Semester Calendar¶
A week-by-week plan for the 16-week course: what to read, which lab to do, and which checkpoint to meet — with a link on every line to the actual lesson or lab.
At a glance
- Use it: as your timetable, alongside the Progress Guide
- Covers: 16 weeks · 32 sessions · all 25 labs · 6 capstone milestones
- Best for: keeping pace when nobody is checking your progress but you
How to use this calendar¶
The course is designed for two sessions a week over sixteen weeks, about two hours per session, plus independent study — roughly 7–9 hours a week in total. This page turns that into a dated plan.
| Page | Answers the question |
|---|---|
| This calendar | What do I do this week? |
| Curriculum Roadmap | What exactly does each session cover, and why is it in that order? |
| Progress Guide | What have I finished, and what is still open? |
Three things to know before you start:
- Nothing here is a deadline. This is a self-study course with no submission dates and no login. The windows are pacing aids; the six capstone milestone sessions (S6, S12, S16, S21, S24, S32) are the only real checkpoints, and even those are yours to keep or move.
- Your ticks are not saved. This is a static website — boxes do not store anything. The Progress Guide explains how to keep a record you control.
- The plan assumes a normal term. If your term is shorter, longer, or interrupted, the alternative routes below show how to compress or stretch it.
A heavier week is a planning fact, not a warning
Weeks 3, 6, 8, 11 and 12 each carry a capstone milestone and two labs — about eight hours, with week 8 the peak of the term. Weeks 4 and 9 are deliberately lighter. If a week runs away from you, the catch-up slot in week 13 and the stretch labs marked (optional) exist for exactly that reason.
Three weeks straddle two parts
Part boundaries fall mid-week in week 4 (Module 03 → 04), week 11 (Module 10 → 11) and week 15 (Module 12 → 13). Each week's row therefore covers both sides of that boundary, which is why a part's weeks here start or end a week inside the module range in its heading.
Your weekly routine¶
Two sessions plus one flexible block. The pattern below is what the material is built for; adjust the days, keep the shape.
| Block | Time | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Session A — read | ~2 h | 15 min: review the previous session's key terms and re-answer one self-assessment question. 70 min: read the lesson, answering its self-assessment questions before revealing each answer. 15 min: write a three-line learning log — what I learned · what is unclear · what I want to practise |
| Session B — practise | ~2 h | 15 min: skim the lesson's summary and its Common misconceptions section. 90 min: work the week's lab in one sitting — artefacts need momentum, and a lab half-done on Thursday is a lab you will restart on Monday. 15 min: update your Progress Guide checklist and note the artefact you produced |
| Flexible block — finish or catch up | 1–2 h | Finish the lab, re-mark it against its self-check criteria, or — if you are ahead — do one of the (optional) stretch labs or start the next capstone milestone |
If you only have one hour today, read one numbered concept section of the lesson or do one task of the lab. Do not start a lab you cannot finish; that is how artefacts get abandoned.
At the end of every week, answer one question honestly: could a stranger act on the artefact I produced this week without asking me anything? If not, it is incomplete — that single test is what most of the capstone rubric measures.
Each week's figure below is a planning estimate: two hours per session plus the labs' own stated times. They add up to roughly 115 hours of scheduled work across the term. The course's stated total of about 125 hours (Syllabus) also includes capstone delivery time, which you pace yourself — most of it lands in weeks 13–16.
Part I — Foundations (Modules 01–03 · Weeks 1–4)¶
| Week | Sessions | Read | Practise | Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 · ~6–7 h | S1 · S2 | Module 01: Lesson 1 — What is Software Project Management? · Lesson 2 — Projects, Programmes, and Portfolios | Lab 01 — Writing a Project Charter (60–90 min) | Set up your artefact folder. Skim the example-project library and decide which scenario you will follow |
| Week 2 · ~7–8 h | S3 · S4 | Module 01 Lesson 3 — Project Life Cycles and Development Approaches · Module 02 Lesson 1 — Stakeholders and Governance | Lab 02 — Identifying and Classifying Stakeholders (60–75 min) · Lab 03 — Defining a Project Vision (60–75 min) | You now have a charter and a vision. Check they agree about what the project is not |
| Week 3 · ~7–8 h | S5 · S6 | Module 02 Lesson 2 — Project Initiation and the Business Case · Lesson 3 — Feasibility and Project Selection | Lab 04 — Identifying Project Constraints and Assumptions (60 min) · Lab 05 — Creating a Stakeholder Register (75–90 min) · assemble capstone M1 | Take the Foundations quiz — Modules 01–02, ten questions, answers hidden. Capstone M1 due by S6: charter + stakeholder register |
| Week 4 · ~5–6 h | S7 · S8 | Module 03 Lesson 1 — Integrated Project Planning · Module 04 Lesson 1 — Agile and Predictive Approaches | No lab this week — Module 03 has none of its own; its integrated plan is produced in the capstone. Use the time to re-mark Labs 01–05 against their self-check criteria | A deliberately lighter week. Lay your five artefacts side by side and look for contradictions |
Part II — Agile & Adaptive Delivery (Module 04 · Week 5)¶
| Week | Sessions | Read | Practise | Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 5 · ~7–7.5 h | S9 · S10 | Module 04 Lesson 2 — Scrum Roles, Events, and Artefacts · Lesson 3 — Kanban and Work-in-Progress Limits | Lab 14 — Creating a Scrum Product Backlog (90–105 min) · Lab 15 — Running Sprint Planning (90–105 min) · Lab 23 — Agile versus Predictive Planning (120 min, (optional — this one is the natural slip if the week is tight)) | Write down which approach your capstone will use, and why — you will need that sentence in the charter |
Part III — Planning Knowledge Areas (Modules 05–10 · Weeks 6–11)¶
| Week | Sessions | Read | Practise | Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 6 · ~8 h | S11 · S12 | Module 05 Lesson 1 — Requirements and Scope Management · Lesson 2 — Work Breakdown Structure | Lab 06 — Developing a Basic Scope Statement (75–90 min) · Lab 07 — Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (90 min) · assemble capstone M2 | Capstone M2 due by S12: scope baseline + WBS. Every work package should trace to a requirement |
| Week 7 · ~7 h | S13 · S14 | Module 06 Lesson 1 — Activities, Dependencies, and Duration · Lesson 2 — Gantt Charts, the Critical Path, and Float | Lab 08 — Building a Project Schedule (90 min) then Lab 09 — Identifying Dependencies and Building a Network (75–90 min) | Labs 08 → 09 → 10 are one continuous project. Do them in this order — the numbering is deliberate |
| Week 8 · ~8.5–9 h · busiest | S15 · S16 | Module 07 Lesson 1 — Effort and Cost Estimation · Lesson 2 — Estimation Techniques | Lab 10 — Creating a Gantt Chart with the Critical Path (105–120 min, finishes the schedule chain) · Lab 13 — Estimating Effort and Cost (105–120 min) · assemble capstone M3 | Capstone M3 due by S16: schedule + budget. Check the budget against the schedule — an estimate with no schedule behind it is a guess |
| Week 9 · ~6.5–7 h | S17 · S18 | Module 08 Lesson 1 — Risk Identification and Response Planning | Lab 11 — Developing a Risk Register (90–105 min) · Lab 16 — Schedule Compression Trade-offs (105–120 min, (optional — advanced)) | Mid-course checkpoint (S17) — see below. Lay out M1–M3 and check that each agrees with the last |
| Week 10 · ~7.5 h | S19 · S20 | Module 09 Lesson 1 — Quality Management and Assurance · Module 10 Lesson 1 — Team Organization and Resource Management | Lab 17 — Risk Response Strategies and Contingency (105 min) · Lab 20 — Quality Planning and the Cost of Quality (105 min) | Two self-checks done: can you explain assurance versus control, and what a resource plan is for? |
| Week 11 · ~7.5–8 h | S21 · S22 | Module 10 Lesson 2 — Communication and Stakeholder Management · Module 11 Lesson 1 — Software Project Metrics | Lab 12 — Preparing a Communication Plan (90 min) · Lab 19 — Evaluating a Change Request (90–105 min) · assemble capstone M4 | Capstone M4 due by S21: risk register + communication plan |
Part IV — Control and Advanced Practice (Modules 11–12 · Weeks 12–15)¶
| Week | Sessions | Read | Practise | Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 12 · ~8 h | S23 · S24 | Module 11 Lesson 2 — Monitoring and Control · Lesson 3 — Change and Configuration Management | Lab 18 — Earned Value Management Calculations (105 min) · Lab 22 — Monitoring and Corrective Action (105 min) · assemble capstone M5 | Capstone M5 due by S24: status reports + change request. Diagnose the cause before writing the corrective action |
| Week 13 · ~7 h · catch-up slot | S25 · S26 | Module 12 Lesson 1 — Procurement and Vendor Considerations · Lesson 2 — Project Documentation, Closure, and Lessons Learned | Lab 24 — Managing a Distributed Team (105 min) · Lab 21 — Resource Allocation Conflicts (105 min, catch-up if Module 10 slipped) | Start the capstone in earnest now — the last three weeks are for delivering, not for planning |
| Week 14 · ~6–6.5 h | S27 · S28 | Module 12 Lesson 3 — Distributed and Remote Teams · Lesson 4 — Ethical and Responsible Project Management | Lab 25 — Project Recovery Scenario (120–135 min) | Lab 25 is deliberately the hardest lab in the course. Attempt it before reading the answer key |
| Week 15 · ~6.5 h | S29 · S30 | Module 12 Lesson 5 — Advanced Project Management and Governance · Capstone Lesson 1 — Planning Your Capstone | Deliver the capstone: baseline your plan, then run it. Work the change scenario when it arrives | Session 30 is the plan review and risk clinic. Read the deliverables before it |
Part V — Capstone (Module 13 · Week 16)¶
| Week | Sessions | Read | Practise | Check |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 16 · ~8–9 h · capstone-heavy | S31 · S32 | Capstone Lesson 2 — Delivering and Controlling Your Capstone · Lesson 3 — Closing and Presenting Your Capstone | Build, measure, report, close: the final project report, the closure report, the lessons learned register | Capstone M6 due by S32: closure pack + retrospective. Self-mark against the capstone rubric |
Lab windows at a glance¶
All 25 labs, in the week this calendar suggests. Times are the labs' own estimates. Lab numbers are programme-wide, so a late-numbered lab may belong to an early module — follow the week, not the number.
| Lab | Level | Time | Suggested | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 — Project Charter | Beginner | 60–90 min | Week 1 | Produces the artefact capstone M1 needs |
| 02 — Identifying and Classifying Stakeholders | Beginner | 60–75 min | Week 2 | Feeds Lab 05 |
| 03 — Defining a Project Vision | Beginner | 60–75 min | Week 2 | Feeds the charter |
| 04 — Identifying Project Constraints and Assumptions | Beginner | 60 min | Week 3 | Short; do it in one sitting |
| 05 — Creating a Stakeholder Register | Beginner | 75–90 min | Week 3 | Completes capstone M1 |
| 06 — Developing a Basic Scope Statement | Beginner | 75–90 min | Week 6 | Exclusions matter more than inclusions |
| 07 — Creating a Work Breakdown Structure | Intermediate | 90 min | Week 6 | Completes capstone M2 |
| 08 — Building a Project Schedule | Intermediate | 90 min | Week 7 | Start of the 08 → 09 → 10 chain |
| 09 — Identifying Dependencies and Building a Network | Intermediate | 75–90 min | Week 7 | Needs Lab 08 |
| 10 — Creating a Gantt Chart with the Critical Path | Intermediate | 105–120 min | Week 8 | Needs Lab 09; finishes the schedule |
| 11 — Developing a Risk Register | Intermediate | 90–105 min | Week 9 | Starts capstone M4 |
| 12 — Preparing a Communication Plan | Intermediate | 90 min | Week 11 | Completes capstone M4 |
| 13 — Estimating Effort and Cost | Intermediate | 105–120 min | Week 8 | Needs Lab 10; completes capstone M3 |
| 14 — Creating a Scrum Product Backlog | Intermediate | 90–105 min | Week 5 | Needs the Scrum lesson |
| 15 — Running Sprint Planning | Intermediate | 90–105 min | Week 5 | Follows Lab 14 naturally |
| 16 — Schedule Compression Trade-offs | Advanced | 105–120 min | Week 9 (optional) | Needs Lab 10; safe to defer |
| 17 — Risk Response Strategies and Contingency | Advanced | 105 min | Week 10 | Needs Lab 11 |
| 18 — Earned Value Management Calculations | Advanced | 105 min | Week 12 | Pairs with Lab 22 |
| 19 — Evaluating a Change Request | Advanced | 90–105 min | Week 11 | Completes capstone M5 with Lab 22 |
| 20 — Quality Planning and the Cost of Quality | Advanced | 105 min | Week 10 | — |
| 21 — Resource Allocation Conflicts | Advanced | 105 min | Week 13 (catch-up) | Belongs to Module 10; the natural slip |
| 22 — Monitoring and Corrective Action | Advanced | 105 min | Week 12 | Completes capstone M5 |
| 23 — Agile versus Predictive Planning | Advanced | 120 min | Week 5 (optional) | Safe to defer; do it before you fix your capstone approach |
| 24 — Managing a Distributed Team | Advanced | 105 min | Week 13 | — |
| 25 — Project Recovery Scenario | Advanced | 120–135 min | Week 14 | The hardest lab in the course |
Mark your own work before you move on: every lab page ends with self-check criteria, and each lab has a worked answer key. The keys are open because the course is public — so attempt the lab first, or they teach you nothing.
Self-assessment checkpoints¶
Self-study only works if you can tell whether you have learned something. These are the points in the term where it pays to stop and check.
| When | Checkpoint | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| End of week 3 | Foundations quiz — Modules 01–02, 10 questions | Whether the vocabulary and the project-versus-operations distinction have landed |
| Every lab | The lab's own self-check criteria table | Whether your artefact is finished, not merely started |
| Every module | The lesson's self-assessment questions and the module's objectives | Whether you can explain the module's main idea without notes |
| Week 9 (S17) | Mid-course checkpoint — review M1–M3 together | Whether your artefacts still agree with each other. Inconsistencies found here cost minutes; in the capstone they cost days |
| Before each milestone | The How to Self-Assess guide | How to mark your own work honestly, and what to do when you disagree with a model answer |
| Week 16 | Capstone rubric — 8 weighted dimensions | Whether the capstone is coherent across artefacts, which is what it mostly measures |
| Course end | Skills Progression Map | The capability you can honestly claim, and the level above it to aim at |
Honest note on quizzes. A quiz exists for the foundations modules so far; quizzes for Modules 03–12 and the advanced track are planned, and the Self-Assessment page states exactly what exists today. Until they arrive, the check for a module is its lab rubric, its self-assessment questions, and its objectives.
Capstone milestones on the calendar¶
The capstone is threaded through the term, not bolted on at the end — each milestone reuses a lab artefact you have already produced.
| Milestone | Due by session | Falls in | Built from |
|---|---|---|---|
| M1 — Charter and stakeholder register | S6 | Week 3 | Lab 01, Lab 05 |
| M2 — Scope baseline and WBS | S12 | Week 6 | Lab 06, Lab 07 |
| M3 — Schedule and budget | S16 | Week 8 | Lab 10, Lab 13 |
| M4 — Risk register and communication plan | S21 | Week 11 | Lab 11, Lab 12 |
| M5 — Status reports and change request | S24 | Week 12 | Lab 19, Lab 22 |
| M6 — Closure pack and retrospective | S32 | Week 16 | Lab 24, Lab 25, and the capstone itself |
Full detail — evidence required, the consistency checks, and the submission checklist — is on the capstone milestones and submission page. Milestones M1–M3 get a formal review at the session 17 checkpoint.
If your term runs differently¶
| Situation | How to adapt |
|---|---|
| Eight weeks, double pace | Keep the session order and drop the optional labs (16, 23); do two weeks of this calendar per week. The capstone then needs 2–3 weeks of its own after S32 — a capstone cannot be compressed the way a lesson can |
| A full year, one session a week | Halve the pace: one session plus its lab per week, and use the Progress Guide rather than this calendar to track it. The companion pacing table covers other commitments |
| Starting mid-term | Start at Week 1 regardless. The first six weeks are the foundation for everything else, and the Learning Path explains why starting later is not a shortcut |
| You missed a week | Do not skip the lab — cut the case study reading and re-marking instead. Use the week 13 catch-up slot, and drop the optional labs first |
| You are revising, not learning | Skip the calendar and use the Skills Progression Map to find the highest level you can honestly tick, then study one level above it |
Next steps¶
- New to the course? Read Start Here first, then come back to Week 1.
- Keep the Progress Guide open alongside this page — it holds the checklists this calendar does not.
- Want the reasoning behind the order? Learning Path.
- Want the session-by-session detail? Curriculum Roadmap.