Development management engages with the multiple challenges of ‘development’ - any development, anywhere - and this module sets out to build up the basic capacities for managing those challenges. It rests on the assumption that management is a political and ethical process, a matter of the use of power to bring about desired goals in contexts characterised by conflicts of interests, values and agendas. The module teaches a range of skills needed by any manager, skills to do in particular with strategic thinking, research, advocacy, planning, policy making, and evaluation. It is of relevance to managers in any sector, anywhere.
What you will study
Development management is concerned with promoting the process of development. Although this module looks mainly at development in ‘developing countries’, the concepts, frameworks, skill areas and techniques are applicable to a wide range of situations and contexts. The areas in which you will develop skills include:
- appreciating historical approaches to development management, and institutional and conceptual frameworks for analysing development management
- planning, making a case for and appraising projects
- knowing how and when to use different investigative methods and processes
- working with data, testing assumptions and making cases for intervention
- monitoring, evaluation and performance assessment
- learning for strategic thinking and advocacy.
Recent processes of change have included globalisation, structural adjustment and the reduction of direct state involvement in economies, as well as considerable social and physical disruption and displacement of populations nationally and internationally. The module is primarily concerned with development management as a means of bringing about reconstruction and finding alternative strategies for development. It is divided into three parts.
Part 1 History, concepts and the role of development management explores ‘what is development management?’ and highlights the challenges faced in developing and implementing interventions. The material examines the contested history of development/development management as a way of understanding the orthodoxies that frame current practice and opening space for considering alternatives. It asks, what do these trends in development management mean for managers? How can development managers operate in a context of on-going debate around organisational types, values and approaches to development intervention? Part 1 extends your capacity to understand the contexts in which development managers work, the barriers that can be encountered and explores how things could be done differently.
Part 2 Development intervention: analysis, planning and action focuses on development-oriented intervention at the micro-level. It explores the challenges around planning and developing an intervention, engaging diverse stakeholders and ensuring decisions are based on a firm evidence base. It develops students’ abilities to investigate the needs of particular groups and what initiatives are appropriate and feasible in specific contexts and to plan development-oriented interventions. It encourages a critical engagement with both planning tools and investigative techniques within development processes.
Part 3 Learning in development management: evaluation, advocacy and strategy focuses on learning within and between interventions. It examines the challenges associated with accountability and evaluation, and the capacities needed to engage in such activities. Looking back out towards the broader strategic arena of development policy and cross organisational learning, it also explores how development managers can influence strategic change through disseminating information about projects and engaging in advocacy focused activities.
By the end of the module your analytical capabilities and strategic skills for facilitation change should be improved so that you can make a more informed and effective contribution to the environment in which you work.
Entry
This module can be taken on its own or as a module of a qualification. If you are taking it as part of a postgraduate qualification you must have adequate preparation for study at this level, usually demonstrated by a bachelors degree (or the equivalent) from a UK university.
You do need to have a reasonable standard of spoken and written English to study successfully with us. Poor language skills will make study more difficult, and it will take longer. The normal requirements for English language skills are explained on our website.
If you have any doubts about whether your level of English is good enough for you to study this module you may find it helpful to look at our Skills for OU Study site.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the module, please speak to an adviser.
Qualifications
TU870 is a compulsory module in our:
TU870 is an optional module in our:
This module can also count towards F02, F13, F37 and F44, which are no longer available to new students.
Some postgraduate qualifications allow study to be chosen from other subject areas. These qualifications allow most postgraduate modules to count towards them. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this module can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
Excluded combinations
Sometimes you will not be able to count a module towards a qualification if you have already taken another module with similar content. To check any excluded combinations relating to this module, visit our excluded combination finder or check with an adviser before registering.
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will be responsible for monitoring your progress on the module, marking and commenting on your written work and whom you can contact for advice and guidance. Your tutor will mediate an online forum for your tutor group in which participation is optional. A programme of face-to-face tutorials will be arranged at one or two UK locations and you will also have the opportunity to engage in real-time online tutorials. There is also a separate online forum for all students on this module.
Contact us if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details can be found in the facts box above.
You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.