Project Management

Course Structure

1. Project Environment and Planning: This unit covers projects and project management, with an emphasis on the importance of planning to successful projects. You will develop an understanding of the relationship between project and business management, as well as the project management environment and the factors that influence project outcomes. Strategic aspects of projects are addressed, including project selection and portfolio design. You will also learn how project managers must understand the benefits to be delivered by projects, the requirements of stakeholders and how to work within the constraints of cost, time and quality. Estimation methods and planning techniques are taught together with quality management. Approaches to the planning and control of projects that have been developed in different sectors are also covered, including agile methods and fast tracking.
2. Budgets and Commercial Management: This unit introduces you to raising project finance, building, monitoring and controlling project budgets and measuring Earned Value of project deliverables. It also covers the commercial aspects of procurement including tendering, contracting and the skills and practices of contract and bid negotiation, providing you with the tools and techniques for managing project budgets. The units also examines the key roles that project managers, budget managers and key project personnel play in managing project budgets.
3. People Management and Risk: This unit develops a critical understanding of individual, team and organisational working in order to deliver project goals successfully. It covers how individual characteristics such as personality, intelligence, ability and skills, motivation and attitudes affect individual performance. You will learn how to empower individuals and teams to achieve quality standards which enhance personal team and organisational performance, together with the development of creative and credible leadership. It also examines the key challenges in the application of risk management frameworks and models in project management, crisis management and corporate governance. Risk management strategies and the development of effective project mitigation and contingency action plans are critically evaluated.
4. Project Investigation and Systems Methods: This unit explores the investigation of project issues through the use of a structured research methodology and project management analysis tools to enhance the research process. Wider strategic issues are explored to place the research process into context and to illustrate how appropriate research methods can be identified for specific types of research problems. You will also look at tools for the modelling and analysis of complex problem situations (including systems thinking, soft systems methods and influence diagrams) and how these can be used to diagnose problem situations to identify relevant areas for further investigation. Project management methodologies including PRINCE2, Partnering and Programme Management as a wider context for project management research issues are examined. You will produce a research proposal that brings together the use of research methodology and project systems in identifying, justifying and investigating a research question that will feed into the research conducted in your final dissertation.
5. Dissertation: This unit enables you to deepen your understanding of an aspect of project management of your own choice. Many students choose to investigate topics which they intend to focus on in the next stage of their career. The unit is structured as a research project so you can demonstrate your ability to identify, design, plan and undertake research on a specific project management issue and effectively communicate your findings in an appropriate manner for a Master\x92s degree. The ability to critically review and assess previous literature and research, and to demonstrate sustained intellectual effort in analysing a topic, are key elements of the dissertation.