Certified Associate in Project Management Exam Prep (CAPM) with Organizational Leadership

MSB113 / Hours: 280 / Access Length: 12 Months / Delivery: Online, Self-Paced
Online Hours: 280
Retail Price: $1,999.00 / Materials Included / Exam Voucher(s) Included

Course Overview:

This comprehensive course combines essential project management preparation with foundational leadership training to equip entry-level professionals for success in the field. Students will gain the knowledge and skills required to successfully complete the Project Management Institute's nationally recognized Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) exam through targeted practice exams, assignments, and learning activities. Simultaneously, the curriculum explores fundamental leadership theories, styles, and strategies using applied case studies and self-assessments to foster effective decision-making and team management. By integrating rigorous project governance with practical leadership principles, learners will master the entire lifecycle of a project from initiation to closure. Ultimately, this student-centered program ensures that participants graduate with both a high-demand industry credential and actionable strategies for leading diverse organizational teams.

Certified Associate in Project Management Exam Prep Objectives:

• Describe the importance of project management, organizational project management maturity and the CAPM® certification process
• Identify the nine knowledge areas of PMI’s Guide to the PMBOK®
• Describe the project management process from start to finish
• Identify the 47 key processes of project management and how they relate
• Describe projects and project management disciplines
• Identify the steps taken when initiating a project
• Describe how to plan project work
• Develop project schedules, cost estimates, and budgets
• Explain how to plan project quality, staffing, and communications
• Describe the process for monitoring and controlling project work, schedules, costs, quality, staffing, and communications
• Explain how to monitor and control project risks and contracts

Organizational and Behavioral Leadership Objectives:

• Define leadership and explain the evolution of the concept of leadership
• Identify the different traits of leaders
• Describe how to engage people’s strengths through the leadership process
• Define the three types of leadership: the authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire styles, and develop an individual leadership style and philosophy
• Describe the strategies used to attend to both tasks and relationships as part of the leadership process
• Describe the importance of developing leadership skills, and identify common leadership skills that improve effectiveness
• Describe the process of developing a workable vision within any context of leadership
• Identify the strategies used to establish a constructive climate, manage conflict, and overcome obstacles

Course Outline:

Certified Associate in Project Management Exam Prep Curriculum:

Lesson 1: Introduction To Project Management

Project management is not merely a set of processes; it is a structured way to intervene in organizational reality to produce controlled change. In this sense, the project manager does not simply coordinate tasks but orchestrates decisions under conditions of uncertainty, constraints, and strategic objectives. This lesson will help you understand the evolution of the discipline, the role of the project manager, and required competencies.

Lesson 2: Project Management Fundamentals

This module provides the structural foundation of project management. Its purpose is not only to define concepts but to build an integrated conceptual architecture that explains how projects operate within organizations. You will develop a deep understanding of fundamental project management concepts including their role in the value delivery system, development approaches, and uncertainty management.

Lesson 3: Organizational Environment And Value Delivery System

One of the most common misconceptions is that a project begins when scope or schedule is defined. In reality, it begins within the organizational system that creates it. A core PMI principle: A project must be understood from the system outward—not from the inside out. In this module, you will learn how to analyze the organizational context and the factors that influence the project.

Lesson 4: Project Work Structure

Once you understand that projects operate within an organizational system, the next step is determining how the work should be organized to deliver value effectively. The approach selected influences how work is planned, managed, and ultimately how value is delivered. Rather than focusing on different types of projects, this module examines the various ways project work can be structured to achieve successful outcomes.

Lesson 5: Project Planning

Planning represents the transition between strategic intent and disciplined execution. Rather than simply creating a rigid schedule, planning focuses on organizing uncertainty so informed decisions can be made throughout the project. This module develops your ability to understand how project information is structured, documented, and managed throughout the project life cycle.

Lesson 6: Leadership, Roles, & Team

Contemporary project management recognizes that project success depends not only on well-defined processes but also on how people work together within a value delivery system. This module explores the human elements that support successful project outcomes by examining the roles and responsibilities of project participants, the leadership practices that guide teams, and the ethical principles that promote professionalism, accountability, and trust throughout the project life cycle.

Lesson 7: Predictive Planning

This module marks the transition from planning to execution, where projects move from concept to reality. It introduces the predictive project management approach, a structured model in which project scope, schedule, and cost are defined early and managed throughout execution. Unlike adaptive approaches, predictive project management emphasizes reducing uncertainty through detailed upfront planning and disciplined execution.

Lesson 8: Execution & Value Delivery

This module consolidates the project manager's operational capabilities by focusing on disciplined execution, purposeful communication, and systematic problem-solving. These skills are not isolated processes but integrated aspects of effective project performance that support successful delivery, team collaboration, and stakeholder engagement. Throughout this module, you will apply execution practices, communication techniques, and problem-solving approaches to coordinate project work, manage stakeholder interactions, and address challenges that arise during project execution.

Lesson 9: Predictive Monitoring And Control

Project control is not an isolated process but a continuous capability that provides reliable information to support informed decision-making throughout the project life cycle. Effective project control involves not only measuring performance but also interpreting results and taking appropriate corrective actions to keep the project aligned with its objectives. Throughout the module, you will work with a single project case study, progressively expanding your analysis as you apply key project control concepts and techniques.

Lesson 10: Agile Framework

In many projects, particularly those involving digital products, technology, or innovation, it is not possible to define every requirement at the beginning of the project. Agile approaches address this challenge by emphasizing rapid learning, continuous feedback, and the ability to adapt throughout the project. Throughout this module, you will apply agile principles and adaptive practices to manage uncertainty, deliver incremental value, and strengthen collaboration in dynamic project environments.

Lesson 11: Business Analyst

Business analysis plays a critical role in achieving this outcome by identifying the underlying business need, defining why the work is important, and ensuring that the proposed solution effectively addresses the problem. This module follows a value-driven approach that guides you from understanding the business problem and identifying requirements to evaluating solutions and validating that the desired outcomes have been achieved.

Organizational and Behavioral Leadership Curriculum:

Lesson 1: Understanding Leadership

In this lesson, students will explore the different ways of looking at leadership and their impacts on what it means to be a leader.  First, students will define leadership and explore the evolution of the concept of leadership.  From there, students will be introduced to the different theories of leadership and identify how those theories shape leadership.

Lesson 2: Recognizing Your Traits

This lesson will focus on the different traits of effective leaders.  It will strive to answer questions such as “Why are some people leaders while others are not? What makes people become leaders? Do leaders have certain traits?”   This lesson will also begin to explore the traits that are not found in effective leaders.

Lesson 3: Engaging People's Strengths

This lesson will help students understand the importance of engaging people’s strengths through the leadership process. The goal in this lesson is to explore how understanding strengths can make one a better leader. First, students will explore the concept by defining strengths and describing the historical background of strengths-based leadership. Students will learn how to identify strengths, followed by a description of different measures that can be used to assess individual strengths. The final section of the lesson will look at the concept of strengths-based leadership in practice, including specific strategies that leaders can employ to use strengths to become more effective leaders.

Lesson 4: Understanding Philosophy And Styles

In this lesson, students will learn how a person’s view of people, work, and human nature forms a personal philosophy of leadership. In addition, this lesson will examine how that philosophy is demonstrated in three of the most commonly observed styles of personal leadership: the authoritarian, democratic, and laissez-faire styles. Students will identify the nature of these styles and the implications each has for effective leadership performance.

Lesson 5: Attending To Tasks And Relationships

In this lesson, students will learn about the importance of attending to both tasks and relationships.  Leaders do two major things: (1) They attend to tasks, and (2) they attend to their relationships with people. The degree to which leaders are successful is determined by how these two behaviors are exhibited. Situations may differ, but every leadership situation needs a degree of both task and relationship behaviors.  This lesson will help students develop the skills necessary to be effective in both areas.

Lesson 6: Developing Leadership Skills

This lesson will provide an understanding of the importance of developing leadership skills.  Leadership skills give people the capacity to influence others. They are a critical component in successful leadership.  Although there are many different leadership skills, they are often considered as groups of skills. In this lesson, leadership skills are grouped into three categories: administrative skills, interpersonal skills, and conceptual skills.

Lesson 7: Creating A Vision

An effective leader creates compelling visions that guide people’s behavior.  To better understand the role of vision in effective leadership, this lesson will address the following questions: “What are the characteristics of a vision?” “How is a vision articulated?” and “How is a vision implemented?” In the discussion of these questions, students will focus on how to develop a workable vision within any context of leadership.

Lesson 8: Establishing A Constructive Climate

In this lesson, students will learn how to establish a constructive climate that helps improve workplace efficiency and effective teamwork.  Students will also learn how to listen to out-group members and find ways to include them in the group process to improve cohesiveness.  Establishing a constructive climate demands that a leader provide structure, clarify norms, build cohesiveness, and promote standards of excellence. By establishing a constructive climate for the group, a leader ensures that members work more effectively together.

Lesson 9: Handling Conflict

This lesson will emphasize ways to handle conflict. First, students will define conflict and learn about the role communication plays in conflict. The different kinds of conflict will be discussed.  From there, students will explore ideas about effective negotiation as well as other communication strategies that help resolve conflict. In the final section of this lesson, students will examine styles of approaching conflict and the pros and cons of these styles.

Lesson 10: Addressing Ethics In Leadership

This lesson will focus on the importance of ethics in leadership.  Leadership has a moral dimension because leaders influence the lives of others. Because of this influential dimension, leadership carries with it an enormous ethical responsibility. Hand in hand with the authority to make decisions is the obligation a leader has to use his or her authority for the common good.

Lesson 11: Overcoming Obstacles

This lesson will provide an overview of the role of obstacles in leadership and the importance of overcoming them.  First, students will learn about the different types of obstacles that leaders might face.  From there, students will learn a variety of strategies that can be used to overcome these obstacles and lead effectively.

All necessary materials are included.

Certification(s):

This course prepares the student to take the Project Management Institute (PMI) Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) certification exam.  The cost of the course INCLUDES the cost of the certification exam.

To apply for the CAPM, students will need to have:

• Secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree or the global equivalent)
• 23 hours of project management education completed by the time you sit for the exam.

System Requirements:

Internet Connectivity Requirements:

• Cable, Fiber, DSL, or LEO Satellite (i.e. Starlink) internet with speeds of at least 10mb/sec download and 5mb/sec upload are recommended for the best experience.

NOTE: While cellular hotspots may allow access to our courses, users may experience connectivity issues by trying to access our learning management system.  This is due to the potential high download and upload latency of cellular connections.   Therefore, it is not recommended that students use a cellular hotspot as their primary way of accessing their courses.

Hardware Requirements:

• CPU: 1 GHz or higher
• RAM: 4 GB or higher
• Resolution: 1280 x 720 or higher.  1920x1080 resolution is recommended for the best experience.
• Speakers / Headphones
• Microphone for Webinar or Live Online sessions.

Operating System Requirements:

• Windows 7 or higher.
• Mac OSX 10 or higher.
• Latest Chrome OS
• Latest Linux Distributions
  

NOTE: While we understand that our courses can be viewed on Android and iPhone devices, we do not recommend the use of these devices for our courses. The size of these devices do not provide a good learning environment for students taking online or live online based courses.

Web Browser Requirements:

• Latest Google Chrome is recommended for the best experience.
• Latest Mozilla FireFox
• Latest Microsoft Edge
• Latest Apple Safari

Basic Software Requirements (These are recommendations of software to use):

• Office suite software (Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, or LibreOffice)
• PDF reader program (Adobe Reader, FoxIt)
• Courses may require other software that is described in the above course outline.