Projects are a widespread form of work in companies, and competence in project management is increasingly in demand. The purpose of the course is to give you knowledge and practical skills in project management.
There are many benefits to organizing and completing a task as a project. However, project management differs from traditional management in several areas, and requires specific competence and methods.The course first discusses what characterizes projects as a working method and what it means to be a project manager. On the basis of general project methods, we then look into how projects are planned, organised and managed. We employ both traditional methods and agile methods. We work on practical assignments to concretize the topics, and to practice the use of relevant techniques and tools such as MS-Project. Success factors, risk management, benefit realization, and ethical dilemmas related to successful project management will be discussed. We will also talk about agile approaches to projects and about digital tools can be used to plan and manage projects. On the basis of lectures and assignments, the students will work in groups on a project assignment.
Topics
- The project as a working method
- Initiation, evaluation, and choice of projects
- The project manager role
- Planning and organizing projects
- Management and follow up of projects
- Procurement and contract strategy
- Critical success factors and risk management
- Project conclusion and benefit realization
- Agile project methods
- Digitalization of the project process
- Project completion