🌱 Unit 17 — Paper 2

Unit 17 — Project and Programme Management

Unit 17 covers how engineering projects are planned, managed and delivered on time and within budget. From small design tasks to large infrastructure programmes, all engineering work needs to be organised and controlled. You'll study the tools and techniques project managers use to define scope, schedule work, manage risks and communicate with stakeholders — skills that are valuable in any engineering role.

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Some topics covered in this unit

Project lifecycle and phases — initiation, planning, execution, monitoring and closure — and what happens in each phase

Scope management — defining what a project will and won't deliver, and managing changes to the agreed scope

Planning and scheduling tools — Gantt charts, critical path analysis (CPA) and network diagrams

Risk management — identifying project risks, assessing their likelihood and impact, and planning responses

Stakeholder management and communication — identifying stakeholders, understanding their needs and keeping them informed throughout a project

Budgeting and cost control — estimating project costs, tracking expenditure and managing budget variances

Sample question

Planning and Scheduling

What does the critical path in a project network diagram represent?

The most expensive sequence of tasks

The sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration

The tasks that can be delayed without affecting the project

The tasks assigned to the most senior team members

✓ Correct answer: B — The sequence of tasks that determines the minimum project duration. The critical path is the longest sequence of dependent tasks in a project — it determines the shortest possible time to complete the project. Any delay to a task on the critical path delays the whole project. Tasks not on the critical path have 'float' — they can be delayed without affecting the end date.