MSc Construction Project Management

The unit involves study in depth to acquire coherent and detailed knowledge, most of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of Project Management. The unit helps prepare students to tackle and solve a substantial range of Project Management problems, some of them complex and/or novel. The centrepiece of the unit is the team coursework in which students will produce a video documentary based on a real-world project to which apply areas of the APM Body of Knowledge (BoK), identifying similarities and differences between the BoK and the real practice of project managers. The unit will introduce students to the APM BoK though this and another coursework leading to the possibility of obtaining the APM Foundation Certificate (APMFC). The APM also sponsors a prize for the top-performing students on 60061 awarded during an event in semester 2. There are also prizes for the best project documentaries, awarded at another event in semester 2. The unit involves  study in depth to acquire coherent and detailed knowledge, most of which is at, or informed by, the forefront of defined aspects of the relevant (engineering) topic / discipline and study of non-technical topics which complement the engineering content.

This unit aims to introduce the concepts and principles of project management practice, acting as the fundamental unit of Engineering Management Programmes. It is designed to provide students with an understanding of a range of management issues, encompassing both hard and soft skills necessary for becoming a future project professional. Specifically, students will delve into managing large and complex projects, applying management techniques, and nurturing effective human relationships. Additionally, the unit emphasizes the transferability of key issues across various industrial contexts, collectively referred to as the 'management of projects'.

On the successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

ILO 1 - Identify the application of project management in different industrial contexts.

ILO 2 -  Apply  project reporting skills by effectively comminute projects with stakeholders.

ILO 3 - Apply current project management concepts  to identify, estimate and manage time, cost and risks.

ILO 4 - Discuss the procurement for projects by identifying key issues of procurement and contract selections.

ILO 5 - Discuss the role of quality management  in the context of  project.

Foundations of Project Management
- Defining projects and management of projects, ‘Projectisation’, the ‘Iron Triangle’ and its limitations
Project Management in Context
- Projects and the relationship with programmes, portfolios
Project Strategy, Stakeholder Management and Selection
Basic Planning/Scheduling Techniques
- Scheduling, networks, critical path analysis, resource allocation/management, crashing
Cost estimation and Control
- Bottom up vs. Top down costing
PM BoKs and Professionalisation
- The Associations, BoKs and Standards in Project Management, Theories of Professionalism, The status of the occupation
The ‘Human Side’ of Project Management
- Motivation and Leadership of Project Teams
Project Procurement and Commercial Management
- Procurement in a project context
Lifecycle Management and Change Control
 

Group Assessment: 35%
(Video)

Individual Report: 30%

Group Assessment: 17.5%
(Set Exercise - mid-term crisis simulation)

Group Assessment: 17.5%
(Coursework - group project management portfolio)

In class test - Instantly

Report - after marking

Video - after marking in a report for each team

Kerzner, Harold. Project Management : A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Thirteenth edition. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley, 2022.

Larson, Erik W, and Clifford F Gray. Project Management : The Managerial Process. Seventh edition. New York: McGraw-Hill Education, 2018.

APM Body of Knowledge. Seventh edition. Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire: Association for Project Management, 2019.