Project Management
MODULE CODE
CREDIT VALUE
DELIVERY
Module Aims
Aim 1
This module aims to equip students with the ability to plan, schedule and control a project.
Aim 2
The module will provide practical experience of using commercially available software for project management.
Aim 3
Upon completion of the module, students will be able to critically discuss issues surrounding project management.
Module Content
• The role of the project manager and the nature of project management in relation to context and setting.
• Project management skills and competencies, with particular emphasis on interpersonal skills and communication management plus theories of motivation and leadership.
• The concepts of integrative management including the business case and project selection methods; stakeholder management, funding and employer support, corporate social responsibility and the monitoring and control of performance and benefits management.
• Different project management methodologies such as Agile and Prince2, their strengths and weaknesses and application.
• How to define the scope of a project and to establish robust planning of the overall project and its component parts; and change management theory.
• The identification, evaluation and management of risk in the project environment
• The importance of systematic and disciplined start up and close procedures.
• Developing the business case ‘scope’ into a product breakdown, work breakdown and network diagram with use of the critical path method.
• The principles of time management and the application of task scheduling using commercially available software, including dependencies and resourcing.
• Budgeting and cost management including different classification of costs: ways of estimating; Earned Value Management (EVM); and cash flow planning and management
• An overview of the Quality Movement and contemporary approaches such as ISO, TQM and Six Sigma plus some basic definitions, concepts and processes applied to the project environment.
• Project metrics and KPIs – how they are defined and applied to the planning, monitoring and management of project performance, including the balanced scorecard approach.
• Resource management and interfaces in relation to projects and the wider intra- and inter-organisation setting including contract and supply chain management.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module, a student will be able to:
Teaching Methods
The module tutor/s will deliver the lecture material through asynchronous online lectures in MS Teams followed by interactive activities and directions for further reading and research. During the asynchronous lectures students will have the opportunity to engage in forum discussions, present their views and ask questions. The lecture sessions will be pre-recorded and made available to the students through Blackboard. Students will have the opportunity to answer and reflect on guided questions or participate asynchronously on discussion boards. The module tutor will provide appropriate feedback to students’ comments, as a result of the discussions. Tutor feedback will primarily be provided in an asynchronous manner through Blackboard and emails, but when the need arises, the module tutor will schedule live sessions to provide further feedback. Where appropriate, students will be also provided with relevant further reading, web links and resources for independent study. Students will also be provided with self-assessment quizzes, so that they can reflect on their progress.
Students will be provided with access to Microsoft Project software and online tutorials, through which they will be able to complete the practical components of the module. The students will obtain the practical sheets from Blackboard, and they are expected to follow the instructions included in the practical sheets to complete the lab work. If students have difficulties with a particular exercise, they are expected to contact the module tutor or post a question on the discussion forum, where the module tutor and/or their peers can provide feedback. Different means of communication will be utilized by the tutor to offer support to the students based on the reported issue, i.e., email, Skype, MS Teams, etc.
Assessment Methods
This module is assessed through one Individual Report and one Written Examination.
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Compulsory
