Project Flexibility

As unique endeavors, projects are frequently exposed to the unexpected. To manage such uncertainty, flexibility is often required. The course describes how projects are managed and designed for flexibility all project phases. The course also include a critical perspective, and addresses drawbacks of project flexibility. In addition to flexibility, key words include resilience, adaptability and governance. The following topics are addressed: stakeholder analysis, project governance, project models, flexible designs of both the project processes well as the project delivery, assumption surfacing, change management, project resilience, agile project management, project evaluation and uncertainty management. These topics will be illustrated with examples from applications within manufacturing, construction, IT and organizational change projects.

Knowledge, the candidate gets knowledge about:

• Key concepts within the field of project flexibility management.
• Different approaches to flexibility.
• Understanding of advantages and disadvantages of flexibility.
• Tool box for analyzing flexibility.
• How flexibility is seen from different stakeholder’s perspective.

Skills, the candidate can:

• Apply different approaches to achieving flexibility in projects.
• Understand the incentives for different stakeholders related to flexibility.
• Apply key tools for change management in projects.

General competence, the candidate can:

• Understand basic relationships between organisations, projects and the outside world.

Lectures and seminars. Evaluation will be based on a report. The lectures and exercises are in English. Students are free to choose Norwegian or English for written assessments. As a part of the course, students shall write a report on a selected aspect of project flexibility. The report shall be based on the course material, supplemented by further literature that students are expected to find as a part of the course. The report can be designed as a scientific article.

This course is coordinated with TPK4420 FLEKSIBIL PROSJ.