Context statement: Projects are variously executed within or across volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environments, that present various political, economic, social, technological, legal, or environmental (PESTLE) challenges. Project management provides a means of addressing these.
To help better understand project management practice and the context in which it is undertaken, the following coursework task is set. You are to self-select a suitable PPP Case Study, for the purposes of analysis and reflection. The case itself can be either an individual Project, or a Programme, or a Portfolio. However, the ‘unit of analysis’ within the case study report should be that of ‘project management practice’ within this PPP setting. Ultimately, the case study should act as a ‘contextual vehicle’ which you use to absorb and discuss current Project Management knowledge.
Analysis: This written submission should fully introduce the ‘case’, provide the necessary description, and position it within the wider PPP context, before identifying and analysing the key challenges faced, evaluating the solutions produced, and then articulating those generalized ‘lessons learned’ that can inform future project management practice.
Reflection: Through theoretical, and evidence-based perspectives, reflect also upon the key elements of project management practice that you perceive have been applied on the selected PPP case. Discuss this by making use of current and salient academic (and relevant professional) literature from the subject knowledge-base.
Select a suitable PPP case study that is ripe for analysis. This could be a prominent, widely available case, where useful materials are readily and publicly available, or one that the student is currently, or has previously worked on. Such a PPP case should only be one that you have normal access to information. If such a case is a ‘building’ or ‘live site’, then this should only be one that you have the ‘normal’, and ‘necessary’ permissions to access externally and/or internally (i.e., you are not to engage in any trespass of any building/site that you do not have normal permission to enter). Also note, you should not 'coldcontact' professionals to attempt to arrange access to any case that you do not have normal access to.
If you need a discussion to advise if the proposed PPP case is suitable for the purposes of analysis and reflection, then arrange to have this discussion with one of the module tutors by teaching week 8.
In addition to the case study analysis, you should throughout the module, be equipping yourself on aspects of contemporary Project Management practice. To do this and develop your topic specific knowledge and understanding, and help you develop your intellectual skills and abilities in this subject, you are to fully and continuously engage with the academic and professional literature around the art, science, and discipline of Project Management.
Therefore in addition to describing the case study project itself, your coursework submission is expected primarily draw upon, and refer to, the body of academic work in this area, it is also reasonable to expect that some elements in your review will be informed by material issued by credible, relevant, professional institutes within Project Management as these organisations will be useful in highlighting current issues and offering supporting information.
The work is to be appropriately structured and supported through ‘academic’ research using appropriate and quality in-text references which are cited correctly throughout. A separate references list must also be provided at the end of the document.
Any footnotes or endnotes (see related note below).
The work must form a structured and coherent whole. No contents page or superfluous front matter is required. Only a basic front sheet for the submission is to be provided, that identifies the student number (not name), the total number of words used (excluding references section), and the number of figures/tables used.
'Footnotes'/’Endnotes’ will be permitted, as they can offer sufficient value, providing, their use is minimal, sufficiently concise, and appropriate - they offer only 'clarifying' information, or add 'adjacent' value to the sentences already written. In other words, they are not to be used to 'hide' words that would otherwise normally be expected to be contained within the main body of the text, and their use will be considered in accordance with the University word limits policy. The full word limit policy is accessible here: