BSC302C

Unit Description and General Aims

The objective in presenting this unit is to provide students with an in-depth knowledge of project management functions such as planning, organizing, scheduling, and controlling. Project managers face constant pressure to cut costs, implement projects quickly, and deliver high quality; students will be guided on how to manage these competing priorities and learn that projects cannot be managed effectively without thoughtful planning, execution, and monitoring.

The subject matter covered in this unit will include: defining and developing the foundations of a project management plan; project requirements documents; work breakdown structures; schedules; budgets; estimating and controlling costs; managing risks; and, managing other resources. Students will also be instructed on the philosophy and principles of quality management, human resource management, communications management, and both qualitative and quantitative approaches to risk management.

There is a project component in this unit whereby students will undertake case studies of projects in the context of their country and sub-discipline. At the conclusion of this unit, students will comprehend that project management is critical to the success of every organization and apply this knowledge in their future endeavours.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this Unit, students are expected to be able to:

1. Evaluate the fundamentals of projects and project management.
   Bloom's Level 5

2. Detail concepts related to planning, scheduling, and allocation of resources.
   Bloom's Level 3

3. Apply planning process tools.
   Bloom's Level 3

4. Estimate and control project costs.
   Bloom's Level 6

5. Assess various tools and techniques for determining budgets.
   Bloom's Level 5

6. Demonstrate effective and professional teamwork, reporting and communication practices.
   Bloom's Level 2

7. Perform qualitative and quantitative risk analysis.
   Bloom's Level 3

Student assessment

Prescribed and Recommended Readings

Course Textbook(s)

J. M. Nicholas, H. Steyn, Project Management for Engineering, Business and Technology, 6^th Edition. Routledge, 2021. ISBN: 978-0367277345

Reference Materials

Lester, A 2013, Project Management, Planning and Control: Managing Engineering, Construction and Manufacturing Projects to PMI, APM and BSI Standards, 6th edn, Butterworth-Heinemann, ISBN-13: 978-0080983240

Baranoff, E, Brockett, P & Kahane, Y 2009, Risk Management for Enterprises and Individuals, Open Textbook Library, ISBN 13: 978-0-9823618-0-1

Darnall, R, Preston, J 2010, Project Management from Simple to Complex, Open Textbook Library, ISBN 13: 978-0-9823618-8-7

IDC Technologies 2001, Project Management for Engineers and Technicians, IDC, Perth.

Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI) 2013. Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide). 5t edn. Project Management Institute, Inc. (PMI). ISBN: 978-1-62870-038-1. Online version available at:
http://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpGPMBKPM1/guide-project-management/guide-project-management

Lester, A 2007. Project Management - Planning and Control. 5th edn. Elsevier. ISBN: 978-0-0804-6588-3. Online version available at:
http://app.knovel.com/hotlink/toc/id:kpPMPCE008/project-management-planning/project-management-planning

• Peer reviewed Journals
• Knovel library: http://app.knovel.com
• IDC Technologies publications
• Other material and online collections as advised during the lectures

Unit Content

Topic 1

Introduction to Project Management

Project management concepts; project management objectives; project failure (reasons); project vs operations; PMBOK

Topic 2

Systems Engineering

Project System characteristics; hierarchical top-down decomposition, sequencing, concurrency, introduction to project management software

Topic 3

Systems Development Life Cycle

Systems Development Life Cycle (conception, definition, execution and operation); Request for Proposal (RFP); Proposal

Topic 4

Law of Contracts

Law of contracts and project delivery contracts (payment under contract, superintendent, variations, subcontractors, termination, arbitration etc.)

Topic 5

Project Budget

Budget types (risk allocation) – Firm Fixed Price; Cost Plus Fixed Fee; Cost Plus Incentive Fee, Fixed Price Incentive Fee; Schedule based; Performance-based; Multiple Incentive etc.

Topic 6

Specification

Specification – problems; master plan definition; change control

Topic 7

Work Breakdown Structure

Budget estimation methods; Work Breakdown Structure; Responsibilities; Gantt Charts; Project Management software.

Topic 8

Scheduling

Network diagrams, critical path characteristics

Topic 9

Program Evaluation & Review Technique (PERT)

Activity variability; Z values and probability; evaluation of PERT

Topic 10

Risk

Risk definition; risk management; case studies

Topic 11

Quality

Quality Function Deployment (QFD); evaluation; case study; multiphase QFD.

Topic 12

Unit Review

In the final week, students will have an opportunity to review the contents covered so far. Opportunity will be provided for a review of student work and to clarify any outstanding issues. Instructors/facilitators may choose to cover a specialized topic if applicable to that cohort.

Software/Hardware Used

Software

• Software: N/A

• Version: N/A

• Instructions:  N/A

• Additional resources or files: N/A

Hardware

• N/A