• University of Exeter Business School
• Module

Project Management

Module description

Managing projects is an everyday part of working and academic life. Learning the basic skills of how to organise your time, resources and effort (if you are running your own project) and those of a team, if you are managing a multi-faceted project, is essential for your future career.

This module is a practical course, which will equip you with the skills and knowledge you will need to run projects successfully. The module will be taught in a blended format, mixing online content, with practical tutorials and group work.  

You will develop project management skills while working on a live group project. You will be assessed formatively during practical skills session that will culminate in the submission of a Project Management Plan document. Summative assessment for this module will take two forms – the formal submission of a group Project Management Plan and an individual, reflective and literature-based analytical assignment.

Module aims - intentions of the module

This module will equip learners with the skills and knowledge required to run successful projects in both academic and employment contexts.  This will be achieved be exploring the role and importance of successful project managers and project management processes and systems in ensuring projects are delivered effectively.  Learners will also engage in practical, employability-orientated skill sessions focused on: planning, resource allocation, budgetary profiling, risk management and management & control procedures.  Stakeholder management will also be included. Once completed, learners will be able to recognise their own skills and the roles they can perform in bringing a project successfully to fruition.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. appropriately appraise or design a brief for a project;
• 2. develop a project initiation plan (PID);
• 3. execute a set of project management tools such as work breakdown planning, Gannt Charts, Time Planning, Critical Path Analysis, Resource Allocation and Risk Assessments;
• 4. demonstrate your understanding of the key documents and processes employed in managing professional projects such as: Project Briefs, Management Strategies, Risk Registers and Risk Management Strategies, Daily Logs and Issues Registers.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. adopt a project management informed approach to managing a programme of related activities;
• 6. 6. critique different project management methodologies such as PRiNCE2, LEAN, ISO9000, Green Project Management (GPM) ISO14000 and ISO14001 and ascertain which methodology best suits what types of project or part of a project;
• 7. analyse a project and its potential constraints in relation to available resources;
• 8. develop and understanding of the need to embed a critical approach to project management;
• 9. conduct an impact assessment of a project for the purposes of managing change.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 10. ascertain the best fit between your own skills set and the needs of the project team, enabling you to maximise your impact for the benefit of the project and you;
• 11. embed sustainable principles into your project management skills portfolio;
• 12. demonstrate professional understanding and skills in the context of project management, by being conversant with project management terms, systems and documentation

Syllabus plan

• Introduction to Project Management – structures and frameworks
• Defining the Project – objectives and business case                   
• Scope and Work Breakdown
• Time Planning using Pert & Gantt Charts
• Cost and Quality Control Plans
• Analysis and Risk Management
• Delivering the Project
• Closing the Project – Review and hand-over                 
• How to design a project plan
• Your role in the team – the skills you bring

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

A student if deferred in a single component will be reassessed in that component only.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management Harlow, Essex, Pearson Educations Ltd

Burke, R. and Barron, S. (2014) Project Management Leadership: Building Creative Teams , J Wiley and Sons

Newton, R. (2006) Project Management Step by Step, How to Plan and Manage a Highly Successful Project, Pearson Education Ltd

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Association of Project Management http://www.apm.org.uk/

ISO 9000 http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_9000

PRiNCE2 http://www.prince-officialsite.com/

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

Directed reading, tutorial questions and further practice questions or as recommended during classes.