Posted: December 27th, 2014

Contemporary Issues

Contemporary Issues

Order Description

Choose two different and contemporary topics of interest in project management and write well-structured, in-depth and critical essays. Each essay will incorporate

academic theory, relevant examples real-world experience. Each essay must include references to a range of academic sources including at least two relevant peer-

reviewed academic papers.

Demonstrating advanced knowledge.  In terms of topics, we are looking for you to demonstrate that you have an advanced knowledge of project management.  The first

question is ‘What is advanced?’  There is no formal definition of advanced.  Instead, by advanced we mean that you have the knowledge, skills and abilities to build on

a basic definitions of project management and view the topic through a more understanding, analytical and critical lens.  For example, if you took the subject of

benefits management, a basic (non-advanced) essay on this topic would follow the format used in the APM BoK to present a descriptive but thorough explanation of what

benefits are, how they are measured, who is responsible for them etc.  There would be example(s) of benefits management in practice.  Taking a more advanced view would

entail the author in assessing and justifying the relative importance of benefits management against the other aspects of PM, seeking information to explain how many

organisation actually use benefits management (against those who say they do), identifying the skills needed to measure benefits, where benefits management starts in

the process, assessing whether benefits management is becoming more or less important over time, tacking the thorny question of how you do measure benefits, who is

responsible for benefits once the project team has been dissolved …?  The author might investigate whether benefits management are viewed with the same importance in

all industries, all cultures, all countries etc.  The author might venture to review the literature in peer reviewed journals and provide a summary of the available

research.  How prevalent is benefits management in PM books or in literature?  Does it always appear?  If not, why not?
Topic selection.  The choice of potential topics is very wide as almost every topic in project management can be viewed from an advanced perspective.  An important

part of the essay is to justify why the topic should be considered advanced.  If you are thinking of tackling a familiar topic (eg one from the iron triangle), see if

you can present it in a novel way or from an unusual perspective.  You can also pick a more contemporary project management issue for example the effect of lean and

agile.  Potential topics include the future direction of project management or whether project management is a profession.  You could choose other areas at the project

level such as stakeholder management, sustainability, scope or change management.  Is project management critical to the future of organisations?  Future role of the

PMO?  What is project success?  The people side of projects also provides potential topics eg what makes a good PM?  How can Myers Briggs aid the project manager?  It

could be interesting to assess trust in project management.  Ethics and project management?  Recruiting, training and retaining PMs?  Away from the project level,

there are many issues around programmes and portfolios.  How about the linkage between strategy and projects?  How is strategy translated into project?  The effect of

knowledge management / culture / structure / … on PM.  Are Project Management Institutes useful?

Reference:
The course text is:
Maylor, H., 2010. Project Management. 4th edition. Essex: Pearson Education
Relevant journals include:
International Journal of Project Management
Project Management Journal

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