LFKK10278U Project Management

Volume 2023/2024
Education

MSc Programme in Forest and Nature Management

MSc programme in Geography and Geoinformatics

 

 


 

Content


Projects are increasingly the organisational principle in most science related sectors. Technological innovation, organisational development and change processes, development aid and capacity-building, and most consultancy jobs are organised as projects. The ability to participate in and manage projects efficiently is fundamental for science professionals.

The course is an introductory course to project management. The course will deal with project management concepts and models. Project management phases, topics and activities will be introduced including factors influencing the planning of the different project phases: definition, planning, execution and closure.

Participants will be introduced to the elements of planning, implementation and evaluation of ongoing project management based on detailed planning and scheduling, project follow-up and ongoing leadership.

During the course participants will be introduced to and work with swot analysis, stakeholder analysis, risk analysis, objective definition, work break-down structure, milestone plan and estimation of time and cost.

Leadership in projects will be introduced focusing on techniques for managing task complexity, establishing and leading teamwork, managing meetings, process facilitation and providing individual and team feedback.

Learning Outcome

The objective of the course is to provide participants with the knowledge, skills and competencies necessary to participate in high performance projects. On completion of the course the participant will be able to design project management processes based on critical reflection on their own personal experiences, the dynamics of project management, the concrete task and the organisational and cultural characteristics of the context.

On completion of the course the student will be able to:

Knowledge
• Define and explain project management concepts, models, phases, topics and activities.
• Explain factors influencing the planning during project planning, start-up, execution, evaluation and close-out phases.
• Characterise the dynamics of project management and leadership.

Skills
• Plan and organise specific project management activities considering project complexity level.
• Plan, implement, evaluate and critically reflect on main project processes based on identification of project scope, work break-down structure, milestone plan, resource and time schedule.
• Plan, implement and evaluate application of project planning tools such as complexity, stakeholder and risk analyses, and project scoping.

Competences
• Lead and facilitate a project team performing overall and ongoing project management activities.
• Evaluate overall project planning and provide constructive feedback.
• Analyse and manage central management and leadership issues in relation to project process facilitation, meeting management, teambuilding and team performance.
• Reflect on own project management practise and apply experiences in future practise.

Literature

See Absalon for course litterature

Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Students will work with a project during most of the course. The project will be done in groups and the content of the project might be chosen by the group or by the course responsible. The pedagogical idea is that working with a concrete project is the best way of learning about manageing projects and learning about useful tools and technics. A number of lectures and practical and theoretical excersises will support the learning process. An important part of the learning process will be ongoing evaluation and reflection.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 37
  • Preparation
  • 44
  • Practical exercises
  • 24
  • Project work
  • 92
  • Guidance
  • 5
  • Exam
  • 4
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)

As the groups work with their project in class feedback on decisions made by the groups and implementation of tools is offered during the whole course.

Peer feedback is organized at different stages in the flow of the project work.

Oral feedback will be given when the groups present their final results.

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written examination, 4 hours
Type of assessment details
The exam is a written individual exam. The student will be given a number of questions and cases that needs to be answered and analysed. The questions/cases will cover the curriculum broadly.
Weight: 100% written examination.

The course has been selected for ITX exam
See important information about ITX-exams at Study Information, menu point: Exams -> Exam types and rules -> Written on-site exams (ITX)
Exam registration requirements

Active participation in group based project work during the course is required. The project report must be approved for students to take the exam.

Aid
All aids allowed

As the exam is an ITX-exam, the University will make computers available to students at the exam. Students are therefore not permitted to bring their own computers, tablets, calculators, or mobile phones.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

If 10 or fewer register for the reexamination the examination form will be oral.

If the exam registration requirements have not been fulfilled the course must be retaken.

Criteria for exam assesment

To obtain the grade 12 the student is required to fulfill the described learning outcome