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IBBC Capital Academy

Project management practice

Draft, not validated by a professional instructor · Local self-study · Synthetic cases · Public formative answers, not a secure exam. No accreditation or employment guarantee. Interactive numeric labs run separately.

career-2026-10-24-draft1 · DRAFT_INDEPENDENT_REVIEW_PENDING

Charter and stakeholder decisions

basic · 6 estimated hours

Prerequisites

  • Basic spreadsheet arithmetic

Outcomes

  • Explain charter and stakeholder decisions
  • Produce a reviewable work sample with assumptions, owner and evidence
  • Defend limitations and respond to reviewer challenge

Reading

A charter connects the problem, measurable outcome, scope exclusions, sponsor, decision rights and acceptance evidence. Distinguish project delivery from expected business benefit; a named benefit owner remains accountable after handover; the sponsor may be designated for that role.

Work only on the synthetic case. Record the data version, calculation date, author, reviewer and unresolved assumptions. A polished document without evidence is not a sufficient submission.

Practice

  • Write a one-page charter and map sponsor, operations, technology, risk and reviewer decisions.
  • Create the deliverable; ask a peer to identify one unsupported assumption; revise with a dated change log.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a model output as approval
  • Omitting time horizon, units or data version
  • Changing a baseline without an approval record

Worked example

A fictional fund needs a reconciliation pilot in eight weeks. Acceptance is 20 synthetic cases reproducible by a second analyst; live bank access is excluded. Sponsor authorises the pilot; data owner approves fixture access.

Deliverable

Charter, stakeholder register and acceptance checklist

Review rubric

  • Technical correctness and reproducibility · 40/100
  • Evidence, assumptions and limitations · 30/100
  • Ownership, escalation and communication · 20/100
  • Response to independent review · 10/100

Self-check

Who owns the pilot benefit after handover?

  • Named benefit owner
  • The spreadsheet
Show answer & explanation

Named benefit owner

A fictional fund needs a reconciliation pilot in eight weeks. Acceptance is 20 synthetic cases reproducible by a second analyst; live bank access is excluded. Sponsor authorises the pilot; data owner approves fixture access.

What must be explicit before starting?

  • Decision rights and exclusions
  • A promise of guaranteed success
Show answer & explanation

Decision rights and exclusions

A charter connects the problem, measurable outcome, scope exclusions, sponsor, decision rights and acceptance evidence. Distinguish project delivery from expected business benefit; a named benefit owner remains accountable after handover; the sponsor may be designated for that role.

Deliverables and WBS

basic · 6 estimated hours

Prerequisites

  • Basic spreadsheet arithmetic
  • pm-charter

Outcomes

  • Explain deliverables and wbs
  • Produce a reviewable work sample with assumptions, owner and evidence
  • Defend limitations and respond to reviewer challenge

Reading

Decompose total scope into deliverables and work packages. Each package needs an owner, completion evidence and exclusions. WBS describes scope, not reporting lines or sequence; cross-check coverage and avoid double counting.

Work only on the synthetic case. Record the data version, calculation date, author, reviewer and unresolved assumptions. A polished document without evidence is not a sufficient submission.

Practice

  • Build three levels of WBS and a dictionary for five work packages. Challenge a missing training deliverable.
  • Create the deliverable; ask a peer to identify one unsupported assumption; revise with a dated change log.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a model output as approval
  • Omitting time horizon, units or data version
  • Changing a baseline without an approval record

Worked example

Pilot WBS: fixture pack, reconciliation rules, review workflow, test evidence and handover. The test pack belongs to one package even when several teams contribute.

Deliverable

WBS and dictionary with acceptance evidence

Review rubric

  • Technical correctness and reproducibility · 40/100
  • Evidence, assumptions and limitations · 30/100
  • Ownership, escalation and communication · 20/100
  • Response to independent review · 10/100

Self-check

Does a WBS show task sequence?

  • No; schedule does
  • Always
Show answer & explanation

No; schedule does

Pilot WBS: fixture pack, reconciliation rules, review workflow, test evidence and handover. The test pack belongs to one package even when several teams contribute.

How should shared test evidence be counted?

  • One owned package with interfaces
  • Duplicate it under every team
Show answer & explanation

One owned package with interfaces

Decompose total scope into deliverables and work packages. Each package needs an owner, completion evidence and exclusions. WBS describes scope, not reporting lines or sequence; cross-check coverage and avoid double counting.

Dependencies and schedule uncertainty

intermediate · 6 estimated hours

Prerequisites

  • Basic spreadsheet arithmetic
  • pm-wbs

Outcomes

  • Explain dependencies and schedule uncertainty
  • Produce a reviewable work sample with assumptions, owner and evidence
  • Defend limitations and respond to reviewer challenge

Reading

Translate work packages into activities with dependencies and a calendar. Calculate earliest completion on a simple finish-to-start network before adding resource constraints. A critical path is conditional on durations and links; it is not a guarantee.

Work only on the synthetic case. Record the data version, calculation date, author, reviewer and unresolved assumptions. A polished document without evidence is not a sufficient submission.

Practice

  • Draw the network; delay C by two days; recalculate; document the shared-resource conflict.
  • Create the deliverable; ask a peer to identify one unsupported assumption; revise with a dated change log.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a model output as approval
  • Omitting time horizon, units or data version
  • Changing a baseline without an approval record

Worked example

A takes 2 days. B takes 3 and C takes 5 after A; D takes 1 after both. Paths A-B-D=6 and A-C-D=8 days; C is on the longer path. If B and C share one worker, eight days may be infeasible.

Deliverable

Dependency network, assumptions and resource-aware schedule

Review rubric

  • Technical correctness and reproducibility · 40/100
  • Evidence, assumptions and limitations · 30/100
  • Ownership, escalation and communication · 20/100
  • Response to independent review · 10/100

Self-check

Unconstrained completion is how many days?

  • 6
  • 8
Show answer & explanation

8

A takes 2 days. B takes 3 and C takes 5 after A; D takes 1 after both. Paths A-B-D=6 and A-C-D=8 days; C is on the longer path. If B and C share one worker, eight days may be infeasible.

Why can eight days fail?

  • A shared resource cannot work simultaneously
  • The WBS guarantees completion
Show answer & explanation

A shared resource cannot work simultaneously

Translate work packages into activities with dependencies and a calendar. Calculate earliest completion on a simple finish-to-start network before adding resource constraints. A critical path is conditional on durations and links; it is not a guarantee.

Cost baseline and earned value

intermediate · 6 estimated hours

Prerequisites

  • Basic spreadsheet arithmetic
  • pm-schedule

Outcomes

  • Explain cost baseline and earned value
  • Produce a reviewable work sample with assumptions, owner and evidence
  • Defend limitations and respond to reviewer challenge

Reading

PV is budgeted work planned by the status date; EV is budgeted value of completed work; AC is actual cost. CV=EV−AC; SV=EV−PV; CPI=EV/AC; SPI=EV/PV. State the unit and status date. SV is a budget-value variance, not days of delay.

Work only on the synthetic case. Record the data version, calculation date, author, reviewer and unresolved assumptions. A polished document without evidence is not a sufficient submission.

Practice

  • Recalculate the example and audit completion evidence. Explain why SV=-20 does not mean twenty days late.
  • Create the deliverable; ask a peer to identify one unsupported assumption; revise with a dated change log.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a model output as approval
  • Omitting time horizon, units or data version
  • Changing a baseline without an approval record

Worked example

Synthetic monetary units: PV=100, EV=80, AC=90. CV=-10, SV=-20, CPI=80/90=0.8889 (four decimals), SPI=0.8. Work is behind planned value and costs exceed earned value; no completion forecast follows without a justified model.

Deliverable

EVM worksheet with inputs, formulas and interpretation

Review rubric

  • Technical correctness and reproducibility · 40/100
  • Evidence, assumptions and limitations · 30/100
  • Ownership, escalation and communication · 20/100
  • Response to independent review · 10/100

Self-check

What is CV?

  • -10
  • 10
Show answer & explanation

-10

Synthetic monetary units: PV=100, EV=80, AC=90. CV=-10, SV=-20, CPI=80/90=0.8889 (four decimals), SPI=0.8. Work is behind planned value and costs exceed earned value; no completion forecast follows without a justified model.

Does SPI alone establish a finish date?

  • No
  • Yes
Show answer & explanation

No

PV is budgeted work planned by the status date; EV is budgeted value of completed work; AC is actual cost. CV=EV−AC; SV=EV−PV; CPI=EV/AC; SPI=EV/PV. State the unit and status date. SV is a budget-value variance, not days of delay.

Change control and procurement

advanced · 8 estimated hours

Prerequisites

  • Basic spreadsheet arithmetic
  • pm-evm

Outcomes

  • Explain change control and procurement
  • Produce a reviewable work sample with assumptions, owner and evidence
  • Defend limitations and respond to reviewer challenge

Reading

Record requested change, business reason, scope/cost/time/risk impact and alternatives. A decision authority approves, rejects or defers before a controlled baseline revision. Supplier acceptance must use evidence and dependencies, not invoice arrival alone.

Work only on the synthetic case. Record the data version, calculation date, author, reviewer and unresolved assumptions. A polished document without evidence is not a sufficient submission.

Practice

  • Prepare a change request with accept/defer/reject options and a supplier acceptance checklist.
  • Create the deliverable; ask a peer to identify one unsupported assumption; revise with a dated change log.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a model output as approval
  • Omitting time horizon, units or data version
  • Changing a baseline without an approval record

Worked example

Adding live data to a fixture pilot introduces consent, security and provider dependencies. The analyst records an excluded-scope request and proposes deferment; no live intake is switched on while waiting.

Deliverable

Versioned change log and decision memo

Review rubric

  • Technical correctness and reproducibility · 40/100
  • Evidence, assumptions and limitations · 30/100
  • Ownership, escalation and communication · 20/100
  • Response to independent review · 10/100

Self-check

Can a requester approve their own scope expansion by editing the plan?

  • No
  • Yes
Show answer & explanation

No

Adding live data to a fixture pilot introduces consent, security and provider dependencies. The analyst records an excluded-scope request and proposes deferment; no live intake is switched on while waiting.

What supports supplier acceptance?

  • Agreed evidence and tests
  • Invoice alone
Show answer & explanation

Agreed evidence and tests

Record requested change, business reason, scope/cost/time/risk impact and alternatives. A decision authority approves, rejects or defers before a controlled baseline revision. Supplier acceptance must use evidence and dependencies, not invoice arrival alone.

Governance and delivery capstone

advanced · 8 estimated hours

Prerequisites

  • Basic spreadsheet arithmetic
  • pm-change

Outcomes

  • Explain governance and delivery capstone
  • Produce a reviewable work sample with assumptions, owner and evidence
  • Defend limitations and respond to reviewer challenge

Reading

Integrate scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, change decisions and benefit ownership in one review pack. Distinguish author, reviewer and accountable sponsor. Record unresolved conditions and a handover owner; do not label a pilot as operational approval.

Work only on the synthetic case. Record the data version, calculation date, author, reviewer and unresolved assumptions. A polished document without evidence is not a sufficient submission.

Practice

  • Combine prior deliverables; present a ten-minute decision briefing; respond to three reviewer challenges and revise.
  • Create the deliverable; ask a peer to identify one unsupported assumption; revise with a dated change log.

Common mistakes

  • Treating a model output as approval
  • Omitting time horizon, units or data version
  • Changing a baseline without an approval record

Worked example

A mock steering committee receives a late fixture pack and a cost overrun. The learner recommends a limited test extension with conditions, rather than claiming production readiness.

Deliverable

Portfolio: charter/WBS/network/EVM/change log/risk log/handover plus oral defence

Review rubric

  • Technical correctness and reproducibility · 40/100
  • Evidence, assumptions and limitations · 30/100
  • Ownership, escalation and communication · 20/100
  • Response to independent review · 10/100

Self-check

Who challenges the author’s evidence?

  • Independent reviewer
  • Only the author
Show answer & explanation

Independent reviewer

A mock steering committee receives a late fixture pack and a cost overrun. The learner recommends a limited test extension with conditions, rather than claiming production readiness.

What belongs in handover?

  • Owner and unresolved conditions
  • Only a success slogan
Show answer & explanation

Owner and unresolved conditions

Integrate scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality, change decisions and benefit ownership in one review pack. Distinguish author, reviewer and accountable sponsor. Record unresolved conditions and a handover owner; do not label a pilot as operational approval.

References

Local numeric lab guide