A200SAM Essential Skills for the project manager Module Leader: Sorin Piperca ac1673@coventry.ac.uk Room WM112 Mo 11:00 – 12:30; Tu 13:30 – 15:00

Assignment

Coursework structure Part 1 – Project Initiation Document Project brief Project plan Stakeholders management Risk management Part 2 – Reflection on the skills of the project manager Essential skills of a project manager Your skills so far (if any) Project management skills that you plan to develop in the near future References

Part 1 - Project Initiation Document Project brief – general description of the project with the key elements (scope, budget, timeframe, etc.) Project plan Major activities (at least 15-20 activities) – WBS Gantt chart – with dependencies and (at least) 2 milestones Dependencies – discuss 2-3 examples of activities with different dependencies Stakeholders management Identify relevant stakeholders (at least 10) and place them on the stakeholders matrix Discuss 5 stakeholders from different ‘boxes’ – (i) explain why you consider they have that level of power and interest; (ii) explain which communication strategy you will use; (iii) suggest specific actions to apply this strategy Risk management Risk register – at least 15 risks Discuss in more detail 5 risks – (i) explain why you consider they have this level of impact and probability of occurrence; (ii) propose a strategy to deal with them; (iii) propose specific actions to implement that strategy

Part 2 – Reflection on the skills of the PM Essentials skills of a project manager – From the literature, identify key skills that a project manager needs to have to be effective Explain 2-3 of these skills in detail Project management skills you have. Based on the list above, identify the project management skills you already have Explain 2-3 of them in more detail, providing proof and specific, relevant examples The project management skills that you want to develop Based on the two lists above, identify the project management skills that you intend to develop in the near future (2-3 years); they could be both skills that you already have and want to improve or skills that you do not have, but would like to acquire Provide SMART objectives for 2-3 of these skills, explaining in detail how you plan to develop them (by study, training or experience) and when

Key ideas to remember when writing your coursework Every time you use a framework or a theory, first briefly explain what it is, what this is used for, and what the main advantages and limitations of using it are; use references from academic sources to support your explanation; References – see the CU Harvard guide on Moodle Figures and tables – label them (ex. Figure 1 Stakeholder management matrix) and refer to them in the text (ex. “see Figure 1”) Risk management: depending on the type of risk (positive or negative), there are different strategies you can use to deal with them: Threats – avoid, accept, share, transfer, mitigate Opportunities – exploit, accept, share, enhance No matter which strategy you choose, also propose specific actions! PM skills you have – be honest; also, provide proof and examples; PM skills to develop – show a clear plan (SMART objectives – specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound)

Figures you must have in the assignment Work breakdown structure (WBS) Gantt chart Stakeholders matrix Risk register These are not included in the word count!

Figures and tables to use in the assignment

Stakeholders matrix - Power/interest

Risk register Risk No. Risk description Cause of risk (source) Probability of occurrence Impact on project Risk score Risk response strategy Proposed response actions Risk owner

Work hard!