘Risk and Issue Management’. It gives special attention to the purpose of the principles of program risk management, the principal areas of risk, and the issues found in each of the four organizational perspectives.

It goes into detail about the:

Issue register and issue management strategy progress report (risk and issue)
Risk management strategy
Risk register
Risk evaluation techniques and how to calculate expected value
Risk management framework and cycle
Issue management framework and cycle
Configuration management steps and the basic steps of change control
Probability impact grids and summary risk profile

Additionally, the module describes risk appetite, risk tolerance thresholds and the characteristics of early warning indicators.

Lastly, it makes a distinction between risks and issues from each perspective and determines how each role should apply the guidance provided by the Risk and Issue Management theme throughout the life of a program.

Learning Objectives

Module 9 is dedicated to the ‘Business Case’ theme.

During this module, learners will discover more about the relationships that exist between a business case and the principles of MSP. Students will also learn what is involved in managing a business case.

The module also covers the ‘programme information’ (documents) that need to be reviewed following any significant changes to a business case. It then draws a link between a program’s business case and the business cases of its various projects.

Additionally, the module goes through the concept and use of the net benefit line, determines how each role should apply the guidance provided by the Business Case theme and, lastly, describes the transformational flow activities associated with the theme.

Learning Objectives

Module 10 covers the key concepts around the ‘Quality and Assurance Management’ theme, with specific attention to:

The information management plan and information management strategy
The quality and assurance plan and quality and assurance strategy

The module defines the characteristics of the techniques that may be used to help ensure that a program is being delivered optimally, and specifies the different purposes of health checks and maturity assessments.

It goes on to cover the evolution of information baselines and the critical success factors that underpin successful information management systems. Lastly, it identifies the major roles, responsibilities and transformational flow activities associated with the Quality and Assurance Management theme.

Learning Objectives

This last module covers the key concepts relating to the transformational flow and its six processes, together with their specific inputs, activities and outputs. It classifies the roles, accountabilities and responsibilities for each one of the processes and identifies appropriate information for inclusion in the:

Program mandate
Program brief
Program preparation plan
Program definition document
Project briefs

To conclude, it describes the formal approvals required during the life of a program and analyzes the reasons for program closure.

Learning Objectives

Here, we offer students the chance to put into practice what they have learned so far. These exams are designed to simulate the official MSP Practitioner examination and offer students the questions with rationale to review the key points covered.

When you feel you are ready to sit the exam, simply contact Good e-Learning to request your FREE exam voucher.

'Managing Successful Programmes (MSP)' is a program and project management framework. It offers flexible yet comprehensive best practices for planning, instigating, managing, and concluding successful programs, breaking them down into more manageable projects with clearly defined goals.

MSP works by breaking down large and complex programs into more manageable projects. It also provides non-prescriptive best practices for program management which can be used and adapted in virtually any industry, sector, or location.

The MSP certification path starts with MSP Foundation, before moving on to MSP Practitioner and, finally, MSP Advanced Practitioner.

MSP is flexible and adaptive enough to suit almost any organization or program. It also clarifies goals, lines of communication, and roles, enabling streamlined decision making and making it easier to complete programs on time and within budget.

Practitioners also continually assess their projects for the sake of risk management and ensuring focus.

Due to its adaptable and non-prescriptive nature, almost any organization can use MSP. An MSP qualification can also be highly useful for aspiring or experienced project managers.

AXELOS is a joint venture company that owns and updates several leading best practice frameworks, including MSP, AgileSHIFT, ITIL 4 and PRINCE2.

In order to sit the MSP Practitioner exam, a student must first earn their MSP Foundation certification.

The MSP Foundation exam is closed book and has 75 multiple-choice questions. It lasts 60 minutes (75 in countries where English is not the native language). The pass mark is 50%.

The MSP Practitioner exam is open book and has 8 questions. The exam lasts 150 minutes and the pass mark is 50%.

MSP can be used alongside several other frameworks, including ITIL 4 and PRINCE2.