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Principles of Project Management

  • Module code: HA7511
  • Year: 2018/9
  • Level: 7
  • Credits: 30
  • Pre-requisites: None
  • Co-requisites: None

Summary

This module examines and covers the key methods and approaches of project management such as agile, scrum, waterfall, and critical path analysis. It will set out the stages of project management, how projects are established and governed and the fundamental principles of management and control such as exception based reporting, the staged organisation of progress and task completion and measurement processes. The different approaches to project management will be explored and the principle of tailoring project management to suit different contexts will be examined. This module will include AgilePM training delivered by a specialist trainer and the award of AgilePM Practitioner level certification on successful completion.

Aims

  • To develop a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics and life-cycle of a project
  • To promote a critical understanding of the principle of a tailored approach to project management
  • To equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the importance of balancing project scope against time and cost
  • To develop a comprehensive understanding of the principles and practices, strengths and weaknesses of an Agile Project Management approach

Learning outcomes

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

  • Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the principles of project management
  • Critically analyse the requirement to tailor a project management approach
  • Identify and evaluate common project management challenges
  • Define and apply the principles of Agile methodology to different project situations

Curriculum content

  • Why do we need project management?
  • Definitions of project-based working and management
  • The organisation of work in the creative and cultural industries
  • Planning and the project life-cycle
  • Design phase - project scope, deliverables and responsibilities
  • Principles of management and control, team management and business case
    generation.
  • Work breakdown structures - staged process and critical path dependencies -
    waterfall approach
  • Flexible process approaches - scrum method and process
  • Agile project methodology - principles and practices
  • Need and ways of tailoring project management approach
  • Common reasons for project management failure
  • Presentation skills

Teaching and learning strategy

The teaching and learning strategy involves combining lectures to develop critical understanding of project methodology and principles with workshop and seminar activities to begin to develop judgement on how to apply the knowledge gained.  

Examining implementation and context dependent nature of project management happens in two main ways. First the module content will be accompanied by case studies and situational problems designed to contextualise the students' learning experience. This is especially necessary as the course is aimed at equipping graduates with the understanding needed to be able to tailor the project management approach selected according to the type of project and the organisational context. Secondly the students will take and be examined in Agile project methodology delivered by a trainer accredited by the Agile Project Management Group International - the leading training provider for agile project methodology courses. This will provide students with a useful qualification but will also offer the opportunity to engage with the rigorous task based style of project management methodologies. The module will provide a valuable lesson in the rigours of project management and the requirement to be definitive in their judgements and decision-making.

The module will make use of a Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) Canvas for communication and dissemination of information between students and staff as well as making online learning materials available to all. 

All courses based in the Kingston School of Art offer students free access to the online video tutorial platform Lynda.com. This provides a wide range of subjects to choose from, many with downloadable exercise files, including software tutorials covering photography, graphics, web design, audio and music, CAD and Microsoft Office software, as well as courses on Business and Management skills. Some of these are embedded in the curriculum and offer additional self-paced learning, others may be taken at will by students wishing to broaden their employability skills in other areas.

Breakdown of Teaching and Learning Hours

Definitive UNISTATS Category Indicative Description Hours
Scheduled learning and teaching Lectures, seminars and workshop activities. Agile training sessions. 44 24
Guided independent study Reading, preparing for and producing work for assessment. 232
Total (number of credits x 10) 300

Assessment strategy

The assessment strategy focusses on the objective of developing informed decision makers.

Formative assessment enabling feed-forward to occur will be carried out mid-way through the module using a poster session and whole class feedback. This is an opportunity to reveal your thinking on the coursework task and receive feedback from tutors and your fellow course members that can help improve your submission.

There are two forms of summative assessment for this module.

  • 30-minute presentation (Practical exam) - This will be an individual reflective presentation on their experience of taking the Agile PM training courses, the lessons learnt and areas to improve upon.
  • 3,000-word essay (Coursework) - This will be the answer to a question set on the issue of the need to tailor a project management approach. Students select a sector within the creative and cultural Industries with which they are familiar and critically analyse how project management approach and practices in this sector need to be tailored. Presentation style is one of comment and analysis.

Mapping of Learning Outcomes to Assessment Strategy (Indicative)

Learning Outcome Assessment Strategy
Demonstrate an understanding of the principles of project management. 3,000-word essay
Critically analyse the requirement to tailor a project management approach. 3,000-word essay
Identify common project management challenges. 30-minute presentation (including 10 minutes Q&A)
Define and apply the principles of Agile methodology to project situations 30-minute presentation (including 10 minutes Q&A)

Elements of Assessment

Description of Assessment Definitive UNISTATS Categories Percentage
30-minute presentation (including 10 minutes Q&A) Practical Exam 50%
3,000-word essay Coursework 50%
Total (to equal 100%) 100%

Achieving a pass

It is NOT a requirement that any element of assessment is passed separately in order to achieve an overall pass for the module.

Bibliography core texts

Works cited are for initial reference only. Module leaders will further enhance and focus it depending on project and assessment tasks.

http://agilemanifesto.org/

Nokes, S., and Kelly, S. (2007). The Definitive Guide to Project Management: the fast track to getting the job done on time and on budget. FT. Prentice-Hall. London: FT series

O'Connell, F. (2007). Fast Projects: Project Management When Time is Short. Harlow: Pearson

HBR (2016). Five critical roles in project management. Harvard Business Review, Nov.

Bibliography recommended reading

Day, G.S. (2007) Is it real? Can we win? Is it worth doing? Managing risk and reward in an innovation portfolio. Harvard Business Review, Dec.

DeFillippi, R., and Arthur, M.B. (1998). Paradox in Project-Based Enterprise: The Case of Film Making. California Management Review, 40(2):125-139

Padalkar, M., and Gopinath, S. (2016). Six decades of project management research: Thematic trends and future opportunities. International Journal of Product Management, 34:1305-1321.

Simon, L. (2006) Managing creative projects: An empirical synthesis of activities. International Journal of Project Management, 24(2):116-126.

Sims, C., and Johnson, H.L. (2011). The Elements of Scrum. California: Dymaxicon

Sims, C., and Johnson, H.L. (2012). Scrum: A breathtakingly brief and agile introduction. California: Dymaxicon.

Sutherland, J. (2014). Scrum: The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time. New York: Random House Business.

Theobold, T. (2013). Develop Your Presentation Skills. London: Kogan Page

Townley, B., Beech, N., and McKinlay, A. (2009). Managing in the Creative Industries: Managing the motley crew. Human Relations, 62(7):939-962.

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