LBUSI7239 Foundations of Project Management Course Descriptor

Course Overview

This course is a critical review of a wide range of essential principles, methodologies, and skills required for successful project management, covering key phases of the project lifecycle, such as project initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure. It introduces the important role that projects play in modern organisations to achieve competitive advantages: how organisations implement their corporate strategies through projects, how they manage the portfolio of projects and programmes, how organisations structure themselves to enable projects, and the role of a project management office. It also offers a comprehensive review of the traditional waterfall approach and agile approach to project management. The curriculum imparts insights into stakeholder management, risk assessment, and resource allocation, ensuring students gain detailed knowledge of a range of tools required for completing the programme. By integrating real-world case studies and practical exercises, students gain the opportunity to directly apply theoretical knowledge to authentic project scenarios.

Learning Outcomes

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

Knowledge and Understanding

Subject Specific Skills

Transferable, Employability or Professional Skills

Teaching and Learning

This course has a dedicated Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) page with a syllabus and a range of additional resources (e.g. readings, question prompts, tasks, assignment briefs, and discussion boards) to orientate and engage students in their studies.

Teaching and learning strategies for this course will include:

• Lectures: Instructor-led classes.

• Seminars/workshops): Interactive sessions on project management principles, focused on applying theoretical concepts.

• Experiential Learning, which may include simulations and role-playing for hands-on experience, or guest speakers for insight from professionals.

• Online Resources: Flexible learning with additional study materials.

Faculty hold regular ‘office hours’, which are opportunities for students to drop in or sign up to explore ideas, raise questions, or seek targeted guidance or feedback, individually or in small groups.

Students are to attend and participate in all the scheduled teaching and learning activities for this course and to manage their directed learning and independent study. Indicative total learning hours for this course: 150, including 40 scheduled hours

Assessment

Both formative and summative assessments are used as part of this course, with purely formative opportunities typically embedded within interactive teaching sessions, office hours, and/or the VLE.

Formative

Formative work on this wide-ranging course will reflect what the students are expected to produce as part of their summative portfolio. Formative work in a course could be, for example, a set of exercises to use particular tools or methods applied to a scenario, to give students opportunities to practice their skills prior to completing similar work for the summative.

Summative

For example, the Portfolio may consist of a Project Management Plan (PMP), which serves as a comprehensive document that encompasses and integrates all individual plans related to a project.

Further information can be found in the Course Syllabus.

Feedback

Students will receive formative and summative feedback in a variety of ways, written (e.g. marked up on assignments, through email or the VLE) or oral (e.g. as part of interactive teaching sessions or during office hours).

Indicative Reading

Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to students; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.

Books

Project Management Institute. (2021). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute.

Murray-Webster, R., & Dalcher, D. (2019). APM Body of Knowledge (7th edition). Association for Project Management, Princes Risborough.

Wysocki, R. (2019). Effective project management : traditional, agile, extreme, hybrid (Eight edition.). Wiley.

AXELOS (2017). Managing successful projects with PRINCE2 (7th Edition). The Stationery Office.

AXELOS (2015). PRINCE2 Agile. The Stationery Office.

AXELOS (2021). Managing Successful Programmes (5th Edition). The Stationery Office.

Journals

Students are encouraged to read material from relevant journals on leadership and organisational change as directed by their course leader.

Project Management Journal (PMJ): Published by the Project Management Institute (PMI), PMJ covers a wide range of project management topics and research.     [1] 

International Journal of Project Management (IJPM): A leading journal that publishes research on all aspects of project management, including case studies and theoretical papers.

Journal of Modern Project Management (JMPM): Focuses on modern project management practices, including agile methodologies and innovative project management approaches.

Project Management Research & Practice (PMRP): An open-access journal that publishes research and practical insights in the field of project management.

Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences: This is an open-access journal that often includes proceedings from various project management conferences, providing a platform for sharing research presented at these events.

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business (IJMPiB): Covers research on managing projects within the business context, exploring various industries and sectors.

Electronic Resources

Students are encouraged to consult relevant websites on leadership and organisational change.

Indicative Topics

Introduction to Project Management: Understanding the basic principles, definitions, projects and organisational strategies, organisational structures, and historical evolution of project management as a discipline.

Project Selection and Portfolio Management: Project screening and selection, projects, programme and portfolio.

Project Management Lifecycles: Exploration of essential project management phases, including initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure.

Project Management Approach: Traditional waterfall (linear), Agile (iterative), and hybrid

Stakeholder Management: Insight into identifying, analysing, and effectively engaging with project stakeholders, emphasising communication and relationship management.

Project Scope and Time Management: Covering the crucial aspects of defining project scope, creating work breakdown structures (WBS), and understanding the importance of project timelines. Risk Management and Quality Assurance: Introduction to risk assessment methodologies, risk mitigation strategies, and the fundamentals of maintaining project quality throughout its lifecycle.

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