MSPME, Masters in Strategic Project Management – (M.Sc.)

This new course (formerly Strategic Project Planning or SPP) was initiated in response to strong and consistent growth in demand for business and management skills that can help deliver core business activities in a variety of organisations. In the wake of globalisation, companies need to respond rapidly to change at all levels to maintain their competitive position and sustain growth; the ability to conjoin vision, strategy and strategy implementation using a robust, flexible and responsive delivering-methodology is essential. The use of project management to do just this, by implementing strategic objectives and managing overall operations - a practice now known as management-by-projects - has seen a commensurate growth in demand for qualifications which can deliver these skills and abilities. Strategic Project Management (SPM) differentiates itself from other project management offerings by providing greater emphasis on the strategic requirement in managing a portfolio of projects to deliver organisational goals.

Aims and Objectives

The course aims to enable students to:

* Acquire and develop a systematic understanding of knowledge in the areas associated with Strategic Project Management:
* Apply strategies appropriate to the prioritising of projects and managing a portfolio of projects with reference to the internal and external organisational environment; make evaluative judgements on the development, governance and exploitation of information systems and their impact on project governance; strategic change and how it influences and affects the behaviour of employees; using change to achieve competitive advantage.
* Select and apply project management processes in the delivery of successful projects; be able to transfer techniques and solutions for managing projects from one project to another, including skills in managing the project life cycle, risk and quality issues in projects, scheduling and budgeting, and monitoring and control; project initiation and establishing shared expectations, the project life cycle, control and evaluation of projects, the planning and management of procurement and contracts, quality and risk management throughout a project and apply special techniques to manage multiple projects.
* Apply techniques for project appraisal, selecting and prioritising projects; be able to use selected accounting practices to plan, manage and control project budgets; and apply relevant aspects of contract law.
Acquire a critical awareness of contemporary and pervasive issues in Strategic Project Management which may change over time, both in the academic discipline and professional practice.
* Understand and evaluate a comprehensive range of research techniques used in the areas of Strategic Project Management in order to create and interpret knowledge.
* Evaluate critically academic research, professional research, published case studies and media pronouncements on the development and use of Strategic Project Management in business and management.
* Encourage the development of subject interests by enabling students to carry out original research at the forefront of knowledge on a relevant SPP topic through a dissertation.
* Assist the development of transferable skills (particularly teamwork, leadership, communication, negotiation, conflict resolution and presentation) for employment, particularly in middle-to-senior strategic and business related positions in a wide range of public and private organisations, or in academic research and in preparation for lifelong learning and personal development.