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2017/18 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

GEOG5689M Water Consultancy: Project Management

15 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: Paul Kay
Email: p.kay@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semester 2 (Jan to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2017/18

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to effectively manage projects in a water consultancy context. It will introduce the key principles of project management, drawing on case studies of current UK, EU and international best practise. The topics covered are water sector specific and focus on providing students with practical skills that will be directly applied in a role in a water consultancy.The module has been developed following consultation with experienced project managers within the water consultancy sector. This consultation has identified the key skills that graduates starting a career in water consultancy would be required to apply in their role as project managers and has shaped the module syllabus.The future ‘employability’ of the MSc students was a key consideration in the development of this module.

Objectives

On completion of this module students will be able to:
Introduce the key principles of project management using examples and case studies directly relevant to the water consultancy sector.
Explore the characteristics of best practice project management techniques and tools and identify those most appropriate for projects of different scales, clients and sectors.
Equip students with the skills and knowledge that can be directly applied in a role managing UK, EU and international water consultancy projects.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:
Critically apply recognised project management techniques in the water consultancy sector to effectively undertake a project including:
identification of goals and stakeholders
scoping objectives and deliverables
resource allocation and costing
roles and responsibilities
quality assurance (QA)
scheduling and critical path analysis
risk analysis and contingency management
project completion
Identify the different project management frameworks/tools and critically evaluate the application of each approach to different project types.
Critically evaluate different bidding strategies and costing approaches, incorporating risk through contingency.
Identify the key stakeholders and understand how to develop and implement effective stakeholder engagement and management plans.
Prepare a risk register to identify, mitigate and manage the key risks associated with water consultancy projects of different types (including environmental and health and safety risks).
Identify bid-rigging, undue influence, bribery and corruption in practice and how to avoid them.
Apply best practice approaches to managing communication with clients, subcontractors, project teams and collaborative partners to facilitate delivery of the project and build relationships.
Identify and apply the characteristics of best practice project management for UK, EU and international projects and explore innovative approaches to water sector project management.


Syllabus

Unit 1: Project Management Principles
Welcome and Introduction
Project Management in Consultancy - basic concepts and principles
The Project Lifecycle
Project Management Frameworks

Unit 2: Project Planning
Key components of successful project planning
Planning & scheduling (time and resource management tools and approaches)
Gantt charts and critical path analysis
Planning for risk management (the Risk Register, Health & Safety, Environmental Impact, data security and management)

Unit 3: The Bidding Process
Bidding strategy and costing
Joint proposals and collaborative projects
Communication and stakeholders
Avoiding bid-rigging, undue influence, bribery and corrupt practices

Unit 4: Project Delivery
Client management
Project delivery management
The Quality Assurance process
Managing risks/contingency management

Unit 5: Project Completion
The Project Completion process
Consolidating and maintaining client relationships
Best practice and innovation
Review and recap

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Seminar103.0030.00
Private study hours120.00
Total Contact hours30.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)150.00

Private study

Students will be expected to:
Undertake individual assignment work (c. 70 hours total)
Prepare for seminars by reading materials given and independently sourcing new materials relevant to topic/case (5 h per unit)
Undertake further reading/consolidation following seminars (using material referenced in seminars) (5 h per unit)

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Assessed report comprising short ‘state of art’ questions on theory of project management approaches plus a longer case study style question where students will be required to submit a project tender incorporating all parts of the project management life cycle (summative).
Written feedback on plans for the above case study (formative).
In-class participation (formative)

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Report4000 word project report100.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)100.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

There is no reading list for this module

Last updated: 11/05/2017

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