Project Management
Code: 106938 ECTS Credits: 6| Degree | Type | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Management of Smart and Sustainable Cities | OB | 2 |
Contact
- Name:
- Dario Cottafava
- Email:
- dario.cottafava@uab.cat
Teaching groups languages
You can view this information at the end of this document.
Prerequisites
None in particular
Objectives and Contextualisation
General Objective
The course aims to provide fundamental concepts of business and project management, as well as the necessary competencies and skills to navigate today’s professional landscape related to smart and sustainable cities.
Theoretical Objectives
- Understand core business management concepts, from basic financial statements (balance sheet, income statement) to contemporary business models.
- Analyze classical strategic approaches and integrate stakeholder management, circular economy, and business digitalization.
Practical Objectives
- Learn to use digital project management tools.
- Explore web platforms for rapid prototyping of business ideas.
- Apply agile methodologies and Design Thinking to real-world business challenges.
Project-Based Objective
- Develop a group project that applies course content in a transversal way—from ideation to final presentation—promoting teamwork, interdisciplinary collaboration, and critical reflection.
Learning Outcomes
- CM13 (Competence) Relate the knowledge and skills acquired with those provided by other technicians in interdisciplinary urban teams.
- SM18 (Skill) Develop basic planning and planning instruments in the context of urban management.
- SM19 (Skill) Develop business projects related to the management, equity and sustainability of cities by applying elements of technological innovation.
Content
THEORY
1. Introduction to the management function and business organization
i. What is it a business ? Type of Business
ii. Managerial functions and new directions for management
iii. Leadership, leadership styles, and management skills
iv. Business ethics , corporate social responsibility, and stakeholder management
2. Business strategy
i. Fundamentals of business strategy: the analysis and formulation of a strategy
ii . Sustainability strategy: theory of change and impact assessment
iii. Innovation strategy: Innovation ecosystems and future studies
iv. Towards regenerative strategy: bio, circular, and regenerative economy
v. Regional development strategy: social, solidarity, and collaborative economy
3. Entrepreneurial Function and Initiative
i. Company Creation Process
ii. Business Models. Canvas and Lean Startup
iii. Financial Plan and Business Plan
iv. Financial and Non-Financial KPIs
4. Project Management
i. Project Management Fundamentals
ii. Project Management, Structure, and Phases
iii. Project Planning, Organization, and Execution
iv. Project Management Tools
PRACTICE ( Final group work )
Overview of the topics covered (not necessarily consequentially)
1. Design Thinking and Business Modeling
2. Project Management & Agile Methodologies
3. Lean Startup & BM Canvas
4. Prototyping and Test
5. Financial Plan and Business Plan
PRACTICE ( Practical work in the classroom)
1. Stakeholder Mapping
2. Strategic analysis tool
3. Financial Plan and KPI
4. Theory of Change & Impact Accounting
5. Project Management tools & PERT diagram
Activities and Methodology
| Title | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type: Directed | |||
| Practical classes/Theoretical classes | 45 | 1.8 | |
| Type: Supervised | |||
| Individual tutories | 7.5 | 0.3 | |
| Type: Autonomous | |||
| Preparation and study of the theoretical and practical contents | 90 | 3.6 |
Theoretical classes: Lectures on the concepts of the syllabus, with participation and intervention of the assistants.
Classes of resolution of case studies and real examples: Resolution of problems corresponding to the subject by the assistants.
Discussion about the solution strategies, their analysis and their execution.
Preparation of papers and reports: Case studies that will be raised and solved by the people enrolled in the subject individually or in groups, from which they will make a report (written and / or multimedia).
We will work in a participatory and experimental way in groups and individually.
Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.
Assessment
Continous Assessment Activities
| Title | Weighting | Hours | ECTS | Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Final group work (Design Thinking) | 30% | 0.5 | 0.02 | CM13, SM19 |
| Practical work in the classroom and reports | 20% | 3 | 0.12 | CM13, SM18, SM19 |
| Theory evaluation (partial exams) | 50% | 4 | 0.16 | CM13, SM18, SM19 |
Evaluation Criteria
This subject/module does not provide for the single evaluation system.
The contents of this subject will be evaluated continuously through partial exams and evaluations of the practical part reports:
- Theory evaluation (partial exams): 50% (25% + 25%)
- Final group work (Design Thinking): 30%
- Practical work in the classroom and reports: 20% (10% attendance + 10% practical work)
To pass the subject it will be necessary to obtain a 5 as a weighted global grade and a 3 out of 10 of each evaluation activity to be able to do average. Non-participation in any of the specific activities will be valued with a zero. MH = 10.
A student will be considered as "not evaluable" if he / she does not participate in any of the evaluation activities.
At the end of the course the professor will publish the final grades and the day, time and place of review of the exam. In case of a grade lower than 3.5, the student will have to redo the subject in the next course.
There will be a re-evaluation for those students who have not passed the subject and their final grade is equal to or greater than 3.5. The professors of the subject will decide the modality of this re-evaluation. In case of overcoming the re-evaluation, the final grade will be 5.
Evaluation Activities Calendar
The dates of the different evaluation tests (partial exams, exercises in the classroom, delivery of works, ...) will be announced well in advance during the semester.
"The programmingof the evaluation tests cannot be modified, unless there is an exceptional and dulyjustified reason why an evaluation act cannot be carried out. In this case, the student is responsible for the qualifications, after consulting the teaching staffand to the affected students, they will propose a new program within the corresponding academic period. "Section 1 of Article 115. Calendar of the evaluation activities (Academic Regulations UAB)
Recovery Process
"To participate in the recovery process the students must have been previously evaluated in a set of activities that represent at least two thirds of the total grade of the subject or module." Section 3 Article 112 ter. recovery (UAB Academic Regulations). Students must have obtained an average grade of the subject between 3.5 and 4.9.
The date of this test will be scheduled in the exam calendar. The student who presents himself and passes it will pass the subject with a grade of 5. Otherwise, he will keep the same grade.
Irregularities in Evaluation/Plagiarism
Notwithstanding other disciplinary measures deemed appropriate, and in accordance with current academic regulations, "in the event that the student makes any irregularity that could lead to a significant variation in the grade of an evaluation act, it will be scored with 0 This evaluation act, regardless of the disciplinary process that can be instructed In case of several irregularities occur in the evaluation acts of the same subject, the final grade of this subject will be 0 ". Section 10 of Article 116. Results of the evaluation. (UAB Academic Regulations)
Use of AI
Permitted use: “In this subject, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is permitted as an integral part of the development of the work, provided that the final result reflects a significant contribution by the student inthe analysis and personal reflection. The student must clearly identify which parts have been generated with this technology, specify the tools used and include a critical reflection on how these have influenced the process and the final result of the activity. The lack of transparency in the use of AI will be considered a lack of academic honesty and may lead to a penalty in the grade of the activity, or greater sanctions in serious cases.”
Bibliography
REQUIRED
Slides and ppt
OPTIONAL / TO SUPPORT SLIDES
BOOK
- Heinz Weihrich, Mark V. Cannice, and Harold Koontz. 2019. Management – A Global, Innovative and Entrepreneurial Perspective (15th edition). McGraw Hill.
- Guerras-Martín, L.A. y Navas-López, J.E. (2016). La dirección estratégica de la empresa. Teoría y aplicaciones (5ªadición). Thomson-Civitas, Madrid. EBOOK–Biblioteca UAB.
- Bovee, C. L., & Thill, J. V. (2019). Business in Action, Global Edition. Pearson Education.
- Lewrick, M., Link, P., & Leifer, L. (2020). The design thinking toolbox: A guide to mastering the most popular and valuable innovation methods. John Wiley & Sons.
- OSTERWALDER, A.; PIGNEUR, Y.; CLARK, T. (2011). Generación de modelos de negocio : un manual para visionarios, revolucionarios y retadores. Deusto. Barcelona.
- Goleman, D. (2005). Emotional intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. Bantam.
- Rifkin, J. (2014). The zero marginal cost society: The internet of things, the collaborative commons, and the eclipse of capitalism. Macmillan.
- Raworth, K. (2018). Doughnut economics: Seven ways to think like a 21st century economist. Chelsea Green Publishing.
- RIES, E. (2012): El método del Lean Startup. Deusto. Barcelona.
- Lehmann, H., Hinske, C., de Margerie, V., & Slaveikova Nikolova, A. (2023). The impossibilities of the circular economy: Separating aspirations from reality (p. 333). Taylor & Francis.
- Project Management Institute. (2021, July). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide)–Seventh Edition and The Standard for Project Management. Project Management Institute.
PAPER / CHAPTER
- Laine M., Tregidga H., UnermanJ., (2021), Sustainability Accounting and Accountability, Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003185611
- Pearce, David W. and R. Kerry Turner (1990b). Economics of natural resources and the environment. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press
- Serrat, O. (2017). Theories of Change. In: Knowledge Solutions. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0983-9_24
- Steffen, W., Richardson, K., Rockström, J., Cornell, S. E., Fetzer, I., Bennett, E. M., ... & Sörlin, S. (2015). Planetary boundaries: Guiding human development on a changing planet. Science, 347(6223), 1259855.
- Minttu Laukkanen, Nina Tura, The potential of sharing economy business models for sustainable value creation, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 253, 2020, 120004, ISSN 0959-6526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.120004
- M. Ritter, H. Schanz, The sharing economy: A comprehensive business model framework, Journal of Cleaner Production, Volume 213, 2019, Pages 320-331, ISSN 0959-6526, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.12.154.
- Christina Öberg, Towards a typology of sharing economy business model transformation, Technovation, Volume 123, 2023, 102722, ISSN 0166-4972, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102722.
- Cottafava, Dario, et al. "Assessment of the environmental break-even point for deposit return systems through an LCA analysis of single-use and reusable cups." Sustainable Production and Consumption 27 (2021): 228-241.
- Cottafava, D., & Ritzen, M. (2021). Circularity indicator for residential buildings: Addressing the gap between embodied impacts and design aspects. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 164, 105120.
- Cottafava, D., Riccardo, L., & D'Affuso, C. (2019). From flow to stock. new circular business models for integrated systems: A case study on reusable plastic cups. Procedia Environmental Science, Engineering and Management, 6(1), 81-94.
- Tan ECD and Lamers P (2021) Circular Bioeconomy Concepts—A Perspective. Front. Sustain. 2:701509. doi: 10.3389/frsus.2021.701509
- Bhatia, S. K., Joo, H. S., & Yang, Y. H. (2018). Biowaste-to-bioenergy using biological methods–a mini-review. Energy conversion and management, 177, 640-660.
- Santos, F., Pache, A. C., & Birkholz, C. (2015). Making hybrids work: Aligning business models and organizational design for social enterprises. California management review, 57(3), 36-58.
- Mitchell, Agle and Wood’s (1997), Toward a Theory of Stakeholder Identification and Salience: Defining the Principle of Who and What Really Counts.
- Carroll, A. B. (1991). The pyramid of corporate social responsibility: Toward the moral management of organizational stakeholders. Business horizons, 34(4), 39-48.
WEB REFERENCES
- https://www.4lenses.org/book/export/html/86/
- https://agilemanifesto.org/
- https://www.scrum.org/
- https://designthinking.ideo.com/
- https://www.ellenmacarthurfoundation.org/
- https://www.etipbioenergy.eu/value-chains/feedstocks/biofuels-feedstocks-an-overview
- https://emprenedoria.barcelonactiva.cat/es/web/guest/aplicaciones-para-emprender
- https://empreses.barcelonactiva.cat/es/constitucion-de-empresas
Software
WEB TOOLS
- https://miro.com/
- https://kumu.io/
- https://www.drawio.com/
- https://www.drawio.com/
- https://www.notion.so
- https://www.wix.com
- www.wordpress.com
Groups and Languages
Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.
| Name | Group | Language | Semester | Turn |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 611 | Spanish | first semester | afternoon |
| (PAUL) Classroom practices | 612 | Spanish | first semester | afternoon |
| (TE) Theory | 61 | Spanish | first semester | afternoon |