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Assessing Project Management Learning How can it make a difference?. ‘One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try’ - Sophocles, 400BC. Presented by Steve Barron s.barron@lancaster.ac.uk. Steve Barron is Director of the
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Assessing Project Management LearningHow can it make a difference? ‘One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try’ - Sophocles, 400BC Presented by Steve Barron s.barron@lancaster.ac.uk Steve Barron is Director of the MSc/Diploma in Project Management (in Practice)
Content of the Presentation • Effectively managing projects today • Learning and Assessment • The Lancaster MSc Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Audience for PM Learning • Mature practitioners • Experience with project working in organisations • Some knowledge of PM language and process • Majority have a “technical” background Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Project Management versus “Technology” Facilitates Project Work (maximises chance of success and minimises chance of failure) “Real Work” (often concentrates at low level) Frames Do they demand different types of thinking/action? Industry-specific Technical-expert Knowledge Project Management Knowledge Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Assembly line, 1913 Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Efficient ‘Doing the job right’ 3 Types of Management? What is a project? Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Changing with the times…. Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Projects demand “joined-up” thinking A System A Heap “A system is an entity that maintains its existence and functions as a whole through the interaction of its parts” O’Connor & McDermott (1997) Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Projects demand “joined-up” thinking Project Requirement Deliverables, Milestones, Assumptions Constraints Objectives, Strategy, MoS. Traceability Network WBS Mitigation Id. Risks Schedule & Budgets Estimates Risks Resource Grossly simplified Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Project Management today • Technical or Management? • Unskilled or Knowledge workers? • Repeated or Unique? • Complicated or Complex? • Tricks or Systems? Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Learning and Assessment How can learning and assessment theories inform how programmes can provide successful project managers? Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Approaches to Learning Surface Learning: Busy doing nothing Deep Learning: Climb every mountain, ford every stream Strategic Learning: Just reviewing the situation Entwistle (1996) Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Hierarchy of Learning Expert Proficient Competent Advanced Beginner Novice From Dreyfus 1986 Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Learning Transfer Transfer Transfer Knight & Yorke (2003) Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Assessment Provides Focus “Assessment is the most powerful lever teachers have to influence the way students respond to courses and behave as learners.”Gibbs (1999) Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Assessment Provides Focus Personal qualities, e.g.self-awareness, initiative, E.I. Core Skills, e.g.self-management, listening, creativity Process Skills, e.g.prioritizing, influencing, decision making Knight & Yorke (2003, p151) Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Learning and Assessment Strategic learning Level of Expertise Near transfer Far transfer Assess process application Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
The Lancaster MSc "If the relevant skill is unicycling, we should not be asking the students to write a history of the Unicycle or to describe the parts of the unicycle or indeed give instructions on how to mount a Unicycle: instead we should assess them on doing it!”Brown and Glasner (1999, 8) Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
The Lancaster MSc Project NOT Technical Management Project NOT Operations Management Systems Approach Real Project Work Strategic Approach to Learning Focus on Far Transfer Process Skills Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Personal Engagement Real Deliverables Real stakeholders Personal commitment Real Deadlines Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Personal Engagement Real Deliverables Real stakeholders Personal commitment Real Deadlines Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Group Project Real Deliverables Real stakeholders Behaviours and values Team working Personal and Shared commitment Real Deadlines Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
In Summary • The nature of today’s projects • Learning and assessment challenges • Real projects and “Far transfer” Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)
Learning by Doing ‘One must learn by doing the thing, for though you think you know it, you have no certainty until you try’ - Sophocles, 400BC Steve Barron, Project Management (in Practice)