PROGRAMMES

1. Certificate in Project Management

AIM:

This programme is intended to provide participants with enabling skills in

Identifying project’s components, planning, monitoring and implementing

projects.

OBJECTIVES:

 At the end of this program, participants will be able to:

§         Use automated project planning tool

§         Implement the management functions, namely planning, organizing leadership and control when dealing with the management of projects

§         Monitor and evaluate projects.

PROGRAMME CONTENT:

• Definition of Project:

ü      Specific objectives

ü      Defined start and end dates

ü      Funding limits

ü      Human and non-human resources

ü      Multifunctional (cuts across several functional lines) 

• Project Planning

ü      Definition of work requirements

ü      Definition of quality and quantity of work

ü      Definition of resources needed  

• Project Monitoring and Control

ü      Tracking progress

ü      Comparison of actual outcome to predicted outcome

ü      Analyzing impact

ü      Making adjustments  

• Refined definition of Project Management:

ü      Project manager only requires resources

ü      Staffing is a line function

ü      PM only controls project budget  

• Project phases:

ü      Conceptual

ü      Planning

ü      Definition and Design 

ü      Implementation

ü      Conversion 

• Daily calendar log

ü      Ideal Project Management Structure 

•   Project Role Players

ü      Project manager

ü      Functional manager’s role

ü      Functional employee’s role

ü      Executive’s role 

•  Project manager’s role

ü      Coordination & integration

ü      Communicative & interpersonal skills

• Functional manager’s role

ü      Define tasks

ü      Provide resources

ü      Deliverable responsibility 

• Functional employee’s role

ü      Accept responsibility

ü      Complete work

ü      Report status periodically

ü      Surface problems quickly

ü      Share information 

•   Executive’s role

ü      Project planning

ü      Conflict resolution

ü      Project sponsor 

•  Project Review Meetings

ü      Project team

ü      Executive

ü      Customer  

•  Conflict Handling Mechanisms

ü      Withdrawal

ü      Smoothing

ü      Compromising

ü      Forcing

ü      Confrontation  

•   Successful project management occurs when:

ü      Objectives have been achieved:

ü      Within time

ü      Within cost

ü      At desired performance

ü      Efficiently

ü      Accepted by customer

• Project Planning and Scheduling Components:

ü      Objective

ü      Schedule

ü      Budget

ü      Forecast

ü      Organization

ü      Policy

ü      Procedure

ü      Standard

• Project Scheduling Overall project

ü      Tasks

ü      Relationship establishment

ü      Time allocation 

• Project Scheduling Models

ü      Gantt chart

ü      Milestone chart

ü      PERT chart

• PERT

ü      Program Evaluation and Review Technique

ü      Mostly used scheduling model

ü      Planning and control tool  

• PERT Glossary

ü      Activity

ü      Event

ü      Network

ü      Critical path: longest route on the network

ü      Critical path time

ü      TE: earliest date

ü      TL: latest date

ü      Slack  

• Procurement

ü      Procurement strategies

ü      Requirement cycle

ü      Requisition cycle

ü      Solicitation cycle

ü      Award cycle

ü      Contract Administration cycle 

• Project Monitoring and Status Reporting

ü      Two Methodologies

ü      WBS

ü      Progress Reporting  

• Work Breakdown Structure

ü      Detailed schedules

ü      Level-by-level breakdown of project

ü      Precedes  PERT network 

• Progress Reporting

ü      Resources consumed

ü      Project status and accomplishments

ü      Compares measurements to standards

ü      Basis for diagnosis & re-planning 

• Status Reporting

ü      Depicts project true picture

ü      Should be short & concise  

• Four major responses to a Variance Report

ü      Ignoring it

ü      Functional modification

ü      Re-planning

ü      System redesign 

• Status Reporting Reports

ü      Variance Analysis

ü      Estimate At Completion 

ü      EAC = (ACWP/BCWP) x BAC.

ü      OVERRUN = EAC – BAC

ü      Cost Summary

ü      Schedules Summary

ü      Milestone Report

ü      Event report 

• Project Evaluation (Capital Budgeting)

ü      Techniques: Payback period

ü      NPV

ü      Internal Rate of Return

ü      Project Planning Technique (Microsoft Project) in collaboration with ICTC.

Methodology:

1.      Lectures

2.      Group discussions

Assessment:

§         Exercises

§         Test

§         Presentations

Target Group:

§         Economic Planners

§         Project Engineers

§         Project managers

Duration: 9 months  ( Part Time through evening classes -  17.00hrs to 20.00hrs)

References:

1.      Charles Martin, Project Management: How to Make It Work, (AMACOM, 1976).

2.      Management Institute, Ninth International Seminar Symposium, Chicago Illinois, October 24, 1977.

3.      Marquette Business Review, vol. 2, 1971, pp. 90-107.

4.      J. Robert Fluor, “Development of Project Managers.” Keynote address to the Project

5.      William P. Kith an, “Project Management-Future Organizational concepts,”   

2.    Diploma in Government Accounting & Materials     Management

AIM:

This   programme is designed to introduce participants to the basics of

Government  accounting, commercial accounting, materials management and

taxation,  as well as enabling them to apply acquired skills in their day to day

work.

OBJECTIVES:

At the end of the programme participants will be able to:

§         Use Financial and Stores Regulations in purchasing, recording, receiving,

§         storing, issuing and payments of stores and services.

§         Record daily business transactions by the acquired Government and applying

§         Commercial Accounting techniques.

§         Apply appropriate taxation knowledge to various sectors of the economy.

§         Control movement of stock by using appropriate stock accounting records.

§         Communicate within various Government levels.

PROGRAMME CONTENT: 

•  Basics of Public sector Accounting

This course is meant to provide students with basics of Government Accounting, using Government of Lesotho Financial Regulations and Government of Lesotho Financial Information System as the basis for collecting and spending funds, recording, reporting, putting Internal and budgetary controls in place and management of day-to-day financial transactions. (1½ hrs per week for 12week)

• Materials Management

 This course is meant to provide students with basics of Stores Management, Law of contract and procurement procedures. Details of the course include the following: processes of receiving, inspecting, recording and issuing of stores, stock control, security of assets, stores accounting, materials handling, stock taking, stores layout and location, assets maintenance, Board of Survey and methods of disposal of obsolete/unserviceable stores. (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Commercial Accounting 

This course is meant to provide students with necessary skills in basic accounting techniques in dealing with books of first entry, opening and balancing of accounts, bank reconciliation, accounting adjustments and final accounts. (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Taxation 

This course is designed to equip students with skills and knowledge in calculation of taxable income, tax payable, and other taxes as well as filling-in of Lesotho Government income tax Self Assessment forms and completing tax return forms. (1½ hrs per week for 6 weeks) 

• Pensions and Other Benefits 

This course is meant to introduce students to a range of possible benefits that can be awarded to employees such as full pension, reduced pension, gratuities, old age pension etc. depending on their different terms of employment such as Daily paid employees, Temporary officers, Permanent Pensionable employees, and other benefits. (1½ hrs per week for 6 weeks) 

• Internal and External Audits 

This course is aimed at equipping students with skills in dealing with both the Internal and External Auditors, and knowledge on responsibility of auditors, their appointments, duties, types of audits and processes, audits teams, audit reports and dealing with audit queries. (1½ hrs per week for 6 weeks) 

•  Essentials of Mathematics 

This course is designed to equip students with basic knowledge of quantitative presentation, analysis and interpretation skills necessary to accountants. The course consists of basic algebra: simple proportions, decimals, fractions, ratios percentages, powers, roots, and estimations. Mathematical functions: linear functions. Graphs: scale drawing and reading, drawing reading and interpreting different types of graphs.

 (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Elements of Statistics 

This course is aimed at providing students with basic statistical methods and techniques, which can assist accountants to organize, analyze and interpret data or information to arrive at the reasonable management decision. The course is composed of the following topics: Definition and classification of statistics, Population and sample, Sampling methods, Data collection methods, Data presentation, Measures of central tendency, Measures of dispersion, Probability, Simple linear regression and correlation, confidence interval and hypothesis testing. (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Management Principles 

This course is aimed at introducing students to the functions of management as well as management practices approaches. The course is composed of the following topics: Introduction to management, the management process, types of managers, basic managerial roles and skills, management and communication, motivation, introduction to total quality management, management and its environment, introduction to strategic planning and management.  (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Principles of Economics

This course is designed to introduce students to the basic concepts of Economics. The contents of the course include the following: Scarce resources and satisfaction of human needs and Public finance. The nature and scope of economics, Definition of economics, Economic problems, Economic consumer theory, Market structures, the theory of cost, the theory of demand and supply, the theory of production, the National Income Accounting, National Income determination, Macroeconomic Policy issues, Money and Banking. International Economics: International Trade, International Finance, Economic Integration, Public Finance, the theory of social goods Government intervention; Economic analysis of Public goods, Optimal provision of public goods; Government Spending. (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Business Communications Skills 

This course is designed to improve student’s listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in English. This course includes note-taking, sentence construction, comprehension, academic assay writing, table reading, the course is also concerned with improving the accuracy in the use of language, analysis of sentences, correct grammar, vocabulary and spelling.  (1½ hrs per week for 6 weeks) 

• Law of Contract 

This course is intended to expose students to basic concepts of Law of contract with emphasis on the following topics: Definition of Contract, Agreement, Nature of contract, Contractual capacity, Offer and Acceptance, Possibility of Performance, Mistake, Misrepresentation, sale and Implied Terms  (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Computer Applications in Accounting 

This course is intended to introduce participants to the use of electronic spreadsheets for analysis, planning, modeling, and as a decision support tool for management. This course is intended to equip students with skills to: design worksheets, format worksheets, perform calculations using formulas and functions, analyze data using analysis tools, present data in graphic form using charts. (1½ hrs per week for 6 weeks) 

• Local Government Accounting 

This course is intended to equip students with appropriate skills in: generating income for sustained local government, budgeting for projects, accounting for funds and preparing financial statements and final accounts. (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks) 

• Human Resources Management 

This course is intended to equip students with essential skills and knowledge necessary to manage people at workplace. The course introduces students to the basics of managing the relationship between organizations and employees through human resource policies, processes and procedures. The course comprises of the following topics: Introduction to human resource management, organization and its environment, role of human resource management, pre and post selection practices, planning for human resource and forecasting, the nature of organizational jobs, the roles of staffing, selection, compensating employees, developing employees, performance management and control in human resource management, industrial relations and HIV/AIDS at workplace. (1½ hrs per week for 6weeks). 

• Project Management 

This course is intended to equip students with skills and knowledge in project management. The course comprises of the following topics: Project management concepts, project cycle organization and project planning, preparation, appraisal, implementation, monitoring, control and evaluation. (1½ hrs per week for 12weeks). 

Students will have to choose between course 15 (Human Resources

Management) or course 16 (Project Management).

Target Group:

§         Accountants who need a qualification to back up their work  experience.

§         Basic education of GCE with at least two years of  working experience.        

Methodology:

§         Lectures

§         Group discussions

§         Practicals

§         Case studies

Assessment:

§         Exercises

§         Test

§         Presentations

Duration: 

• The programme runs for 2 years.
• 3 hrs per day, totaling to 216 hrs

References:   (Sample books)

7.      Brigham E. and Ehrhardt M.(2002). Financial Management. Mike Roche.

8.      British Financial Management Training Team Lesotho (1990). Budget Training HandBook.Ministry of Finance

9.      Charles Martin, Project Management: How to Make It Work, (AMACOM, 1976).

10. Hayes R. et.al (1999). Principles of Auditing.McGrawHill London

11. Ministry of Finance (1973). Financial Regulations.Government Printer.

12. Ministry of Finance (1996). Income Tax(Amendment)Act Government Printer Maseru.

13. Ministry of Finance. (1976). Stores Regulations.Government Printer.

Jessop D and Morrison A. (1994). Storage and Supply of Materials. Pitman Publishing, London