Overview:
This lesson is mainly a brush-up of PM knowledge taught in the 3rd form. Students will repeat the characteristic features of a project and project management. They remember how to identify the differences between a project and a routine job. They study and practice how to plan and execute a project. To accomplish this, they will have to plan a school event – in this case a Practice Firm Trade Fair/Open House Event – according to the rules and using the methods and techniques of project management.
Connection to the Curriculum:
PMPA: Project Management
Time:
1 unit of 50 minutes a week
Resources required:
PM material of 3rd form Key terms and definitions
Pre-reading pma baseline version 3.0 of Project Management Austria English issue p 6-13
Objectives:
Understand the concept of project management
Be able to distinguish between a project and ongoing operations
Learn how to plan a project
Identify the project environment
Be able to take on different roles in project teams
Knowledge and skills:
Group discussion, persuasive speech, time management
Project management basics
Key concepts
Project management
Projects and sub-projects
Types of project
Ongoing Operations
Procedure
Opening
Short lecture about the importance of project management, necessity of standardised documentation, key terms
Activities
Group work
After a revision of last year’s PM basics students are in a position to carry out the following revision questions and essay questions.
Class feedback: compare the answers
Discuss open questions
Provide correct results
Closing
Teacher’s summary: Short review of purpose and objectives of the PM-curriculum. Presents schedule and topics for the next unit. Suggested homework assignment: Getting familiar with the vocabulary, definitions and key points of the first lesson. Write ideas for the school event down.
Key terms
Project management
The project management is a business process beginning with a project assignment and ending with a project approval.
Objects of consideration:
Project assignment, project objectives, project deliverables, project list of dates, project resources, project costs and project risks
Project organisation and project culture
The project context (pre- and post project phases, project environment, other projects, etc.)
Project
Projects are complex, mostly new, risky and important tasks for the company undertaking the project. They are goaldetermined. The objectives for the scope of work, deadlines, resources and costs are agreed between the project owner and the project manager. Projects are temporary organizations and social systems.
Subprojects
Project management contains the sub-processes project start, project coordination, project controlling and project close-down. Others include project marketing and project crisis management. These sub-processes are related to one another.
Types of projects
Projects can be differentiated by industry, location or objective, level of specification and/or level of repetition, ownership, duration and relation to the organisation’s processes.
Source (Key Terms)
http://www.p-m-a.at/
Revision questions
1. What are the features of a project?
2. Describe the social context of a project (internal and external).
3. Define the term project management.
4. What are the objects of consideration when working on a project?
5. Which sub-processes are parts of the project management process?
6. Name criteria for project differentiation.
7. What are the specific characteristics of a project? What’s the difference between projects and ongoing operations? List three examples for each of them.
8. Identify five factors that might be essential for successful projects.
Essay questions
1. Go to the website of an Austrian newspaper. Look for the “Karriere-Section”. Scan the job ads for “Project manager” job offers. Collect five job ads and list the education and skills requirements for that job.
2. Scan for job ads requesting project management skills. Set up a list of that skills and abilities.
3. What are the benefits of using project management techniques for the performance of tasks?
4. Look at the project school language course St.Petersburg. Describe the subprojects of the project management process by using this example.