About This Course
Project management (PM) is said to have lost its relevance for innovation initiatives, such as new product development (PD). PD projects bring a dynamics of budget, schedule, and quality, which is distinct from the traditional way of managing projects, thus requiring integrated planning among program managers and system engineers.
The Engineering Project Management (EPM) course was designed to take this opportunity. Its main learning objective is that the students became able to create a PM plan for the design and development of a smart product, and where the plan must guarantee the alignment between the management, and engineering goals.
Learning Outcomes
The EPM course is focused on mechanical and mechatronic engineering applications, and on the development of smart products. The project manager role is presented as a person who plans, controls, and optimizes a multi-task project towards a singular goal in a timely and cost-effective manner. The course learning outcomes (LO) are:
LO1. Identify and differentiate the concepts related to project management to strategic manage-ment, operations management, and crisis management.
LO2. Identify and differentiate the concepts related to portfolio, program, project and subproject.
LO3. Create a project management plan according to the 5 project management process groups: Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring & Controlling and Closing.
LO4. Reflect about the strengths, weaknesses, and applications of traditional and agile project man-agement.
LO5. Apply, by exercising during a practical project, tools and techniques from the Project Manage-ment knowledge areas (integration, scope, schedule, cost, quality, resource, communication, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management).
LO6. Integrate, by exercising during a practical project, aspects from lean product development, systems engineering, and the FBS (function-behavior-structure) ontology during the project planning and execution.
Expected Prior Knowledge
No previous knowledge is required.
Course Instructor
dr. M.V.Pereira Pessoa
Thirty two years of professional experience, most of them analysing project proposals as part of acquisition processes, and leading product/system development project teams. Certified Project Management Professional (PMI-PMP) since 2005. Doctor in Science in Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering (2006), when worked in the improvement of the product development process through the application on the Lean Philosophy. Proven management, leadership, negotiation and coaching skills, having managed multidisciplinary project teams with more than 50 highly skilled people, and a project portfolio summing over US$ 50 million in highly regulated mission and safety critical systems. Ten years performing research in the product development processes improvement, which resulted in publications in Product Development and Project Management Congresses, Seminars, and Magazines, and author of the book: The Lean Product Design and Development Journey: A Practical View, published by Springer Verlag.
ECTS Credits
Th online course is 2 ECTS equivalent, while the flipped version of the course is 5 ECTS.
Course Content and Structure
The course is restructured into 5 * 1EC modules: (1) basic EPM concepts, (2) lean project management, (3) value identification, (4) value proposition, and (5) value delivery.
Assessment Methods and Weighting Scheme
Quizzes, 1 individual assignment and 1 group/project assignment.
Recommended Readings and Other Learning Resources and Tools
Pessoa, M. V. P., & Trabasso, L. G. (2017). The Lean Product Design and Development Journey. Springer. ISBN 978-3319467917
PMI (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® guide). -- Sixth edition. ISBN 9781628253825
Language of Instruction
English
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the flipped classroom setting work?
The flipped classroom included learning activities to be executed before-class, in-class, and after class:
Before-class (out-of-class activities): Watching the videos (micro-lectures) presenting the theory and answering the related online quizzes with the support of the reading material, and doing a homework exercise. Elaborating the project deliverables is also part of the homework exercise.
In-class: The students will discuss, interact, debate and solve problems together, with the assistance and guidance from the immediate feedback given by the lecturers. At the beginning of each class a quiz will be performed, followed by a homework group discussion and the solving of specific cases that cover some theoretical tricky aspects. From week 3 on, most of the in-class time will be used to discuss the project deliverables and give feedback to the groups.
After-class (out-of-class activities): The students will reflect on the feedback and upload revised versions of their homework.
Introductory welcoming video:
