| Unit name | Project Management |
|---|---|
| Unit code | MGRCM2028 |
| Credit points | 15 |
| Level of study | M/7 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lloyd Fletcher |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | School of Management - Business School |
| Faculty | Faculty of Social Sciences and Law |
Project management has been adopted by a wide range of organisations in industry, commerce and the public sector to help handle many varied one-off undertakings. Also known as projects, such endeavours tend to entail higher levels of complexity and uncertainty, and therefore risk, than more routine operational activities. The problems involved in managing projects have led to the development of project management as a specialised branch of management. As the use of projects has become more commonplace, this established discipline requires an introduction that enables students to critically examine concepts, theories, and techniques to which they will be exposed in almost any organization.
The main aims of the unit are to introduce the topic and help students to develop an integrated, holistic understanding of what projects ‘are’ and how they are managed in organisations. Further aims are to show how effective project management contributes to organisational success and to encourage students to think critically, analytically, and systematically about projects and their management. Rather than teaching basic tools and techniques, the emphasis is on critical reflection on assumptions, methods, and procedures. The unit offers a grounding in relevant concepts, models, and theoretical frameworks that students can apply in developing their managerial thinking within project contexts.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
ILO 1: Demonstrate a holistic, integrated understanding of basic project management concepts and theories.
ILO 2: Show how project management techniques are used in order to manage project outcomes.
ILO 3: Critically analyze common approaches to managing projects.
ILO 4: Recognize how projects interact with the wider managerial, strategic, political, and social environment.
ILO 5: Demonstrate theoretical and experiential understandings of the challenges and practicalities of group work as a form of project organizing.
Lectures (50% of in-person contact hours): 10 one-hour lectures;
Seminars, casework, practical work (50% of in-person contact hours): 10 hours of seminars.
Students should expect to dedicate approximately 150 hours of scholarly effort to this unit, including reading, preparation exercises, problem solving and tests, case research, studying outside lectures and seminars, group work, writing assignments, and revision.
Teaching is structured around ‘learning modules’, each focused on a topic area within project management. A module comprises an integrated mix of lecture, seminar/tutorial, students’ preparation (reading and self-assessment, online exercises), case studies, online mini-lectures, and video tutorials. The first half of the term is more focused on foundational concepts, techniques, and theory, which students explore in depth in seminars using practical exercises and case study work, with peer and instructor feedback. In the latter half of the term, increasing use of applied examples and case studies builds students’ critical and practical skills, which they can deploy for their individual and group assignment work. Weekly online quizzes and a problem/Q&A forum enable subsequent lectures to incorporate specific issues or queries raised by students or apparent from their online self-assessment tests. Throughout the term, students are directed to ‘required’ or ‘extending’ readings or research that prepares them for a given learning module. The unit draws on selected readings from project management text books and scholarly papers which focus students on core concepts and applied problems. The student guide book explains the overall structure of the unit and the aims of each module.
Assessment 1 (20% of final mark)
This summative test is delivered online as a timed and open-book ‘mid term’ exam. It assesses students’ understanding of foundational concepts and theories. (ILO 1 and some of ILO 2)
Formative work throughout the first half of the unit test students’ emerging knowledge leading up to the mid-term exam, also enabling them to practice their online test techniques.
Assessment 2 (40% of final mark)
For this summative assessment, each student produces their own written work of between 1,500 and 2,000 words. This enables students to demonstrate their critical application of concepts learned in the earlier parts of the course. Through analytical or reflective essays, mini case studies, literature reviews, or original research, students have the opportunity to explore concepts, problems, and real situations in project work that they find engaging or suited to their own areas of interest. (ILO 3, ILO 4, and some of ILO 2)
Assessment 3 (40% of final mark, and due before the exam period begins)
This summative group assignment is enacted as a mini project. The deliverable is a critical analysis of a real project case situation that they have researched during the term in the form of a written report of 3,000-5,000 words,. Students bring to bear their integrated understanding of concepts, techniques, and frameworks, focusing on one or more key aspects of the case. Students are required to structure their team work as a formal project, designing, planning, and executing it using some of the approaches taught in the unit. (ILO 5, ILO 4, ILO 3, plus some ILO 2 and ILO 1). Formative work throughout the term helps students manage their mini projects effectively.
