Project Management in and across Organisations 5 credits

Projects are a way of organising dynamic activities such as strategy development, organisational change, product development, and innovation. They are organised temporarily to focus on accomplishing a specific mission. This course provides you with tools and insights on how to manage projects (scope, time, and cost), as well as how to align each project with other projects and business goals and strategies. In this course, you explore the full project life cycle - initiate, plan, execute, monitor and control, and close - with emphasis on core processes and key decision points. You will learn to develop business cases, create project charters, and plan for scope, time, cost, and risk. The course introduces essential tools for monitoring progress and managing change, helping you understand what increases the likelihood of project success. Because projects are temporary structures within permanent organisations, you will examine how they interact with line functions, where tension over resources and accountability often occurs. You will also explore how different organisational context shapes project outcomes, including the challenges of working across departments or in inter-organisational settings such as networks and supply chains. The course briefly introduces portfolio-level considerations and governance structures to provide a broader understanding of how projects fit into strategic priorities. By the end, you will be able to initiate and run a project, apply essential tools and methods, create solid project documentation, and establish governance that supports successful delivery. You will also be able to shape initiatives aligned with strategic priorities, understand how organisational context and PMO structures impact project success, and anticipate and handle stakeholder expectations across different settings.