This module develops advanced project and portfolio management capability for facilities and built environment professionals. It focuses on complex, multi‑project FM initiatives where method choice, governance and value realisation are critical. Students critically compare project, programme and portfolio methodologies and design adapted hybrid approaches suited to volatile, uncertain and politically complex FM contexts. They learn how to build governance and organisational structures that integrate benefits management, strategic alignment and risk escalation across portfolios of FM projects. The module emphasises advanced planning and control techniques for managing interdependencies, capacity and performance across multiple projects, supported by quantitative analysis and digital tools. Students also examine how value, stakeholder impact, whole‑life performance and organisational learning are evaluated at programme and portfolio level, using in‑depth case studies to propose improvements to future FM project and portfolio practice. 

Module Aims:

• To enable students to critically compare project, programme and portfolio management methodologies and design hybrid approaches for complex FM and built environment initiatives. 

• To develop students’ ability to design governance and organisational structures for portfolios of FM projects that integrate benefits management, strategic alignment and risk escalation. 

• To equip students to apply advanced multi‑project planning, control and performance management techniques to manage uncertainty, interdependencies and capacity across FM project portfolios. 

• To deepen students’ capability to evaluate project and portfolio outcomes in terms of value realisation, stakeholder impact, whole‑life performance and organisational learning, and to propose improvements to future FM project and portfolio practice. 

This module develops students’ ability to design and critically evaluate research that informs decision making in workplace and facilities management. It extends prior research methods learning gained at undergraduate level by exploring how different views of evidence and enquiry shape FM research questions, research designs and implications for practice. Students undertake critical appraisal of published FM and built environment studies, applying criteria to assess methodological rigour, validity and practical relevance for organisations. Drawing on this critical engagement, they then prepare a feasible research proposal for their Industry Capstone Project, bringing together well‑defined research questions, an appropriate conceptual frame, a justified methodology and practical plans for data collection and analysis in real FM settings. 

Module Aims:

• Deepen students’ understanding of how different views of knowledge and evidence shape research questions, designs and interpretations in workplace and facilities management. 

• Enable students to design FM research studies by selecting and justifying suitable qualitative, quantitative or mixed‑methods approaches, including appropriate sampling strategies. 

• Develop students’ ability to appraise the quality and practical relevance of existing FM and built environment research using clear, transparent criteria. 

• Support students to produce a feasible and ethically sound research proposal for their Industry Capstone Project, integrating clear questions, a coherent conceptual framing, and realistic plans for data collection and analysis. 

In recent years facility managers have shown as increasing interest in ‘Performance-Based Contracting’ (PBC) and its related concepts ‘Performance-Based Financing’ (PBF) and ‘Performance-Based Maintenance Contract (PBMC). Such concepts area form of contracting that explicitly includes a clear definition of a series of objectives and indicators by which to measure contractor performance, collection of data on the performance indicators, and consequences for the contractor based on performance such as provision of rewards (such as performance bonuses or public recognition) or imposition of sanctions (such as termination of the contract or public criticism).

With the role of the facility manager evolving over the past decade it has become increasingly important for all facilities mangers to have developed an in-depth knowledge, and advanced skills and competencies in the areas of economics, finance, and accounting to contribute to overall business performance.

This Capstone Research Project module enables students to design, execute and communicate an independent, practice‑focused study that addresses a significant issue in workplace or facilities management. Building directly on the Advanced Research Methods module, students refine a clearly defined FM problem, develop a robust conceptual and contextual framework, implement an appropriate research design in a real organisational setting, and generate evidence‑based conclusions and recommendations that integrate strategic, operational and ESG perspectives. The module culminates in a professionally presented project report, oral presentation and reflective portfolio that together demonstrate readiness to operate as an evidence‑informed senior FM practitioner or emerging researcher.

Module Aims:

• Enable students to refine practice‑focused research questions in facilities or workplace management 

• Support students to construct a robust conceptual and contextual framework by synthesising and critiquing advanced theoretical, empirical and industry sources relevant to their chosen FM issue. 

• Develop students’ capacity to select, justify and implement an appropriate research design for a real‑world FM problem, managing the research process independently from fieldwork through to analysis. 

• Foster the integration of strategic, operational and ESG perspectives in the analysis and interpretation of findings, leading to well‑reasoned, evidence‑based conclusions and recommendations for FM practice, policy or organisational change. 

• Strengthen students’ ability to communicate and defend their research to specialist and non‑specialist audiences, and to critically reflect on their own learning, limitations of the study and opportunities for further inquiry or implementation. 

This module explores operational excellence in facilities management by treating FM operations as interconnected systems and supply networks rather than isolated services. It focuses on how FM leaders diagnose operational performance, design integrated operations strategies and deliver continuous improvement in complex, multi‑partner environments. Students develop the capability to use data‑driven decision making, proactive and preventive maintenance, and sustainability and energy‑efficiency principles to optimise FM operations. The module also emphasises the role of an empowered workforce, showing how engagement, local problem‑solving and structured improvement approaches support more resilient, efficient and sustainable FM operations. 

Module Aims:

• To develop a systematic, critical understanding of FM operations as integrated systems and supply networks facing strategic and tactical challenges. 

• To enable students to design integrated operations strategies that synthesise process and capacity design, supply‑network configuration and quality/improvement methods, while critically evaluating trade‑offs between cost, quality, flexibility, time and sustainability. 

• To equip students to apply advanced operations‑analysis and performance‑measurement tools to diagnose FM operational issues and prioritise improvements using data‑driven insights. 

• To build students’ capability to plan and critically evaluate continuous‑improvement and operational‑change initiatives in FM, including proactive and preventive maintenance, sustainability and energy‑efficiency goals, and implications for workforce and stakeholder engagement. 

This module explores how facilities leaders craft and deliver strategy in fast‑changing organisational and built‑environment contexts. It emphasises the distinctive contribution of FM to long‑term organisational value by connecting corporate purpose, ESG expectations, technology, and workplace change with practical strategic choices and governance. Students work with contemporary tools, cases and visual methods to interrogate strategic analysis, design future‑fit FM strategies and translate them into compelling, board‑level narratives and change pathways. 

Module Aims: 

• Deepen understandings how strategic lenses highlight different aspects of FM complexity.  

• Strengthen students’ capability to shape FM strategies and operating models that reflect corporate purpose, sustainability priorities and multi‑stakeholder interests. 

• Equip students to read and respond to major trends – including digital transformation, ESG regulation, global supply chains and shifting workforce expectations – when imagining future FM roles and options. 

• Develop confidence in communicating FM strategy to senior decision‑makers, linking strategic intent to governance, risk management, performance indicators and the practical work of leading change.

This module examines how facilities management can drive sustainable governance and innovation within organisations, with a particular focus on ESG expectations, corporate governance and systemic change. Students critically explore leading sustainability frameworks, advanced ESG analysis techniques and emerging themes such as net‑zero transitions, circular business models, smart resource management and sustainability talent needs. Through case‑based enquiry and applied organisational analysis, they develop the capability to design FM‑led sustainability initiatives and analyse how organisational culture and governance can support effective ESG execution at scale. 

Module Aims:

• Build a sophisticated understanding of how ESG priorities and corporate governance shape strategic decision‑making in facilities management. 

• Develop students’ ability to use advanced ESG and sustainability analysis to reveal risks and opportunities in FM portfolios and supply chains. 

• Enhance competence in formulating and defending FM‑led sustainability and innovation initiatives that create measurable environmental, social and economic value.
• Deepen students’ capacity to appraise organisational culture, leadership and change structures in relation to ESG ambitions, and to propose practical pathways for effective implementation.