MSc Management of Projects / Course details

This unit explores the use of ICT in projects and how project management and project organizing today is intrinsically linked to ICTs. ICTs are examined from both practical and theoretical perspectives, enabling students to appreciate the informational and communicative foundations upon which ICTs are designed and used. An emphasis on both social and technical aspects and rapid developments in the field (e.g. Industry 4.0; Data analytics & Big Data) allows the full breadth and importance of ICTs on projects to be appreciated. 

To develop a critical understanding of the contribution and role of ICT (Information Communication Technology) in project management today.

To appreciate social/technical aspects of IT design, deployment and use in projects and developments in IT use on projects (e.g. data analytics; Industry 4.0) so the role of IT in project management work can be contextualised.

To understand and apply relevant academic theories and concepts relating to ICT development, application and use.

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

ILO 1: Explain the commercial and social aspects of ICTs in project contexts.

ILO 2: Analyse critically the current and emerging ICT applications (Blockchain etc.) in the project management field from different aspects - including how they analyse data, use of AI etc.

ILO 3: Evaluate the need for ethical and secure use of information in project context - ICT security methods used in project management work.

ILO 4: Place ICT use in its wider context of sustainable corporate development in project-base industries.

ILO 5: Contextualize and appraise ICT use, management and control techniques in relation to general data and information management and business practices of project-based organizations.

ILO 6: Identify different professional roles utilizing ICTs in project management work and evaluate the impact of ICTs on that organization, projects and people.

ILO 7: Define and relate specific standards relating to data & information use on projects (such as Data Protection Act, GDPR, BSI etc).

ILO 8: Analyse critically the real project management work scenarios where ICT use is a complex social/technical process (e.g. BIM – Building Information Modelling , STS – Sociotechnical Systems design).

ILO 9: Collect, analyse & synthesize research data (e.g. academic papers) to deliver and present a group-based research coursework.

ILO 10: Evaluate the risks of using ICT in project management context.

ILO 11: Analyse and explain how ICT packages (such as Building Information Modelling) are used in the design stage of projects for representing project requirements.

Week 1: Introduction to Unit : Projects, Information & Management
Foundations of ICT use on projects: data, information, knowledge and management using ICT. Definitions of core concepts; importance of ICT for project efficiencies; context of ICT use on projects (lifecycle; professions; collaborative work). Students initiate critical thinking activities.

Week 2: Communication and Use of ICT on Projects
Students learn about the concept of communication and its applications to projects, how communication is central to ICT, communication forms, processes and skills required for projects, and differences between information & knowledge in projects.

Week 3: Industry 4.0
Students learn about the history of industrial revolution from 1.0 to 4.0, the necessity and drivers of change for industrial revolution over time, the concept of industry 4.0, relevant terminologies and what these mean to businesses in the current setting, scope and specifications of the Industry 4.0 projects, the critical role of project management and the required project management skills, examples of major Industry 4.0 projects in different business/industrial sectors, and future trends.

Week 4: BIM (Building Information Modelling) and Visualisations
Visualisations are an important part of project management work: this lecture/tutorial explores the role of digital technology visualisations from theoretical perspectives (multimodality), going on to examine BIM use on projects: an important digital collaborative approach for project partners to share information through digital models of a project, improving overall project efficiencies and the lifecycle performance of the final asset (e.g. motorway, bridge, airport, hospital, oil-rig, pipeline, etc.)

Week 5: Application of Blockchain Technology in Projects
Students learn about the emerging concept of Blockchain, recent market/industry tends relevant to adoption of this technology, the role of Blockchain in enhancing communications in organisations and projects, general process (steps) of developing a Blockchain platform, barriers for development and successful application of this technology in the project environment and future trends. This session will be supported by a case study.

Week 6: Sociotechnical Systems (STS) for Understanding Projects
The relationship between people, technologies and the project management context are explored from theoretical perspective: specifically sociotechnical systems (STS), Actor-Network Theory (ANT) and sociotechnical systems design (STSD). Through worked examples, interactive discussions and a tutorial activity, students explore how the social/technical characteristics of projects open up new opportunities for digital tech. to introduce new opportunities for societies.

Week 7: Data Analytics and Big Data
Students learn about the concept of big data, data analytics, and what these means in the industrial/business context, data analytics challenges, development of a conceptual model for analysis of data in engineering and/or business context, common data analytics tools, techniques, and platforms used for generation of insights from data.

Week 8: Case Study on Data Analytics & Big Data
This lecture includes presentation of a real-world data analytics project, as a case study. This project was a UK Government-funded project aiming at design and development of a data analytics platform specifically for intelligent analysis of engineering (condition monitoring) data relevant to industrial assets. This lecture includes insights about the application of data analytics tools.

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