The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

THE UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER SCHOOL OF MECHANICAL, AEROSPACE AND CIVIL ENGINEERING

M. Sc. in Management of Projects M. Eng. Aerospace Engineering with Management

MACE60085 and MACE40031 Risk Management

Unit Handbook 2011/12 Academic Session

January 2012

MACE60085/40031

The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

1. About the unit co-ordinator

Hello, my name is Dr. Richard Kirkham and Im the unit co-ordinator for MACE60085/40031. My office is E14 in the Pariser Building. My background is in Construction Management, having obtained a BA at The University of Liverpool. My interests were always in research while I studied there, and I was given an EPSRC research studentship in late 1999 to carry out work on whole life costing for the NHS, for which I was awarded a PhD in 2002. I have worked on multi-million pound research contracts for organisations such as Taylor Woodrow, Skanska and a number of other major PFI/PPP contractors. I was also, prior to Manchester, a senior lecturer in construction project management and quantity surveying at the Liverpool JM University. Today, I am involved in several projects looking at performance measurement, service life prediction and maintenance modelling and whole life costs. I am also involved in a number of external appointments at present, working on projects for Rolls-Royce, Partnerships for Schools (BSF programme) and the Scottish Prison Service (design quality reviews) with the Building Research Establishment. I have previously worked for local authorities delivering procurement advice on social housing schemes and for 3 years with the Carbon Trust as a master-class speaker on whole-life costing. During tutorials you may come into contact with Mr Anthony Waterman (an economist and visiting lecturer) and meet some of my PhD students. I will introduce you to them in due course. This is demanding course unit; I cannot emphasise the importance of completing the pre and post-lecture reading, listening to the video podcasts and completing the crib-sheets. Discussion boards on the VLE are designed to help you, so contribute! Good luck! Dr. Richard J. Kirkham University of Manchester January 2012

January 2012

MACE60085/40031

The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

2. Timetable
This course unit runs weekly throughout Semester 2, commencing Tuesday 31st January 2012.

Keynote Lectures: 09.00-11.00hrs (see timetable for venues) Tutorials: Smeaton (09.00-09.50), Brunel (10.00-10.50), Gresley (11.00-11.50) (all held in E26/E27 Pariser Building unless otherwise advised)

Scheme of Work
Week Numbe r 1 Lecture Introduction to the unit Keynote 1: Who cares what the definition of risk is? Tutorials Communication of risk and uncertainty Pre-lecture/tutorial preparation Chapters 1 and 2 (Merna and Al- Thani) Post-lecture reading/listening Perminova, O et. al (2008) Defining uncertainty in projects a new perspective, International Journal of Project Management, Volume 26, Issue 1, pp 73-79 Cambridge University: Darwin Lecture Series Lecture 4: Risk: Trying to Quantify our Uncertainty Location Weston Theatre, Manchester Conference Centre E26/E27 Pariser Cambridge University Darwin Series Lecture available on iTunes Cambridge University Darwin Series Lecture available on iTunes Notes

BBC Radio 4 Material Work Risk and Uncertainty http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b017mr3t

Tutorials The Psychology of Risk

The Psychology of Risk: Understanding Human Behaviour http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=InVAztkJtFc

Cambridge University: Darwin Lecture Series Lecture 3: Risk and the Brain

E26/E27 Pariser

January 2012

MACE60085/40031

The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering Reading Week

Keynote 2: The complexity of risk

Aritua, B., Smith, N.J and Bower, D.A (2009) Construction client multi- projects A complex adaptive systems perspective. International Journal of Project Management, 27 (1). pp. 72-79. ISSN 0263-7863

Open University: Systems Practice Managing Complexity http://www.open2.net/systems/thinki ng/index.html Work through the web-resources and view the London Docklands Documentary under resources Chapter 11 (Merna and Al-Thani) BBC - Pestons Picks: I could operate trains! http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/therepor ters/robertpeston/2009/07/i_could_o perate_trains.html Work your way through the 15 short video clips on the Open University (Financial strategy and private finance initiative) website at http://itunes.apple.com/gb/itunesu/financial-strategyprivate/id380223879

Weston Theatre, Manchester Conference Centre

Tutorials: Strategy and Enterprise Risk Management

Chapter 7 and 8 (Merna and Al-Thani)

E26/E27 Pariser

Tutorials: Risk Management in Public Sector Projects: Risk Management of Public Private Partnerships and PFI with a special focus Prison Building Projects Tutorials: Risk Workshop Simulation Exercise

Yorkshire Post Article: North Yorkshire County Council Waste PFI

E26/E27 Pariser

STV Scotlands New Super-Jail http://news.stv.tv/scotland/north/295569super-jail-proposal-wins-backing-of-planners/

Cooper, Christine and Taylor, Phil (2005) Independently verified reductionism: prison privatization in Scotland. Human Relations, 58 (4). pp. 497-522. ISSN 0018-7267

9 10 Keynote Lecture 3: Value Management Parts 1 and 2 of The Highways Agency Manual on Value Management

Reading Week Green, S. D. (2001) Towards an integrated script for risk and value Roscoe Theatre B

January 2012

MACE60085/40031

The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering management, International Project Management Journal, 7(1), pp 52- 58

11

Keynote Lecture 4: Knowledge Management

Blaize Horner Reich, Andrew Gemino, (2012) Knowledge management and projectbased knowledge in it projects: A model and preliminary empirical results International Journal of Project Management, In Press, Corrected Proof, Available online 23 January 2012 Examination aide-memoire

University Place Theatre B

12

Revision, exam prep and wrap-up

Crawford House Theatre 1

January 2012

MACE60085/40031

The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

3. Unit Delivery
Keynote lectures will be supplemented by tutorials directed reading and online discussion groups. The first session will, as always, be the meet and greet lecture and I will give you a brief introduction to the content of the unit and explain the topics we will cover in lectures and tutorials. I will also explain how these map to the learning objectives that are set out in the unit specification. Subsequent sessions will try to involve a mix of the following approaches, you will always be advised of the following sessions format in advance allowing you ample time to prepare for it, in order to allow you to gain from the learning experience. Formal lecture Some sessions, including the first, will be delivered via a keynote lecture. At these sessions, the whole group will be in attendance. Please consult the timetable for information on when these lectures are scheduled. Tutorials Some sessions will be delivered via tutorials. You will be assigned to a tutorial group during Week 1, each bearing the name of a wellknown engineer. These will take place in Pariser Building E26/E27. The groups are Smeaton Brunel Gresley

In the week prior to a tutorial session, you will be provided with some discussion stimulus to read/listen/watch in preparation. The tutorial also offers an opportunity to discuss general academic concepts related to the unit and PM generally. You are expected to prepare and contribute to the session. Please attend the correct session; it is very unfair on other students to attend a tutorial session that you are not assigned to. Online-discussion groups During lectures I will provide you with some discussion stimulus, such as a research paper, press article or other publication. Over the following week you should take time to consider the issues raised in the stimulus, and be willing to discuss these online in the discussion group as required
January 2012

MACE60085/40031

The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

Guest lectures I will try to organise some guest speakers, from industry, professional practice and academia to talk to us about some of the concepts we will cover in the module. This will hopefully reinforce the learning objectives whilst giving you a rest from having to listen to me! Please note that we now have a formal programme of Guest Speakers organised by MoP staff please see Blackboard for announcements.

4. Beyond the session

As postgraduates, you will be well aware of the availability of learning material available to assist you throughout your studies. I will generally give you advice on where to look for specific information as we progress through the unit, but it is important that you develop your own research skills as well, this will be invaluable to you in your future career.

5. Blackboard
I will publish each and every lecture presentation onto blackboard for you to download at your convenience (these will be posted AFTER each lecture). Blackboard will also provide you with a wealth of other information on the module such as assessments, websites of interest and module content. NOTE: YOU MUST CHECK BLACKBOARD ON A REGULAR BASIS

6. Module aims and objectives

Building upon the introductory material covered in Semester 1, this unit considers in greater detail and granularity, project risk management as a process of identification, assessment, allocation and management in the achievement of project objectives. We also cover value management, which is concerned with the broader optimisation of strategic issues, the generation of alternative courses of action and the assessment of options. The specific aims and objectives of the unit are available in detail on the Unit Specification. These focus upon developing an understanding of the principles and concepts of risk and value management. You are advised to read the unit specification prior to commencing the unit.

7. Summative Assessment
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January 2012

MACE60085/40031

The University of Manchester

School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering

The assessments take the form of coursework and examination. Each component is weighted 66.6%-33.3% respectively, the latter being the coursework element. The coursework component entails 2 tasks, which will compile to a portfolio that will be marked by myself and inspected by an external examiner.

8. Assessment submission dates

Assessment task Coursework 1 Coursework 2 Task set Tuesday 7th February 2012 Tuesday 7th February 2012 Blackboard submission date Friday 2nd March 2012 23.59GMT Friday 27th April 201223.59GMT

Coursework 1 accounts for 15% of the unit mark Coursework 2 accounts for 18.3% of the unit mark

Late submission attracts a zero mark. Applications for an extension of time are considered in exceptional circumstances but you must use the mitigating circumstances system to flag up issues that are likely to affect your performance in studies. Coursework briefs are issued under separate cover in Week 2 and will be distributed during the scheduled tutorials..

9. Examination date
An unseen exam paper will be set for this unit, and the date of the examination will fall during exam week at the conclusion of Semester 2.

January 2012

MACE60085/40031