MSP® Foundation, 5th Edition

Program Overview

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MSP Foundation, 5th Edition

Overview

The MSP guidance and certification are designed for professionals who lead, manage or support transformational change. MSP was created as industry best practice with a principle-based approach to deliver outcomes and benefits in any sector. It focuses on the common challenges involved to ensure project outputs translate into business outcomes and benefits, and deliver increased value to an organisation. The updated MSP 5th edition adopts an incremental approach to the programme lifecycle that emphasises more flexibility, adaptability, and responsiveness and the enabling of organisational agility.

Entry Requirements

There are no formal entry requirements for this course. However, you should familiarise yourself with the manual and study for around 10 hours before the first day of training. You will also need to study between training days.

What's Included in the Course Price?

• All training
• Course materials provided via Blackboard
• An online exam
• When you register for your first MSP course with us, we will also include the official digital manual at no extra cost to you
• Take2 - free exam re-sit in case of an unsuccessful result

No VAT is payable on our short courses.

About MSP

MSP is a globally recognised certification for both existing or aspiring programme managers and project managers. Anyone involved in the direction, management, support and delivery of programmes or multiple projects will benefit from the guidance. This course is ideal for any professional looking to learn more about project and programme management, to gain the certifications needed for a career or just to improve on their understanding.

Programme management is the coordinated management of projects and business-as-usual activities to achieve beneficial change. The MSP 5th edition framework provides a practical, step-by-step approach for designing and running successful programmes. It will improve programme-level decision-making and is relevant to both public and private sector companies of all sizes.

MSP comprises a set of principles, governance themes and a set of processes for use when managing a business transformation. It provides an integrated framework that guides the work using three lenses:

• Fundamental principles: these are derived from positive and negative lessons learned from programme experiences. They are the common factors that underpin the success of any transformational change.
• Governance themes: these define an organisation's approach to programme management. They allow an organisation to put in place the right leadership, delivery team, organisation structures and controls, giving the best chance for success.
• Processes across a programme lifecycle: this provides a route through the lifecycle of a programme from its conception through to the delivery of the new capability, outcomes and benefits.

Course Structure

The course requires a first pass of all the material in the official manual, so it is important that you do some reading before the course starts. We will provide you with pre-course material that explains what reading is expected before beginning the course.

The course consists of a series of classroom (or online) lectures and group exercises. The lectures introduce the method's terminology, then we will discuss case studies to explain how to use the method in practice. We will provide supplementary learning material via the University's online learning platform. At the end of each day, we will use multiple choice questions to remind us of the day's learning and to prepare us for the certificate exam.

The content of the course follows the contents of the method's manual, which we will send to you before the course start. You will need to read the manual before you attend your first teaching session.

The Foundation Certificate exam has the following format:

• Multiple-choice
• 60 minutes duration
• Closed-book examination
• 60 questions
• 36 marks required to pass (out of 60 available) - 60%

The exam is a PeopleCert Online Proctored Exam. You will get an exam voucher from us and you then book your exam with PeopleCert, at a date of your choosing. Your MSP Foundation exam must be sat within six weeks of the end of your course.

Accreditation

This course is professionally accredited by PeopleCert. On completion, you will be ready to undertake the MSP Practitioner course.

The University of Westminster is an Accredited Training Organization (ATO), approved by PeopleCert.

MSP is part of the PeopleCert PRINCE2 portfolio.

Your Career

Programme management takes project management to the next level and is often a natural progression for experienced project managers. Whereas projects deliver outputs and discrete parcels of change, programmes focus on the coordination of multiple related projects. They are more strategic, more focused on managing organisational growth and change, and have a defined value proposition.

If you are looking to accelerate your career, possessing the industry-recognised MSP Foundation certification will demonstrate your proficiency to deliver change successfully and to use the MSP methodology to meet business objectives. MSP certification provides you with unique tools and skills that are not usually familiar to project managers, helping you to stand out to prospective employers. Whether you choose to work in the public, third or private sector, at home or abroad, MSP is applicable across numerous industries and can be tailored to local situations.

On successful completion of the Foundation course, you will be ready to continue learning about MSP by undertaking the Practitioner course.

Learning Outcomes

For You

At the end of the course you will be able to:

• Use best practice in programme management to successfully deliver transformational change.
• Tailor your project management to meet the needs of each project.
• Carry out the coordinated organisation, direction and implementation of multiple projects and transformation activities simultaneously to achieve strategic outcomes.
• Manage the transition of the solutions developed and delivered by projects into the organisation's operations while maintaining performance and effectiveness.
• Encourage realistic expectations of the organisation's capacity and ability to change.
• Lead business transformation and accommodate high levels of complexity, ambiguity and risk.

For Your Organisation

The course will help your organisation to:

• Align corporate strategy, delivery mechanisms for change and the business-as-usual environment.
• Continually monitor progress, assess performance and realise benefits.
• Apply a common framework to understand and manage all programmes or projects.
• Reduce the risk of project failure.
• Encourage feedback and develop a culture of learning to refine future strategies based on past experience.

Location

This course is taught both online and on campus (see Booking table). When taught on campus, it takes place at our Marylebone Campus in central London, within easy walking distance of Regent's Park and Marylebone High Street.

Price

£805

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

The MSP® Foundation course is designed for professionals who lead, manage, or support transformational change. It provides a principle-based approach to delivering outcomes and benefits in any sector. The course focuses on the common challenges involved in ensuring project outputs translate into business outcomes and benefits, delivering increased value to an organization. The Foundation qualification is a prerequisite for the Practitioner certification.

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Outline:

The course requires a first pass of all the material in the official manual, so it is important to do some reading before the course starts. Pre-course material will be provided explaining what reading is expected before beginning the course. The course consists of a series of classroom (or online) lectures and group exercises. The lectures introduce the method's terminology, and case studies are discussed to explain how to use the method in practice. Supplementary learning material is provided via the University's online learning platform. At the end of each day, multiple-choice questions are used to remind participants of the day's learning and prepare them for the certificate exam. The content of the course follows the contents of the method's manual, which is sent to participants before the course starts. The manual must be read before attending the first teaching session.

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Assessment:

The Foundation Certificate exam has the following format:

• Multiple-choice
• 60 minutes duration
• Closed-book examination
• 60 questions
• 36 marks required to pass (out of 60 available) - 60%
The exam is a PeopleCert Online Proctored Exam. Participants receive an exam voucher and book their exam with PeopleCert at a date of their choosing. The MSP® Foundation exam must be taken within six weeks of the end of the course. For the online proctored exam, participants must ensure their computer and the room they choose to take the exam in meet the minimum requirements.

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Teaching:

The course is taught both online and on campus. The course consists of a series of classroom (or online) lectures and group exercises.

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Careers:

Programme management takes project management to the next level and is often a natural progression for experienced project managers. Programmes focus on the coordination of multiple related projects, are more strategic, more focused on managing organizational growth and change, and have a defined value proposition. Possessing the industry-recognized MSP® Foundation certification demonstrates proficiency in delivering change successfully and using the MSP® methodology to meet business objectives. MSP® is applicable across numerous industries and can be tailored to local situations.

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Other:

MSP® is a globally recognized certification for both existing or aspiring program managers and project managers. Anyone involved in the direction, management, support, and delivery of programs or multiple projects will benefit from the guidance. The MSP® 5th edition framework provides a practical, step-by-step approach for designing and running successful programs. It improves program-level decision-making and is relevant to both public and private sector companies of all sizes. MSP® comprises a set of principles, governance themes, and a set of processes for use when managing a business transformation. It provides an integrated framework that guides the work using three lenses:

• Fundamental principles: These are derived from positive and negative lessons learned from program experiences.
They are the common factors that underpin the success of any transformational change.
• Governance themes: These define an organization's approach to program management.
• Processes across a program lifecycle: This provides a route through the lifecycle of a program from its conception through to the delivery of the new capability, outcomes, and benefits.