Semester 2

Unit(s) of Assessment	Weighting towards Module Mark (%)
Individual Assessment	50%
Group Assessment and Presentation	50%
Qualifying Condition(s)

Programmes and projects provide an efficient and effective means of delivering corporate strategy for a public and private sector organisation.  Fundamental to delivering a programme and project is robust sponsorship and management.  This module is focused at level three students that wish to acquire the desired technical, commercial and people skills and knowledge required to develop, plan, manage and control projects successfully in a business environment.  This requires the awareness of general project management principles (including elements of project sponsorship), methodologies and the tools and techniques as applied within multi-disciplined projects (IS/IT, Civil, Change management, Procurement).  Within this module students will receive a robust grounding in theory and practice of project management delivered from working on case studies, simulations and project management software (MS Project) and an introduction to @RISK software.

None

This module is intended to provide students with a clear understanding of projects and why and how they are used to deliver small to large-scale projects within public and private sector organisations.  Students will be able to learn the key aspects of project management from a business management perspective; understand the relationship between the project sponsor and manager; and critically learn the soft as well as the hard components necessary to manage a project successfully.  This will include being able to develop and evaluate a business case for investment, analyse the appropriate procurement and funding options for a project, develop and motivate a team, apply tools and techniques for planning projects, evaluate a project plan using critical path analysis and PERT, learn how to monitor and control projects; and understand how projects should be run successfully.

The learning outcomes are:  ·              Recognise the value of project management (including elements of project sponsorship) and methodologies, in the project development process.  ·              Understand the role of project and sponsorship management and its applications.  ·              Assess the importance of people management and team work to the successful delivery of a project.  ·              Be familiar with the principles of stakeholder-driven projects.  ·              Be familiar with the phases and activities within the project life cycle.  ·              Apply the principles and practice of project management to a self-selected project and demonstrate the ability to present this as a report and presentation.  ·              Apply technical and commercial knowledge and skills to manage, deliver and control projects successfully.

The indicative module content will cover the areas outlined:  The Organisation, Business Environment and Projects  The relationship between the organisation (public and private) and projects in a business management context.  The business environment and its impact on projects.  The types of projects and explanations where projects are derived from, selection criteria and how organisations develop programmes and projects (references to Managing Successful Programmes).   Project Sponsorship and Management  Covering the principles, roles and responsibilities of project sponsorship and management and methodologies (references to PRINCE2), best practices and project management associations available (Association of Project Managers, Project Management Institute).  Also the roles of the project manager and project sponsor.  Project Stakeholder Management and Communications  Importance of Stakeholder Management and communications with internal and external stakeholders.  Introduction to the ‘politics’ of project management with stakeholders.  Project Scope and Definition Methods used to scope and define a project.  Project Decision-making and the Business Case  Project Lifecycles in different sectors (IS/IT, Civil, Change Management), Projects stages and decision-making.    The business case, its purpose and development process.  Commercial and Financial  Types of contracts, procurement processes and methods of financing projects in the public and private sectors.    Introduction to contract law, the purpose of the contract and link to risk analysis.  Project Planning Tools and Techniques  Planning and analysing the project using Critical Path Analysis (CPA).  Estimation methods and risk management.  MS Project utilised for planning and introduction to risk analysis using Project Evaluation Review Techniques (PERT) and Monte Carlo methods and @RISK software.  Project Team Structures, Leadership and Dynamics  Project team structures for project development and implementation.  Building the team, managing, leading and the dynamics of team. Project Reporting, Control and Monitoring  Managing the progress and control of project finances, cost management factors, budgets, cost indices for reporting project progress to management through use of Earned Value Analysis (EVA).  Project Closure and Knowledge Management  Closing down a project closure, documentation, expenditure review; and managing knowledge.  In order to achieve the threshold standard for the award of credits for this module, the student must meet the following criteria to the learning outcomes described above:  ·              Demonstrate project management skills by planning a project  ·              Demonstrate an understanding of the project life cycle and the implications for the stakeholders  ·              Demonstrate the ability to use current project management tools and techniques  ·              Demonstrate verbal and written presentation skills  The assessment strategy is designed to measure individually, and collectively, the ability to apply project management theory, tools and techniques in a real world situation and to demonstrate an understanding of project team dynamics, leadership and communication.

The teaching and learning strategy is designed to encourage a deep approach to learning with an emphasis on collaborative through the use of working teams and real situation of project planning.  The teaching and learning methods include team examination and team presentation skills.  The teaching and learning format is designed to emphasise a methodology for project management and to give students the opportunity to gain experience through the integration of theory and practice.  The teaching and learning processes will be facilitated by weekly lectures of 2 hours duration together with online support for team project discussions.  The lecture portion will involve the explanation of theoretical concepts of project management and the online portion will involve the application of theory to the individual, submitted in written form, and group assignment submitted as a report and presented.  Assessment Strategy:

Essential Reading  Chatfield, C. and Johnson, T. (2007) Microsoft Project – Step-by-Step Guide.  Microsoft.  Maylor, H. (2005) Project Management.  3rd edn.  Harlow : Pitman.  Recommended Reading  Boddy, D. (2001) Managing Projects – Building and Leading the Team.  Prentice-Hall, Harlow .  Burke, R. (2003) Project Management Planning and Control Techniques.  4th edn.  Chichester : Wiley.  Gardiner, P. (2005) Project Management – A Strategic Planning Approach.  Basingstoke : Palgrave.  Gray and Larson.  (2002) Project Management – The Managerial Process.  Boston : McGraw Hill.  Kerzner, H. (2006) Project Management – A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling.   New Jersey : Wiley.  Meridith, J. and Matel, S. (2006)  Project Management – A Managerial Approach.  6th edn.  Asia : Wiley.  Reiss, G. (2000) Project Management Demystified – Today’s Tools and Techniques.  London : Spon Press.  Reis, G. (2006) Programme Management Demystified – Managing multiple project successfully.  Abingdon: Routledge.  Background Reading  Journals:  Construction Management and Economics  International Journal of Project Management  Journal of Management Studies  Journal of Management, Procurement and Law  Journal of Project Finance Mastering Project Management  Practical Techniques for Effective Project Investment Appraisal  Project Management Journal  Project Management Today  Project Risk Management  www references:  www.apm.org.uk (The Association of Project Managers)   www.pmi.org (The Project Management Institute)  www.apmgroup.co.uk (The Association of Project Management Group – PRINCE2, MSP)  www.ipma.ch (The International Project Management Association)  www.iappm.org (The International Association of Project and Program Management)

06/08/2010