COURSE TITLE: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Effective project management is integral to an organization’s success, but it also requires a solid grounding in key principles and practices. On this Project Management Foundations course, you’ll learn to plan, coordinate, and manage projects efficiently, on time and within budget. Students are introduced to popular project management tools and techniques, and gain a fundamental understanding of the project life cycle; from initiation to scheduling and reporting. The course enables them develop project management best practices, learn how to efficiently identify and address risks, and discover how best to manage teams and communicate with key project stakeholders.
FACILITATOR
Dr. Lwanga Martin Mwanje is an Author, management consultant, and Associate professor of business management. He has served as Dean of Uganda Christian University Business School, Head of Management Department at Uganda Management Institute, and a lecturer at Makerere University. He is co-founder of one of Uganda’s first private radio FM stations and several enterprises. He devotes his time to teaching business students across universities in Africa, Europe, North America, and Asia. He has written over a dozen books that include Everyone can Become an Effective Manager, Entrepreneurship through Generations, and Who is My Friend! As a management consultant, he has consulted for the World Bank, United Nations, European Union, government, private and non-government organizations. He regularly speaks across the East African region and internationally on topics related to management, leadership development, and personal effectiveness. He has published articles in refereed journals such as Uganda Journal of Management and Public Policy Studies; and Journal of Public Administration. He is a columnist with Uganda’s leading Daily, New Vision, where he publishes the long-running The Effective Manager column. Dr. Lwanga is a twice recipient of Uganda Human Resource Managers Association award for Teaching the Practice of Management.
CONTACT:
Twitter: @Mlwanga1
COURSE OUTLINE
| Topic | Credit Hours | |
| 1. | Introduction to Project Management and Project Cycle | 3 |
| 2. | Stakeholder Mapping and Problem Tree Analysis | 3 |
| 3. | Theory of Change | 3 |
| 4. | Logical Framework and Work Breakdown structure | 3 |
| 5. | Project Risk Management | 3 |
| 6. | Project Financing, Cost, Time and Scope | 3 |
| 7. | Project Team | 3 |
| 8. | Project Communication | 3 |
| 9. | Project Monitoring and Evaluation | 3 |
| 10. | Project Proposal Writing | 3 |
| 11. | Project Sustainability | 3 |
Teaching Method:
Class activities will include lectures and in-class exercises such as case studies, team discussions, and student presentations of projects. The first half of each session will typically follow a conventional lecture-based approach ( 1 ½ hours) covering the chapter materials related to each week’s lesson, the second half ( 1 ½ hours) will involve case study analysis or other form of experiential learning such a video and group discussions.
With this particular subject it is necessary to spend considerable time examining lessons learned from existing organizations and the approaches they have taken in project management. Additionally, each week an article from a newspaper or magazine will normally be distributed to serve as the basis for further class discussion on class Group whatsup.
Group Project and Presentation:
40% of final grade
The major in-course assessment for this course requires one major assignment.
First, is a complete analysis of key issues affecting project management today. You will need to show an understanding of the issues that influence project management decisions; and finally how you think project managers can excel.
Final Exam:
60% of final grade
The final examination will comprise number of conventional examination type questions to choose from. The exam assesses comprehension of, and ability to describe project management concepts, theories and principles. Particular emphasis is given to global and cross-cultural issues affecting Africa. The final examination specifically requires students to apply past learning in addressing the case and examination questions.
REQUIRED READING
| BOOKS | |
| 01 | Turner, J R & Simister, S J ( 200). Grower Handbook of Project Management. Gower Publishing Limited |
| 02 | PMI ( 1996). A Guide to Project Management Body of Knowledge, North Corolina: PMI Publishing Division |
| CASE STUDIES | |
| VIDEOS |