Module overview
Complex high value capital goods play a key role in the modern economy, wider society, and increasingly underpin a competitive advantage for countries, international firms, and high-technology industries such as IT, Telecoms, Aerospace, Manufacturing, Energy, and Construction. Complex products and systems which are a subset of capital goods, can be understood as high cost technology-intensive customised products, systems, networks, infrastructure, constructs, and services.
The design, production, operations, and implementation of complex products and systems are mainly focused on value-creation activities which require extreme levels of technology and innovation on a distinct project basis. Therefore, this module will introduce students to a range of issues focused on how complex projects are managed and controlled in the development and supply of complex products and systems.
Additionally, whereas the innovation literature is concerned with mass produced products, goods, and services, conversely this module introduces students to project management concepts, tools, and techniques involved with the dynamics of innovation systems in high-technology complex products.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Interdisciplinary project teams, stakeholders, and the role of project managers in new and emergent high-technology complex projects.
- How organisational capabilities for high-technology complex products innovation management may vary from high volume products and services.
- How organisations strategically implement business practices with high-technology complex products .
- Project management risks in complex projects and risk mitigation.
- Fundamental project management from ideation, planning, implementation, control, and closure.
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Analyse project management approaches.
- Manage interdisciplinary team structures.
- Develop critical and analytical thinking skills.
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Adapt processes across interdisciplinary project teams in high-technology projects.
- Adapt innovation management for high-technology complex projects.
- Apply appropriate project management approaches in complex projects
- Develop critical project management skills.
- Implement project management risk mitigation approaches in high-technology complex projects.
Syllabus
●Introduction to Project Management in Complex Projects
●Capital Goods and Complex Products Systems
●Dynamics of Innovation in Complex Projects
●Project Manager Critical Perspective in Complex Projects
●Business Strategy and Project Capabilities for Complex Projects
●Integrating Systems and Competitive Advantage
●Appraising the Project-based Organisation
●Managing High-Technology Intensive Projects
●Knowledge in Project Business
●Project Risk and Mitigation
●Sustainable, Ethical and Responsible Management of Projects
●Project Business Lessons in Complex Projects
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching methods include
●Lectures
●Use of on-line materials
●Individual assignment reflecting on the lessons learned
●In-class case study / problem solving activities
●Private study
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Lecture | 24 |
| Independent Study | 126 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
General Resources
Institute of Mechanical Engineers. https://www.imeche.org
Chartered Institute of Procurement & Supply. https://www.cips.org
Project Management Institute. https://www.pmi.org
Chartered Institute of Logistics & Transport. https://ciltuk.org.uk
Chartered Associate for Project management. https://www.apm.org.uk
Journal Articles
Production and Operations Management.
International Journal of Project Management.
Journal of Product Innovation Management.
Research Policy.
Technovation.
Manufacturing and Service Operations Management.
Project Management Journal.
Journal of Operations Management.
Production Planning and Control.
Textbooks
Maylor, H. (2010). Project Management. Prentice Hall.
Brown, S. & Bessant, J. (2018). Strategic Operations Management. Routledge.
Flyvbjerg, B. (2018). The Oxford Handbook of Megaproject Management. Oxford University Press.
Flyvbjerg, B., Bruzelius, N., Rothengatter, W. ( 2003). Megaprojects and Risks: An anatomy of ambition.. Cambridge University Press.
Davies, A. & Hobday, M. (2005). The Business of Projects. Cambridge University Press.
Shina, S. (2014). Engineering Project Management for the Global Hight Technology Industry. McGraw-Hill.
Chapman, R. (2019). The Rules of Project Risk Management: Implementation Guidelines for Major Projects. Routledge.
Murray-Webster, R., & Dalcher, D. (2019). APM Body of Knowledge. Association for Project Management.
Prencipe, A., Davies, A., and Hobday, M. (2003). The Business of Systems Integration. Oxford University Press.
Tidd, J. & Bessant, J. ( 2018). Managing Innovation: Integrating Technological, Market and Organizational Change. Wiley.
Shenhar, A., Dvir, D. (2007). Reinventing Project Management: Diamond Approach to Successful Growth and Innovation. Harvard Business School Press.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Report | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Report | 100% |
Repeat
An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Report | 100% |