Project Management

Module Description

In recent years there has been a rapid growth in the use of project management methods and tools as a means by which organisations achieve their objectives. Projects drive business activities in a wide variety of sectors, from private sector manufacturing and service companies, to government and public sector organisations and not for profit charities and humanitarian groups. Irrespective of the product or service sector, good project management techniques will provide a result that is delivered on time and within budget. In this regard, concepts such as planning, scheduling, budgeting, quality, leadership and risk management are some of the key issues that need to be understood and practiced by managers to realize successful project delivery.

With these criteria in mind, the objectives, learning outcomes and pedagogy of this module are designed to provide students with the fundamental concepts and skills required for managing projects in dynamic environments which can ultimately lead to individuals becoming certified as project management professionals (PMP). Module topics include:

• Project Definition & Life Cycle
• The Project Organisation, Leadership & Managing Project Teams
• Feasibility & Evaluation
• Project Costs & Budgeting
• Planning & Network Scheduling
• Risk Management & Project Failure
• Project Completion and Sign Off.

What will I learn

On completing this module students will be expected to be able to:

• Explain the fundamentals of projects and the project management process
• Demonstrate the use of project planning tools such as Gannt Charts, Critical Path Method and Microsoft Project
• Develop and analyse project budgets, project cost and quality control standards
• Critically review a project plan with particular emphasis on identifying project risk
• Apply the learning from the topics in the module to analyse and review a large scale public project that is either currently underway or recently completed.
• Enhance presentation and teamwork skills through class discussion, group cases and assignments

Please note these modules are subject to change