A project can look perfectly on track in the status meeting and still be two months behind by the time anyone checks the numbers against the baseline. The gap between how a project feels and what the data actually shows is exactly what project controls exist to close. This APMG-aligned training course treats planning and control as one connected discipline, not two separate skill sets.

Delivered by Arab British Fellowship Training Academy as part of its Project Management Courses within the Management category, the programme builds structured capability in project planning, scheduling, cost and resource control, risk and change management, and governance — combining Foundation-level concepts with Practitioner-level application. Participants leave able to build realistic plans, track performance against baselines honestly, respond to variance with the right corrective action, and sit the Foundation and Practitioner certification assessments with confidence.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand how project planning and project controls work together across the project lifecycle.
• Build structured project plans, work breakdown structures, and realistic baselines.
• Develop schedules that can actually be tracked, using dependencies, milestones, and critical path techniques.
• Monitor performance against baselines and identify variances, deviations, and emerging issues early.
• Control project cost and resources alongside schedule, using forecasting and corrective action.
• Manage risk, change, and issues without losing control of an active project.
• Support effective project governance, assurance, and decision-making.
• Prepare confidently for APMG Foundation and Practitioner certification assessments.

Target Audience

• Project managers and project planners
• Project controls professionals and schedulers
• Programme managers and PMO professionals
• Project support officers and planning engineers
• Risk and project assurance professionals
• Professionals preparing for APMG certification

Module 1: Why Plans Drift From Reality — and How Control Catches It

• Purpose and principles of project planning and control
• The APMG Project Planning & Control framework
• Project lifecycle and control requirements

Module 2: Building the Plan: Objectives, WBS and Baselines

• Defining project objectives and deliverables
• Work breakdown structures and activity sequencing
• Resource planning and establishing project baselines

Module 3: Scheduling Projects That Can Actually Be Tracked

• Scheduling principles, dependencies, and relationships
• Milestones, key dates, and critical path concepts
• Schedule development, monitoring, and updating

Module 4: The Control Framework: Monitoring, Variance and Corrective Action

• Control processes, responsibilities, and baselines
• Progress measurement, reporting, and dashboards
• Variance identification and corrective/preventive actions

Module 5: Controlling Cost and Resources Together With Schedule

• Project cost planning and budget monitoring
• Resource allocation, utilisation, and cost variance analysis
• Integrating cost, resource, and schedule controls

Module 6: Managing Risk, Change and Issues Without Losing Control

• Risk identification, assessment, and response
• Change control processes
• Issue identification, escalation, and impact assessment

Module 7: Governance, Assurance and Practitioner-Level Application

• Governance principles, roles, and decision-making structures
• Project assurance and control documentation
• Applying planning and control techniques to practical project scenarios

Module 8: Preparing for Foundation and Practitioner Certification

• APMG certification requirements and structure
• Foundation and Practitioner assessment preparation
• Scenario-based application and examination techniques