Course

Project Management Methodologies

Faculty
Commerce and Business Administration
Department
Business
Course code
BUSN 4640
Credits
3.00
Semester length
15 Weeks
Max class size
35
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course designation
None
Industry designation
CAPM,PMI-ACP,PMP
Typically offered
To be determined

Overview

Course description
In this course, students learn about a range of project management methodologies including those that are Predictive and Agile (Iterative & Incremental) and hybrid approaches that use a combination of these methodologies. The course will explore these approaches and how they may be used and tailored to specific contexts and situations. Students who successfully complete this course will cover topics needed to successfully write the Project Management Institute’s Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) exam and the Project Management Institute’s Project Management Professional (PMP) exam.
Course content
  1. Definition of project management methodology and its relationship to PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge
  2. Contexts for project management and the application of appropriate methodologies to each context
  3. Organizations that support methodologies, including Project Management Institute, the International Project Management Association and the APM Group
  4. Agile Project Methodologies
  5. Predictive Project Methodologies
  6. Approaches to Hybrid Project Methodologies
  7. How to select appropriate methodologies and use them within various project situations and contexts
Learning activities

Lecture, seminar, case studies, exercises and group discussions.

Means of assessment

 

Tests *

20% - 40%

Assignments/Term Project(s) (min 2)

20% - 40%

Participation

  5% - 10%

Final Examination

20% - 30%

Total 

       100%

 * A combination of quizzes and/or midterms, with no single assessment in this group worth more than 25% of the final grade.

Notes: 

  1. Assessment will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with the Douglas College Evaluation Policy. An evaluation schedule will be presented at the beginning of the course. This is a graded course.
  2. Students must achieve a grade of at least 50% on the combined examination components to pass the course.
  3. Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance.  Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.
  4. At least 50% of the total coursework must be individual.
  5. To pass the course, students must achieve a cumulative grade of at least 50% in all non-group assessments as well as an overall grade in the course of 50% or more. In other words, students must have achieved at least 50% on their cumulative individual assessments in order to be eligible to earn marks from group work.
  6. Students may conduct research as part of their coursework in this class. Instructors for the course are responsible for ensuring that student research projects comply with College policies on ethical conduct for research involving humans, which can require obtaining Informed Consent from participants and getting the approval of the Douglas College Research Ethics Board prior to conducting the research.
Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete the course will be able to:

  1. Understand the differences between project approaches, methodologies and methods
  2. Understand the benefits, uses and limitations of given project methodologies (such as Agile and Predictive)
  3. Understand the different factors of importance in terms of project context and situations that affect project methodology choice and use
  4. Understand the uses and limitations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in assisting organizations and project personnel in selecting, configuring and implementing project approaches and methodologies
  5. Apply their understanding of project contexts and situations and of project methodologies in choosing a “best fit” project methodology for a given project
  6. Analyze and evaluate project contexts in terms of their suitability for given project approaches and methodologies
  7. Create a project approach and methodology to be used in a given project context
Textbook materials

Textbooks and materials are to be purchased by students.  A list of required and textbooks and materials will be provided to students at the beginning of the semester. This may include materials specified by instructor.

 

 

Optional:

Project Management Institute. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). Latest Edition. (optional but recommended)

And/or any alternative textbook approved by the Business Management Department.

Requisites

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

(Current)

Course Transfers to Other Institutions

Below are current transfer agreements from Douglas College to other institutions for the current course guidelines only. For a full list of transfer details and archived courses, please see the BC Transfer Guide.

Institution Transfer details for BUSN 4640
Athabasca University (AU) AU ADMN 4XX (3)
Capilano University (CAPU) CAPU BADM 3XX (3)
College of the Rockies (COTR) COTR MGMT 3XX (3)
Coquitlam College (COQU) No credit
Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) KPU SOBU 2XXX (3)
Langara College (LANG) LANG BUSM 2XXX (3)
Northern Lights College (NLC) NLC MGMT 2XX (3)
Simon Fraser University (SFU) No credit
Thompson Rivers University (TRU) TRU MNGT 4XXX (3)
University of Northern BC (UNBC) DOUG BUSN 3610 (3) & DOUG BUSN 3620 (3) & DOUG BUSN 3630 (3) & DOUG BUSN 4640 (3) = UNBC COMM 451 (3)
University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) UFV BUS 3XX (3)
University of Victoria (UVIC) UVIC COM 3XX (1.5)

Course Offerings

Fall 2026

CRN Days Instructor Status
Maximum seats
35
Currently enrolled
0
Remaining seats:
35
On waitlist
0
Building
Anvil Office Tower
Room
625
Times:
Start Time
12:30
-
End Time
15:20