National Centre for Project Management (NCPM) University of Hertfordshire Hatfield Hertfordshire AL10 9AB +44 (0)1707 284855 [email protected] go.herts.ac.uk/ncpm
Contents
About NCPM
2
Qualifications 4
Executive Qualifications
6
Business & Corporate
8
Training
10
Publications
12
Research
14
Knowledge Transfer
16
National Centre
for Project
Management
The National Centre for Project Management (NCPM) is an inter-disciplinary centre of excellence based at the University of Hertfordshire, operating in collaboration with industry, government, charities, NGOs and the learned societies.
We foster a trans-disciplinary perspective that covers all aspects of implementing successful project and programme management, regardless of sector.
Vision
NCPM is concerned with providing impartial expertise and competence in the form of studies, recommendations, advice, consultancy, research, education and training in project management.
• Vision statement: NCPM aims to set the
national agenda and establish project management as a major profession and discipline in the UK.
Mission
NCPM will promote the understanding and appreciation of project management and develop the foundation for championing
improvement and growth within the discipline. It will endeavour to share insights gained within smaller disciplinary constraints and make this available to the wider community.
• Mission statement: To foster active dialogue
about the integration of successful practice and theoretical research within project management.
Strategic objectives
• To liaise with organisations interested in the development and promotion of excellence in project management.
• To undertake research and disseminate findings to further the body of knowledge and practice of project management. • To deliver high quality education, training and
degree qualifications for the development of excellence in project management performance.
• To foster collaboration and exchange of project management practice throughout commerce and industry.
• To promote the University of Hertfordshire as a centre of excellence in project management nationally and internationally.
NCPM About NCPM
About NCPM
3
2
Successful projects are an important focus of the NCPM.
We have developed a suite of programmes designed to improve project management capabilities.
Our part-time courses are specially designed for working professionals from any sector, and blend on-campus teaching with distance learning activities and work-based projects.
Become a better project manager
Our Project Management Practice programmes can help you become a better project manager through reflection on how the techniques learned solve real-life problems in your project
environment.
MSc Project Management Practice
This Master's programme is aimed at experienced managers who are moving into project work, or practitioners who have some experience and are planning to take on more responsibilities. Throughout the course you will gain exposure to new perspectives, approaches, frameworks and ideas. Assessment is based around how you apply the learning to your professional practice, making the learning highly relevant.
Another unique feature of the course is that it encourages a high degree of peer learning and sharing of best practice. Students consistently report that they derive great value from the
extended discussions, multiple perspectives and the sharing of previous and current experience on offer.
The programme is based around monthly sessions that encompass formal contact, group interaction, group exercises, group projects and peer feedback and discussion to support the development of reflective practitioners. Each module involves three sets of monthly contact days (for example using the last Thursday and Friday of each month as the regular meeting slot) for a total of six contact days.
For more information on this course, visit
go.herts.ac.uk/PMP
Postgraduate Certificate
If you are new to projects or planning to move into a leadership role, our intensive PgCert in Project Management Practice focuses on the
management and leadership aspects of projects, and will help you develop your knowledge and learn new skills. If you want to go on to further study, the programme structure allows successful PgCert graduates to progress to the full MSc. These programmes can be studied in Hatfield, London, in-company, or at an agreed venue.
“
The support for the course can only be described as exceptional! Having been out of education for nine or so years I find this level of support very reassuring.”
Shane Dewhurst, Project Engineer, HSBC Rail
“
In addition to the learning I got from the whole course and assignments is the understanding of the processes used in management, leadership and project management. As an engineer I am used to dealing in facts and figures and I have struggled with some of the more subjective elements. However I have now realised the benefit from valuing these approaches and I will definitely pass this learning on to my colleagues at work.”
Carl Connor, Control Systems Engineering Manager,
Sellafield
Qualifications
NCPM Qualifications
5
Improve your executive level management skills
Choose from a range of MSc courses aimed at experienced practitioners wanting to improve their project, programme and change management skills.
These programmes run in partnership with award winning industry experts, and include modules focusing on change management, decision-making, organisational problem-solving and the management of major projects and programmes. You will also study research methods and conclude the course with a 60-credit dissertation.
MSc Managing Organisational Change MSc Managing Major Projects
The executive programmes are designed for those managing challenging business transformations or major product developments who wish to develop their professional value. The programmes are provided jointly with CITI, a company which specialises in change management through project and programme management consultancy and development.
Overview
Emphasis is placed on topics that are critical to the success of transformational change initiatives and major product delivery, managed using projects and programmes. The subject areas that make up the MSc have been identified through applied research and consultancy services carried out by CITI, the National Centre for Project Management and other expert bodies. Since 1989, CITI has profiled over 14,000 programme and project managers and reviewed well over 1,000 programmes and projects, carried out in government organisations, multinationals, engineering, IT, financial services and utilities. The findings from this applied research have helped shape a highly practical programme developing high performance behaviours and focused on delivering value from the first module.
PgCert Delivering Organisational Change
The programme is designed to provide practitioners with the knowledge, skills and insights to
successfully run major change projects. The programme contains a mixture of academic and practical elements and, through its modular structure, enables students to take highly practical techniques and tools back into their workplace. The PgCert can be studied independently or can be used as a bridge to further learning at MSc level.
“
Anyone completing this course will come out a better project manager and have more confidence in project success.”
Gavin Ross, BT“
The course has helped me progress at work by understanding different levels of leadership and management. It has also helped me understand the importance of monitoring, and also issues around performance and how this is measured. It's helped me understand how to plan for the journey in planning a project. My work is now more structured and more organised, and both I and my team are reallybenefitting from this.
”
Obstetrics/midwifery manager, NHS
Executive
Qualifications
NCPM Qualifications
7
Business &
Corporate
8
NCPM Business & Corporate
Project management has become a key competence for most organisations in the public and private sectors. Driven by recent business trends such as fewer management layers, greater flexibility, increasing geographical distribution and more project-based work, project management has grown beyond its roots in the construction, engineering and aerospace industries to transform the service, financial, computer and general management sectors.
NCPM provides a variety of services to business, including:
• Access to our expertise in research and development
• Work-focused degree programmes which can be run in-company
• A wide range of short courses which can be adapted to suit the needs of your business • Tailored workshops and masterclasses • Research studies and reports • Consultancy services • Project rescue services • Corporate research services
• A programme of business-focused events and talks
National Project Management Library and Resource Centre
We host the National Project Management Library and Resource Centre in collaboration with the Association for Project Management (APM). This resource can be consulted by
businesses, researchers and practitioners. We offer research, background bibliographies and consulting services.
A selection of organisations that we work with:
“
Connecting up with the NCPM at the University was a no-brainer for us. We really support their vision of helping organisations overcome key challenges and together we are stronger in supporting business growth.”
Shane Suter, Commercial Business Manager,Mitsubishi Electric
Training
10
NCPM Training
Short courses on key project
management skills and competencies
Our non-conventional courses cover many key project management skills and are designed to bring fresh insights, new approaches and a broader prospective.
All of our training can be tailored to suit the individual requirements of an organisation wanting to improve the skill-set of its project staff.
Our courses include:
Project management fundamentals
This course provides delegates with insights to the basic ideas, concepts and techniques of project management.
Leading projects
Determine and develop the core leadership skills and competencies required to lead project teams effectively.
Project auditing
Designed to look at ways of performing project audits in order to maximise benefits to the organisation.
Making decisions
This masterclass will focus on some of the prejudices, influences and predispositions that reduce the effectiveness of decision making and the quality of the resulting decision.
Project risk management
This course covers key topics in current risk management thinking, introducing leading-edge concepts in a practical framework.
Reality risk management
Concentrating on simple techniques that can enable a project to reduce both the likelihood and impact of risks, but at the same time minimise the overheads of managing these risks. This course concentrates on sample standard risks common to most projects.
Earned value management
Understand the principles and practicalities of earned value management and get an up-to-the-minute perspective on how government and industry are/will be using EVM.
Reality time management
Understanding and implementing the principles of time management into daily life can bring dramatic improvements to the quality of life. This course provides practical time management principles that can be easily implemented.
Stakeholder management critical success factors
Why are you undertaking this project? This course is designed to help with the identification of stakeholders and their critical success criteria, how to use this information to manage expectations and formulate meaningful key performance indicators for your projects.
New trends in project management
This one-day masterclass is aimed at practicing project managers interested in the latest developments in PM thinking.
Managing externally funded projects
Learn how to deal with the unique issues posed by managing and coordinating externally funded projects.
Requirements engineering
The most difficult task in many projects is getting the specification right. The next most difficult is keeping it so. Learn about the principles and practice of successful requirements engineering, with tools and techniques that are relevant to all projects in every sector.
“
My capacity in managing projects has been enhanced in terms of developing and producing project proposals, and in implementing them. My performance has improved, which was commented on by my boss and my colleagues.”
Project Manager, overseas development sector
“
The course is very good and I believe it will benefit me in the future. The sessions are all about solutions - a practical approach - not all about theory, which interests me more.”
Project Manager, Royal Mail
NCPM publishes two book series, Advances in
Project Management and Fundamentals of Project Management. The Series Editor is
Professor Darren Dalcher (HonFAPM, FRSA, FBCS, CITP, FCMI) Founder and Director of NCPM.
Advances in Project Management provides
short, state of play guides to the main aspects of new emerging applications, comprehensive monographs and edited anthologies summarising key developments, including sustainability, human factors, project capability and organisation improvement.
The companion series, Fundamentals of Project
Management, provides short guides to a set of
key aspects of project management, including risk, governance, stakeholder management, costing, and programme management. Each guide aims to provide the fundamentals of the subject from a rigorous perspective. Practising professionals and project students alike will find the books authoritative, based on current research but immediately relevant and applicable.
The books are written by acknowledged experts and leading thinkers in project management from all over the world, and have received wide critical acclaim.
“
This is a little gem of a book, bursting with information on every page.... I believe there is a wide audience for this book, ranging from those governing projects through to those managing and supporting projects. Anyone interested in improving their current approach to risk would also find this guide a useful addition to their library.”
John Fisher, Risk Management professional, on
'Managing Risk in Projects' by David Hillson
“
This book provides a complete analysis of project excellence and a unique means of measuring it.”
Daniel Keeling, Head of Quality, Crossrail UK, on
'Managing Quality in Projects' by Ron Basu
“
This book takes project risk management firmly onto a higher and wider plane. For a book which tackles a complex subject with breadth, insight and novelty - it’s remarkable that it is also a really good read.”
Dr Martin Barnes CBE FREng, President, The
Association for Project Management on ‘Tame, Messy and Wicked Risk Leadership’ by David Hancock
“
For me, Program Management simply and concisely explains how realising strategies and bringing in the benefits to the organisation is achievable. This is a first - a theoretical text which really understands what I do.”
Anne Boundford, Program Manager, Thomson Reuters,
on 'Program Management' by Michel Thiry
Publications
Project management research is normally conducted from within traditional disciplinary areas, such as business, IT, engineering or construction. NCPM is the first inter-disciplinary forum fostering synthesis in research and driving the national research agenda.
NCPM undertakes research and disseminates findings, studies and reports to further the body of knowledge and established practice of project management. We focus on emerging areas in which many businesses are increasingly seeking advice.
We have an active multi-disciplinary research network, with a growing group of researchers working on innovative and thought-provoking projects.
Take your study to the next level -Research in Project Management PhD Project Management
Our PhD students focus on expanding the boundaries of project management knowledge whilst solving practical problems. NCPM researchers work on a wide variety of subject areas which are cutting-edge and have practical relevance to the profession. We welcome new applications for study at PhD level.
Professional doctorate in project management
We are developing a professional doctorate in
project management (DPMan) for experienced practitioners. This programme is group-based so will give you a thorough understanding of group dynamics, people, and the way in which they affect change in organisational projects.
Areas of ongoing research:
• Trends in project management • Project success and failure • Evidence-based practice in project
management
• Project management maturity models • Agile, extreme and lean project management • Project management competence
• Knowledge management in projects • Project management benchmarking • Leadership in projects
• Risk and opportunity management • Change management
• Reflective project management practice • Ethics in projects
“
I've been working in industry as a project manager and I wanted to enhance my skills with greaterknowledge by following a research route. I chose the National Centre for Project Management because I felt it was a major repository of project management knowledge and expertise, and would be able to offer me all the expert knowledge and guidance I need to complete my PhD successfully. I'm doing a research
degree partly for my own sense of achievement but also because I felt the whole adventure might open new doors and provide new opportunities which I hadn't previously contemplated.
”
John Onuga, PhD student at NCPMResearch
Knowledge transfer is the process of transferring know-how, technology and skills from a higher education institution to external partners for commercial benefit.
A Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) is a 3-way collaboration between:
• a business • the University
• an exceptional graduate (KTP Associate) KTP gives you access to the University's ideas, expertise and technologies so you can tackle a strategic project with the latest insights and innovation.
NCPM will work with you to embed new capability in projects, solve your business problems and improve your organisation's performance. KTPs are an excellent funding mechanism for companies to work with Universities on a project that has competitive, strategic value to the partnering company.
“
Knowledge Transfer Partnerships (KTP) are about co-creating the right solution for business. Through collaboration a KTP can help to embed new knowledge and skills in an organisation and drive innovation and strategic change in projects.”
Dr Phil Fiddaman