Student guide Facoltà di Economia A.A. 2006/07

The “System and Project management” can be defined as a technique which ensures progress toward objectives and proper deployment of human and strategic resources. A project is an extraordinary activity, aiming to introduce innovation inside the organization. An organisation can learn from the projects new managerial tools for the business system. New sectors of the economy are learning from the project techniques the way to improve their results.

The objective of the course is to introduce advanced methods of project and system management in a realistic context such that they can be taken back to the workplace to improve management of innovative and operative activities.

The system & project management can be useful for:

The course aims to deploy the system management not only regarding the technical instruments, but also the managerial and organizational philosophy of the learning organisation.

 

Topic One. Project’s organization, planning and control system

Projects and Project Management: Definitions, Characteristics, History and actual scenarios.

Building inter-functional teams is one of the most peculiar aspect of the project  In this part the student will analyze the principles and the objectives of the project management. The first step is the work breakdown structure (WBS) a technique to understand the activities enclosed in a project. This desegregation  of the job permits to evaluate the complexity of the project  and helps the definition of the hierarchical structure of the projects (WBO). The introduction of the Milestones of the projects is a way to introduce the concept of the projects’ checkpoints. Finally the time required (Gantt) and the resources evaluation (Project’s budget) complete the planning of a project.

 

Topic Two. Dynamics of  project and learning system

The second part aims to understand the benefits of being able to develop a systemic view of complex systems. The student will appreciate how to develop the ability to map and to simulate complex systems in order to better understand the underlying structures that control the growth or the decline. Systems thinking is introduced as a way of thinking about and a language for describing and understanding the forces and interrelationship that shape the behaviour of systems.

Finally, it will be analysed how to improve the ability to learn and how to transform individual learning into organisational learning.

 

Topic Three. Project and team organisation

The team building is another key-point of the Project management. The aim of this section is to introduce the leadership process, the empowerment, the communication, the integration procedures and the relations between the members of a group, in the context of project management and organisational learning. The Project Leader’s competencies are considered. Conflicts’ management is a natural conclusion of this section.

 

Attending students are required to take a final written exam at the end of the course. In addition a small research made in team is required before the exam.

The student’s evaluation is structured in this way:

40% research;

20% team working;

40% final exam.

 

Not attending students are required to take a final oral exam.

Text book:

·         “Managing High-Technology Programs and Projects” Russell D. Archibald (1997) – Wiley N.Y. USA.

 

Documentation provided by teachers (slide, papers etc.)

 

Useful text book for attending students

·         Russell D. Archibald, Managing High-Technology Programs and Projects, 1997, Wiley & Sons, New York

·         Kerzner Harold, Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling and Controlling, 6^th. Ed., 1998, Wiley & Sons, New York.