Project Leadership and Governance Training Course

Duration 5 days 10 modules · 33 contact hours
Level Intermediate Certificate on completion
Who attends Project Managers, Programme Managers and others
Fee from USD 1,100 KSh 95,000 for Kenyan organisations
Where 52 cities + online See dates by city
Next start 7 Nov 2026 Course code SD-PM-053

Before you join: Participants should have experience working on projects and understand basic project terms such as scope, schedule, budget, risk, stakeholder and milestone.

Dates & prices

Two start dates a month in every city, and live online on weekdays or weekends. Fees are per participant; classroom fees include tuition, materials, lunch and refreshments, and the certificate.

Suggest a date or city

Showing the next six months. Later dates, other cities and private deliveries for your team are available on request.

Course overview

Projects can meet technical scope and still fail to produce intended benefits when sponsorship is weak, decisions are delayed, risks are hidden, or delivery teams lack clear authority. Senior stakeholders need reliable information without becoming involved in every operational detail. Project leaders must balance schedule, cost, quality, risk, stakeholder expectations and organisational change while maintaining disciplined governance.

This course develops the leadership and governance skills required to direct complex projects from mandate through closure. Participants examine sponsor and steering committee roles, governance structures, decision rights, benefits management, stage gates, integrated planning, assurance, risk escalation, financial control and performance reporting. They learn how to build accountability through RACI matrices, manage difficult stakeholders, lead project teams, handle exceptions and present decision-ready information to executives.

Instruction combines short practitioner briefings with cases drawn from infrastructure, banking transformation, public programmes, technology delivery and operational change. Participants work with governance documents, project data and decision scenarios, then prepare an application plan for their own projects. They leave with reusable templates for a project governance framework, stakeholder plan, benefits map, RAID log, executive dashboard and assurance checklist.

The course suits project managers and programme personnel who already understand basic project planning and now need to lead delivery with greater authority, control and credibility. It is also valuable for sponsors, functional managers and PMO staff responsible for oversight of high-value, regulated or business-critical initiatives.

What you will be able to do

  • Design a project governance framework with defined forums, roles, authorities and escalation routes
  • Create a benefits map linking project outputs to measurable business outcomes and accountable owners
  • Apply RACI analysis to clarify sponsor, steering committee, project manager and workstream responsibilities
  • Develop integrated baselines for scope, schedule, cost, risk, quality and resource commitments
  • Use earned value management metrics to interpret project cost and schedule performance
  • Prepare decision-ready executive reports using tolerances, exceptions, forecasts and risk exposure
  • Lead stakeholder engagement using power-interest analysis, communication plans and negotiation methods
  • Conduct project assurance reviews using stage-gate criteria, evidence requests and corrective actions

Benefits of attending

For you

  • Gain confidence presenting exceptions and recommendations to senior decision-makers
  • Build authority through clearer roles, tolerances and escalation agreements
  • Improve control of scope, risk and delivery commitments across workstreams
  • Prepare stronger business cases, governance papers and executive status reports
  • Develop a practical leadership approach for difficult stakeholder situations

For your organisation

  • Faster decisions through defined governance forums and delegated authorities
  • Earlier intervention on schedule, cost, risk and benefits shortfalls
  • Clearer accountability between sponsors, project managers and functional leaders
  • More consistent reporting across projects, programmes and PMO portfolios
  • Better protection of investment through evidence-based assurance and stage gates

Course modules

10 modules over 5 days

Participants can establish a governance structure that connects project authority, accountability and intended benefits.

  • Project charter decisions linking strategic objectives, benefits, scope and authority
  • Governance versus management accountabilities under ISO 21502 principles
  • Define sponsor, steering committee and project manager decision rights
  • Benefits map connecting outputs, outcomes, owners and measurable indicators
  • Stage-gate governance tailored to project risk, spend and complexity
  • Escalation thresholds for tolerances, exceptions and sponsor intervention

Participants can lead project roles with clear accountability, professional judgement and appropriate authority.

  • RACI matrix assignment for governance bodies, delivery teams and suppliers
  • Sponsor behaviours that remove barriers and maintain business ownership
  • Project manager authority boundaries within delegated decision rights
  • Ethical decision-making using transparency, fairness, confidentiality and conflict disclosure
  • Psychological safety practices for surfacing risks, assumptions and delivery concerns
  • Accountability conversations structured around commitments, evidence, consequences and support

Participants can define, track and govern benefits throughout the project life cycle.

  • Theory of change linking interventions, assumptions, outputs and outcomes
  • Benefits register fields for ownership, timing, measures and dependencies
  • Business case review against strategic fit, affordability and value
  • Outcome indicators distinguished from project outputs and delivery milestones
  • Benefits realisation plan coordinated with operational readiness activities
  • Post-project reviews testing whether claimed benefits were actually achieved

Participants can create integrated project baselines and control changes against approved commitments.

  • Work breakdown structure defining deliverables, control accounts and work packages
  • Critical path method identifying schedule drivers, float and dependency exposure
  • Integrated master schedule linking milestones, resources, procurement and approvals
  • Cost baseline assembled from estimates, contingencies and time-phased funding
  • Change control board decisions supported by impact assessment documentation
  • Configuration management preserving approved requirements, designs and deliverable versions

Participants can manage uncertainty and escalate decisions before threats become delivery failures.

  • Risk breakdown structure organising strategic, technical, commercial and operational threats
  • Probability-impact matrix calibrated with agreed scoring definitions and thresholds
  • Quantitative risk analysis using expected monetary value and contingency reserves
  • RAID log discipline separating risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies
  • Issue escalation papers presenting options, recommendations, owners and decision deadlines
  • Decision log records capturing rationale, authority, conditions and follow-up actions

Participants can build stakeholder commitment and manage competing interests throughout delivery.

  • Power-interest matrix identifying engagement priorities and communication approaches
  • Stakeholder mapping of supporters, blockers, influencers and decision-makers
  • Communication plan matching message, channel, frequency, owner and audience
  • Negotiation preparation using interests, alternatives, concessions and walk-away limits
  • Difficult conversations framed through facts, impacts, requests and agreements
  • Resistance analysis identifying concerns, affected groups and change responses

Participants can interpret financial and schedule performance data to support timely management action.

  • Earned value management using planned value, earned value and actual cost
  • Schedule performance index and cost performance index interpretation
  • Estimate at completion forecasts based on performance trends and assumptions
  • Management reserve distinguished from contingency within project funding controls
  • Cash-flow forecasts aligned with contract milestones, invoices and payment terms
  • Variance analysis separating root causes, impacts, corrective actions and owners

Participants can plan independent assurance and test whether deliverables are ready for acceptance and use.

  • Three lines model separating delivery, oversight and independent assurance
  • Assurance review scope based on risk, project phase and control maturity
  • Quality management plan defining standards, acceptance criteria and inspection points
  • Readiness assessment covering people, processes, data, technology and support
  • Internal audit evidence requirements for approvals, controls and traceability
  • Corrective action plans monitored through owners, dates, evidence and closure criteria

Participants can prepare concise governance information that enables informed executive decisions.

  • Executive dashboard combining milestones, finances, risks, benefits and decisions
  • Traffic-light reporting supported by thresholds, evidence and forecast trends
  • Steering committee packs structured around decisions, exceptions and accountabilities
  • Narrative reporting distinguishing facts, interpretation, assumptions and recommendations
  • Governance meeting agendas allocating time to priority decisions and risks
  • Action trackers recording commitments, due dates, dependencies and closure evidence

Participants can lead recovery or closure decisions and apply governance improvements to active projects.

  • Recovery assessment examining scope, schedule, cost, capability and stakeholder confidence
  • Turnaround plans prioritising stabilisation actions, decision points and resource requirements
  • Continue, pause or terminate decisions using value, feasibility and risk criteria
  • Closure checklists confirming acceptance, contracts, records, assets and outstanding liabilities
  • Lessons learned reviews converting evidence into assigned improvement actions
  • Personal application plan defining governance changes, stakeholders and first actions

Exercises and examples are adapted to each cohort's sectors and roles.

What you take back to work

  1. Project governance framework template
  2. Benefits map and register
  3. RACI responsibility matrix
  4. RAID log and escalation paper
  5. Executive project dashboard template
  6. Project assurance checklist

Who should attend

  • Project Managers — need stronger governance, escalation and executive communication skills
  • Programme Managers — coordinate governance and dependencies across multiple related projects
  • Project Sponsors — require clear methods for direction, decisions and benefits oversight
  • PMO Managers — establish consistent controls, reporting standards and assurance processes
  • Workstream Leads — manage delivery commitments, risks and stakeholder expectations
  • Functional Managers — provide resources, decisions and accountability to project teams

Skills and tools covered

Project governance designBenefits realisationExecutive reportingStakeholder leadershipRisk escalationProject assurance

Tools and standards

ISO 21502, PMBOK Guide, PRINCE2, RACI matrix

How the course runs

Training methodology

Facilitators use short briefings to introduce governance models, leadership methods and control techniques. Cases examine common failures such as unclear sponsorship, delayed decisions, unmanaged change and misleading status reports. Group exercises apply RACI analysis, stakeholder mapping, risk escalation, earned value interpretation and steering committee reporting. Simulations place participants in sponsor, project manager and steering committee roles. Individual application planning converts course methods into actions, documents and meeting routines for current projects.

Requirements and prerequisites

Participants should have experience working on projects and understand basic project terms such as scope, schedule, budget, risk, stakeholder and milestone. Experience as a project manager, workstream lead, PMO analyst, sponsor representative or functional manager is appropriate. Participants should be able to read a simple project plan and status report. Formal project management certification is not required, nor is prior use of a specific methodology or software package. The course focuses on leadership and governance decisions rather than introductory scheduling techniques.

A typical training day

08:30 – 10:30First session
10:30 – 10:45Refreshment break
10:45 – 12:30Second session
12:30 – 13:30Lunch and networking
13:30 – 15:00Third session
15:00 – 15:15Refreshment break
15:15 – 16:30Workshop and daily review

Live online deliveries follow the same structure in East Africa Time, with shorter screen blocks and longer breaks.

What the fee includes

  • Instruction by a practitioner facilitator
  • Full course workbook and materials
  • Exercise files, templates and case studies
  • Refreshments and lunch on classroom deliveries
  • Certificate of completion
  • Post-course application plan

Frequently asked questions

Participants should understand basic project terminology and have worked on a project, programme or workstream. Formal certification is not required, but this is not an introductory project management course.

Bring details of a current or recent project, including its objectives, governance arrangements and major delivery concerns. A laptop is useful for live online delivery and may be useful in classroom sessions, but no specialist software is required.

It is designed for project managers, programme managers, sponsors, PMO professionals, workstream leads and functional managers. It is particularly relevant where projects require senior oversight, formal assurance or cross-functional decision-making.

Basic courses concentrate on planning, scheduling and routine project controls. This course focuses on leadership, governance design, executive decision-making, benefits oversight, assurance and intervention when delivery is at risk.

Participants can use the governance framework, RACI matrix, benefits map, escalation paper and dashboard templates on active projects. The application plan identifies priority changes to introduce with sponsors, teams and governance bodies.

The course runs for five instructor-led days, normally 08:30-16:30, with about 6.5 contact hours each day. Ten modules are taught in sequence through briefings, cases, group work, simulations and application planning.

Questions about this course?

Ask about dates, fees, group bookings or running it for your team. Our training team replies by email.

Ask on WhatsApp info@skillsetdevelopment.com

Related courses in Project Management