International Project Management

Justification
Project management is an integral part of many jobs. Whether you are a small-business owner developing a unique product, a manager in a global firm, or an engineer in a startup or a designer working at a design studio, mastery of project management will increase your chances of delivering products and services on time and within budget while giving your customers the product they expect. This subject will strengthen your project management skills through case-study analysis and the development of a management plan for a selected project. You will explore such project management tools as the work breakdown structure, the RACI matrix (responsible, accountable, consulted, and informed), Microsoft Project software and new agile methodologies tools.

Additionally, you will learn how to define and manage scope, build a schedule and budget, define and allocate resources, minimize and manage risk, and create a proven performance measurement system that allows you to confidently communicate project status to your customers and stakeholders.

By the end of this subject, you will have a strong working knowledge of the basics of project management, helping you to immediately start managing projects more effectively. Business and engineering students, software and product developers, small-business owners, managers, and anyone currently managing projects will benefit from this course.

In addition, students will be trained to manage internal projects, so different cultures, economics, contractors and other project inputs will be involved in the challenges students will have to face.

Subject competencies
C1. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT. Identify threats and opportunities, evaluate alternatives, and take appropriate action. Insight, Planning, Market Sense and Alignment.

C2. CULTURES AND PEOPLE. Manage different cultures and people involved in a project.

C3. PROJECT EXECUTION. Implement strategy through effective management of resources. Project portfolio, organization’s culture, negotiations and operations.

Course content
1. GENERAL INTERNATIONAL PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS

• Standard project vs. International projects
• Defining International Projects. Review and validate project objectives
• Establish a multi-functional project team, define team members and work breakdown structure (WBS) and assign ownership to each task
• Define milestones and produce a schedule that can be managed by critical path and float
• Managing International Projects, Mapping the cultural context. The cultural gap tool.
• Track, assess and communicate project status

2. INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS RISK MANAGEMENT

• Risk and uncertainty in projects
• Perception of risk
• Risk response, crisis management and recovery
• Developing and implementing a successful risk and opportunity management system
• Risk and opportunity analysis
• Corruption as special risk in international projects

3. PLANNING THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECT

• The planning process
• Cultural impact on planning
• Scheduling, resourcing and staffing
• Planning costs

4. ORGANIZING AND CONTROLLING THE INTERNATIONAL PROJECT

• Forms of project structures
• Cultural impact on project organization
• Internal and external project coordination
• Responsibility in organizational structures
• Tools and techniques for monitoring and controlling international projects
• Managing change & claims

5. CO-OPERATING IN INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS

• Culture & co-operation
• Establishing trust. Ground rules for co-operation
• Conflict management

EVALUATION SYSTEM

Competences will be evaluated through a process of continuous evaluation throughout the semester (deliverables and mid-term knowledge test) and a final knowledge test as follows.

Team work (60%)
International Project part 1: Project setup and risk management plan
International Project part 2: Project plan
International Project part 3: Control procedures, communication tools and conflict management
Mid-term test (15%)
Final test (25%)
Competences evaluation:

International Project part 1: Project setup and risk management plan
C1. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (20%)
International Project part 2: Project plan
C2. CULTURES AND PEOPLE (20%)
International Project part 3: Control procedures, communication tools and conflict management
C3. PROJECT EXECUTION (20%)
Mid-term test
C1. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (10%)
C2. CULTURES AND PEOPLE (5%)
Final test
C1. STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT (5%)
C2. CULTURES AND PEOPLE (5%)
C3. PROJECT EXECUTION (15%)
To pass the subject it will be necessary to obtain 5 out of a total of 10 points as a global qualification, nut also to obtain at least 4 out of 10 points on every deliverable or evaluation test.

Recovery will consist of a series of short theoretical-practical questions to ensure the evaluation of the competencies that have been evaluated during the deliverables or tests.

In the event that a student has not passed the continuous evaluation in the ordinary call, activities will be proposed that cover the specific competencies included in the continuous evaluation and that must be delivered before the date of the final exam.

The marks of the competences passed will be kept for the extraordinary call.