BTEC INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS

UNIT 31: EFFECTIVE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Unit 31: Effective Project Management

Delivery guidance

Approaching the unit

Project management is integral to the running of business organisations. Project

managers work across all business departments, managing processes such as product
development, infrastructure change, integrating new systems or establishing new
teams. This unit aims to develop learners’ project management skills, including:
communication, teamwork, time-management and problem-solving skills. It provides an
insight into a career in project management.

It would be useful to start by introducing learners to the essential features that make up
a business project, which are:

● a series of interrelated tasks

● a specific planned outcome

● a given time period.

Learners can explore these different features by looking at local projects with which
they may be familiar, such as the construction of a new housing project or a new
shopping centre. Learners could consider some of the decisions that need to be taken
by the project manager responsible for the projects.

Following this, you could introduce learners to the management functions that need to
be employed in order to move the project forward:

● planning

● organising

● coordinating

● controlling

● monitoring.

Ask learners to provide examples of each of these functions in relation to the project
activities they have already considered. For example, for a construction project, learners
could complete a table highlighting a range of different project activities and the
management functions that could be applied to each of these activities.

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Table 1 is an example of the type of table that could be completed by learners so that
they begin to understand the relationship between project features, project activities
and management functions. Completing the table will enable learners to draw upon
themes developed in other units in the programme. For example, in Unit 1: Exploring
Business, learners will have considered the influence of stakeholders and target-setting.
In the context of project management, learners should therefore be made aware of the
possible impact of project outcomes on key stakeholder groups. Similarly, SMART
targets will be an integral part of the project management process if project deadlines
are to be met.

Table 1: The relationship between project features, project activities and

management functions.

Features of a project Examples of project Management functions

activities
A series of interrelated tasks Prepare the project plan as a ● Planning
series of stages
● Coordinating
● Organising

Specific planned outcome Identify the specific project ● Monitoring

outcome mapped against the
project specification

A given time period Set targets for each stage of the ● Controlling
project plan
● Monitoring
● Organising
● Coordinating

The main functions of management are covered in Unit 6: Principles of Management and
explored further in Unit 7: Business Decision Making. However, introducing them here will
enable you to contextualise these functions in terms of the different types of business
decisions that will be addressed when implementing a business project:

● strategic decisions – ‘the big picture’ i.e. project outcomes

● tactical decisions – the specific actions required to take the project forward

● operational decisions – the day-to-day decisions involving the implementation of

specific actions.

For a specific project, learners could be given a list of decisions that need to be taken,
and then asked to classify the decisions according to the three categories above.

Once the learners have reached this stage, they should begin to understand the
importance of management information in the project management process and how
such information can aid strategic, tactical and operational decisions. For example, you
could ask learners to consider project activities in relation to management information
requirements. Any project will require a set of resources, and management information
will be required to enable the project manager to assess costs against the project
budget. This may require the project manager to make tactical decisions to secure value
for money in the procurement of project resources.

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The final aspect of this introductory phase of the unit will be to summarise the three
elements key to successful project management. These three elements – scope, time
and cost – are collectively referred to as the project management triangle or the triple
constraint. You are advised to explain the relationship between these three elements in
a simple diagram, such as Figure 1, which your learners can refer to when undertaking
their assignments for this unit.

Scope

QUALITY

Time Costs/
resources

Figure 1: The project management triangle

Learners need to understand that changes in the cost, time, or scope of the project may
impact on the quality of the completed project. For example, you could give them a
project that involves building a new factory. If the owners of the business decide to
increase the size of the new factory (scope), the project will require additional resources
(cost) and the completion time may have to be extended (time).

The central point to consider is that changing the scope, time and cost of the project
may impact upon the overall quality of the project outcome. If the budget for a housing
development is reduced, this will have an impact upon project procurement decisions
and may result in lower quality building material being used, which may result in the
expectations of people who purchase the houses (the stakeholders) not being met. You
need to make learners aware of the impact of such an outcome on the reputation of the
construction company and, indirectly, on that of the project manager.

Sometimes the scope, time and costs of a project can be affected by external factors
beyond the control of the project manager. For example, the cost of materials used in
the project may increase, disruption to the project plan or schedule may arise due to
shortages in materials or, in the case of a construction site, the weather. Introducing
such factors into this unit will enable learners to understand the nature of project risks
and how such risks can be identified and managed. Learners should understand the
tasks that need to be undertaken prior to starting a project in terms of risk
identification, risk evaluation, risk planning and risk management.

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Give learners the opportunity to participate in practical project management activities.

The scope of these project management activities will be largely dependent on the
opportunities available to your Centre’s capacity; you will need to be creative in
identifying these activities.

The type of project activities that would enable learners to exhibit project management
skills include:

● working with a local or national charity to raise funds for a particular cause

● organising a social event in the Centre

● renovating a student common room.

Whatever projects are chosen, the essential features outlined in the introduction to this
guide will provide a logical approach that learners can apply in order to implement
effective project management.

You can use a range of delivery methods for this unit, such as:

● discussion – class and small group discussions, such as on examples of business

projects and their features

● individual and/or paired completion of project plans

● case studies and scenarios on successful and unsuccessful business projects.

Group work is an acceptable form of delivery for aspects of the unit, but you must ensure
that learners individually produce evidence that is sufficient for assessment.

You can involve local employers in the delivery of this unit by inviting them to
collaborate as:

● guest speakers from the Centre or from local organisations who have been involved
in project management

● providers of work experience for learners and of business materials to use as a basis
for case studies and exemplars

● mentors for learners.

Delivering the learning aims

Learners should be introduced to the concept of project management. This will

contextualise the content of learning aim A so that learners will have a clear
understanding of:

● the features of a business project

● the management function applied in relation to project activities and features

● the classification of business decisions

● the project management triangle.

Approaching the learning aim in this way will enable learners to understand some of the
more complex project methodologies referred to in the unit content. Learners should
explore case studies of business projects and be encouraged to identify the basic
principles of project management in a practical context.

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You could introduce the topic to learners by giving a presentation on the project life
cycle and on project management tools used by project managers to plan and monitor
project activities. Learners should also be introduced to planning tools such as
schedules, critical path analysis (CPA) and Gantt charts in relation to simple projects or
tasks. Give them opportunities to practise using these in context.

For example, all three project management tools could be applied to projects such as
refurbishing a classroom, or a room in their own living accommodation.

Learners will have been taught about stakeholders in Unit 1: Exploring Business. They will
now need to consider the impact of stakeholders on a project, and the impact of the
project on them. This links to the responsibilities of a project manager as set against the
management functions, and learners should understand the project manager’s role as
the link between the financiers of the project (i.e. the business owners) and those
stakeholders who may be impacted by, or impact on, project activities and project
outcomes. For example, some project activities may impact adversely on the local
community. The project manager may be required to provide reports to the business
owners on the duration of any short-term disruption to the local community. Project
managers may also be called upon to attend meetings with external stakeholders to
respond to their concerns.

Learning aims B and C require you to think creatively since learners are required to
plan, manage and review a project. Teamwork is central to delivering these learning
aims as learners will be required to work in groups, with each team member allocated
different aspects of the project management function. Over the period of the project,
these functions can be reallocated so that each learner in the group has the opportunity
to lead the group.

Each group will be responsible for setting the objectives of their project plan, but
individual learners must prepare their own version of this plan and you must monitor
individual project plans to ensure their authenticity. Similarly, individual learners in each
group must prepare their own versions of Gantt charts and other project management
tools.

Maintaining an ongoing log of project activities will assist learners when they come to
prepare their written report, which forms the basis of assessment for learning aims B
and C. This will be particularly useful in providing evidence for learning aim C, which
requires learners to review the project management tools used and reflect on the
overall effectiveness of the management methods, processes, and tools applied. An
ongoing log of project activities will allow learners to record the factors that impacted
on the scope, time and cost/resources of the project and how these were addressed by
the project manager. Similarly, the log of ongoing activities can be used to record
whether timescales were met and the reasons for any delays.

All of these factors should link to the original risk analysis and management plan
prepared prior to the commencement of the project and used to evaluate the
effectiveness of the planning stage of the project. Any factors that emerged during the
completion of the project and not included in the initial risk analysis should be identified
and learners must provide evidence to show how these were managed and addressed.

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Assessment model

Learning aim Key content areas Recommended

assessment approach
A Examine the principles and A1 The project life cycle An individual report identifying
practices of project the importance of project
A2 Methodologies and planning
management management, and the
tools
methods, processes and tools
A3 Stakeholders and available to project managers.
the role of the project
manager

B Plan a project to meet specific B1 Elements of a project plan Learners plan, manage and
business objectives review a project. Evidence of
B2 Project outcomes
this, such as a project plan,
B3 Planning tools diary entries, minutes of
B4 Risks and contingency plans meetings, witness statements,
assessor records, must be
C Manage a project, reflecting C1 Manage time and resources presented.
on the success of the against a plan A written report could record
management methods,
C2 Review project management project outcomes and evaluate
processes and tools applied the success of the techniques,
methodologies and tools
methods and tools used to
manage the project. The report
could conclude with a detailed
consideration of alternative
approaches that could be used
with future projects of this
type.

Assessment guidance

This unit is internally assessed. The recommended assessment is through two internal
assignments. Pearson have provided Authorised Assignment Briefs that you can use for
this unit. The first covers learning aim A and the second covers learning aims B and C.

An assignment is a distinct activity, completed independently by learners, that is

separate from teaching, practice, exploration and other activities that learners complete
with direction from tutors. All learners must independently generate individual evidence
that can be authenticated.

The main source of evidence for learning aim A is an individual written report, which
should evidence learners’ understanding of the essential principles of project
management and their application in a business setting. Rather than regarding this
assessment in isolation, it may be useful to consider the report produced as providing
the context and the background for introducing the second assessment.

For learning aims B and C, learners will produce an individual comprehensive report,
which tracks the planning and implementation of a project and reflects on success. It

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encourages learners to apply their knowledge and understanding of effective project

management in a practical setting.

All of the proposed projects need to be authorised by you before they commence. In
some cases, projects can be scaled down so that they become more realistic in terms of
project activities and outcomes.

Resources to support the project could be allocated by the Centre, or can come from
external sources. For example, charities may be willing to provide promotional materials
or products on a sale or return basis. Similarly, there may be a local business that is
willing to support or sponsor particular projects linked to their own core business
activities.

This assignment may involve group work, but the report presented by learners must be
their own individual work and authenticated as such. Your observation records may be
used as supplementary evidence, but they are not sufficient sources of learner evidence
on their own. Observation records must be supported by the original learner-generated
evidence.

Learners should keep an ongoing log of project activities. This is a useful piece of
evidence that can be used to authenticate that the report is the learner’s own work. In
addition, you can observe project team meetings to assess the contribution of individual
learners to the management of the project.

There is no set format for the report, but it should follow general business conventions
and include section headings and recommendations. Learners may find it useful to
include a series of appendices drawn from evidence generated over the duration of the
project; this could include evidence of their application of project management tools.
Project risk analysis, risk management plans and associated contingency plans can be
produced in a tabular format for inclusion in the final report.

The project report should include an evaluation of planned project outcomes against
actual project outcomes. A key feature of the report is to allow learners to present
evidence of how their application of project management would change given the
opportunity of hindsight. This will require the learner to show both analytical and
evaluative skills in reaching conclusions on their report.

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Getting started

This provides you with a starting place for one way of delivering the unit, based
around the recommended assessment approach in the specification.

Unit 31: Effective Project Management

Introduction

Introduce learners to the concept of a business project and discuss with them any
pre-existing experience they may have of business projects. Lead a class discussion to identify the
features of a business project, which will be carried forward throughout the delivery of the unit. It
would be useful for learners to compile a glossary of terms used in project management, which
they will continuously update throughout the duration of the course. The glossary could be used
as the basis for short quizzes and tests, which could act as lead-in activities to some of the
lessons.

Learning aim A – Examine the principles and practices of project management

● Start by asking learners to give an example of a simple project from their own lives. For
example, their living accommodation may have recently been decorated or refurbished, they
may have moved home or they may have planned a holiday. All of these examples will involve
project management skills.
● Follow this by leading a class discussion using an example of a local business project, such as
the construction of a new housing project or a new shopping centre, and identifying how
project management principles could be applied.
● Give a presentation on the essential features of project management and ask learners to use
the local business project to identify how these principles could have been applied. Learners
could consider some of the decisions that need to be taken by the project manager
responsible for the project.
● Invite a guest speaker, who has experience of managing a project, to give a presentation on
the stages of a project and how the project was managed.
● Show learners some short video clips on project management and how the functions of
management are applied by a project manager.
● Ask learners to work in pairs to use project management tools in relation to simple projects
(for example, planning a family holiday). Ask learners to share their findings with the class.
● Show learners a short video clip on project management tools in a business context and
discuss their application.
● Extend learning by asking learners to write a short report that identifies the potential direct
and indirect issues that may arise when implementing a project. For example, how would a
project manager deal with rising costs or disruption to supplies? What sort of conflicts could
arise with external stakeholders and how could these be addressed?
Ensure that all learners are prepared for assessment before handing out the assignment brief for
learning aim A.

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Learning aim B – Plan a project to meet specific business objectives

● Give a presentation on the elements of a project plan.
● Ask learners to work in pairs to research project plans and discuss which are successful. Case
study materials may be used.
● Lead a class discussion on the importance of the planning stage when considering whether or
not the project and the associated project outcomes are realistic. Extend learning by asking
learners to write a short report that takes into account the practical issues and pitfalls relating
to different features of the project triangle – scope, time and costs/resources.
● Give a presentation on the human, physical and human resources needed for different types
of project.
● Give learners examples of projects and ask them to work in small groups to allocate job roles
to each, then discuss their decisions with the class.
● Give a presentation on project outcomes. Recap setting SMART objectives (Specific,
Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound), covered previously in Unit 1: Exploring
Business.
● Extend learning by asking learners to write a short report explaining why project activities and
outcomes should be based upon the principles of SMART objective-setting.
● Ask learners to practise setting SMART objectives.
● Give a presentation on the principles, features, advantages and disadvantages of different
project methodologies and tools, such as Waterfall, Prince2, Agile, Gantt charts and project
management software.
● Lead a discussion on risk and contingency plans and their importance in project planning.
● Ask learners to work in small groups to discuss possible projects that they could plan and
eventually run. These must be realistic regarding resource implications, timescales and project
outcomes and could include:
o working with a local or national charity to raise funds for a cause
o organising a social event in the Centre
o renovating a student common room.
● Ask learners to apply the project triangle (scope, time and cost) to determine whether a
proposed project is realistic, then discuss the findings with the class.

Learning aim C – Manage a project, reflecting on the success of the management

methods, processes and tools applied
● Introduce learning aim C.
● Give a presentation on how to manage time and resources against a plan.
● Lead a discussion on the skills required for project implementation and management. Ask
learners to consider the importance of:
o effective reporting and communication during each stage of the project
o monitoring of timescales and actions required to maintain end date
o monitoring of budget and actions to minimise overspend.

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● Discuss the importance of logging communications and project activities when managing a
project.
● Give a presentation on how to review project management methodologies and tools.
● Ask learners to work in small groups. Give each group a case study example of a project plan
and its outcome. Ask learners to compare the results against the plan and write a short report
that considers:
o the achievement of planned outcomes
o the effectiveness of communication
o whether stakeholder expectations were met
o the reasons for problems and issues and the effectiveness of contingency planning and
solutions
o the contribution of project management tools or techniques to outcomes.
● Use the results from the previous activity to lead a class discussion on possible changes that
could be made in the case of future projects.
● Give a presentation on how reports are used in business to record project outcomes and
evaluate the success of the techniques, methods, and tools used to manage the project.
● Ask learners to work in pairs to prepare a short presentation on how to write a reflective
report. This should include the importance of including alternative approaches that could be
used with future projects. Learners present their findings to the class.
● Ensure that all learners are prepared for assessment before handing out the assignment brief
for learning aims B and C.

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Details of links to other BTEC units and qualifications, and to

other relevant units/qualifications
This unit links with all other units in the specification.

Resources
In addition to the resources listed below, publishers are likely to produce Pearson-
endorsed textbooks that support this unit of the BTEC Internationals in Business. Check
the Pearson website (http://qualifications.pearson.com/endorsed-resources) for more
information as titles achieve endorsement.

Textbooks

Newton, R., Project Management Step by Step: How to Plan and Manage a Highly Successful
Project (2nd Edition), Pearson, 2016, ISBN: 9781292142197

Suitable for tutor use.

Hobbs, P., Project Management (Essential Managers series), DK, 2015,

ISBN: 9780241186312

Suitable for all learners.

Websites

A large number of business case studies can be found by searching online for 'business
case studies’.

Tutor 2 U is a useful website containing resources, case studies, articles and revision
materials. There are also links to other sources of information. Business Balls provides an
introduction to project management and how project management tools are applied.

Pearson is not responsible for the content of any external internet sites. It is essential for tutors to
preview each website before using it in class so as to ensure that the URL is still accurate, relevant and
appropriate. We suggest that tutors bookmark useful websites and consider enabling students to access
them through the school/college intranet.

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