| CODE | SWP3522 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Foundations of Project Management in the Social Sector | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 03 - Years 2, 3, 4 in Modular Undergraduate Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 6 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Social Policy and Social Work | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit provides students with a clear understanding of the distinction between projects and operations, and of the theory underpinning the management of the project life cycle in all its phases. The study-unit helps students to understand the critical issues involved in project governance, project risk, and the management of stakeholders, with particular focus on the social sector. Throughout the study-unit, the students will be provided with important project management tools. During this study-unit, the students will work in small groups to design and plan a small-scale social project. Study-unit Aims: This study-unit aims to prepare students to make a productive contribution to projects in their prospective organisations by imparting the knowledge and skills necessary for the successful design and implementation of projects in the social sector. The study-unit is intended to familiarize students with the processes, procedures, techniques and skills needed for project management in areas of practice related with work in the social sector, that is areas to do with meeting human need that is usually subsumed under social welfare, social policy and social agency work, with some special attention to externally funded projects. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Through key readings and case studies, students will be able to define the essential elements of a project and distinguish it from operations management; - Through worked examples, students will be able to undertake basic feasibility analysis of small social projects; - Given a case study, students will be able to develop appropriate risk management strategies; - Through key readings, students will be able to define project governance requirements and apply them to a real-life project setting. All the above will be aimed at enabling them to apply this understanding to the practice of project management in the social sector, with an amount of special attention to projects involving external funding. 2. Skills By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Given tools on the development of a project lifecycle, students will be able to scope and design a small project, explaining and applying the four phases of a project, namely definition, planning, execution and closure; - Through instruction in the purpose and use of a Logframe matrix, students will be able to apply this matrix to a project idea of their choice; - Given the appropriate tools, students will be able to develop project resource estimates and basic Gantt charts; - Given a set of data, students will be able to develop basic project accounts; - Through a case study, students will describe the processes involved in monitoring and controlling a project. All the above will be aimed at enabling them to apply these skills to the practice of project management in the social sector, with an amount of special attention to projects involving external funding. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Burke, Rory (2013). Project Management: Planning & Control Techniques. UK, Wiley. Supplementary Readings: - Spolander, Gary and Martin, Linda (2012). Successful Project Management in Social Work and Social Care. UK, Jessica Kingsley. - Schwalbe, Kathy (2012). Introduction to Project Management (4th ed.) KS LLC publishers. - Harvard Business Review Press (2003). Managing Projects Large and Small: The Fundamental Skills to Deliver on Budget and on Time. US, HBRP. - Burke, Rory (1999). Project Management: Planning and Control Techniques (3rd ed.). UK, Wiley & Sons. - Young, Trevor (1996). The Handbook of Project Management. UK, Kogan Page. - Wirick, David (2009). Public Sector Project Management. UK, Wiley & Sons. Lohmann,Roger and Lohmann, Nancy (2002). Social administration. US, Columbia Press. - Westland, Jason (2007). The Project Management Lifecycle. US, Kogan Page. - Renz, Patrick (2007). Project Governance: Implementing corporate governance and business ethics in NGOs. US, Springer Physica. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
| METHOD OF ASSESSMENT |
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| LECTURER/S | Edel Cassar |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2024/5. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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