Project Justification and Change Control
| Module title | Project Justification and Change Control |
|---|---|
| Module code | BEM2050DA |
| Academic year | 2023/4 |
| Credits | 30 |
| Module staff |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 10 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 50 |
|---|
Module description
This module will enable you to have a deeper understanding of justifying a Project and to construct robust project proposals that give a clear overview of project benefits and how they relate to broader business objectives. You will learn to evaluate organisational aims to develop and execute strategic projects that add value, identify realistic benefits, propose tangible deliverables, and ensure the ongoing viability and relevance of the project.
This module will also enable you to have an understanding of Project change control and associated change management models, including practically planning and implementing change. You will learn about the appropriate tools and processes for monitoring and controlling a project in terms of scope, timeline, quality, and cost.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module will enable you to develop the skills and knowledge required for successful project justification and change control along the lifecycle of the project, in both academic and employment contexts. This will be achieved be exploring the role and importance of successful approaches and models in ensuring projects are delivered effectively. You will also engage in practical, employability-orientated skill sessions focused on: business analysis, planning, resource allocation and it’s associated cost, change factors for your budgetary profiling, risk management and change control procedures. Stakeholder management will also be included. Once completed, you will be able to recognise your own skills and the roles you can perform in bringing a successfully project justification for consideration, as well as the ability to successfully change manage the project as situations, resources, and costs change through the lifecycle.
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Evaluate how to interpret organisational and programme aims and objectives to develop robust business plans and the requirement to revisit such plans at key stages of a project to ensure ongoing viability of the business case. (Knowledge 6)
- 2. Evaluation and identification of realistic benefits, both tangible and intangible, and an appreciation of how these might be delivered. (Knowledge 6)
- 3. Recommend and justify the application of the concepts of project change control. (Knowledge 10)
- 4. Recommend appropriate processes and tools to manage scope, requirements, benefits and success factors of a project. (Knowledge 10)
- 5. Evaluate the impacts and interdependencies of changes on the project and its deliverables. (Knowledge 10)
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Evaluate the dependencies related to the size and complexity of projects, define and apply a recognised process to manage change in projects accordingly. (Skills 7)
- 7. Apply effective decision making in the interests of a range of stakeholders with regards to change requests. (Skills 7)
- 8. Define approaches to the handling of change within different project management methodologies. (Skills 7)
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 9. Maintain professional conduct so as to enhance the honour, reputation, and usefulness of project management as a professional discipline. (Behaviour 4)
- 10. Exemplify resilience and determination when managing difficult situations and influence the behaviours of others to agree and meet required project outcomes. (Behaviour 3)
- 11. Actively seek the views of others and value diversity internally and externally (Behaviour 5)
Syllabus plan
Maintaining focus on the agreed project outcomes and driving towards making the project a success.
- how to evaluate all decisions and actions against their impact on the success of a project
- how to balance needs and means to optimise outcomes and success
- how to promote and sell the project, its processes and outcomes
- how to deliver results and get acceptance
Maintain personal integrity through a consistent approach to decision making, actions and behaviours when managing a project
- how to take responsibility for own actions
- how to act, take decisions and communicate in a consistent way
- why it is important to complete tasks thoroughly to build confidence with other
Manage the scope of a project.
- how to define the project deliverables (including Product Breakdown Structure)
- how to structure the project scope (including Work Breakdown Structure)
- how to define the project’s work packages
- how to establish and maintain scope configuration
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 34 | 60 | 206 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled teaching and learning activity | 34 | 4 masterclass days and 4 webinars |
| Project management in the workplace | 206 | Work activities including for example project team meetings, discussions, stakeholder engagement, project planning and implementation |
| Guided Independent study | 60 | Reading, research, web based activities on ELE |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay plan with annotated bibliography | 1000 words | 1,2,4 & 6 | Written via ELE |
| Short briefing paper on aspects that need to be evaluated to facilitate change request decisions | Equivalent of 1000 words i.e.two slides | 3-11 | Written with Peer review/assessment |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 3000 words | 1,2,4 & 6 | Written via ELE |
| Produce flow charts for different change request pathways | 50 | Equivalent of 2000 words | 3-11 | Written with Peer review/assessment |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay - 3000 words | 1,2,6,9,10 &11 | 6 weeks |
| Produce flow charts for different change request pathways | Produce flow charts for different change request pathways - Equivalent of 2000 words | 3-11 | 6 weeks |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (ie a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to sit a further examination. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will count for 100% of the final mark and will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
- Dittmann K, Dirbanis K, & Meier T (2021) Project Management (IPMA) Study Guide for Level D and Basic Certification (GPM), Haufe Lexware
- Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management Harlow, Essex, Pearson Educations Ltd
- Burke, R. and Barron, S. (2014) Project Management Leadership: Building Creative Teams , J Wiley and Sons
- Newton, R. (2006) Project Management Step by Step, How to Plan and Manage a Highly Successful Project, Pearson Education Ltd
- Kersten Mik (2019 Project to Product: How Value Stream Networks will transform IT and Business: How to survive and thrive in the age of Digital Disruption with the flow, IT Revolution Press
- Smart, Jonathan (2022) Sooner, Safer, Happier: Antipatterns and patterns for Business Agility, IT Revolution Press
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
- IPMA Level D Qualification | APM Exams
- Association of Project Management http://www.apm.org.uk/
- ISO 9000 http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_9000
- Prince 2 http://www.prince-officialsite.com/
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) https://scaledagileframework.com/
Indicative learning resources - Other resources
- Bamber, M., Parry S (2018) Accounting and finance for managers: a decision-making approach 2nd edition, New York: Kogan Page (ISBN: 9780749481148)
- Callahan, K.R., Stetz, G.S., Brooks, L.M. (2011) Project Management Accounting: Budgeting, Tracking, and Reporting Costs and Profitability Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons Inc (ISBN: 9786613176158)
| Credit value | 30 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 15 |
| Module pre-requisites | BEM1036DA |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 5 |
| Available as distance learning? | Yes |
| Origin date | 14/04/2023 |
