Project Management

Peter Flett peter.flett@strath.ac.uk room SWD613

Isi Osagie isimemeh.osagie@strath.ac.uk room SWD 612
Department of Management Science

Strathclyde Business School

Welcome to everyone from

MS418 Project Management*
MS969 Advanced Project Management*
All have a common core
But different contextual focus and learning outcomes
Different assessments
MS969
MSc Supply Chain and Procurement Management
MSc Supply Chain & Operations Management
MSc Supply Chain and Logistics Management
MSc Lean Six Sigma for Process Excellence
PG Diploma Lean Six Sigma for Process
Excellence
MSc IBioLC Industrial Biotech

MS418
BA Hons International BusinessBA Hons
Management Science BA Joint Hons Human
Resource Management and Management Science
MEng Electronic and Electrical Engineering
BA Hons Management Science
MEng Mechanical Engineering
BA Joint Hons Management Science and
Marketing
BA Joint Hons Business Technology and
Marketing
BA Joint Hons Finance and Management Science

Whilst the context of how both cohorts

apply project management might be
ci
different , regardless of topic, project
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management is project management and
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it can be applied anywhere and
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*At the moment separate myplace sites this might change please keep monitoring emails

Todays objectives
Part 1
Introduction lecture including
Overview of module delivery
Schedule
Assessment
Introduction to Project Management
Part 2
Creation of groups please note this is not optional
Attendance
Informal discussion

What is a project?*
Has a beginning and end
Has a specific goal. Once the goal is achieved the project is over
Is finite it has a specific time period and an end point
A project is usually fairly complex and has many details (activities
and events often linked)
Projects are generally one homogeneous unit. Even though large
projects often have many phases, components, or subcomponents (sub-projects), they form one overall unit
In contrast to repetitive, day to day ongoing operations, projects
tend to be one of a kind and non-repetitive

*Adapted from Stephen Benders Managing Projects Well: What they dont teach
you in project management school

Risk is also an intrinsic part of projects project management

is typically about reducing this risk to the minimum although it
will never be eliminated completely

Approach to delivery
Lectures will present core material on project management
theory, case studies and practice.
Encourage discussion of project management in the context of
your different specialism in groups and as a class with the
aim of sharing knowledge and expertise.
A practical approach developing skills as well as knowledge
Where possible have visiting guest lectures from the project
world

Lecture Program
(see module outline for recommended reading)
L1 Introduction to project management (week 1)
L2 The iron triangle (week 3)
L3 Planning projects (week 4)
L4 Time planning (week 5)
Context specific group activities (weeks 6 & 7)
L5 Approaches to project management (week 8)
L6 Risk management (week 9)
L7 Managing people - building & motivating project teams (week 10)
L8 Managing performance (week 11)
L9 Contemporary approaches (week 12)

Note: the topics are not fixed and may change depending on the
availability of guest lectures

Tutorials & Support

Aim is to incorporate tutorials during the two hour slot in the
Monday session but this is solely dependant on participation levels!
MS418 Drop in sessions available weeks 6 & 7
MS969 Drop in sessions available weeks 6 & 7
Peter Flett peter.flett@strath.ac.uk SWD613
I will normally have an office hour each week on Mondays at 2-3pm where
you can come and ask questions. Alternatively email me and a mutually
suitable time can be arranged to meet. It is worth noting that I also work
for SBS in a faculty role and have to be overseas at some parts of the
semester this semester it could be November but I will confirm this
nearer the time.

Isi Osagie - isimemeh.osagie@strath.ac.uk room SWD 612

Department of Management Science
Lecture times and Location : Monday 3-5pm Royal College 512 (weeks 811 and 13-18), Week 11 in TG310

MS418 Project Management

20 credits
Approx. 200 hours effort
MS418 Assessment
1. Practical group exercises worth 50% (deadline 19 th Nov)
2. Exam in January worth 50%

MS969 Advanced Project Management

10 credits
Approx 100 hours effort
Suggested breakdown: lectures 20h, tutorials and support 6h,
preparation for lectures 20h, group assignment 30h, individual
assignment 24h
MS969 Assessment
1. Practical group exercises worth 50% (deadline 22 nd Nov)
2. Individual assignment worth 50%

Lecture 1: Introduction to Project

Management (week 1)

Lecture 1
Introduction to project management

What is a project?
Diverse nature of project management
Increasing importance of projects
Managing projects
Perspectives on project management
Bodies of knowledge
Understanding the environment
Stakeholders

What is a Project?
Writing a report
Redecorating a house
Embarking on a political campaign
Implementing a new IT system
Starting a new business
Building a block of flats
Having a child
Putting someone on Mars
Rehabilitating a person with substance addiction
issues
Urban regeneration project
Putting on an event e.g. Commonwealth Games
2014

Projects involve change, they create something new or

different and they have a beginning and an end.

Characteristics of a Project
Unique undertaking with an output
Complex Made up of interlinked activities and involves use of
multiple resources
Uncertainty Carries a level of risk
Life cycle Project phases

Project Management
The application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques
to the direction and coordination of human and material
resources
throughout the lifecycle of a project
in order to achieve stakeholders satisfaction at delivery
Managing changing resources such as people and money
Coping with time constraints
Managing complex situations, often new, hence experience is
limited

Class Activity:
Read the paper
three project managers with distinctly different roles.
In your groups discuss the following:
1. the role of the project manager in each case
2. the desirable characteristics of each project manager
(skills, education, attributes, style etc)

The importance of projects

Rapid change necessitates strong project management
Successfully managed change can give competitive
advantage and/or cost-effective improvement
Project management offers a way of coping with change, and
successfully managed change which can give competitive
advantage or cost-effective improvement
For many of us, much of the new funding in our
organisations, is made to projects

Perspectives on Project Management

An operations manager?
Different from a functional manager?
A profession in its own right?

Bodies of knowledge
Association of Project Managers (APM) in the UK
Project Management Institute (PMI) in the US
Both bodies have consulted their members to develop bodies of
knowledge
(see module outline for links and more information)

What makes a successful project?

Completed on time
Completed within budget
Project output meets original
expectations
The iron triangle

Even though quality is mentioned as

one of three key measures of project
success, its management is hardly
ever covered.
Turner, R. (1993), The Handbook of Project-Based
Management: Improving the processes for
achieving strategic objectives, McGraw-Hill, p.11.

The External Environment

The external environment can have huge effect on projects so
you need to understand the project environment
Tools like PESTLE analysis, Porters 5 Forces analysis and
Stakeholder Mapping can help you identify factors that may
impact your project

PESTLE analysis framework

Political Government: tax, legislation, trade agreements,
employer/employee rights etc.
Economic interest rates, inflation, exchange rates*, internal
rates of return (IRR) etc.
Social population demographics, skills, culture, attitudes
Technological innovation, technology, rate of adoption, etc
Legal laws, health and safety, regulation etc.
Environmental physical environment, climate conditions etc.

*exchange rates can render large projects overseas unfeasible

Porters Five Forces framework

Potential Entrants
(threat of mobility)

Suppliers
(supplier power)

Competition within
the market
(Industry Rivalry)

Possible Substitutes
(threat of substitutes)

Buyers
(Buyer Power)

Stakeholders
Any individuals or organisations affected (positively or
negatively) or who may influence project results
Can include
Customer; Project sponsor; Project Manager; Performing
Organisation; Contractors; Public; Pressure Groups)
Very important to identify stakeholders, determine their
needs and expectations, and manage and influence those
expectations
Stakeholder management seen as a skill in its own right

Stakeholders
Examples:
Edinburgh Trams; two different stakeholders
Two different views
http://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/trams/
Vs
http://leithlinks.co.uk/trams-news-opinion/edinburgh-trams-news-information
.html

Raploch Urban Regeneration Company (RURC)

http://www.raploch.com/
(I will expand on the RURC project in a later lecture on
social projects)

Stakeholder mapping
Interest
low

high

low

Minimal effort

Keep informed

high

Keep satisfied

Key players

Power

Whilst useful, these frameworks have to be used objectively be

careful that your worldview does not cloud your judgement

Individual Activity*
Select a sector of interest.
Carry out research to find examples of project success
and failure from the sector.
Are there any common themes?
What do you think are the likely pressures on project
managers with the sector?
How do you define success in these projects?
Prepare 2 slides to share your findings with the class and
upload to Myplace.
Deadline: before the next lecture on Monday 3rd October
*optional

Potential starting points

http://lessons-from-history.com/node/89

http://www.glasgow2014.com/

http://www.ProjectManagement.com
Project Management Journal
International Journal of Project Management
Project
Project Management Today
PM Network

Indias big project

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p009kv43
India's government is organising one of the world's most ambitious
technology projects - to give identifying numbers to more than a
billion people. The idea is it will give an official identity to
millions of the rural poor, allowing them access to banking
services for the first time.

Reading
Maylor Ch 1-3
or
Meredith Ch 1 & 2
CIPS Units 1-3
Kerzner Chapters 1 & 2
See also module outline for other sources.

Revision questions
1.

Discuss the view that project

management is increasingly seen
as a critical competence in
organisations.

2.

Critically appraise the role of

project managers and explain how
it is different from that of functional
managers.

3.

What is involved in PESTLE

analysis? Why would a project
managers use this framework
when starting a new project?

The Project Management Institute 52 representations of a projectized organization and a weak matrix organization

Part 2 Teams
MS418:
Teams of 6
MS969
Teams of 6
Criteria for a team:
Team members must be all from one cohort
Mixed degree programme where possible move out of your
comfort zone!
Mixed gender (where possible)
Mixed nationality (where possible)

Teams (continued)
Fill in the form with,
Names, registration numbers and email addresses (UofS only)
Pick someone in the team to be the liaison with me for
communication etc.
Get the liason to email me and Isi with the details and keep us
informed if there is any changes.
Please note there will be people who will arrive late to the class
(MS418 and MS969)
Late starts will be allocated to teams by me (if they cannot find
a team themselves) and I will expect teams to deal with this as
part of the PM process