Project Management

Introduction

The course will give an introduction to project management. The students will be given an understanding of what a project is and a basis for planning, organizing and controlling projects.

Please note
This course has some overlapping issues with the elective courses ELE 3709 Project Management (7,5 credits) and ELE 3725 Project Management (7,5 credits). Consequently, a combination of these courses can not be approved in a Bachelor's degree.

Course content

1. Project Concept

• What distinguishes a project? Different types of projects. The project's purpose and goals. The project life cycle/phases.
• Project stakeholders/sponsors. Introduction to key instruments such as planning, organizing, monitoring, management, etc. Varied and illustrative examples of practical project activities in business and management.

2. Project Planning

• What is project planning? What is to be planned? Why and how is it planned? Who plans?
• Planning levels. Project mandate. Planning of strategic and operational perspective. Milestone planning.
• Work Breakdown Structures (WBS).
• Task scheduling using the network. AON network. Critical path and critical activities. Gantt charts.
• Slack/float. Resource planning. The relationship between the strategic planning and detailed scheduling.
• Project budget and finances. The planning aspect in light of the different types of projects.

3. Project organization

• Project versus line organization.
• Organization models/principles.
• Responsibility chart.
• Steering group.
• Project manager.
• Selection of organization structure for different project types. Organization of a project team.

4. Project Uncertainty

• What could be uncertain in projects?
• Dealing with uncertainty/risk/opportunities.
• Repetition of basic knowledge of statistics.
• Uncertainty regarding the duration of the project (PERT).
• Determination of safety margins.
• Decisions under uncertainty.
• Risk reduction by means of contracts, insurance, etc.

5. Project implementation and monitoring

• What can go wrong in projects?
• Control Factors. Plan and reality.
• Variance analysis.
• Planning as a continuous process.
• Identification, reporting, analysis, decision, action. Monitoring the costs, "earned Value", S-curves, etc.

6. Project management and project manager

• Project manager selection. Responsibility, tasks and motivation.
• Management styles, leadership.
• Information and communication.
• Project culture.
• Cooperation and conflict.
• Meetings - implementation of project meetings.

7. Project - Strategic Perspective

• Strategic business planning.
• Selection of projects.
• Project and programme.
• Multi Project Planning.
• The project organization. The history of project management, status and likely future.
• Project "schools".
• The relationship between project elements, the different teaching modules in the context.

At the beginning of the semester there will be a detailed curriculum plan that connects the modules to the literature and the individual chapters.