Study-Unit Description

Study-Unit Description


CODE MGT3214

 
TITLE Project Management

 
UM LEVEL 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course

 
MQF LEVEL 6

 
ECTS CREDITS 4

 
DEPARTMENT Business and Enterprise Management

 
DESCRIPTION The content of this study-unit is presented in a structured manner as follows:

PART 1 - THE CONTEXT OF PROJECTS:

A definition of projects provides a necessary background and introduction to project management. Topics covered in this part include: project components and types; the effect of the culture of organisations on projects; project success, pitfalls and risks; project management models including the PRINCE2 methodology.

PART 2 - MANAGING THE PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

Before proceeding with other considerations for the undertaking of a specific project, the project boundaries must be decided and the necessary resources made available and organised. Topics covered in this part include: project scope and work break-down; project management structure including governance and the organisational set-up; project definition reporting and project launching; milestone planning, responsibility charting and resource estimating.

PART 3 - MANAGING THE SECONDARY OBJECTIVES:

The traditional management aspects of quality, cost and time are important also in project situations. Topics covered in this part include: managing quality and preparing quality plans; managing costs, including the use of tools such as the control cube and s-curves; managing time, including the use of tools such as bar-charts and networks; balancing objectives and confirming the plan.

PART 4 - IMPLEMENTATION AND CONTROL ISSUES:

Following the necessary preparations, a project must ultimately be carried effectively to its completion. Topics covered in this part include: work approval, allocation and implementation; team work and the role of the project manager; measuring progress and regularly updating completion forecasts; planning and taking recovery action; project completion and close-out management issues; project management information system tools; special considerations in the case if very large and international projects.

Study-Unit Aims:

To introduce the students to a structured approach to project management, essentially regarding the functions of planning, organising, implementing and controlling multi-resource and multi-objective complex undertakings.

Learning Outcomes:

1. Knowledge & Understanding
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- engage in the discipline of project management;
- achieve the prescribed objectives of the project;
- devise a course of action to implement the project and exert the necessary controls;
- plan successive milestones to monitor and evaluate ongoing progress;
- design responsibility charts to ensure accountability;
- forecast costings and timings;
- mitigate project pitfalls and formulate contingency planning; - - undertake project reporting, reviewing and auditing.

2. Skills
By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to:

- apply the theoretical underpinnings of project management to real life practices;
- use project management techniques to ensure effective governance;
- ascertain the principles of accountability, efficiency, competency and capacity through rigorous project management.

Main Text/s and any supplementary readings:

- Handbook of Project-Based Management, J. Rodney Turner, McGraw-Hill, 4th edition, ISBN-13: 978-0071821780 or ISBN-10: 0071821783.

Lecturer's notes - being uploaded on the VLE.

 
STUDY-UNIT TYPE Lecture

 
METHOD OF ASSESSMENT
Assessment Component/s Assessment Due Sept. Asst Session Weighting
Assignment SEM2 Yes 100%

 
LECTURER/S Christian Camilleri
Philip J. Schembri

 

 
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It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years.

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