1) Why are we studying this course?

Project Management for "Belt and Road Initiative" plays an important role in the real world with a set of crucial skills and applied knowledge to satisfy their customers and other stakeholders involved in and affected by the project. Although modern project management originated from the US national defence project in the 1950s, the concept and thoughts of project management have been promoting the continuous development of social economy since ancient times, and have made brilliant achievements.

There is an ever-growing need for better project management within the disciplines of engineering, business, and technology and this course is a direct response to that need. It is intended for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate university students, and managers in engineering, business, and technology. It covers the big picture of project management origins, applications, and philosophy as well as the nitty-gritty how-to steps. This course is supplemented by brand new case studies from engineering and technology projects, as well as improved teaching support materials.

This curriculum uses the sixth edition of  Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) to set up a journey of seeking recognition for project management as a profession for international students. Also, it can serve as a robust long-life education of leaders and managers who want to apply and facilitate the project management practices, principles, processes, tools, and techniques to their work.

2) What are the themes and features of this course?

This course reveals not only how business projects are conducted, but also concepts and necessary steps in the conception and execution of engineering, product development, construction, and other technology projects.

It is a foundation upon which organizations can build methodologies, policies, procedures, rules, tools and techniques, and life cycle phases needed to practice project management. The PMBOK® Guide provides more detail about key concepts, emerging trends, considerations for tailoring the project management processes, and information on how tools and techniques are applied to projects.

Project managers may use one or more methodologies to implement the project management processes outlined in the standard. This course is highly theoretical and practical. It is problem-oriented and adopts the teaching method of "theoretical knowledge teaching + practical case analysis" to systematically and comprehensively describe the project management knowledge system. It is suitable for MBA, MEM, logistics management, civil engineering, engineering management and other related majors of undergraduate and postgraduate students.

3) What can we learn from this course?

The fundamentals of managing a project from start to finish require a team of individuals with different talents and skills. Project management provides the diversified technical and managerial competency and decentralized communication and decision-making necessary to meet the challenges of complex, unfamiliar, high-stakes activities. At the same time, this course helps students systematically understand the key concepts of project management, project management standards, project management knowledge system and development, project operation environment, and the responsibilities and capabilities of project managers and so on.

On completion of this course, students can define a project plan, establish a schedule, enforce teamwork, control cost, manage quality, and utilize other project management tools and techniques. Students are also expected to apply creative problem-solving skills to all phases of the project life cycle and use a range of systems thinking approaches to a variety of project contexts.

In addition, students can establish the basic logic and thinking of project management and learn the usual project management topics of schedules, budgets, and controls, but also the human side of project management, including leadership and conflict. Therefore, after this study, it is believed that students can not only improve their professional skills, but also will certainly contribute to creating greater value for society, enterprises and projects.

The main teaching objective of this course is to develop the basic logic and thinking of project management. Specific objectives are as follows:

1) Knowledge.

Master the key concepts and the tailoring concepts sections for the ten knowledge areas, including project integration management, project scope management, project schedule management and project schedule management and so on; and be familiar with four topical areas: system methodology; systems development process; management methods, procedures, and systems; and organization and human behaviour.

2) Skill.

According to the needs of the environment, situation, organization, or project, learn to use different tools and techniques to achieve mission goals; and learn to define a project plan, establish a schedule, enforce teamwork, control cost, manage quality, and utilise other project management tools and techniques.

3) Ability.

Master diverse technical and management capabilities such as project management maturity, PMO, project selection and portfolio management, and international project management to meet the challenges of complex, unfamiliar, and high-risk activities in future jobs.

4) Cases.

Master project cases and project operations in different areas of knowledge, and apply and facilitate project management practices, principles, processes, tools, and techniques to future work.

The course requires some predecessor knowledge or curricula about Management, Organization and Business management, and some basic understanding of Construction management, Engineering Economics and Civil engineering. Chinese students are encouraged to study this course if they have passed the English Level of CET 4. 

Textbook:

A Guide to the PROJECT MANAGEMENT BODY OF KNOWLEDGE– Sixth Edition.

Main Reference books:

1. Project Management Institute. 2017. The Standard for Project Management. Newtown Square, PA: Author.

2. Project Management Institute. 2013. The Standard for Portfolio Management– Third Edition. Newtown Square, PA: Author.

3. Project Management Institute. 2017. The Standard for Program Management– Fourth Edition. Newtown Square, PA: Author.

4. Project Management Institute. 2016. The PMI Lexicon of Project Management Terms. Available from https://www.pmi.org/lexiconterms

5. Project Management Institute. Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Available from https://www.pmi.org/codeofethics

6. Project Management Institute. 2013. Managing Change in Organizations: A Practice Guide. Newtown Square,PA: Author.

7. Project Management Institute. 2015. Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide. Newtown Square,PA: Author.

8. Project Management Institute. 2014. Implementing Organizational Project Management: A Practice Guide.Newtown Square, PA: Author.

9. Project Management Institute. 2014. Project Management Institute Excellence in Practice-Research Collaboration, PMI-RI Standards Program: Making Sense of PPP Governance, December 19, 2014. Newtown Square, PA: Author

10. Project Management Institute. 2016. Governance of Portfolios, Programs, and Projects: A Practice Guide.Newtown Square, PA: Author.

11. Project Management Institute. (2013). PMI’s Pulse of the Profession® In-Depth Report: The Competitive Advantage of Effective Talent Management. Available from https://www.pmi.org

12. Project Management Institute. 2015. White Paper, Complexity Management for Projects, Programmes,and Portfolios: An Engineering Systems Perspective, March 2015. Newtown Square, PA: Author.

13. Project Management Institute. 2014. Navigating Complexity: A Practice Guide. Newtown Square, PA: Author.

14. Project Management Institute. 2016. Requirements Management: A Practice Guide. Newtown Square, PA: Author.

15. Project Management Institute. 2006. Practice Standard for Work Breakdown Structures (WBS). Newtown Square, PA: Author.

16. Project Management Institute. 2011. Practice Standard for Scheduling – Second Edition. Newtown Square,PA: Author.

17. Project Management Institute. 2011. Practice Standard for Earned Value Management – Second Edition

18. International Standards Organization. 2015. ISO 9000:2015 Quality Management Systems—Fundamentals and Vocabulary. Geneva: Author