Management Science and Innovation

MSIN3001 - Project Management

Course Leader: Jane Britton

Aims

  • To define the concept of the project in relation to industrial and commercial organisations
  • To introduce the needs, tools and the success/failure indicators for managing projects
  • To exemplify project management by illustrative case studies and practical exercises
  • To assist students in developing the skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviours of a project manager

Objectives

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

  • Define a project, its characteristics and the role of the project manager
  • Identify the causes of project failure and suggest ways in which these can be overcome
  • Demonstrate a divergent approach to problem-solving, through the analysis and presentation of views on project problems / situations
  • Explain the application of the theoretical frameworks within a project environment
  • Produce a project plan
  • Identify their own motivations, strengths and weaknesses as members of a project team

Accreditation

The Association for Project Management (APM) has accredited the UCL Department of Management Science and Innovation as a provider of the APM’s APMP qualification courses.  There may be opportunities for students to convert their knowledge from the module to undertake the APM’s own APMP professional qualification exam.

Student Prize

The APM London branch awards an annual prize (£250) to the student who achieves the best overall grade on the MSIN3001 (under-graduate) / MSING001 (post-graduate) course.

Why Project Management?

Project management is used in both public and private sector organisations to bring about change and manage innovation. Examples of projects include contractual work (e.g. construction, consultancy), the installation of new IT systems, introducing new internal procedures and processes, organising an office move, launching a new product or an advertising campaign, bidding for a major customer contract.

You will invariably be involved in projects in your future careers, and you will need to know how to use the tools and techniques of project administration and also understand the environment in which your project is being undertaken - the organisation(s) involved, your customers, politics, power, people and how to get the best from them. Our course aims to introduce you to the range of issues that affect projects, the tools and techniques needed to manage them, and to help you develop the skills, knowledge, attributes and behaviours that the project manager needs.

Some comments from previous Project Management students after they had graduated:

“I just wanted to say thanks for your lectures on the Project Management course…the concepts you covered on the course have helped me immensely and have ensured I know what’s going on when looking at Gantt charts, process decision designs and work breakdown structures! Pretty much everything you both taught has cropped up at work…the Project Management course has probably been the most applicable subject I studied at university.” (Matthew, under-graduate)

“I recently started a new job as a Senior Healthcare Application Analyst (very technical position)…and the first thing they handed me was the company’s project management guide! As I reviewed the manual, I smiled from ear to ear because everything you taught me is in the manual. I’m way ahead of my manager’s expectations.” (Keri, post-graduate)