The necessity to effectively manage the development of new products and services is regarded by many as an organisations life-blood. This module concentrates on the process, management techniques and tools that are used throughout a projects life cycle to ensure effective and appropriate decision making. Evaluating the outcome of good project management through evaluation of selected problem/practice base. Identifying & developing individual organisational agility and drive for results competencies in management & leadership roles.

The module covers the following areas:
1. The role that projects play in an organisational context.
2. Project evaluation techniques.
3. Project Lifecycle concepts.
4. The role of the project manager.
5. Project management methodologies.
6. People processes.
7. A critical awareness of project planning (including, but not limited to, developing a work breakdown structure, scheduling, costs and benefits, stakeholder management and risk management).
8. Project monitoring control.
9. Effective project closure.

It is also designed to cover the following sections of the Apprenticeship Standard for Senior Leader Apprenticeship:
Duties:
Duty 1: Set the overall strategic direction of their area of responsibility in partnership with the Board (or equivalent), encouraging employees to buy into the organisations vision
Duty 2: Lead on the development and critical review of operational policies and practices within their area of responsibility, to ensure they are aligned to the needs of the organisation and remain fit for purpose and sustainable
Duty 3: Lead and influence agreed projects to deliver organisational strategy such as change and agile transformation programmes, diversification, new product implementation, and customer experience improvement.
Duty 4: Make decisions about organisational resource requirements (budgets, people, technology) based on strategic insight and reliable evidence.
Duty 7: Promote an ethical, inclusive, innovative and supportive culture that generates continuous business improvement.
Duty 8: Report to the Board (or relevant governance/management structure) on the progress of their operational activities towards achieving business goals.
Duty 9: Cultivate and maintain collaborative relationships with key senior internal and external stakeholders to influence key decision makers as appropriate
Duty 11: Proactively keep up to date with social, economic and technological trends and developments relevant to their area of responsibility and wider organisation and promote innovation to address changing requirements and to take advantage of new opportunities.

Mapped to KSBs:
K1: How to shape organisational mission, culture and values.
K2: Organisation structures; business modelling; diversity; global and horizon scanning perspectives; governance and accountability; technological and policy implications.
K3: New market strategies, changing customer demands and trend analysis.
K5: Systems thinking, knowledge/data management, research methodologies and programme management.
K7: Competitive strategies and entrepreneurialism, approaches to effective decision making, and the use of big data and insight to implement and manage change.
K12: Influencing and negotiating strategies both upwards and outwards.
K13: The external social and political environment and use of diplomacy with diverse groups of internal and external stakeholders.
K16: Working with corporate leadership structures, for example, the markets it operates in, roles and responsibilities, who its stakeholders are and what they require from the organisation and the sustainability agenda.
S2: Set strategic direction and gain support for it from key stakeholders.
S3: Undertake research, and critically analyse and integrate complex information.
S4: Lead change in their area of responsibility, create an environment for innovation and creativity, establishing the value of ideas and change initiatives and driving continuous improvement
S6: Act as a Sponsor/Ambassador, championing projects and transformation of services across organisational boundaries.
S7: Challenge strategies and operations in terms of ethics, responsibility, sustainability, resource allocation and business continuity/risk management.
S9: Drive a culture of resilience and support development of new enterprise and opportunities.
S10: Oversee development and monitoring of financial strategies and setting of organisational budgets based on Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), and challenge financial assumptions underpinning strategies.
S11: Uses financial data to allocate resources.
S12: Oversee procurement, supply chain management and contracts.
S15: Give and receive feedback at all levels, building confidence and developing trust, and enable people to take risks and challenge where appropriate.
S16: Enable an open culture and high-performance working environment and set goals and accountabilities for teams and individuals in their area.
S17: Lead and influence people, building constructive working relationships across teams, using matrix management where required.
S18: Optimise skills of the workforce, balancing people and technical skills and encouraging continual development.
S19: Manage relationships across multiple and diverse stakeholders.
S20: Lead within their area of control/authority, influencing both upwards and outwards, negotiating and using advocacy skills to build reputation and effective collaboration.
S21: Shape and manage the communications strategy for their area of responsibility.
B1: Work collaboratively enabling empowerment and delegation.
B2: Take personal accountability aligned to clear values.
B3: Curious and innovative - exploring areas of ambiguity and complexity and finding creative solutions.
B4: Value difference and champion diversity.
B5: Seek continuous professional development opportunities for self and wider team.

Your project proposal will set out your plans for a strategic consultative project in which you will identify an issue or opportunity in your organisation, analyse your organisation’s existing processes for managing change and address how you approach will use/alter these, you will also identify budgetary and resource requirements and set out your plan for implementation using recognised tools. (Learning outcomes 1 and 2)

Your project implementation report will set out your process for managing your consultative project, identify your implementation process, challenges, successes and obstacles. It should identify your stakeholders and address communication strategies with stakeholders, and it should clearly show the impact that your project has had on the wider organisation. (Learning outcomes 2 and 3)

Your PDP will identify areas of skill and knowledge which you have addressed through this project, it will also identify any further skills required as part of your long-term development (Learning outcome 4)

Scheduled learning and teaching activities: 104 hours
To consist of:
Face-to-face which will include groupwork, formal teaching, case study analysis, guest speakers and students will be encouraged to share their workplace experiences with others
Online live webinars to take the form of tutorials involving opportunities for group discussion and presentation, flipped-classroom opportunities, further groupwork and case study analysis

Guided independent study: 496 hours
To consist of:
Accessing additional online content such as videos and presentations
Independent reading to consolidate knowledge gained in the formal teaching
Undertaking formative tasks set by the tutor to consolidate learning
Assessment preparation and writing and gathering evidence
Portfolio building

Module Learning Outcome
1. Critically apprise your organisation’s use of activities related to planning, monitoring, controlling, and closing project with reference to your organisational context.

University Learning Outcome
Knowledge & Understanding Learning Enquiry

Module Learning Outcome
2. Apply project management tools & techniques throughout the project lifecycle.

University Learning Outcome
Application

Module Learning Outcome
3. Critically evaluate the role that projects & project management techniques play within organisations.

University Learning Outcom
Analysis Problem-Solving

Module Learning Outcome
4. Reflect on and demonstrate development of associated underpinning organisational agility and drive for results to enhance your position of management & leadership.

University Learning Outcom
Reflection Communication

Journals: Project Management Journal, International Journal of Project Management, The Journal of Modern Project Management, Journal of Project Management, International Journal of Project Organisation and Management.
APM: www.apm.org.uk
PMI: www.pmi.org.uk

Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management (Fourth Edition), Pearson Education, Harlow, England.
Meredith, J. & Mantel, S. (2011) Project Management: A Managerial Approach (Eighth Edition) John Wiley & Sons.
Kerzner, H (2017) Project Management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling and controlling, 12th ed, Wiley (eBook)
Dinsmore, P, Cabanis-Brewin, J (2014) The AMA Handbook of Project Management, 4th ed, AMA (eBook)
O’Gorman, K, MacIntosh, R (2014) Research Methods for business and management, Goodfellow Publishers (eBook)
Parmenter, D (2015) Key performance indicators: developing, implementing and using winning KPIs, 5th ed. John Wiley

The module is only open to those enrolled on the Senior Leader Apprenticeship programme.

The necessity to effectively manage the development of new products and services is regarded by many as an organisations life-blood. This module concentrates on the process, management techniques and tools that are used throughout a projects life cycle to ensure effective and appropriate decision making.