Productivity matters because it can drive growth in the quantity and value of national output. This can lead to improved economic growth and sustain the competitiveness of countries in the global market. Recognizing the importance of this, the pursuit of higher productivity has become the main development agenda item of most countries. This requires a pool of practitioners fully equipped with skills, knowledge, and ability to lead productivity improvement initiatives through promotion, consultancy services, and training.

As the leader of the productivity movement in the Asia-Pacific region, the APO has developed many effective programs to enhance the capacity building of NPOs that serve as productivity champions in their countries. The programs known as Development of Productivity Practitioners (DPP): Basic and Advanced have been implemented for more than two decades with the main objective of creating a pool of experts and specialists in productivity improvement at the organizational and national levels.

To expand the coverage of those programs, the APO launched self-e-learning courses to provide a clear understanding of the background of the productivity movement in the Asia-Pacific, fundamental concepts of productivity, and selected tools and techniques for productivity improvement. This course is considered to be a foundation and is necessary preparation before participants take the APO-certified Productivity Practitioners course. The content was developed with support from a technical expert team in the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), the NPO of that country and long-term host of the APO multicountry DPP: Basic project. The team is headed by Senior Fellow Carlos A. Sayco, Jr. and APO Honorary Certified Productivity Practitioner and former Director, Graduate School of Public and Development Management, Niña Maria Estudillo, both of the DAP.

Course Instructions

– There are six modules in this course. Please start with Module 1 and complete each module in order.

– The recommended timeline to complete each module is:

Days 1–2: Module 1 + Quiz 1

Days 3–4: Module 2 + Quiz 2

Days 5–6: Module 3 + Quiz 3

Days 7–9: Module 4 + Quiz 4

Days 9–11: Module 5 + Quiz 5

Days 12–13: Module 6 + Quiz 6

Day 14: Final exam

– To confirm your understanding, quizzes are provided in each module. Please answer the questions and check your score for self-evaluation. Please note that the quiz scores are not related to the final exam results.

– It is recommended that you proceed to the next module only after satisfactory completion of the preceding module.

– After completing all modules, each participant should take the final exam. Remember that you are only allowed to take the final exam once. Please ensure that you have thoroughly understood all modules before taking the final exam.

– After completion of the course, the APO will provide e-certificates to successful participants from APO member countries who pass the final exam (minimum passing score is 70% or 70 points). Please also note that only participants who pass the self-e-learning course are eligible to apply for APO Certification Program for Productivity Practitioners.

Course Objectives

The objectives of this course are for participants to acquire and enhance knowledge of the fundamentals of productivity concepts, principles, tools, and techniques. Specifically, at the end of the course, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain productivity concepts and principles;
  2. Describe how to use basic productivity tools and techniques; and
  3. Relate the importance of productivity to innovation and competitiveness.

Important Notes:

1. Participants who register to take this course and pass the final examination with a score of 70% or higher will be eligible to receive the APO certificate. Please note that the final examination can be taken only once. Therefore, you decide when you choose to take the examination. Please note that the self-assessment quizzes are for your own evaluation and have no relation to the final examination results.

2. Participants who perform well in this course and receive the APO certificate will be given preference, on a merit basis, for selection to attend the follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO project on certified productivity practitioners, provided that their nominations are received through their NPOs and slots are available.

3. Notes 1 and 2 are applicable only to participants from APO member countries. Participants from nonmember countries are welcome to take the course for self-improvement, though they will not get an opportunity to attend the follow-up face-to-face multicountry APO projects.


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Course Duration in Hours: 20 hours
Skill Level: Beginner
Upcoming Course: No
New Course: No