Universitat Internacional de Catalunya
R+D+I Project Management
Other languages of instruction: Catalan, Spanish
Teaching staff
Questions will be resolved before or after class. Any questions from online students will be answered by videoconference.
Introduction
In this module, students will learn about the most modern and current tools for R&D+i project management, as well as how to manage high-performance teams. The module not only deals with aspects of project management itself, but also looks at taking on requirements and the configuration, management and justification of research projects financed by public agencies.
Pre-course requirements
The Entrepreneurship and Innovation subject.
Objectives
• To understand the basic concepts of project management.
• To understand agile management methodologies.
• To understand methodologies for taking requirements.
• To understand how to manage projects financed by public agencies and the phases involved.
Competences/Learning outcomes of the degree programme
CB3: That students have the ability to gather and interpret relevant data (usually within their study area) to make judgments that include a reflection on relevant issues of a social, scientific or ethical nature.
CB4: That students can transmit information, ideas, problems and solutions to both specialized and non-specialized audiences.
CG10: Designing, writing and executing projects related to the area of Biomedical Sciences.
CG11: Recognizing basic concepts from different fields related to biomedical sciences.
CT1: Developing the capacity for organization and planning appropriate to the moment.
CT3: Developing the capacity for analysis and synthesis.
Learning outcomes of the subject
At the end of the module, the student will:
- Understand the bases for planning, organising, directing and controlling research, development and innovation projects in the field of biomedicine.
- Understand the bases for planning, organising and controlling the assigned workload.
- Understand the Inception Deck methodology for taking requirements.
- Understand agile methodologies for projects (SCRUM) and processes (Kanban), as well as the concept of continuous improvement.
- Understand the different types of financing entities in the public sphere.
- Understand the mechanisms to request, manage and justify funded research projects.
- Understand the basic principles that regulate funded research consortia.
Syllabus
1) Basic concepts in project management
a. Project vs process
b. Waterfall methodologies
c. Process management (Kanban)
d. Continuous improvement
2) Inception Deck
a. Introduction to the methodology and its phases
b. Group exercise to elaborate an inception deck
3) Scrum
a. Introduction to agile methodologies
b. The backlog
c. The sprint and its phases
d. The roles in a Scrum team
e. Retrospective analysis
4) Public funding projects
a. Type of funding entities
b. TRL’s
c. How consortiums are composed
d. Drawing up proposals
e. The Gantt chart
f. Economic and technical justification
Teaching and learning activities
In person
Lectures: 50-minute presentation of a theoretical topic by the lecturer.
Case studies and case methods (CM): Approach to a real or imaginary situation. Students work on questions in small groups or in active interaction with the lecturer and the answers are discussed. The lecturer intervenes actively and, if necessary, contributes new knowledge.
Online education (OE): Online material that the student can consult from the computer, at any time, and that will contribute to independent learning for the concepts on the module.
Evaluation systems and criteria
In person
1) Assessment:
Class participation and behaviour: 20%
Inception Deck presentation: 40%
Multiple choice exam: 40%
2) Retakes: the mark for class participation and behaviour will be maintained, as well as its weighting (20%).
If the Inception Deck is not presented in the first assessment, it cannot be presented in retakes. Therefore, the maximum grade a student can get in a retake is 6/10.
The exam will be repeated in retakes, and continues to have a weight of 40%.
General points to keep in mind about the evaluation system:
1) Participation in class is understood as when students contribute interesting ideas or raise pertinent questions that help improve the quality of the session, whether during a lecture or when studying case methods.
2) Attendance at theoretical classes is not compulsory, but attendees are governed by the guidelines indicated by professors. If students do not arrive on time, they must enter in silence without disturbing or interrupting the class. If they do not attend a minimum of 65% of sessions, the mark students receive for class participation will be reduced.
3) Nevertheless, attendance to the inception deck sessions is highly recommended, since they are related to the subsequent elaboration of the final project, which should demonstrate, in a practical way, what has been learned in the course.
Bibliography and resources
OECD (2015), Frascati Manual 2015: Guidelines for Collecting and Reporting Data on Research and Experimental Development, The Measurement of Scientific, Technological and Innovation Activities, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264239012-en.
The Agile Samurai. Jonathan Rasmusson. The Pragmatic Programmers. 2017.
User stories applied for agile software development. Mike Cohn. Addison-Wesley Signature Series. 2004.
Evaluation period
- E1 19/12/2022 I3 14:00h
- E2 16/06/2023 16:00h