QA, the global training company that transforms performance through learning, today launched its new Managing Successful Programmes (MSP) courses, designed to reflect the recent refresh of the framework.

The revised MSP courses will be available at Foundation, Practitioner and Advanced Practitioner level from Monday 10th October 2011. A half day or full day MSP seminar is also available for those new and qualified delegates who want a detailed overview of the key elements of the refresh before embarking on a full certification track.

Ian Clarkson, Head of Project & Programme Management Product Development at QA, commented, “The challenge for many organisations is that there is sometimes very little focus on the realisation of the benefits of the initiatives they are undertaking. Focus can often be too much on delivering the projects to the required time, cost and quality but neglect to evaluate whether these outputs have actually resulted in the benefit anticipated for the organisation. Critically, MSP is a robust, tried and tested, flexible framework that allows organisations to focus on the outcomes and realisation of the benefits rather than the narrower scope of delivering just outputs.”

The refreshed features of the MSP 2011 edition include:

• Addition of ‘Hints’ with practical advice on how to apply MSP in your organisation
• Clarification on the concept of ‘Tranches’, with specific guidance on the risk associated with overlapping tranches
• Governance Themes are applied continuously throughout the programme and there is new guidance on how each of the Governance Themes relates to each process within the Transformational Flow
• Improved guidance for each key role, but removal of the guidance for the Sponsoring Group and Programme Board to allow more focus on the individuals in these bodies rather than the collective
• Revisions to the Benefits Management, Risk and Issue Management and Quality and Assurance Management chapters, including new sections.

Clarkson adds, “Our newly released MSP courses will continue to help programme managers through the best practice framework. Our objective is to make sure delegates feel confident about implementing the knowledge they have gained, as in our opinion courses shouldn’t just be a ‘tick box’ exercise. As the economic recovery continues, there is a greater expectation that any investment made in training must have a tangible impact – and more importantly help organisations achieve consistent and world-class programme management skills. With this in mind, we are taking this opportunity to not just refresh our MSP material, but bring innovation and interactivity into our courses to ensure the maximum transfer of knowledge and achieve maximum efficacy in the work place.”

Delegates studying the current 2007 MSP format can still take the exams for this syllabus until 5th March 2012.