Academic management

Project development is not an exclusive task for the greatest architectural or engineering works. Businesses and organizations implement their strategies using projects. Therefore, projects must be managed properly in order to achieve success. A specific training in project management is required to be able to face the problems and situations that arise in the professional world. One must have knowledge of the different stages in a project, from the very beginning (concept and definition of a project) until it finishes, as well as on the most common techniques for project planning, viability and cost estimation

This subject is also focused on providing the students with the capability of working in dynamic professional environments and managing work teams. It deals with the development of professional skills such as troubleshooting, creativity, team work, information seeking, communication, presentations and public-speaking.

R&D projects are also addressed in this subject. The student will be encouraged to develop and manage such kind of projects, as well as dealing with activities related to technological surveillance or the protection of research findings. 

This is a first semester subject, part of the third year core curriculum (fundamentals module), more precisely within the “projects” category. The subject is taught by lecturers of the Project Engineering Area, belonging to the Mining Explotation and Prospecting Department. The lectures will be given by José Manuel Mesa and Vicente Rodríguez. The classroom practices and the tutorial groups will be taught by Miguel Angel Vigil. Following the guidelines of the Chemistry Deans Committee, this subject prepares the students to develop and sign Chemistry projects and acquire a personal experience on the professional practice.  

There are no specific requirements for the student enrolled in this subject, except those general for the module where this subject is included (General Chemestry; Basic Laboratory Operations and Information Technology Tools). This is not a technical course, therefore no more specific knowledge on this matter is required apart from the skills acquired by the students in the mandatory course module. However, students are advised to enroll and pass all previous subjects, since a general and transversal knowledge of the degree will be required.

Given the cross-cutting nature of this subject, it is therefore oriented towards the acquisition of the following general skills:

And the following specific skills

​After successfully completing this subject, the student would have achieved the following learning outcomes:

• Consult and use scientific information efficiently. As students progress in the study of the subject, the development of the master classes, as well as the engagement in seminars and the nature of the exercises and questions to deal with in the workshops and group tutorials will demand the use of bibliographic sources different from textbooks, which will be generally written in English.

• Acknowledge and analyse new situations in chemistry and make strategies to solve them. Once again, as the students progress in the subject, the will have to face new aspects and chemical multidisciplinary problems. In the last courses of the degree, the student must be self-determined to plan and organize the strategy to follow for problem-solving.

• Write and present reports efficiently.

• Show knowledge and understanding of facts, concepts, principles and theories related to the subject and its implementation for problem-solving.

The contents of this subject are separated into units:

• Unit 1: Fundamentals of the market. Productive factors. General management concepts.
• Unit 2: Assessment of feasibility. Technical, economical, finantial and legal feasibility.
• Unit 3: Project planning and management.
• Unit 4: Budgeting and contracting.
• Unit 5: R&D projects.
• Unit 6: Intelectual and industrial property protection.

This subject includes lectures, classroom practices and group tutorials. The lectures will teach the students the basic concepts of the subject. The classroom practices put into practice the theoretical knowledge by solving problems applied to specific cases. The student will use computer software related to the subject. For the practical implementation of the different aspects of the subject, there will be group tutorials that emulate the process of designing a project, including all stages, from the initial understanding of the problem until the creative stage of searching and assessing solutions, along with the creation of reports and documents. Presentation skills will also be developed, as well as argumentation skills to support and defend our ideas and solutions. Given the limited time assigned to this task, some of it will be made as part of the ongoing assessment.

Exceptionally, if sanitary conditions require it, non-classroom teaching activities may be included. In that case, the student body will be informed of the changes made.

January session examination:

Theoretical content will be evaluated by an written exam which includes theoretical questions and other questions to apply that theoretical knowledge. It will also include practical case studies.

There will be an ongoing assessment during the course consisting assesmente of the student's active participation and the answers provided to questions and exercices during the classes classroom practices and group tutorial classes.

The practice work includes two activities: a group activity with the aim of design a project and an individual activity with the aim to write a report. The groups for the design of a project will be organized as if they were work teams. Each group will have a tutor. The outcome will be orally presented and defended in front of an evaluation panel of teachers of the subject, who will assess the overall performance of the group. Each group member will be individually assessed depending on his/her performance and work within the group. The final mark of the group activity will equally be made up of the group mark and the individual practice mark. If the student does not pass the individual part of the group activity, he/she will be asked to present a complementary work.

In order to pass the subject, each part must be passed with a mark of at least 5 points out of 10. Therefore, the final mark will be the weighted sum of the partial marks.

Final mark = 0,4 x Practice work + 0,5 x written exam + 0,1 x ongoing assessment

June/July session examination:

In this session, the previous works of the January examination will be considered. If the group work has not been done, the student will have to do an individual work, which will be the designing of a project according to a topic provided by the teachers. The student must deliver all the documents demanded and defend it in front of a panel of teachers of the subject. The oral defense of this work will be performed at the date and time of the exam. If the technology surveillance has not been done, the student will have to do it.

In order to pass the subject, each part must be passed with a mark of at least 5 points out of 10. Therefore, the final mark will be the weighted sum of the partial marks:

Final mark = 0,4 x Group work or Individual work + 0,6 x theoretical content assessment

Exceptionally, if sanitary conditions require it, non on-site evaluation methods may be included. In that case, the student body will be informed of the changes made.

Metodología de Gestión de Proyectos PM2. Guía 3.0. Centre of Excellence in PM2, European Commission, 2020

Guía práctica en gestión de proyectos: Aprende a aplicar las técnicas de gestión de proyectos a proyectos reales, Albert Garriga Rodríguez, 2019.

Dirección de Proyectos (2 Tomos) De Cos, Edit síntesis

Técnicas de Programación y Control de Proyectos, C.Romero, Edit Pirámide, 1988.

The project management question and answer book, NEWELL, Michael; GRASHINA, Marina. Amacom, 2003.