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2013/2014  BA-HA_E82  Project Management

English Title
Project Management

Course information

Language English
Exam ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Elective
Level Bachelor
Duration One Semester
Course period Autumn, Spring, Third Quarter
Changes in schedule may occur.
Monday 11.40-14.15, week 5-8 and
Wednesday 11.40-14.15 week 5-12
Time Table Please see course schedule at e-Campus
Study board
Study Board for BSc in Economics and Business Administration
Course coordinator
  • Course Coordinator : Morten Thanning Vendelø
    Kjell Tryggestad - Department of Organization (IOA)
Secretary Ane Lindgren Hassing - alh.ioa@cbs.dk
Main academic disciplines
  • Innovation and entrepreneurship
  • Management
  • Organization
Last updated on 15-10-2013
Learning objectives
The course’s development of personal competences: In addition to developing a professional competence as a project manager, students will be trained in collaborating to solve group assignments and make presentations.

Objectives: At the end of the course the student should be able to:

Understand theoretical-empirical relationship,demonstrate ability to establish explanatory relationship between theory and the case i.e. using theories to generate and explain issues concerning significant aspects of the case and using the case to discuss fundamental assumptions, possibilities & limitations in the applied theories
  • Use analytical tools to examine the challenges of managing projects under high uncertainty.
  • Account for required course reading and to illustrate points from the literature with examples from the case.
  • Carry out critical assessments of the scope of alternative theories/standards (‘best ‘practice’) and tools and compare their relevance to the case.
Course prerequisites
Academic prerequisites: It is advantageous, but no prerequisite, to have some basic social science knowledge, especially in organization theory, sociology and managerial economics. Students enrolled at BA-Information management programme are not allowed to take the elective due to overlap.
Examination
4 hour written sit-in exam:
Examination form Written sit-in exam
Individual or group exam Individual
Assignment type Case based assignment
Duration 4 hours
Grading scale 7-step scale
Examiner(s) One internal examiner
Exam period December/January and Spring Term
Aids allowed to bring to the exam Limited aids, see the list below and the exam plan/guidelines for further information:
  • Notes brought by the examinee
Make-up exam/re-exam
Another examination form
The make-up/re-exam will be held as a 4 day home assignment. There is a strict maximum length of 10 pages.
Course content and structure

The course consists of three interrelated building bricks. The first brick consists of theories that enable us to analyse and answer the question of what the project is and what it can do. Here we also focus on the link between the project and its main constituencies, such as the client and ‘mother’ organization. The second brick consists of particular project-related topics such as the role and tasks of project management, project management tools, and project evaluation. The third brick consists of analysis and discussions of cases based on the course readings.

Students will be introduced to the project and its particular organizational form. What are the important project management tasks? What does the project require in terms of managerial actions and dispositions? What are the ‘tools of the trade’? These are some of the relevant questions that this course will address. Students will be introduced to ‘best practice’ project management and tools and trained in evaluating their assumptions and practical (ir)relevance with the help of a collection of research based articles and empirical cases. Last but not least, the important question of evaluating project success (and failures) will be addressed.

Teaching methods
The method of teaching will be a combination of class lectures, analysis and discussions of cases based on the theme and readings of the day. In addition to class lecturing, each teaching session will include student presentations. Two groups of 4-5 students will be appointed to prepare a power point presentation based on supplied questions. The presentation last no longer than 10 min. per group, and our aspiration is that each student should at least have participated in one group presentation when reaching the end of the course.
Expected literature

Book

Maylor, Harvey. (2010):Project Management. Prentice Hall pp. Xiii-XXiii, 1-414.

Articles:

Kreiner, Kristian (1995): In search of relevance: Project management in drifting environments. Scandinavian Journal of Management. Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 335-346

. Enberg, C., Lindkvist, L. & Tell, F. (2006), Exploring the Dynamics of Knowledge Integration. Acting and Interacting in Project Teams. Management Learning, Vol. 37:2 (Pp. 143-165).

Lundin, Rolf A. & Söderholm, Anders (1995): A Theory of the Temporary Organization.Scandinavian Journal of Management. Vol. 11, No. 4, pp. 437-455

Atkinson, Roger, Crawford, Lynn & Ward, Stephen (2006): Fundamental uncertainties in projects and the scope of project management. International Journal of Project Management. Vol. 24, pp. 687-698

Newcombe, Robert (2003): From client to project stakeholders: a stakeholder mapping approach. Construction Management & Economics. Vol. 21, No. 8, pp. 841 – 848

Georg, Susse and Tryggestad, Kjell (2009). On the emergence of roles in construction: The qualculative role of project management. Construction Management and Economics; 27, 969–981.

Last updated on 15-10-2013