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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of Engineering : Postgrad (School of Engineering)

Postgraduate Course: Engineering Project Management (MSc) (PGEE10012)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of Engineering CollegeCollege of Science and Engineering
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits10 ECTS Credits5
SummaryProject Management is the application of management principles to deliver a project to a specified timescale, budget and quality. This course will consider the principles of the management of engineering projects with respect to the life-cyle of the project, the parties, planning, estimating, contractor selection and contract management.

While there are no pre-requisites for this course it is recommended that students who enrol have a prior knowledge of engineering projects and their construction.
Course description Lectures: Titles & Contents

Introduction to Project Management and Project Life Cycle
Overview of Project Management with introduction and characteristics of projects, definition of project management, project problems and success criteria, project life cycle, and API Process Groups.

Parties to a Project, Stakeholder Analysis & Project Appraisal
Emphasising the importance of starting the project well through identifying the parties and stakeholders to the project, carrying out a stakeholder analysis and creating a stakeholder map, appraising the financial aspects of the project with discounted cash flows.

Work Breakdown Structures and Introduction to Estimating.
Project initiation with preliminary scope definition and management, developing the Work Breakdown Structure and relate to Cost and Organisational Structures. Introduction to estimating and the relevance of accuracy to the stage of the project.

Critical Path Analysis and Resource Management
The planning of the project using Critical Path Analysis, Networks, Gantt Charts and other data for the project. Identifying and managing resources using CPA.

Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Analysis
The importance of Risk Analysis in projects, the identification and evaluation of project risks in qualitative terms, developing response strategies to prioritised risks, and techniques in quantifying risks.

Teams & Leadership, Belbin Model
Success of a project depends on the effectiveness of people working in teams, the leadership of the team and the stage of formation of the team. The Belbin model will be presented and students would have the opportunity to identify a project team role particularly suited to them.

Estimating and Contracts
Estimating methods and levels of accuracy, and issues related to the use of the methods, and the use of Work Breakdown Structures to improve accuracy with the bi-nomial theorem. Types and classifications of engineering contracts, the advantages and disadvantages of their use in different types of projects and an overview of contract planning and contractor selection.

Project Monitoring & Control
The factors required to be identified and measured during project execution are described, which are compared to the plan. Based on this information techniques, such as Earned Value Analysis, can be used to forecast final project costs and time. Control measures to implement change are discussed.


Quality and Managing the end of the Project
The reinforcing of the importance of Quality, Safety and Environmental Standards, and if not enforced the impact on the outcome of projects. Discusses project closure, the activities and documents to be completed and causes of incomplete project closure.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking Engineering Project Management (IMFSE) (PGEE11143) AND Engineering Project Management 4 (MAEE10005)
Other requirements Students MUST have a basic knowledge of engineering and an understanding of engineering projects. The course is therefore suited mainly to those on Engineering programmes, in particular Infrastructure, Civil and Construction Engineering. While there are no pre-requisites, students from other backgrounds will be less familiar with the concepts and examples presented. The absence of this background knowledge may lead to poor performance in the course assessment.
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2023/24, Not available to visiting students (SS1) Quota:  30
Course Start Semester 1
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 100 ( Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 98 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 100 %, Coursework 0 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) 100% degree examination, 2 hours long, 3 compulsory questions.
There will be a non-credit bearing self-paced self-assessment part way through the course.
Feedback 1. Students will be given the opportunity to provide Mid-Semester feedback and comments on this will be provided back by the course lecturer.

2. Detailed Exam Post-Mortem comments will be provided.

3. Students will get the opportunity to complete a short exam style assignment half-way through the course. This will be marked with feedback and allows the student to understand whether their exam answering style is appropriate for this course.
Exam Information
Exam Diet Paper Name Hours & Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)2:00
Resit Exam Diet (August)2:00
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Recognise the constituent parts of a project life cycle and the relevant parties involved
  2. Demonstrate understanding of the importance project demand and client responsibility in project success
  3. Be able to analyse basic project cost and time information and produce simple estimates and plans
  4. Distinguish between different contractual and procurement methods for engineering projects
  5. Appraise project information and critique a project's likely success
Reading List
BOOK: Smith, N (Ed.) Engineering Project Management, Blackwell Science, Oxford, 3rd Edition, 2007. [TA190 Eng]
BOOK: P.D. Gardiner, Project Management - A Strategic Planning Approach, Palgrave Macmillan, 2005. [HD69.P75 Gar. - note, main library, 1 copy]
BOOK: J.R. Meredith and S.J. Mantel Project management: a managerial approach (9th Edition), Wiley, Chichester, 2015. [HD69.P75 Mer]
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Keywordsprojects,project management,procurement,planning,case studies
Contacts
Course organiserDr Simon Smith
Tel: (0131 6)50 7159
Email: Simon.Smith@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Mhairi Sime
Tel: (0131 6)50 5687
Email: msime2@ed.ac.uk
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