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2025/2026  KAN-CPSYO1603U  Project Management

English Title
Project Management

Course information
Language English
Course ECTS 7.5 ECTS
Type Mandatory
Level Full Degree Master
Duration One Quarter
Start time of the course Third Quarter
Timetable Course schedule will be posted at calendar.cbs.dk
Study board
Study Board for Organisation, Strategy, Leadership and People
Course coordinator
  • Joana Geraldi - Department of Organization (IOA)
Main academic disciplines
  • Management
  • Organisation
  • Project and change management
Teaching methods
  • Blended learning
Last updated on 30-06-2025

Relevant links
Learning objectives
  • Contrast two different theoretical perspectives on project management (tight and loosely coupled), and their implications for the selection and application of management tools and concepts.
  • Explain, critique and combine concepts related to the managerial levers discussed in class.
  • Apply appropriate tools, concepts, models and theories to analyze project cases and make recommendations to practice.
  • Critically engage with the ambiguous notion of project success, and address its myriad tensions and ethical dilemmas in general and in specific projects.
  • Develop your own angle or insights related to projects based on the critique and combination of concepts from the syllabus.
Examination
Projektledelse:
Exam ECTS 7,5
Examination form Oral exam based on written product

In order to participate in the oral exam, the written product must be handed in before the oral exam; by the set deadline. The grade is based on an overall assessment of the written product and the individual oral performance, see also the rules about examination forms in the programme regulations.
Individual or group exam Oral group exam based on written group product
Number of people in the group 4-5
Size of written product Max. 10 pages
Assignment type Synopsis
Release of assignment Subject chosen by students themselves, see guidelines if any
Duration
Written product to be submitted on specified date and time.
15 min. per student, including examiners' discussion of grade, and informing plus explaining the grade
Grading scale 7-point grading scale
Examiner(s) Internal examiner and second internal examiner
Exam period Spring
Make-up exam/re-exam
Same examination form as the ordinary exam
Description of the exam procedure

The students initially makes a 4-5 minutes presentation that introduces, preferably exceeds, the contents of the essay. You will be asked questions that enable each student to demonstrate individual skill in the learning objectives. We set the initial level of difficulty at the level of the essay and quickly adjust upward or downward to identify the student’s individual level of achievement of the four learning objectives. We migh also ask two to three specific questions about the essay, in order to ensure that the student is one of its authors.The questions might also explore further reflections on the case beyond the essay. Grades are given to each student individually, not to the group and are based on both the essay and the individual oral examination. 
Course content, structure and pedagogical approach

Projects serve as critical vehicles for translating visions into action, driving change, and challenging the status quo. They are foundational to addressing contemporary grand challenges. For instance, combating climate change demands a portfolio of diverse projects, including the development of innovative technologies, the construction of sustainable energy infrastructure (such as energy islands), and marketing campaigns aimed at transforming consumption habits, among others.

This course seeks to enhance participants’ knowledge of project management while fostering a reflexive and critical approach to both its theoretical underpinnings and practical applications.

The course introduces two distinct theoretical perspectives on project management. The first represents the traditional view, as encapsulated in international standards and most textbooks, emphasizing analytical thinking, structured methodologies, and data-driven planning. The second, often referred to as the “Scandinavian school” of project management, with a focus on flexibility, co-creation, and the need to navigate uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. These perspectives are conceptualized as tightly coupled and loosely coupled approaches, respectively.

Building on these perspectives, the course delves into four core project management practices that every project practitioner must master:

  1. Aiming: Defining the purpose and scope of a project, articulating its vision, and connecting these elements to actionable plans.
  2. Collaborating: Identifying and engaging stakeholders, fostering constructive relationships within and beyond the project team, and addressing the diverse and evolving needs of stakeholders.
  3. Coordinating: Structuring and managing the work by defining roles, schedules, milestones, and budgets to ensure alignment and progress.
  4. Adapting: Responding to uncertainty and change through prevention, adaptation, and learning.

These two perspectives and four managerial practices form a 2x4 matrix, which serves as the framework guiding the course.

Surrounding this matrix are three overarching components that contextualize and deepen the study of project management:

  1. Introduction to projects: The course starts with a short introduction to projects and project management, what it is, how it has been conceptualized over the years, and why it matters.

  2. The Project Society: Projects permeate both professional and personal life, shaping what is referred to as a “Project Society.” This reliance on projects raises ethical questions, such as the potential misuse of projects to achieve ulterior objectives or the overstatement of project benefits to justify societal value. Students will critically reflect on these dilemmas and explore strategies to navigate challenging ethical decisions.

  3. Project Success: Despite the increasing reliance on projects to deliver long-term societal benefits, they are often associated with tales of failure and unmet expectations. This component critically examines the nature of project success, questioning whether failures are inherent or a result of unfair evaluation criteria. Students will engage with the ethical and practical implications of defining and measuring project success.

Through this comprehensive approach, the course equips students with the knowledge, tools, and critical insights needed to excel in managing projects that drive meaningful and sustainable change in an increasingly complex world.
Research-based teaching
CBS’ programmes and teaching are research-based. The following types of research-based knowledge and research-like activities are included in this course:
Research-based knowledge
  • Classic and basic theory
  • New theory
  • Teacher’s own research
  • Models
Research-like activities
  • Discussion, critical reflection, modelling
  • Peer review including Peer-to-peer
  • Development of an essay based on students' independent thinking and critical engagement with the literature, positioning their views in the literature and in relation to authors read in the course.
Description of the teaching methods
We will use a combination of the following teaching methods:
• Reading: Students are expected to read the material individually or in groups at home.
• Lecturers: We will have classic lectures, discussing the material, contextualizing the texts and its potential application to contemporary challenges and illustrating it based on project cases.
• Guest lecturers: Project managers and academics will present rich project cases, that will be discussed in light of the course material, and thereby encourage the students to leverage their analytical knowledge to create value to ‘real life’ issues.
• Group work: students are expected to work in their groups in exercise classes, where they will capture core message and concepts of each text, contrast texts and apply insights into project cases.
• Peer review: students will review each other's essays, fostering learning and relearning.
• Quizzes to review the basic understanding of each text.
Feedback during the teaching period
The students will receive feedback in three formats
1. Peer feedback to group delivery: A draft of student's group assignment (the essay) will be peer reviewed. Peer review is structured around the course's learning objectives and aims to foster learning and releaning in the course. Specifically, it provides specific and constructive suggestions to improve the weak parts of the work and to identify the strengths of the essay. Peer review is used to 1) foster peer-to-peer learning; 2) provide formative feedback; 3) develop a good understanding of the course’s learning objectives; 4) expose students to different forms of writing the essay; and 5) have the opportunity to clarify expectations and improve their work.
2. Ongoing feedback: The lecturer will provide ongoing feedback on exercise classes when assisting each group’s development and discussing their analysis of the readings. The teacher will continuously challenge the students to capture core project management ideas, understand its assumptions and be curious about potential new angles and concepts. Such in-depth discussions aim to help students think critically and be curious about potential new angles and understandings of projects.
3. Quizzes will provide specific feedback on factual understanding of course's main concepts.

Student workload
lectures and exercise classes (including video lectures and guest lectures) 30 hours
groupwork and peer review 35 hours
reading and preparation 40 hours
Expected literature

 

Bechky, B. (2006). Gaffers, Gofers, and Grips: Role-Based Coordination in Temporary Organizations. Organization Science, 17(1), 3-21.

Carlsen, A., & Pitsis, T. S. (2020). We are projects: Narrative capital and meaning making in projects. Project Management Journal, 51(4), 357-366. 

Case – Pellegrinelli (2008) Chapter 4: Emotional attachment. In Pellegrinelli, S. Thinking and acting as a great program manager. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 48- 58.

Coutu, D. L. (2003). Sense and reliability. A conversation with celebrated psychologist Karl E. Weick. Interview by Diane L. Coutu. Harvard Business Review, 81(4), 84-90.

Davies, A., & Mackenzie, I. (2014). Project complexity and systems integration: Constructing the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics Games. International journal of project management, 32(5), 773-790.

Dille, T., Hernes, T., & Vaagaasar, A. L. (2023). Stuck in temporal translation? Challenges of discrepant temporal structures in interorganizational project collaboration. Organization Studies, 44(6), 867-888.

Engwall, M. (2003). No project is an island: linking projects to history and context. Research Policy, 32(5), 789-808. 

Engwall, M., & 1, G. (2004). Peripety in an R&D drama: capturing a turnaround in project dynamics. Organization Studies, 25(9), 1557-1578. 

Flyvbjerg, B. (2014). What you should know about megaprojects and why: An overview. Project Management Journal, 45(2), 6-19.

Ika, L. A., & Pinto, J. K. (2022). The “re-meaning” of project success: Updating and recalibrating for a modern project management. International Journal of Project Management, 40(7), 835-848. 

Jensen, A. F., Thuesen, C. & Geraldi, J. (2016) The projectification of everything: Projects as a human condition. Project Management Journal, 47(3), pp. 21-34. 

Kreiner, K. (1995) In search of relevance: project management in drifting environments. Scandinavian Journal of Management. 11(4): 335-346.

Kreiner, K. (2020). Conflicting notions of a project: The battle between Albert O. Hirschman and Bent Flyvbjerg. Project Management Journal, 51(4), 400-410.

Kreiner, K., (2014) Restoring Project Success as Phenomenon. In Lundin, R. A. & Hällgren. M. (Ed.) Advancing Research on Projects and Temporary Organizations. Frederiksberg: Copenhagen Business School Press, p. 167-186.

Lenfle, S., & Loch, C. (2010) Lost roots: How project management came to emphasize control over flexibility and novelty. California Management Review, 53(1), 32-55.

Lindgren, M., Packendorff, J., & Sergi, V. (2014). Thrilled by the discourse, suffering through the experience: Emotions in project-based work. Human relations, 67(11), 1383-1412.

Lundin, R. & Söderholm, A. (1995) Theory of a temporary organization. Scandinavian Journal of Management, 11(4), p. 437-455. 

Nieto-Rodriguez, A. (2021) The Project Economy Has Arrived. Use these skills and tools to make the most of it. Harvard Business Review, 99(6), 38-45.

Partington, D., Pellegrinelli, S., & Young, M. (2005). Attributes and levels of programme management competence: an interpretive study. International Journal of Project Management, 23(2), 87-95.

Pitsis, T. S., Clegg, S. R., Marosszeky, M., & Rura-Polley, T. (2003). Constructing the Olympic dream: a future perfect strategy of project management. Organization Science, 14(5), 574-590. 

Tryggestad, et al. (2013) Project temporalities: How frogs can become stakeholders. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 6(1), pp.69-87.

van Marrewijk, A., Ybema, S., Smits, K., Clegg, S., & Pitsis, T. (2016). Clash of the Titans: Temporal organizing and collaborative dynamics in the Panama Canal megaproject. Organization Studies, 37(12), 1745-1769. 

Vogwell, D. (2003). Stakeholder management. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2003—EMEA, The Hague, South Holland, The Netherlands. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.(Available online:  https:/​/​www.pmi.org/​learning/​library/​stakeholder-management-task-project-success-7736)
Last updated on 30-06-2025