LIAP #16- PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSE FOR MASTER IN FINANCE

In 2018, I wan invited to give a two-day lecture for INCIEF Master Students. THe objective is to give basic knowledge of Project Management and how to use it in their jobs.I was told to use Learning By Doing methodology.

To prepare and come out with a two-day on project management for students in finance is itself a project. To deliver the course is an operation because I repeat the same course for each group of students. This is no easy task. I need to know the requirement of the stakeholders-the university and the students and at the same time I need todig up from past experience to share my tacit knowledge to share and guide the students. The key thing is not limited to knowing the subject matter. It is more how , where and what to apply the knowledge.

Herewith I share a draft of the contents. The real one is not for public disclosure.

Project Management for Financial and Business Projects: A 2-Day Intensive

🧭 OVERALL COURSE GOALS:

   •   Introduce project management tools and techniques relevant to finance.

   •   Provide opportunities for students to apply PM concepts in practical scenarios.

   •   Prepare finance professionals to lead or contribute meaningfully to business-critical projects.

📅 DAY 1: MODULE 1

Project Management Fundamentals for Finance Professionals

🕘 9:00 – 9:30 AM: Welcome & Introductions

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Set expectations: “We’ll focus not just on PM tools, but how you as finance professionals can apply them to projects like M&A, fintech launches, investment rollouts, and compliance initiatives.”

   •   Icebreaker: Ask each student to share one financial or business project they’ve seen or been part of (e.g., implementing a new ERP, a merger, budget review task force).

🕤 9:30 – 10:30 AM: Project Management Basics

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Explain the definition of a project (temporary, unique, goal-driven).

   •   Compare project vs. operations.

   •   Highlight examples from finance:

      •   Developing a financial risk model (project)

      •   Monthly reporting (operations)

   •   Key terms: Project charter, objectives, scope, deliverables, constraints.

Slide Tip: Use a real finance example: “Launching a new digital wallet solution in a bank.”

🕥 10:30 – 11:00 AM: Project Lifecycle

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Present the five PMBOK phases: Initiation, Planning, Execution, Monitoring & Control, Closure.

   •   Activity: Hand out phase cards and ask teams to place mini-tasks in the right phase (e.g., “secure stakeholder approval”, “validate test results”).

🕚 11:00 – 12:30 PM: Scope, Time, Cost & Risk

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Scope: Define what’s in/out. Use an example: “Developing a new ESG reporting module for the CFO.”

   •   Time: Build a basic Gantt chart.

   •   Cost: Introduce bottom-up budgeting.

   •   Risk: Teach risk probability vs. impact matrix.

Activity:

Mini-exercise: Each group drafts a scope and identifies 3 risks for a “Cloud migration for finance systems.”

🕧 12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch

⸻

🕜 1:30 – 2:30 PM: Stakeholder Management

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Stakeholders in financial projects include CFO, regulators, internal audit, tech teams.

   •   Teach stakeholder mapping (Power vs. Interest grid).

   •   Role-play: One group is project team, another is finance department head. Scenario: Project delay—communicate the update.

🕝 2:30 – 3:30 PM: Project Tools & Templates

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Walk through a simplified PM Canvas.

   •   Show a real-world Excel budget template.

   •   Demo MS Project or Trello for schedule tracking.

Hands-On: Students fill in a PM canvas for a case study.

🕞 3:30 – 4:30 PM: Case Activity: Financial Product Launch

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Scenario: Launching a Shariah-compliant savings product.

   •   Teams create:

      •   High-level timeline

      •   Budget estimate

      •   One key risk

   •   Present briefly.

🕟 4:30 – 5:00 PM: Wrap-Up & Review

   •   Recap Day 1

   •   Share templates & reading materials

   •   Preview Day 2 (application & simulation focus)

📅 DAY 2: MODULE 2

Applying PM in Real Financial & Business Projects

🕘 9:00 – 9:30 AM: Recap & Warm-up Quiz

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Use Kahoot or printed quiz

   •   Questions on lifecycle, risk matrix, and key terminology

🕤 9:30 – 10:30 AM: Case Study 1 – M&A Integration

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Case: “Your company acquires a fintech startup.”

   •   What’s the project? Integration of systems, people, compliance.

   •   Group analysis:

      •   Key stakeholders

      •   High-level timeline

      •   Risks (culture clash, tech integration)

Output: Present a short action plan.

🕥 10:30 – 11:30 AM: Agile in Financial Projects

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Brief overview of Agile and Scrum

   •   Use case: Developing a dashboard for financial regulators

   •   Activity: Teams build a backlog for “Investor Analytics Portal”

🕚 11:30 – 12:30 PM: Deep Dive into Risk Management

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Revisit risk concepts: residual risk, risk response planning

   •   Activity: Create a risk register for launching a new bond fund

🕧 12:30 – 1:30 PM: Lunch

🕜 1:30 – 2:30 PM: Capstone Simulation Briefing

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Scenario options (assign or let groups pick):

      •   Launch a robo-advisory platform

      •   Prepare for ESG audit in a regional bank

      •   Integrate accounting systems post-merger

   •   Provide templates: PM Canvas, WBS template, risk register

🕝 2:30 – 4:00 PM: Simulation – Group Work

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Teams must deliver:

      •   Scope summary

      •   Schedule (key milestones)

      •   Budget estimate

      •   Risk register

      •   Stakeholder plan

   •   Encourage creativity and realism

🕓 4:00 – 5:00 PM: Presentations & Feedback

Facilitator Notes:

   •   Each group gets 8 minutes

   •   Give structured feedback (Use: Clarity, Feasibility, Relevance)

   •   Peer voting: Best project plan

📘 MATERIALS TO PROVIDE:

   •   PM Canvas Template (PDF/Word)

   •   Financial Project WBS Example

   •   Budget Estimation Excel Sheet

   •   Sample Risk Register

   •   Stakeholder Mapping Worksheet

   •   List of Online Tools (Trello, Smartsheet, Notion, MS Project)

✅ END-OF-COURSE ACTION:

   •   Hand out certificate of participation

   •   Share bonus reading list

   •   Offer optional post-course quiz or capstone submission