module specification

Project management and contract practice are expert professional roles in demand around the globe. They occupy a vital role in the construction project development and delivery process and are key to driving the successful completion of projects. The roles are undertaken by a variety of disciplines within the built environment.

This module will introduce you to the tools and techniques available for successful project management and contract practice. It examines best practice in the built environment industries in a local and a global context. It will consider how organisational strategic objectives drive projects, and the role the various construction professions perform in the initial stages of the project lifecycle. It will take a detailed look at contract, procurement and tendering practice, and the construction, commissioning, and handover stages of a project. The importance of stakeholder management will be covered throughout. It will consider the role of construction project management in the global move towards a sustainable and low/zero carbon, built environment.

Through studying the module, you will develop a critical awareness of project procurement, tendering, planning and delivery principles alongside developing the skills necessary to manage a construction project and administer a contract. Through enquiry-based learning you will study an authentic project scenario to allow you to deploy the tools necessary to successfully plan a project and monitor a project's resources and progress. Throughout, the module will contextualise project management with regards to sustainable, inclusive, and ethical, project management of projects.

The syllabus is guided by professional body project management bodies of knowledge and codes of practice (such as the APM (Association for Project Management) and CIOB (Chartered Institute of Building)). The module explains the strategic context within which projects operate to enable the students to understand that a project needs to have a strategic fit with the organisation's wider aims and ambitions, and the operational phases of project management including pre-construction, construction, and handover. By the end of the module students should be able to critically evaluate the following:

• the link between organisational strategy, programmes, and projects
• internal and external stakeholders and how to manage their expectations.
• project management tools and techniques to monitor and control the complete project lifecycle
• the challenges of leading a complex project
• contract, procurement, and tendering practice
• contract administration
• effective methods to manage the operational project stage
• the link between project change and risk
• the production and control of a detailed project delivery plan which evaluates and manages project risk and includes a programme identifying project milestones, resource requirements, critical path, and a site layout

The syllabus is informed by the course syllabus and reading material alongside contemporary issues, research, and practice within the built environment. Topics will include:

• Managing the feasibility stage of a project (LO3)
• Establishing the project budget and programme (LO3)
• Managing the integration of design information from the project team (LO2)
• Forms of construction contracts (LO1)
• Project tender documentation (LO2)
• Preliminaries, preambles and specification writing (LO2)
• Ethical and inclusive project management practice (LO4)

A blended/ technology enhanced learning approach will be employed in the delivery of this module. Study will be supported via online lectures, tutorials, seminars, and guided asynchronous activities. Where appropriate, activities will be captured and made available to allow asynchronous access.

Workshops and seminars will be held in which students will engage in discussions about topical areas around project management within the built environment and wider sectors. 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 construction project management in context and within the framework of the existing project management bodies of knowledge and codes of practice.

Problem based learning will be used to encourage independent learning through proposing a problem which is complex with more than one right answer, challenging the students to work individually and in small groups to develop solutions, thereby developing their problem-solving abilities. Staff will act as facilitators throughout the activities. Tasks will be performed through group and independent study, to develop critical thinking skills of analysis, evaluation, and synthesis. Throughout the module student outputs will be reviewed, and formative feedback will be given to ensure clarity and comprehension.

The learning and teaching in classes will be supported by the University’s VLE (Virtual Learning Environment) 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.

You will reflect on your learning which will contribute towards your online Professional Development Journal (PDJ).

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

1. Select an appropriate project procurement route, considering ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) goals, the project approach to risk and other influencing factors.
2. Manage information required to prepare contract tender documentation, collate and analyse tender returns.
3. Interpret project requirements to design and deliver appropriate plans to control and monitor key elements within the project life cycle and a client setting that is complex and unpredictable.
4. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of cultural diversity, gender equality, and intercultural issues to support ethically aware, collaborative professional practice.

There is no single text currently in publication that provides a comprehensive coverage of all aspects of this module. There are several books that cover various parts of the module in some detail and these are listed in the core text list. There is excellent coverage of the subject available via the Construction Information Service (CIS).

CIS is accessed via Construction Information Service and provides a vast range of information relevant to this module.

Useful books and articles for this course are listed below:

SU6054 Project Management and Contract Practice | London Metropolitan University