Academic Handbook Course Descriptors and Programme Specifications
NCHNAP6132 Project Management Workplace Project Course Descriptor
| Course Title | Project Management Workplace Project | Faculty | EDGE Innovation Unit (London) |
| Course code | NCHNAP6132 | Course Leader | Professor Scott Wildman (interim) |
| Credit points | 40 | Teaching Period | This course will typically be delivered over an 18-week period. |
| FHEQ level | 6 | Date approved | June 2021 |
| Compulsory/ Optional |
Compulsory | ||
| Prerequisites | None | ||
| Corequisites | |||
Course Summary
The end point assessment is the culmination of the degree apprenticeship. It consist of two elements: an 18-week work based project and a professional discussion. The work based project is conceived and executed by the learner in the workplace. The project will be a business-related project based on the learner’s job role in project management. Suitable project management scenarios could include:
- The implementation of a business change.
- The implementation of an off-site construction project.
- The analysis and implementation of a stock control system.
The project will culminate with a written report. The second part of the end point assessment is a professional Review based on the apprenticeship evidence portfolio (viva voce exam (interview) preceded by an oral presentation), which examines the knowledge, skills and behaviours of a project manager as per the Project Manager (Integrated Degree) Assessment Plan.
Course Aims
- Give learners the opportunity to manage an independent project in a business context.
- Give learners the opportunity to reflect upon the underlying principles of project management and put their knowledge, skills and behaviours into practice.
- Train learners to present their own arguments logically and competently, to engage specialist and non-specialist stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, learners will be able to:
Knowledge and Understanding
| K1c | (Governance and financial control of projects) evaluate and establish appropriate project governance through the incorporation of policies, regulations, processes, roles and structures in different project types and organisational structures, accepting that different sizes of organisation require different levels of control. How to manage project budgets and costs within appropriate financial frameworks and how to report project performance, tailoring reporting requirements to comply with governance norms in the business. How to construct robust project business cases that demonstrate the benefits and value expected from project deliverables. |
| K1c | (Estimating, Planning and Scheduling) understand how to develop and manage projects within different planning frameworks to balance the fundamental components of the project. How to prepare and maintain resourced project schedules and use these for project monitoring, control and delivery. How to analyse schedule integrity, dependencies and their implications. |
| K2c | (Quality Management) understand how to apply quality management frameworks and monitor their impact in a project environment. How to deliver quality within a project environment including assurance, control and continuous improvement of deliverables, processes and procedures. |
| K2c | (Procurement and Contract Management) understand how to procure goods and services in a cost effective, process driven manner. How to manage projects within commercial and contractual policies, practices and relationships. The importance of supply chain management in a project environment. How to manage the procurement cycle and identify opportunities for maximising benefits through the effective establishment and management of contracts. |
| K2c | (Risk Management) understand how to apply methodologies for risk evaluation and management. How to mitigate the impact of risks on project performance in terms of schedule, cost and quality. |
| K2c | (Project Change Control) understand how to apply the concepts of project change control. How to define and use appropriate processes and tools to manage scope, requirements, benefits and success factors of a project. How to analyse the impacts and interdependencies of changes on the project and its deliverables. |
| K3c | (The Business Environment) understand how projects contribute to businesses operating in local, regional, national and global economies. Knowledge of the main UK business sectors and the parameters within which they operate. |
| K3c | (Organisational Change Management) understand how to work with the project sponsor and within a programme to prepare organisations, teams and individuals for organisational change including an analysis of the current state, preparation of an envisaged future state and plans for progressing from one to the other. |
| K3c | (Project Justification) understand how to interpret organisational and programme aims and objectives to develop robust business plans and the requirement to revisit such plans at key stages of a project to ensure ongoing viability of the business case. The identification of realistic benefits, both tangible and intangible, and an appreciation of how these might be delivered. |
| K4c | (Stakeholder and communications management) understand how to communicate effectively with internal and external stakeholders to build and maintain their support for successful project outcomes. How to manage the dynamics of stakeholder relationships and needs during the project and develop appropriate and pro-active project communication plans to ensure that all of the multi-skilled, cross-disciplinary stakeholders are aligned. |
| K4c | (Organisational Strategy) understand how organisational strategy is the totality of actions a company needs to take to achieve long-term goals and how the processes used by organisations are applied to develop strategic plans. How programmes and projects enable organisations to achieve their short, medium and long-term strategies and how these can vary depending on the size of the organisation. |
Subject Specific Skills
| S1c | (Governance Frameworks) lead and take responsibility for the project management plan as required by the governance structure. Apply techniques and project management methodologies as appropriate, dependent upon project complexity and criticality to the organisational environment in which a project is being delivered. Maintain, review and communicate a project business case for approval through the stages of a typical project lifecycle ensuring continued value for money and continued alignment with organisational objectives. |
| S1c | (Control of projects in terms of time, cost and quality) manage the project within the constraints of time, cost and quality. Control expenditure and produce status reports as required, including control of costs against budgets, forecasting, and establishing performance indicators as required by funding sources. Measure progress and actual costs against plans to determine a full understanding of project performance. Identify, achieve and maintain quality standards appropriate to the context and specific requirements of project activities. |
| S1c | (Commercial and Contract management) maintain and evaluate different commercial contract and procurement types to select appropriate options for specific programmes and projects. Support effective contract management and the achievement of programme and project outcomes. |
| S1c | (Schedule Management) evaluate requirements and methods for data capture and analysis in a project environment. Evaluate project schedule integrity including identification and resolution of scheduling problems. Apply resource acquisition and management techniques to balance programme and project needs against resource demand. Negotiate the allocation and scheduling of internal and external resources to meet programme and project demands. |
| S2c | (Risk Management) ensure that project risks, opportunities and issues are addressed using quantitative and qualitative methods to categorise risks and their impacts. Identify, evaluate and implement appropriate mitigation strategies, ensuring that mitigation actions are incorporated into the project plan and are implemented should they develop into issues. Manage risk through the regular review of a risk management plan, adopting appropriate strategies to manage both threats and opportunities. |
| S2c | (Project Change Control) dependent upon the size and complexity of a project, define and apply a recognised process to manage change in projects. Make effective decisions in the interests of a range of stakeholders with regards to change requests. Handle change within different project management methodologies. |
| S3c | (The Business Environment) identify and analyse the context, opportunities and challenges presented by projects in a range of organisational settings, appreciating the differences within both large and small organisations and in different industry sectors and the consequent need for tailoring. Identify the operating constraints that apply to projects including ethical, legal and regulatory considerations. |
| S4c | (Stakeholder and communications management) lead and take responsibility for the identification and analysis of internal and external stakeholders and their impact on the project. Manage an effective project communication plan across stakeholders with different cultural and physical barriers. Analyse information and communicate with stakeholders incorporating elements of feedback to understand and measure the effectiveness of planned communications. Effectively listen and influence others through negotiation and persuasion. |
Transferable and Professional Skills
| T1c | (Personal and Professional Responsibility) drive to achieve in all aspects of work. Demonstrate resilience and determination when managing difficult situations and able to influence the behaviour of others to meet required project outcomes. Seek and adopt new opportunities underpinned by commercial acumen and sound judgement. |
| T2c | (Innovation and Resourcefulness) Understand the bigger picture and work enthusiastically and creatively to analyse problems and develop innovative and workable solutions to problems. Have a solution focus, not a problem focus and to be positive and adaptable, responding well to feedback and the need for change. |
| T3ci | (Leadership) drive for results with the ability to inspire and support project team members and manage stakeholder relationships. Promote the vision, organisational/project purpose and values. Understand and create the environment for an inclusive and diverse organisational culture. |
| T3cii | (Integrity, ethics, and professionalism) manage with integrity and take an ethical approach to develop trust with stakeholders. Communicate and issue project-related reports and statements in an objective and truthful manner. Maintain professional conduct so as to enhance the honour, reputation, and usefulness of project management as a professional discipline. |
| T3ciii | Utilise an advanced level of technical proficiency of written English, while effectively applying scholarly terminology, to critically evaluate, analyse and make judgements and apply these appropriately to a range of diverse contexts. |
| T4ci | (Collaboration and teamwork) work collaboratively to build rapport and trust, develop networks and maintain relationships. Build and inspire teams, empower and motivate others to improve performance and achieve outcomes. Delegate tasks, set goals and accountabilities, provide clear guidance and monitor progress. |
| T4cii | (Inclusive) be open, approachable and authentic and able to build and maintain trust with others. Actively seek the views of others and value diversity internally and externally. |
Teaching and Learning
The contact hours on this course are formed predominantly of supervisory meetings, typically 9 x 1 hour.
Learners are expected to carry out independent research into the topic.
Readings should include a mix of books, journal articles, policy papers and other relevant documents, depending on the topic and the approach taken in the dissertation.
Course information and supplementary materials are available on the University’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE).
Learners are required to attend and participate in all the formal and timetabled sessions for this course. Learners are also expected to manage their directed learning and independent study in support of the course.
The course learning and teaching hours will be structured as follows:
- Off-the-job learning (18 days x 7 hours) = 126 hours (e.g. 1 day per week for 18 weeks)
- On-the-job learning (18 days x 14 hours) = 252 hours (e.g. 2 days per week for 18 weeks)
- Private study (1.2 hours per week for 18 weeks) = 22 hours
Total = 400 hours
Assessment
Employability Skills
Formative
Learners will be formatively assessed during the course by means of set assignments. These will not count towards the final degree but will provide learners with developmental feedback.
Summative
| AE | Assessment Type | Weighting | Online submission | Duration | Length | LOs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dissertation
(work-based project report) |
50%
(20 credits) |
Yes | Maximum of 5 months to complete and submit the project | 4,000 words +/- 10% | K3c (Organisational change management)
K4c (organisational Strategy) S1c (Governance Frameworks) S1c (Control of projects in terms of time, cost and quality) S1c (Commercial and Contract management) S1c (Schedule Management) S2c (Risk Management) S2c (Project Change Control) T1c (Personal and Professional Responsibility) T3c (Integrity, ethics, and professionalism) |
| 2 | Viva Voce exam (Professional Review based on the apprenticeship evidence portfolio) | 50%
(20 credits) |
Yes | Oral presentation: 15 mins +/- 2 mins followed by 15 mins questions +/- 1 min
Viva Voce (interview): 45 mins +/- 5 mins |
10 slides +/- 1 slide | K1c (Governance and financial control of projects)
K1c (Estimating, Planning and Scheduling) K2c (Quality Management) K2c (Procurement and Contract Management) K2c (Risk Management) K2c (Project Change Control) K3c (The Business Environment) K3c (Project Justification) K4c (Stakeholder and communications management) S3c (The Business Environment) S4c (Stakeholder and communications management) T2c (Innovation and Resourcefulness) T3c (Leadership) T4c (Collaboration and teamwork) T4c (inclusive) |
Feedback
Learners will receive formal feedback in a variety of ways: written (via email or VLE correspondence) and indirectly through online discussion groups. Learners will also attend a formal meeting with their Academic Mentor (and for apprentices, including their Line Manager). These bi or tri-partite reviews will monitor and evaluate the learner’s progress.
Feedback is provided on summative assessment and is made available to the student either via email, the VLE or another appropriate method.
Indicative Reading
Note: Comprehensive and current reading lists for courses are produced annually in the Course Syllabus or other documentation provided to learners; the indicative reading list provided below is used as part of the approval/modification process only.
Books
Preece, R., 1994. Starting Research : An Introduction to Academic Research and Dissertation Writing. London, New York : Pinter Publishers
Stephan F. M., and Smith, I., 2019. A Practical Guide to Dissertation and Thesis Writing. Newcastle upon Tyne, England : Cambridge Scholars Publishing
Wilson, R. (2015). Mastering Project Management Strategy and Processes: Proven Methods to Meet Organizational Goals. O’Reilly
Journals
Learners are encouraged to read material from relevant journals on project management as directed by their course leader.
Electronic Resources
Learners are encouraged to consult relevant websites on project management.
Indicative Topics
Learners will study the following topics:
- Project Management in practice
- Professional context
- Work based project
| Title: NCHNAP6132 Project Management Workplace Project Course Descriptor
Approved by: Academic Board Location: Academic Handbook/Programme specifications and Handbooks/ Undergraduate Apprenticeship Programmes/BSc (Hons) Project Management with Digital Technologies Programme Specification/Course Descriptors |
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| Version number | Date approved | Date published | Owner | Proposed next review date | Modification (As per AQF4) & category number |
| 3.0 | October 2022 | January 2023 | Scott Wildman | September 2026 | Category 1: Corrections/clarifications to documents which do not change approved content or learning outcomes
Category 3: Changes to Learning Outcomes |
| 2.1 | May 2022 | May 2022 | Scott Wildman | September 2026 | Category 1: Corrections/clarifications to documents which do not change approved content. |
| 2.0 | January 2022 | April 2022 | Scott Wildman | September 2026 | Category 3: Changes to Learning Outcomes |
| 1.0 | June 2021 | September 2021 | Scott Wildman | September 2026 | |