Overview

Indicative content includes:

• Project Management: Project scoping and specification. The tender process. Work breakdown structure. Preparation of Gantt charts and identifying milestones. PERT method and critical path analysis. Expenditure projection and profiling. Time, Cost and Quality assurance and control, Configuration management. Project Leadership, Project Facilitation and Project Collaboration skills. Project evaluation. Option Appraisal and decision making
• Legal, Social and Ethical Issues: Use of standards documents. Health & Safety. IPR, patents, copyright. Company structures. legal responsibilities and business ethics. Roles of regulatory bodies. Confidentiality and non-disclosure. Privacy. Sustainability and the environment. Societal effect of technology. Risk assessments. Data Protection.
• Managing and facilitating the process of change. Problem Solving. Understanding and facilitating the Innovation Process. Directional Systems Innovation and Supply-Side Innovation. Understanding the dynamics of Collaboration.
• Business: Business Modelling Tax, NI, investment grants and venture capitalists. Economics – the effect of currency exchange rates and interest rates. Marketing and advertising. Accounting practices – Sustainability metrics – Doughnut Sustainability accounting. P&L account, the balance sheet and cash-flow projections. preparation of business plans. Financial appraisal – payback methods and cost/benefit analysis.
• Project scoping and planning: Literature reviews, negotiation skills, preparing project plans, writing reports, poster / oral presentation skills.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyse a project brief, partition the work into a logical sequence and prepare an integrated plan to fulfill the objectives on time and within budget.

• Demonstrate an understanding of the financial, time and quality issues surrounding a project and able to prepare a range of financial reporting and forecasting presentations.

• Evaluate the resource issues that may arise while leading/managing a project.

• Identify the implications of the legal, social, ethical and sustainability issues relating to a proposed project and prepare a plan that addresses these issues.

• Understand and develop skills for leading, managing and facilitating project teams.