module specification

The module aims to develop a critical awareness of the people dimension of projects and will address the principles of project team development.  It will look at the role soft skills play in the successful delivery of a project and how a mastery of leadership and motivating your project team can help you build and maintain a successful and focussed project team. It will address how to distinguish between different types of change projects and propose techniques in leading teams to achieve organisational change

The knowledge gained will enable the student to develop strategies to form and maintain integrated project teams. 

By the end of the module students should be able to critically evaluate the following:

• the role of soft skills in project management
• stakeholders and relationships present in a project
• means to select and maintain a project team
• group dynamics
• managing change
• the role of corporate social responsibility in project delivery
• methods to manage and resolve conflicts within a project team
• decision making and problem-solving processes associated with complex and unpredictable solutions.
• Gender representation within the built environment

n/a

The syllabus is informed by contemporary research and practice in the management of risk and change. Topics will include:

• Soft skills (LO1)
• Team Dynamics (LO2)
• Gender representation in the built environment (LO 3)
• Leadership and motivation (LO1,4)
• Psychology of managing relationships (LO1, 3,4,5)
• Change Management (LO5)
• Stakeholder Management (LO2)
• Integrated Project Teams (LO4)
• Team Selection and maintenance (LO4)
• Ethics and leadership (LO3)
• Corporate Social Responsibility (LO3)
• Management and resolution of conflict (LO1,4,5)

Student’s teaching and learning will consist of weekly classes comprising a combination of lectures, seminars, discursive sessions, and workshops totalling 36 hours of contact time. Students will be given the opportunity to engage in seminar activities in which the use of case studies from around the world stimulates discussion and helps them to develop a deep understanding of project team building and leadership in context informed by contemporary leadership theory and practice.

Workshops will facilitate group study of authentic case studies, presenting project scenarios and challenging the students to consider the advantages and risks associated with building and maintaining project teams. The case studies will be diverse in project type and seminars and workshops will include taking the projects on a journey around the globe so as to use material that explores and develops the student’s critical awareness of how different factors, such as social and economic influence approaches to building and maintaining a successful high performing project team.

A blended/ technology enhanced learning approach will be employed in the delivery of this module. Formal lectures will introduce and develop themes that relate to the core subject. The delivery of the module will be broken down into key elements that have discrete tasks. Tasks will be performed through group and independent study, to develop critical thinking skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. Throughout the module student output’s will be reviewed, and formative feedback will be given to ensure clarity and comprehension.

Study will be supported via online lectures, tutorials and seminars that will be captured and made available to allow asynchronous access.

The learning and teaching in classes will be supported by the University’s VLE and a blended learning approach, sharing class materials, recommended reading, and case studies. Group tutorials will also be offered to support students in the preparation of their assessments, with opportunities for students to receive forward feedback.

On completion of the module the learner, operating independently and applying their knowledge and skills, should be able to:

1. Evidence a deep and meaningful knowledge and understanding of the role soft skills play in personal development and the role of the project manager.
2. Identify and appraise the relationships of the stakeholders engaging in a project and their contributions towards the project's success.
3. Demonstrate thorough knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity, gender equality, and intercultural issues to support ethically aware, collaborative professional practice.
4. Advance appropriate strategies to construct and maintain integrated project teams resilient to the internal and external constraints of a project.
5. Evidence knowledge and understanding of the tools and techniques for managing organisational change

The 2 module assessments test the student’s knowledge and understanding that should have been developed throughout the module. The student will be able to negotiate with the module team the geographical location within which they place their coursework 2 to promote diversity of scenarios and ensure the project is inclusive, allowing students to bring their own personal, academic, workplace and cultural backgrounds into the module.  Students will be supported throughout their assessment preparations through having access to formative feedback which will be available throughout the module, during lectures, seminars, and workshops. Further detail will be provided in the coursework briefing documents.

Coursework 1: Individual Coursework (1250 words) 25%

Coursework 1 is an individual submission and requires students to produce a 1250-word reflective essay which needs to include a soft skills self-assessment accompanied by a personal development plan to address areas for professional development. 

Coursework 2: Individual Coursework (20-minute presentation plus Q&A) 75%

Coursework 2 is an individual presentation of proposals for the development of a project team to deliver a major change project within an organisation.  This approach is adopted to test the student's ability to apply critical thinking skills in solving a complex problem of the type typically encountered in professional practice as a project manager.  Students will have the option of choosing the country in which the change project will take place to allow them to evidence knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity and intercultural issues applicable to collaborative professional practice. Assessment choice is provided to the students who can agree with the module team the format of the presentation which, for example, could be live in person, a recorded talking head video, or a recorded PowerPoint presentation with commentary. If recorded, then there will still be a scheduled opportunity for Q&A.

There is no single text currently in publication that provides a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of this module. There are several books which cover various parts of the module in some detail, and these are listed in the core text list.

Link to library reading list