The course begins with an in-depth introduction to administrative systems, detailing the functions and objectives of key office admin procedures and personnel. Candidates learn how to create and implement a viable office admin strategy, overcome several common challenges in an office admin environment and evaluate the effectiveness of an existing administrative system.

Module two presents a series of essential office documents, discussing their functions, structure and purpose in an office management setting. Candidates consider the characteristics of a quality business document, how to assess the accuracy of professional documents, the importance of appropriate sentence structure and a series of essential proofreading guidelines.

he art of effective performance management is discussed in module three, in which candidates learn how to assess and improve employee performance through strategic feedback provision and performance reviews. Some of the more common barriers to workplace efficiency are discussed, along with the consequences of demotivation and how to build to a motivated team.

Candidates are then guided through the process of organising and leading important meetings, including notifying attendees, selecting an appropriate date, time and venue, ensuring the environment is appropriate and more. Several different types of meetings and their functions are also discussed, along with how to effectively address potential issues when planning meetings of various kinds.

In module five, learners examine the connection between effective resource management and business-wide efficiency. Candidates consider the various different resource classifications, the art of ‘doing more with less’ and the importance of continually analysing and assessing the efficiency of resource allocation/use at a variety of levels.

Module six bring leadership qualities and characteristics into discussion, along with the importance of inspiring team leadership and motivation. The advantages and disadvantages of team-based work are discussed, along with several common team management challenges, guidelines for optimising team performance and an introduction to Bruce Tuckman's Team Development Model.

The importance of strategic human resource management is discussed in module seven, which guides candidates through the process of recruiting, selecting, deploying, supervising and optimising every member of the workforce. The HR manager’s functions and responsibilities are discussed, along with common HR management issues and the key to successful delegation.

Module eight discusses the extent to which the office manager can (and must) accept and embrace change in a positive and proactive way. The concept of change in an organisational setting is discussed, along with a breakdown of the change cycle and the potential consequences of an ineffective or absent change management strategy in the workplace.

The art of effective time management is then discussed in module nine, in which candidates are presented with several tips and guidelines for making better use of their time. The importance of avoiding procrastination is also discussed, along with how to manage a complex and varied workload, several useful time-planning tools and how to establish goals in accordance with the SPIRIT model – Specific, Prizes, Individuals, Review, Inspiring, Time-Bound.

The importance of building and maintaining strong customer relationships is discussed in module 10, in which candidates are introduced to the concepts of the ‘positive’ customer and the ‘negative’ customer. The relationship between reputation management and customer relationship management is also discussed, along with the cornerstones of an effective customer satisfaction and retention strategy.

Bringing the course to a close, module 11 guides candidates through the process of creating and implementing a viable risk management framework. Each stage of the risk identification and mitigation process is discussed, along with the concept of the ‘Four Ts’ of risk management (Tolerate, Transfer, Treat, Terminate) and the potential consequences of failing to manage risk proactively in a business environment.