This course is part of the Managing Major Engineering Projects Specialization

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Dr Giorgio Locatelli

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Managing Major Engineering Projects SpecializationUniversity of Leeds

About this Course

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Manage large projects by identifying their key characteristics, examining the key factors and risks that affect their performance and exploring methods to counter their impact on the successful delivery of projects.
Looking into examples of best practice, you'll explore the relationship between projects, programmes and portfolios.  You'll also discover the roles performed by the project manager, examine the difficulties associated with quantifying transaction costs in major project management and consider how different management approaches impact on these costs. Optimism bias and strategic misinterpretation regularly cause delays to major engineering projects. Using stimulating case studies, you'll evaluate the measures of success and compare and contrast 'project success' versus 'project management success'. In the final week of the course, you'll research and present a contemporary example of a major engineering project from your own country. 

This course explores concepts analysed in the University’s Online MSc in Engineering Management. If you are interested to develop your skills further, take a look at our online degree.

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Course 1 of 3 in the

Managing Major Engineering Projects Specialization

Intermediate Level

This course is ideal for graduates from engineering, science and other numerate subjects or for professionals with relevant work experience.

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

What you will learn

Understand the key phases of a project life cycle

Discriminate between projects, programmes and portfolios and identify the key characteristics of major projects

Define forms of bias and strategic misinterpretation and ways of mitigating against them

Analyse the cost and time performance indicators of major projects

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 3 in the

Managing Major Engineering Projects Specialization

Intermediate Level

This course is ideal for graduates from engineering, science and other numerate subjects or for professionals with relevant work experience.

Approx. 19 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Italian, Portuguese (Brazilian), Vietnamese, German, Russian, English, Spanish

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.68/5 (232 Ratings)

Dr Giorgio Locatelli

Lecturer of Infrastructure Procurement and Management

School of Civil Engineering

20,099 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

University of Leeds

Established in 1904, the University of Leeds is ranked in the top 10 universities in the UK, globally renowned for its excellence in teaching and quality of research. Our academic expertise and the breadth of disciplines we cover, provides a wealth of opportunities and has real impact worldwide.

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating98%(2,905 ratings)

Week

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Major engineering project performance

4 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 15 min), 18 readings, 2 quizzes

3 videos

Introduction from Giorgio2m

Projects, sub-projects and operations6m

Project life cycle theories6m

18 readings

Welcome to Major engineering project performance10m

Introduction10m

Research and further reading10m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

What is a project?10m

Who is a project manager and what is project management?5m

Project management duties10m

Quiz introduction1m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

Types of project life cycles10m

The phases of the infrastructure life cycle5m

Quiz introduction1m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

Apply your understanding: creating a project life cycle30m

References2m

2 practice exercises

Project management duties30m

Test your understanding30m

Week

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Programmes, portfolios and transaction costs

4 hours to complete

1 video (Total 9 min), 16 readings, 1 quiz

1 video

Transaction costs9m

16 readings

Welcome to the week1m

Lesson overview1m

What are programmes and portfolios?10m

Case study: the Milan Expo10m

What are the challenges of programme management?10m

What is a portfolio?5m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

Case study: The nuclear industry in the USA and South Korea10m

Analysis: the South Korean nuclear industry10m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

Critical analysis1h

Lesson overview1m

Writing your reflections30m

References2m

1 practice exercise

Critical analysis task30m

Week

Week 3

4 hours to complete

Time and cost in major projects

4 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 15 min), 18 readings, 1 quiz

2 videos

Cost and time performance of major projects6m

Other reasons to explain over-budget and delay8m

18 readings

Welcome to the week1m

Lesson overview1m

What is a major project?10m

What types of risks are involved in major projects?10m

What is the iron triangle?10m

Error and inaccuracy in major projects: the example of infrastructure projects10m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

What is optimism bias?5m

How can you reduce the impact of optimism bias?10m

What is strategic misinterpretation?5m

Strategic misinterpretation: mitigating its impact10m

Optimism bias and strategic misinterpretation in context5m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

Your research task1h

What is peer review?15m

References2m

Week

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Project management success vs project success

4 hours to complete

18 readings

18 readings

Welcome to the week1m

Lesson overview1m

What is a measure of success in major project management?5m

Case study: Motorola Iridium10m

Motorola Iridium: an analysis5m

Main contractor perspective5m

How should you measure project success?10m

Extended perspective15m

Lesson summary1m

Lesson overview1m

Turner and Zolin framework5m

Quiz introduction1m

Case study: the Tower of Pisa10m

Case study: the Thames Barrier10m

Quiz introduction1m

Lesson summary1m

Writing your reflections30m

References2m

2 practice exercises

Turner and Zolin Framework30m

Test your understanding30m

Reviews

4.7

172 reviews

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TOP REVIEWS FROM MAJOR ENGINEERING PROJECT PERFORMANCE

by RSNov 29, 2020

AWESOME PROCESS OF LEARNING!!!! The best course I've ever taken so far. Very clear, original, and really highlight the important topics with an extra case study. Just, AWESOME!

by JSJul 19, 2020

A great learning experience, more of case studies and theories, but having a practical sense of this course. Will be helpful for me in the completion of my bachelor's degree

by MKJun 20, 2020

it gives very good knowledge of the wind power utilization with with clear explanation of installation, design calculations, problems and Economic consideration. i liked it

by SMApr 18, 2020

The course is beautifully designed in a very crisp manner which makes it easy to understand. The real-time project scenarios and the assignments make the course robust.

View all reviews

About the Managing Major Engineering Projects Specialization

Accelerate your career by improving your project management skills. This Specialization delivers a rigorous exploration of the best practices for planning and delivering these major engineering projects. You’ll learn about the measures of success, how to resolve challenges of governance and typical financing approaches of these projects.

If you are an engineer or a project manager and you aspire to get involved with major engineering projects, or you are already working on one, then this Specialization is for you. Master your project management skills and prepare to develop your career in engineering. This specialization is based on content from the Online MSc in Engineering Management. If you interested to develop your career further, take a look at our online degree.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You'll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. You'll need to complete this step for each course in the Specialization, including the Capstone Project. Learn more.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Major Engineering Project Performance