The challenge of major projects

The Challenge of Major Projects is a week long course at Oxford which offers a stimulating opportunity for all those confronting the demands of large complex projects to explore the factors affecting success.

Major projects pose special challenges. They are larger, more complex and offer greater risks and rewards, to society and to those involved in them. Major projects are particularly challenging to those tasked with initiating, planning, implementing and managing them, because they combine complexity and scale, finance and human resources, technology and time pressure. Most have political, legal and environmental dimensions.

This is a highly specialised course which deals with issues rarely dealt with by other training programmes.

The course provides a broad view of the strategic issues involved in major projects in several industries and focuses on planning and environmental, legal and contractual, finance, technology, organisation and human issues. Special attention is given to studying the success and failure of projects from the different perspectives of owners, contractors and others. It particularly concentrates on pressures and tasks in the early phases of projects and studies policy and strategic issues for successful major project development.

These courses have been running each year since 1986 and are continually being enhanced by new case studies and papers, produced by the MPA.

Using this material, senior project managers and recognised experts, the programme focuses on recent projects which have proved especially challenging to management, providing an opportunity to explore both the detailed workings as well as the basic principles of the formation and management of major projects.

Who is the programme for?

• People working in construction, aerospace or information technology based projects, whether as promoters, government, financiers, consultants, manufacturers, contractors or others.
• Senior managers working in the feasibility, design and early implementation stages of projects.
• Those financially responsible for their company's involvement in major projects.
• Those wishing to understand better the strategic issues of project definition, finance and organisation

Case studies

The programme draws on a range of major case studies including:

• Managing Stakeholders in Major Projects: a copper mine case study
• Managing dispersed high-technology projects
• Major issues in Project Management: PFI case studies
• North West Shelf Project, Australia
• Smart Acquisition

Other case studies are added each year.

Major elements

Their are five main elements of the project management covered in the course

• External factors
• Organisation
• Definition
• Technical
• Human relations

1. External factors

• Politics
• Finance
• Economics
• Community
• Environment

2. Organisation

• Structure
• Legal
• Contractual

3. Definition

• Ownership
• Objectives
• Product specification
• Quality
• Risks
• Benefits

4. Technical

• Design
• Technology
• Geophysics

5. Human relations

• Politics
• Finance
• Economics
• Community
• Environment

Major issues

Issues addressed on the course include:

• How major projects are appraised strategically in the business environment
• How the impact of major projects on the community and the environment are assessed and managed
• How projects, especially complex overseas projects, are financed and costs best managed
• The range and benefits of different legal agreements , contracts and joint ventures
  How conflicts of interest are best resolved
• The value of different leadership, managerial and project team approaches.

The course highlights the factors that lead to success and failure in major projects.

Topics also include:

• Effective Project Leadership
• Project Finance
• Risk Allocation
• The Strategic Management of Projects
• Systems Integration

How the course is taught

Our lectures, group assignments and presentations:

• draw on actual experience and expertise in major project management as widely as possible
• relate these examples to the larger principles and frameworks of project management
• maximise active participation and collaboration.

The course is highly interactive: managers learn as much from each other's experience and views as from the lecturers, guest speakers and tutors. MPA past papers and proceedings are available during the course.

Booking and administration

Correspondence

All correspondence concerning the programme and application forms should be addressed to Maggie Latham at the Major Projects Association, Egrove Park, Kennington, Oxford OXI 5NY, England.
Tel: +44 (0)1865 422582 Fax: +44 (0)1865 326068
mpa@templeton.oxford.ac.uk

Cost

The cost of the programme on the application form is inclusive of meals, accommodation and teaching materials. VAT is payable on all college programmes and should be added to the cost. The fee is payable at the time of booking.

Dates

The course is run once a year.

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