Block 1. Strategic Project Management
1.1. Strategic Project Management
The implementation of business strategies is carried out through project management, specifically, through the management of programs and portfolios, and with the help of governance mechanisms ('Project Governance') and PMO ('Project Management Office') structures. However, it is necessary to first understand some fundamental concepts such as: company, strategy, strategic planning, management styles, structures and cultures organizations.
1.2. Project Scope Management. Project Finance
During this module, students, are going to focus, first, on the Project Scope Management, because reaching the project’s objective is the first check of project management effectiveness and it is clear that this check is prior to the evaluation of the approved schedule and budget. And, second, they will focus on the project finance, since a Project Manager has to be able to understand the language, structure and processes that take place in the financial management of projects; to lead that management and / or to collaborate with financial managers in their development, both at the project level and at the organization level.
Block 2. Project Planning and Control
2.1. Project Schedule Management. Project Cost Management
In this module, students are going to deepen, first, on the project schedule management. This is not a trivial process; it has to draw the attention of the project managers, so a correct estimation of the activities of the schedule (their durations, necessary resources, deliverables, monitoring and control) will be key elements in the achievement of the objectives and goals of the project. And, second, they will focus on the project cost management. Cost management, together with scope and time management, is a part of the foundational pillars of project management. More specifically, the information related to costs is always very sensitive for the steering committee of the project. Besides from making a correct estimation of the project costs, a strict control and monitoring to ensure project success is required.
2.2. Project Quality Management. Project Risk Management
This module is divided in two different parts. In the first one, project quality management, students are going to study current quality management systems and basic principles of Total Quality Management and several current quality models, including EFQM and ISO standards. The differences between the implementation of a Quality Management System in an organization and the development of the Quality Manual will be identified. This will lead to determining their differences with respect to the elaboration of a Quality Plan for project management. In the second part, project risk management, a very broad and detailed view of the current ‘state of the art’ of the professional in charge of managing project risks would be offered.
2.3. Procurement Management and the legal aspects in projects. Projects Sales Management
During this module, students will focus, on the one hand, on the procurement management and the legal aspects in projects. This part of the module will give students the ability to develop the most correct contractual strategy in each single project, as well as to evaluate the most suitable types of contracts for each project deliverable and to elaborate the corresponding bidding documents. On the other hand, students will focus on the project sales management, where students will analyze in which environment offers are developed, how to maximize their effectiveness, how to increase the sale options of the project, (always maintaining a solid basis for its execution), the role of the buyer and the aspects of negotiation and strategic sale.
Block 3. People Project Management
3.1. The human factor in project management. Project change management
During this module, students will focus, first, on the human factor in project management where they will learn topics related to project team management, interpersonal skills and leadership that a good Project Manager should have, as well as the main techniques of conflict resolution. You will know the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct and its application in the Project Management profession. And, second, on the project change management, where they will focus on topics such as change management concepts, organizational project change management and project people change management, among others.
Block 4. Project integration, knowledge management and methodologies
4.1. Project Integration and Knowledge Management. Traditional Methodologies
Along this module, students will focus, fist, on the project integration where they will learn about the integration of actions, the unification, consolidation and coordination necessary to complete the project. And, second, they will deepen on the traditional methodologies, where they will focus on the methodologies or frameworks of projects aligned with the PMBOK® Guide.
Block 5. Agile Project Management
5.1. Agile Methodologies: a change of mentality
The application of Agile Methodologies requires a major change of mentality. To address them, it is necessary to know the fundamental concepts of this type of management and the differences they have with traditional process management, as well as the techniques and tools that are used.
5.2. Application of Agile Methodologies
In this subject students will learn how to choose the most suitable project management approach for each project, having understood the need for the methodology based on innovative products, how they are managed and monitored, what roles are involved and how the high performance teams that are required are managed.
Block 6. Advanced Project Management
6.1. Advanced Project Management
During this subject, the student will be able to do another step forward in the learning process by analysing specific types of project management. Students will focus on topics such as bimodal and multimodal projects, international project management and specific industry project management, among others.
Final Masters' Thesis/Project
The main objective is to carry out a project that allows students to apply the groups of learned processes throughout the program, and at the same time achieving a specialization in the management of a specific project. It focuses on applying best practices from different industries, understanding its benefits and exercising management skills that every Project Manager should have.
Workshops and additional activities
Workshop: Advanced Project Planning Course: MS Project.
The Microsoft Project version Professional application allows planning, scheduling and project control, and is a de facto industry standard. In this workshop and through videos, exercises and debates, the student will be able to obtain an advanced knowledge in the management of the project planning through the use of this tool.
Workshop: Project Management Information Systems (PMIS) and Tools.
This workshop will allow students to obtain skills to analyze, select and apply PMIS (Clarity PPM, Planning IT, Cardinis, EnterpriseTrack, Power Steering, etc.) and Tools (Redmine, Remember The Milk, TeamViewer, etc.); and thus make the daily life of the Project Manager easier. It also explains how to work with the Gartner Magic Quadrant.
Workshop: Project Management Simulation. Simultrain.
SimulTrain is a project management simulation tool developed by STS (https://sts.ch/en) that provides simulation of calls, reception of emails and voice messages to create a realistic project management environment, through which attendees to the workshop can implement fundamental procedures, tools, and techniques of project management learned throughout the Master.This workshop is organized by teams and allows to 'simulate' the role of Project Manager through the planning and management of the execution of a fictitious project, facing the most relevant events that occur in the real life of the management of a project: the customer requests some changes in the scope, difficulty in obtaining the necessary resources, technical difficulties during the development of the product, etc.
Workshop: PMI-PMP certification preparation: Introduction.
During the academic year all the students are registered as members of PMI, being able to access to all the benefits of this membership. It should be noted that, upon completion of the master, the training hours required by PMI are obtained to meet the enrollment requirement for the PMP certification.
The PMP certification is considered fundamental in the professional development of the specialists of different disciplines in diverse industries and it is every day more required in the labor market of the project management. The program is structured in three areas: application, knowledge areas and process groups and practices.
Workshop: PMI-ACP certification preparation: Introduction.
The objective of this workshop is to support student in the preparation process of the PMI certification: Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®). The program is structured in three areas: application, theoretical guide and practical guide.
‘Case studies’: Método del caso
The practical component of the program is essential and complements the theoretical training. Therefore, during the course discussions are held of topics of current or particular interest in each of the subjects, simulations of decision-making applied to real situations or to resolve practical cases where problems and their proposed solutions are analysed from an academic point of view, as well as the criteria taken into account to carry them out.
Webinars
Most of the training is done asynchronously; it means that the exchange of knowledge is done through a software platform that allows sharing written texts without having people to be connected at the same time.
Additionally, in each of the subjects’ synchronous sessions or 'webinars' are organized, in sessions in which all participants are connected at the same time through a program allowing the exchange of knowledge in 'real time'.
Softwares tools
The Masters in Project Management offers a broad and open vision of project management, training students to be experts in project management methodology to ensure successful implementation. To achieve this goal, it is essential to support training through professional software tools that allow students to better understand the concepts and also to know some important and useful tools that surely they will have the opportunity to use in their professional environment.