Course content

The subject focuses on the application of project management methods and tools during initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing processes. Examples from real-life project cases are used extensively in this subject to present and discuses the fundamental theory and approaches used to manage projects successfully.

The subject covers the following topics:

• A through introduction to project characteristics
• Key concepts of stakeholders management
• Project success, dimensions and factors
• Project life cycle
• Project organising
• An array of tools and techniques for planning, including identification of project scope, work breakdown structure, resource planning, estimates, budgeting, and scheduling.
• Through introduction to the principles of project risk management
• Through introduction to the principles of project evaluation and earned value method

Learning outcome

After completing the course, you will be able to:

Knowledge:

• Identify and analyze the pitfalls and challenges related to project initiation phase and to identify important conditions for success in projects.
• Explain key knowledge areas in projects and project processes.
• Describe how the project objectives can be broken down to deliverables and work packages using the project breakdown structure (WBS).
• Be familiar with the main methods for time and cost estimation
• Identify and discuss the importance of risk management in projects and to identify important pitfalls and success factors for the implementation of risk management process.
• Describe the main components of the project estimates and central causes of overruns.
• Describe various methods of project control.
• Describe the main categories of project organizations structures (project, classical and matrix) and explain the advantages and disadvantages of the different structures.

Skills:

• Prepare good project goals and success criteria.
• Perform a stakeholder analysis.
• Illustrate how the WBS can be established.
• Describe and set up various tools that can be used in a risk management process.
• Set up logical relationships between work packages in a project, perform network analysis and identify the critical work packages in the network.
• Solve challenges related to resource limitations in projects using; resource leveling, float or by changing relationships.
• Use of indices (cost and time indices) for monitoring project status and for the establishment of future forecasts.

General competencies:

• Recognize the importance of involving stakeholders to identify project goals, risk factors and mitigation methods.
• Analyze project status based on information about time and cost indices, and develop forecasts for the scope of work upon completion
• Evaluate and select appropriate project organization model based on project characteristics as duration, size and complexity.
• Recognize challenges caused by organizational factors in projects (such as structure, culture, authority, and responsibility).

Learning methods and activities

Combination of lectures, in-class- assignments, hand-in exercises and group based assignments.

Compulsory assignments

• Assignments

Recommended previous knowledge

None.

Course materials

Bassam Hussein. Veien til suksess. Fortellinger og refleksjoner fra reelle prosjektcaser. Fagbokforlaget 2016. Pinto, Jeffery. Project Management, Achieving Competitive Advantage Global Edition. 4th edition 2016.

Credit reductions