Learning objectives
Knowledge and understanding: At the end of the course, the student will have acquired the basic knowledge about the structure and operation of a project, as well as the knowledge of the basic project management techniques and models.
Applying knowledge and understanding: The student will be able to independently plan activities and the main processes of a project, identifying the appropriate management policies in relation to the context. For example, the student will be able to develop a project budget, assess and analyse the earned value of a project, identify resource and define the time of execution of the work, organize the project team, and so on. The student will be able to analyse and process numerical data to support decisions.
Making judgements: The student will be able to assess the impact of strategic, planning and operative decisions on the expected performances of a project.
Communication skills: The student will acquire specific project management lexicon. It is expected that, at the end of the course, the student will be able to communicate (either orally and in written form) the main contents of the course, as well as resolving numerical problems.
Learning skills: Students who have attended the course will be able to operate with profit into a project management context, as well as to deepen their knowledge in the field of project management, by means of books, scientific papers, magazines and periodical publications.
Prerequisites
There are no compulsory prerequisites.
Course unit content
The expression "project management" describes the set of activities aimed at achieving the goals/objectives of a project. A project is a temporary effort (i.e. limited in time) with the objective of delivering one or more units of a unique product or service, whose characteristics are elaborated progressively. The course aims at providing students with the tools to properly address the challenges of project management, namely: (i) achieving the project's objectives, that is timely releasing deliverables according to some pre-defined requirements, (ii) remaining within the limits of cost, time, scope/quality, and (ii) integrate the necessary inputs and optimise the allocation resources.
Full programme
1. Introduction – the Project Manager’s role
2. Project organisation, people and management
3. Project management processes
4. Project integration management
5. Project scope management
6. Project time management
7. Cost management
8. Quality management
9. People management (human resources)
10. Project communications management
11. Project risk management
12. Project procurement management
Bibliography
Reference book:
- Nokes S., Sean K., (2007), Definitive Guide to Project Management, PRENTICE-HALL INTERNATIONAL, ISBN-10: 0273710974; ISBN-13: 9780273710974.
Also, interested readers may refer to the following sources:
English sources:
- Project Management Institute, (2017), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 6th Edition, ISBN-10: 1628251840, ISBN-13: 978-1628251845
Italian sources:
- Corini F., (2010), Il project management nelle imprese di costruzione, Dispense didattiche, V Edizione (reperibile al sito: www.corini.altervista.org)
- Amato R., Chiappi R., (2013), Tecniche di Project Management. Pianificazione e controllo dei progetti, Franco Angeli, ISBN: 978-8856802313
- Caron F., (2009), Gestione dei grandi progetti di ingegneria. Il project management in azione, ISEDI, ISBN-10: 8880083511; ISBN-13: 978-8880083511
Teaching methods
The course has a weight of 6 CFU, that correspond to 48 hours of lesson.
The theoretical topics of the course are presented and explained by means of didactic lectures. Didactic lectures will also be alternated with heuristic lectures or moments. During these heuristic lectures / moments, aim will be that of engaging in a dialogue with the classroom on project management basics, also with the aim of bringing to light prior knowledge of the students.
To incentivise the active participation of students to the heuristic lectures / moments, correct answers to questions and inquiries will be acknowledged with bonuses to increase the final mark of the exam.
Exercises and business cases are
also proposed on the practical parts of the course, and students will be asked to apply the theory presented in lectures to exercises and case studies.
Moreover, business cases are discussed as practical applications of the main topics of the course.
Handouts and material will be uploaded on a regular basis on the platform Elly (also by means of web links). Students must log in to the course on the platform itself to download all the material. Students non-attending the course are advised to check regularly the Elly platform.
Assessment methods and criteria
The summative assessment of the learning consists of one or two moments, upon student's choice:
1. a written test (mandatory – English language), containing an open question (item's weight 8pts), an exercise (item's weight 8pts) and 8 multiple-choice questions (weight of each question 1pt).
The duration of the written test is 90 mins. The written test will be evaluated with a scale from 0 to 24.
2. an oral test (optional – English or Italian language upon student’s choice). The test is individual, it starts from an analysis of the written test and consists of 2 unstructured questions (of equal weight) which can range from theoretical contents to exercises and practical cases. During the oral exam, the student's knowledge and understanding, its application, judgment and communication skills will be evaluated.
The duration of the oral test is of approx. 15-20 minutes. Each oral exam question is rated on a scale from -5pts (no student response) to +5pts (fully correct answer). The entire oral test will then be rated from -10pts to +10pts. The final marks will be calculated by adding the marks obtained in the written test to any marks obtained in the oral test (positive, null or negative). Possible bonuses earned during the course will be added to this evaluation. The summative assessment will be passed with a score of least 18 points. The "cum laude" evaluation is assigned in case of reaching the maximum score in each evaluation area, or in case of a final score higher than 30/30. In case of assessment lower than 18/30 the student will be rejected.
The online registration to the exam is MANDATORY both for the written and for the oral test, if the student decides to take the latter. The mark of the written test will be announced by publication on the Elly platform, possibly on the same day of the written test itself. Once the results of the written test have been published, students can choose freely whether or not to take the oral exam, which can be taken on the same day of the written test or in the three consecutive test dates. The intention to take the oral exam can be communicated to the teacher by enrolling for the oral exam on Elly platform, according to the enrolment rules of the exam. Please, note that, excluding technical problems on the Elly platform, students can only take exam if they are correctly enrolled for the test date. If the student has obtained a final mark of less than 18/30, or has not indicated in due time his/her willingness to take the oral test, the test must be attended again completely, i.e. evaluation of the written test achieved in previous exam sessions will not be taken into account.
Other information
The attendance is not mandatory, even if it is sincerely suggested.
