BM9615 - Project Management

You will learn through a combination of formal sessions (lectures, IT workshops, and webinars), tutor-directed study, and independent reading. The lectures, IT workshops, and webinars will be highly interactive and will draw upon the directed learning undertaken, your own project management-related experiences and discipline expertise of the academic team. The lectures will cover essential project management concepts, theories, and techniques that will enable you to develop and manage a project in contemporary business settings. The IT workshop and webinar sessions will facilitate hand-on practices with the project management methods and techniques covered. These interactive sessions will centre on high levels of participation, both individually and within your team. The webinars will allow further contact with members of the teaching team to discuss various topics within the module as well as the formative and summative assessment. There will be additional reading and online resources listed on the module’s e-learning portal (eLP) that will permit you to undertake further critical and independent inquiries. Independent learning time is set aside for learning activities, self-identified by you, to gain a deeper and broader knowledge of the subject. You will identify and pursue areas of interest within the project management discipline, to inform the writing of your individual report. Critical reflection on knowledge, experience, and practice underpins the learning and teaching philosophy on this module will develop into an individual report as part of the module’s summative assessment.

You will be supported by the module tutor who is an academic lead for the module. The academic team will deliver lectures, IT workshops, and webinars. The lectures will introduce you to core concepts, theories, and principles related to project management. The IT workshops will be in small teams so that there are opportunities for exploring the subject matter in detail with both the academic staff and your fellow students, further supported through questions and answers sessions with members of the module teaching team via the weekly webinar. You will also make use of contemporary project management software (such as Microsoft Project) for planning, development, and managing your project. A comprehensive eLP site will store the materials needed for the lectures and IT workshops, alongside a week-by-week learning and teaching plan to guide you through the module. There is an electronic reading list indicating the core texts with cover the essential project management concepts, alongside reference to various recommended project management-related journals and business and management databases, which you should access as the module progresses. Formative feedback will be provided throughout the module through IT workshop discussion and reflection, further supported by the weekly webinar. You will give and receive feedback from your tutors and fellow students. This will provide you with formative feedback on your project idea and will help you to develop your summative assessment.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• Demonstrate your understanding of a range of classic and contemporary theories and research on project management. [MLO1]
• Demonstrate your understanding of a range of project management techniques to manage a project in contemporary business settings. [MLO2]

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• Develop effective interpersonal communication skills and the ability to use a range of project management techniques and technologies. [MLO3]
• Develop and IT-based suite of documentation as part of a project management team [MLO4]

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• Reflect on the professional and ethical values as a practitioner in the project management discipline. [MLO5]

You will receive formative feedback from tutors on your project idea, individual report, and project management documents. This will involve face-to-face feedback and will take place during the IT workshops, where you will also be able to share your project idea and documents with fellow students. The weekly webinar will also provide further opportunities for academic and peer discussion and formative feedback.

The summative assessments are (i) a 2,000 project management report (individual-based and weighted 70%) and (ii) a package of project management documents (team-based and weighted 30%). Guidance on the development of your individual report and project management documents will be given during the lectures, IT workshops, and webinars.

The individual summative assessment (70% weighted) will cover module learning outcomes MLO1-MLO3 and MLO5, with the team based component covering MLO4 in addition.

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Globalisation and huge advances in technology have created opportunities for organisations – but they’ve also exposed them to threats and
challenges. Effective project management can be a key tool for ensuring that organisations adapt to a fast-changing environment. It also
supports the delivery of improved products, services and processes, and allows for the successful execution of organisational strategy.
What’s more, effective project managers are crucial to organisations seeking to successfully achieve their performance objectives.

This module seeks to develop you as a project management practitioner. You’ll acquire knowledge and skills to plan and manage various
aspects of a project, such as its stakeholder relationships, scope, cost, schedule and risk, and in doing so will enhance your employability.
Working as a team, you’ll have the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to a specific project and use advanced IT software to
manage a project more effectively. You’ll write up your experience, evaluation and reflection in an individual report for the module
assessment, achieved thorough research tutored and enquiry-based learning.