Master of Science in Project Management for Creative Practitioners Including Professional Placement

Kingston University

This module examines and covers the key methods and approaches of project management such as agile, scrum, waterfall, and critical path analysis. It will set out the stages of project management, how projects are established and governed and the fundamental principles of management and control such as exception-based reporting, the staged organisation of progress and task completion and measurement processes. The different approaches to project management will be explored and the principle of tailoring project management to suit different contexts will be examined.

This module is based on the provocation that people are one of the key challenges when managing projects. Understanding and appreciating the complexity of people is fundamental to successful project management, their unpredictability, differing agendas, values and attitudes to work and notions of quality and purpose make people a challenging resource within the scope of project management. This is especially the case when managing people with creative sensibilities and identities built on notions of creative expression. The module will cover different sources of motivation, leadership and the notion of super-collaborators, and include the study of tasks such as establishing project teams, describing roles and conferring responsibilities. The skills developed during the module will include active listening, negotiation and the presentation of ideas.

This module develops knowledge and understanding of the resourcing of projects. It will consider aspects of project budgeting, the management of a risk register, types and requirements for governance, the stage-gate process, different options for project management software, business case analysis and formation, strategy, quality and legal assurance management. The module includes use of project management simulation software that gives students experience of the resourcing of projects and provides performance data to use when evaluating a project's completion.

This module builds an effective, practical knowledge of the principles and best practices needed for a professional and ethical, freelance creative career. Students will learn how to answer a commercial brief, how to interact with a client, deliver a creative outcome and be remunerated for that work. An important part of the module is to create a working appreciation of how technology effects, shapes and can enhance their creative career. The module aims to build a self-directed working appreciation of the intellectual property and the wider legal and financial requirements needed to successfully operate as a freelancer, in a chosen field and geographical (country/region) area. Assessments and tasks throughout the module are designed to aid the launch of the student's individual commercial practice, by producing a targeted, industry relevant digital presence (website/blog), and the active forward planning of their freelance creative career.

This module forms the capstone of the degree offering students a real-life opportunity to put into practice the knowledge and skills developed in the previous modules. The module is based around a student-directed and managed project based exercise, involving the design, development and delivery of a portfolio of projects. The students will each design and project manage an aspect of the programme (a sub-project) such as organising the delivery of a launch event, creating the social media and online platform, and organising exhibition displays. The programme will be based on a social issue of their choice and students will build a business case, network with local stakeholders and design and organise fundraising to support the event. The physical programme events will be held at a suitable space in Kingston.