PPC
Project Planning & Control
Our Project Planning and Control (PPC) certification provides practical guidance for planning, delivering and controlling a project’s quality, cost and schedule.
Overview
The APMG Project Planning & Control (PPC) course provides a structured and practical framework for planning, monitoring, and controlling projects with confidence and precision.
It equips professionals with the techniques required to establish robust plans, manage uncertainty, optimise resources, and maintain control throughout the project lifecycle.
The course blends proven best practice with real-world application, enabling delegates to move beyond theory and implement effective planning and control mechanisms in live project environments.
Why Project Planning & Control?
In today’s delivery landscape, organisations are under increasing pressure to deliver projects faster, more efficiently, and with greater transparency.
Poor planning and weak control mechanisms remain two of the most common root causes of project failure. PPC addresses this gap directly by providing a toolkit of practical techniques that drive predictability and performance.
Key value drivers include:
- Clarify what your PMO does (services, value, and boundaries)
- Strengthen governance, reporting, and decision-making
- Standardise delivery controls without slowing teams down
- Build an operating model that scales with demand
Outcome-driven: you leave with practical PMO artefacts, templates, and implementation guidance.
Why choose PM Academy for PPC?
PM Academy delivers practitioner-led, business-aligned training focused on practical application and measurable outcomes. Our approach ensures PPC capability is embedded, not just understood.
- Improved confidence in project delivery timelines and budgets
- Enhanced decision-making through accurate forecasting and reporting
- Greater control over risks, resources, and change
- Standardisation of planning approaches across teams and organisations
- Strong alignment between strategy, planning, and execution
Learning objectives
The key learning outcomes:
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By the end of this course, delegates will be able to:
- Develop structured and realistic project plans aligned to objectives
- Apply scheduling techniques including network diagrams and critical path analysis
- Estimate time, cost, and resources using recognised methods
- Establish baselines and performance measurement frameworks
- Monitor progress using key control techniques such as Earned Value Management (EVM)
- Identify and manage risks and uncertainties within project plans
- Implement effective reporting and governance mechanisms
- Control change and maintain alignment with project objectives
- Apply planning and control techniques across different project environments
Training Options
You can choose from the following learning pathways to complete your PPC Study. Expand each pathway below for now information.
Virtual classroom via MS Teams
Delivered to you through MS Teams, this is online classroom training with an accredited trainer. Our 3 and 4 day Courses are scheduled to give you a choice of dates. Once you have completed the course you can choose to take your PPC Exam online.
On completing your course booking, you will be sent accredited pre-course materials to assist with your preparation.
Virtual classroom via MS Teams – £1,595 / £2,295 + VAT – Go to booking form
Face to face classroom training
Still the most effective way to learn, these rich communication classroom based courses are held over 3 and 4 days. Courses are scheduled across the UK for individual attendance, or we can come to your offices and train your group.
Once the training has been completed you can choose to take your PPC Exam online.
Face to face classroom training – £2,195 / £2,995 + VAT – Go to booking form
What’s included
- Accredited PPC training
- Official PPC Exam(s)
- Official PPC Manual
- Online learning resources with sample exam papers
Exam Information
PPC Foundation Exam
- Exam format: Classic multiple-choice, 50 questions
- Exam style: Closed book
- Exam duration: 40 minutes
- Pass mark: 60%
- Delivery: Online exam via remote proctor
- Study modes: Classroom, Live Virtual Classroom
PPC Practitioner Exam
- The Practitioner Examination lasts 3 hours and consists of 4 main questions. Each main question will comprise 4 to 6 part questions. Each main question will be awarded a maximum of 20 marks, giving a total of 80 marks. You need to achieve 50% (40 marks) to pass this paper.
- PPC Practitioner Exam:The exam is an ‘open-book’ examination. Candidates may make use of the PPC manual only. No other material can be used.
Designed for
This course is designed for professionals who are responsible for, or contribute to, planning and controlling projects, including:
- Project Managers and Project Coordinators
- Project Support and PMO professionals
- Programme and Portfolio team members
- Planners, schedulers, and analysts
- Team leaders involved in project delivery
- Professionals seeking to strengthen delivery capability and control
It is also highly relevant for organisations looking to build consistent planning and control capability across project teams.
Pre-requisites
There are no formal pre-requisites for attending this course.
However, to maximise value and accelerate application, it is recommended that delegates:
- Have some exposure to project environments
- Possess a basic understanding of project management principles
This course complements qualifications such as APM PFQ/PMQ, PRINCE2®, and AgilePM®, and can be taken as a standalone capability enhancement or as part of a wider professional development pathway.
Next steps
Ready to take the next step in your project management career?
- Talk to us about in-house or group training
- Choose a learning path and submit your enquiry below