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PIDE School of Economics

PIDE School of Policy, Development and Governance

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PIDE School of Policy, Development and Governance

Public Policy

  • Phd Public Policy and Governance
  • Mphil Public Policy and Governance

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  • Mphil Development Studies

Management Sciences

  • MS Management Sciences
  • MBA (2 Years)

Project Planning and Management (DS-724)

  • Instructor Name: Dr. Anjeela Khurram & Dr. Fizzah Khalid Butt

Prerequisites For this Course:

None

Text Book(s):

  • Erik W. Larson & Clifford F. Gray (2017). Project Management: The managerial Process (7th Edition). (R1)
  • Rossi, P. H., Lipsey, M. W., & Freeman, H. E. (2003). Evaluation: A systematic approach. Sage publications.
  • Imas, L. G. M., & Rist, R. C. (2009). The road to results. The World Bank, 59-74.

Reference Book(s):

  • Schmidt, T. (2009). Strategic project management made simple: Practical tools for leaders and teams. John Wiley & Sons.
  • A Guide to Project management body of knowledge (pmbok® guide) (2017). In Project Management Institute.
  • Verzuh, E. (2015). The fast forward MBA in project management. John Wiley & Sons.

Course Description

This course on Project Management introduces a combo of theory and practices with a focus on public sector and development projects in Pakistan. It combines tools from the Project Management Institute (PMI), the Government of Pakistan’s Planning Commission frameworks (PC-I to PC-V), and international donor standards (e.g., World Bank, UNDP). This course integrates Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) as an integral part to make students learn applying M&E frameworks such as logical frameworks (log frames), key performance indicators (KPIs), and results-based management (RBM).

Course Objectives

This course primarily helps students to better understand the various aspects and challenges related to Project Management. They will be in a position to better evaluate the significance of Project Management across various organizations. They would be able to plan, manage, evaluate, monitor, and execute projects effectively, capitalizing on the methodologies used to manage resources, time and costs. Risk management and outsourcing are other two skills that would enable students mitigate costs in their real life future projects.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of the course, the students will be able to:

  • Understand and explain fundamental principles of project management, including the project lifecycle, stakeholder engagement, scope, time, cost, and risk management.
  • Apply national project planning tools and procedures.
  • Develop practical skills in project scheduling, budgeting, and resource planning using project management software tools such as MS Project, GanttProject, and ClickUp.
  • Design and implement effective Monitoring and Evaluation systems using logical frameworks, key performance indicators, and Results-Based Management to ensure accountability, track progress, and facilitate adaptive learning.
  • Critically evaluate development projects with regard to feasibility, sustainability, institutional alignment, and socio-environmental impacts, especially within the context of Pakistan’s national development priorities and Vision 2025.
  • Interpret and apply PPRA Rules 2004 to ensure transparency, efficiency, and ethical standards in project execution.

Lecture Plan

Session Topic Readings Activities / Instructor
1 Chapter 1: Modern Project Management

  • What is a project?
  • Current Drivers of Project Management
  • Project Governance
  • Types of Projects and Project Cycle
  • Triple Constraint (scope, time, cost)

Chapter 2: Organization Strategy & Project Selection

  • The Strategic Management Process
  • Selection Criteria (Financial & Non-Financial)
  • Modes of Project Implementation
  • Erik & Gray (2017) & PMBOK
  • Understand fundamentals of modern PM, its triple constraint, and project types.
  • Analyze how organizational strategy influences project selection.
 Dr. Anjeela Khurram
2 Chapter 4: Defining the Project

  • Defining the Project Scope
  • Establishing Project Priorities
  • Creating the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

Chapter 5: Estimating Project Times and Costs

  • Methods for Estimating
  • Types of Costs & Refining Estimates
  • Erik & Gray (2017) & PMBOK
  • Develop a project scope & WBS.
  • Apply methods for estimating project time and costs.

Dr. Anjeela Khurram

  • Discussion Case 4.1
  • Case 5.1
3 Chapter 6: Developing a Project Plan

  • Developing the Project Network
  • Network Computation (Forward/Backward Pass)
  • Full Project Cycle (Idea to Delivery in Public Sector)
  • Erik & Gray (2017) & PMBOK
  • Create a project network using forward/backward pass.
  • Explain the public-sector project cycle in Pakistan (PC-1 to PC-IV).

Dr. Anjeela Khurram

  • Home Assignments
4 Procurement & Contract Management (PPRA Rules 2004)

  • Procurement Lifecycle
  • Red Flags in Procurement Audits
  • Case: Procurement Delays in Highway Project (NHA)
  • Public Procurement Rules: www.ppra.org.pk
  • ADB (2017). Handbook for Project Economic Analysis.
 Dr. Anjeela Khurram
5 Chapter 8: Scheduling Resources and Costs

  • Resource Allocation Methods & Constraints

Chapter 9: Reducing Project Duration

  • Options for Accelerating Completion (Crashing)
  • Erik & Gray (2017)
  • Understand resource constraints and methods like crashing to reduce project duration.

Dr. Anjeela Khurram

  • Exercises 1, 8 & 9
6 ClickUp: A workshop

  • Gantt Charts
  • Project Scheduling
  • Milestones
 Dr. Anjeela Khurram
7 Stakeholder Mapping in PM

  • Stakeholder Identification & Register
  • Stakeholder Mapping (Power/Interest Matrix)
  • Stakeholder Engagement Strategies
  • PMBOK Guide
  • World Bank Guidelines on Stakeholder Engagement
 Dr. Anjeela Khurram
8 Public Sector Projects in Pakistan (PC-1 and PSDP)

  • Project Proposal Writing and Presentation
 Guest Lecture / Workshop Materials Dr. Anjeela Khurram
Mid Term Exams
9 Introduction to Result-Based Management (RBM), Monitoring, and Evaluation

  • Traditional vs. Results-Based M&E
  • Phases of RBM
  • 10 Steps to Building an RBM System
  • Ch. 1-2, Rossi
  • Ch. 3, Imas
 Dr. Fizzah Butt
10 Indicators and Logical Framework Approach

  • Characteristics of good indicators
  • Linking indicators with frameworks
 N/A Dr. Fizzah Butt
11 Theory of Change

  • Developing a theory of change
  • Theory of Change vs Log Frame
 Theory of Change by INTRAC Dr. Fizzah Butt
12 Measuring and Monitoring Program Outcomes Ch. 7 Rossi Dr. Fizzah Butt
13 Evaluation Approaches and Design Matrix

  • Types of approaches
  • Impact evaluation
  • Field and Quasi experiments
  • Ch. 5 and 7 Imas
  • Ch. 8 and 9 Rossi
 Dr. Fizzah Butt
14 Risk and Quality Management in Project

  • Risk Framework & Profiling
  • Response Strategy
 N/A Dr. Fizzah Butt
15 Project Closure and Agility in Project Management

  • Traditional versus Agile Methods
  • Agile PM in Action: Scrum
 PMBOK Ch 4-5 Dr. Fizzah Butt
16 Semester end presentations and course wrap up N/A Dr. Fizzah Butt
Final Exam

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