David Murphy

Graduate of MSc in Project Management,
Pg Dip in Science in Project Management,
Pg Cert in Building Information Modelling and Lean Construction

Sligo

What does your current role involve?

The Western Development Commission is responsible as the Project Management Office (PMO) for the creation and development of the world’s first ever National Hub Network. My current role within this PMO is as the Data & Geographical Information Systems (GIS) Analyst, for this National Hub Network initiative of the Government of Ireland, branded as Connected Hubs.

This government-backed Connected Hubs initiative supports workers across Ireland, with an ecosystem that includes an exemplar online platform for remote working hubs nationwide, connectedhubs.ie, enabling coworking through booking of desks, meeting rooms, private offices and podcasting studios nearer people’s homes.

What motivated you to start studying? 

Having received an Academic Achievement Award at the end of year 2019 for being top of the class, Summa Cum Laude, in recognition of Academic Excellence in a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Sustainable Building Technology, my lifelong learning academic supervisors in GMIT (now ATU) encouraged me to consider progressing my studies further to at least Master’s level.

‘Never waste a good crisis’.

(BIM related quote as you will learn on the BIM module)

During the summer of global pandemic year 2020, an ATU opportunity arose to begin a QQI level 9 Master’s degree in bitesize pieces, with an initial one-year commitment for the ATU Postgraduate Certificate in Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Lean Construction Management.

Organically, this led onto the next stage with a new second-year commitment to the ATU Postgraduate Diploma in Science in Project Management, and ultimately a final third-year commitment to achieve the Master of Science in Project Management.

My grandmother, Mary Hogan Vahey, had a great old Irish saying that “You’ll get there by degrees.”

I always found this positive attitude and phrase from our clever elders immensely helpful, plus I interpreted it to mean any human can chip away at things in life by 1º degree at a time until you reach your full 360º degrees of potential.

Not getting overwhelmed by the demands of higher-level academia was uber-important to me. ATU programme delivery methods prevented getting overwhelmed, along with enabling me to dedicate my entire body of ATU work for the PgDip, MSc plus my Research Thesis to my mighty brother, Shaun Murphy, who passed away during his own actuarial mathematics studies in year 2008.

There is probably only one way to eat any ATU Master’s elephant, one bite at a time.

Why did you choose this course from ATU?

The attractiveness of the 100% online ATU delivery of its comprehensive MSc in PM in such an accessible way is amazing, facilitating location agnostic attendance from anywhere in the world, by virtual means using excellent tools like MS Teams and Moodle. The only time you will have to attend the university is at the end of each semester for exams (or an alternative in-person centre). If located outside of Ireland there are potentially online proctored options for students to take the exams from anywhere, supervised virtually. Main written exams typically occur in January and May each year.

Some core modules are mandatory (8), but there is a wide variety of elective modules available enabling students to choose from topics of interest and then chipping away at these in bitesize chunks at your own pace. There are over 20 modules to choose from across various streams with some elective modules that you can mix and match. You choose 5 elective modules from the available options. In total, you must do 12 modules plus a 13th mandatory research thesis module for the MSc.

As I was originally from an architectural technologist and sustainable building technology background, I chose to select all my modules from solely the construction industry stream. However, there are options to select from other industry streams like general and computing industry, so you can blend modules across multiple streams where possible. The modules are taught by lecturers who are subject matter experts, plus every so often there are guest lecturers from various relevant industries.

Slide decks and guides are mighty across all ATU modules, just the right amount of detail plus logical, making them user friendly to follow step by step. The delivery of lectures and practical sessions are noticeably clear and professional, plus challenging in an effective way. Any student feedforward submitted like constructive criticism or room for improvement bits are enacted by ATU lecturers in a swift and agile fashion. Assessments are tough and intense as they should be at this QQI level 9, ideally you must chip away at them most days during each semester. Turnaround of grades and feedback on assignments is generally timely and detailed.

The MSc in PM modules at ATU occur during a typical academic year, and university semesters, from September/October to April/May of the following year. There are no lectures or assessments during summer and early autumn months of ATU academic recess. (except any August repeat exams)

How did you find the process of studying online? What elements did you find helpful? Were there elements you found challenging? 

Atlantic Technological University (ATU) has mighty library facilities, both online and in-person. The university having such a wide geographical spread across so many counties hugging the North Atlantic Ocean means that you can access library and other facilities at any of the 8 core ATU campus locations. 

The ATU materials provided across all the various modules and lectures are accessible and inclusive. This includes appropriate text, audio, video, and clear visual materials like lecture presentations. ATU lecturers themselves are subject matter experts, plus there are also valuable guest speaker sessions from industry based subject matter experts as a bonus during some modules. There are a good variety of modules across industry streams covering many topics. There is a fair amount of assessment.

In terms of what was most helpful, I strongly believe that the people are an organisations best asset, not material things, equipment, technology, or systems. “The knowledge asset of the company, its people, is becoming increasingly crucial to its competitive well-being … Your only sustainable competitive weapon is your people” (McCalman, et al., 2016).

Therefore, of most importance are the ATU Staff, including all the fantastic lecturers from ATU Sligo, who make this multi-disciplinary project management lifelong education programme a continued success and reality. In my own case a special mention must go to:

Programme Chairperson: Dr. David Collery

Research Supervisor: Dr. Brian McCann

Thank you very much to all the ATU Staff for your time, expertise, lectures, tutorials, notes, discourse, assistance, guidance, advice, patience, kindness, understanding, feedback and encouragement across fifteen modules throughout my time attending your university.

How did you balance work and study?

The modules are delivered in the evening time, meaning that it was straightforward to continue to do your job (if you work in the daytime) with lectures and study confined to the evenings plus weekends. 

It is not a problem if you miss any lecture as all sessions are recorded and made fully available on the ATU virtual learning environment Moodle. All module and lecture materials, including recordings, will be accessible from this central repository, with Moodle also available as an App for mobile devices. 

If you can attend the online lectures live, this can have some added value like being able to ask any questions or queries live. Alternatively, lecturers are approachable and fully available during the teaching semesters. They are great at responding to any queries if you are stuck on something, by email, or ideally by a 1-to-1 chat via a phone call, or MS Teams virtual meeting with screen sharing options.

I entered the programme with my eyes wide open, knowing that it would be a commitment, quite challenging and outside of my comfort zone. This aligns well with human self-actualisation, that you may learn about on the programme. The shortest length of time that you can fully complete the entire MSc programme is 3 academic years. There are many options to undertake the MSc at your own pace, module by module. It is possible to spread the Master’s out over 4, 5, or more years to suit your own personal and professional circumstances, albeit conditional on future availability of programme and its various modules.

In my case, I completed 15 modules, due to taking a couple of extra modules voluntarily: BIM (AG) – BRE Building Information Modelling Approved Graduate and a Certificate in Personal Effectiveness and Employability.

These 2 modules are not mandatory for the award of PgDip or MSc in Project Management, but to give an outline of my own journey for the MSc in PM plus extras within ATU:

September 2020 to May 2023:

| 3 years | 15 x Modules | 80 x Assessments including 11 x Exams |

| 168 x Lectures | 14 x Thesis Progress Meetings | 1 x Viva Voce |

Graduation: Conferring of awards ceremony was in November 2023 at ATU Sligo.

You must complete a total of 13 modules over 6 semesters during 3 academic years, with 12 modules (60 credits, at 5 credits each) to reach Postgraduate Diploma status, plus a 13th research thesis module (+30 credits) to achieve the Master in Science in PM status.

The 13 modules that I completed accounting towards the full MSc award were (in alphabetical order):

• BIM – Building Information Modelling
• Business Management and Entrepreneurship
• Construction Contract Law
• Construction Economics and Finance
• Contracts and Procurement
• Environmental Policy, Planning and Environmental Impact Assessment
• Lean Construction
• Project Implementation
• Project Management Simulation
• Project Planning
• Research Methods
• Research Thesis
• Strategic Management

In terms of your employer, were they supportive of your decision to study? Were there elements of the course that were particularly relevant to your current employer? 

My employer, the Western Development Commission (WDC), provided gracious support including facilitating funding, time, leave, equipment, access, data, cooperation and other resources in synergy with their training and development policy, plus employee handbook and further education scheme. The WDC is an established ‘remote first’ organisation and a recognised voice within this space, which aligns well with the ‘remote first’ ethos of ATU Master of Science in Project Management programme.

At various stages throughout this ATU MSc programme, lecturers fully encouraged and enabled students to incorporate parts of their own experiences, interests, and job roles into assignments. For example, I was fully supported by both the WDC and ATU in exploring a final research thesis topic that encapsulated a triple blend of information about the National Hub Network, Geographical Information Systems (GIS), and built environment sustainability. My MSc in PM research thesis was titled –

Decarbonising Hubs:

An investigation, assisted by Geographical Information Systems, into decarbonising Ireland’s National Hub Network of remote working infrastructure within a sustainability context.

Furthermore, I was encouraged and jointly supported by the WDC and ATU, on presenting as an invited April 2023 speaker on my ‘Decarbonising Hubs’ research thesis study, including its initial findings, at two conferences:

2023 Esri – International Infrastructure Management & GIS Conference (IMGIS)

(Kap Europa Congress / Convention Centre, Frankfurt, Germany).

Environ 2023 – ‘Evidence and Plans Towards Transitions to a Sustainable Future’

(ATU Donegal, Letterkenny, Ireland).

The ‘Decarbonising Hubs’ research thesis was truly relevant to the WDC, it being the hubs PMO, as it has enabled the National Hub Network to focus on a clear shortlist of opportunity areas to decarbonise hub buildings and facilities, along with implementing some key recommendations.

I am extremely grateful, and fully acknowledge the unwavering support of organisations like the WDC and ATU in facilitating my studies. I would like to take this opportunity to state my humble appreciation to all those who aided me in any way to complete my MSc studies and research over the three years.

What advice would you have for anyone considering studying online?

Ideally, you will have to be well organised, disciplined, and may have to make some sacrifices during the teaching semesters. Anything important that you may sacrifice a little during your studies, like extra time with family, friends, and partners, should still be there waiting for you when you finish. From the get-go, I would recommend having a simple timetable and progress tracker, as this will keep you streamlined for the ongoing ATU ecosystem of various modules, lectures, assessments, and exams.

I used Google Calendar for overall personal time management, including headline scheduling of lectures and assessment deadlines. To aid with prioritising assignments, deadlines, and recording grades, a simple spreadsheet, or ideally Japanese style cloud-based Kanban boards are great for dynamically prioritising tasks, as you will learn on the MSc in PM programme. It is critical to get your assignments in on time, as there are strict but fair penalties for late submissions, plus just-in-time lodgements free you up for the next thing. A substantially complete assessment submitted on time is way better than a penalised perfect assessment submitted late, or having no assessment submitted.

On any ATU online programme, it is essential that you have good internet access, ideally fibre based broadband or equivalent wireless, for accessing the cloud-based lecture and module materials. The MSc in PM is an academic programme that does require a substantial volume of typed academic writing as ongoing submissions for its assessment methods, so reasonable hardware like a laptop computer or devices with good audio, visual and word processing potential is important. You will learn how to critically analyse, write in an academic style, plus reference correctly using the Harvard citation system during the MSc programme. You will also receive prompt grades with feedback from ATU lecturers on your assessments, which can be used to inform and improve future assessments.

When possible, have your weekly module content downloaded from Moodle in advance of lectures and available to open on a separate monitor. For example, whether attending lectures live or watching recordings afterwards, having anything like module papers, notes, and slide decks available to follow along with separately is quite useful, say if you wish to remain on an earlier slide or take a note like the exact slide number as a cross-reference.

When preparing for end of semester written exams, harvest available exam papers from the Moodle modules and ATU online library for the previous 3 or 4 years, establish any typical themes or repeating topics, plus focus revision by completing written answers to these previous years questions as timed practice answers. Calculate the maximum time you should allow for each part of your exam questions based on the typical marks allocated to each part, in a weighted based approach for the mark % for each part -versus- overall 100% marks and total exam time. Allow yourself at least 5 minutes at the beginning of each exam to read all questions before choosing and starting, and at least another 5 minutes at the end of exam to proofread your answers.

Most ATU modules nowadays have neat ways for students to help each other out when stuck or lost, typically an informal WhatsApp student group for each module, or similar. These are a priceless resource when based in different time zones, or if you are confused, lost, or just get totally snookered on something, as most of the time your classmates can quickly give you a steer back in the right direction. They are also invaluable during holiday periods like academic recess when you might be focussed on completing an assignment or preparing for an exam. Keys to harvesting good classmate supports like WhatsApp student groups is for one student on each module to set up an inclusive group within the first few weeks, plus have ongoing shared moderation to ensure good discourse respecting academic and professional ethics.

In what way has studying online with ATU benefitted your career?

Atlantic Technological University is recognised globally as a leader in robust higher-level education. ATU’s stunning new logo and branding as distinct visual identities, depicting the sun above the waves of the North Atlantic Ocean, on ATU qualification parchments are something any student can be enormously proud of when conferred with an award. ATU qualifications are authoritative and will benefit your professional career anywhere in the world that your meandering life may bring you.

ATU studies certainly benefitted my own career during my MSc by providing me with the qualifications, knowledge and confidence to complete a major career pivot including a change of organisation, along with informing, diversifying and enhancing my current role within the hubs national project management office. 

~ Ancora Imparo ~

(And yet, I am still learning)

I believe in upskilling with continuous professional development as technology and systems quickly evolve. Instilled with new confidence and belief from my MSc years at ATU, I am currently undertaking further academic studies plus research through a newly developed Master of Science in GIS at UCC.

Did this course provide any unexpected benefits to your career?

Yes, during March 2021, based on the catalyst of a ‘Personal Development Plan’ assignment within an extra module taken, I applied to an open national recruitment competition. After being shortlisted, I was successful at interview, plus subsequently offered the post. I commenced this new career pivot position during the academic summer recess, between year one and year two of the MSc.

Only for these ATU studies, I would have yet again procrastinated, by not embracing promotional and career pivot opportunities, as I had turned down a similar prestigious opportunity less than a year previously. The apt timing of an extra module with its personal effectiveness, self-actualisation, and employability teachings completely flipped the hindsight of earlier procrastination regrets and opened me up to embracing the goodness of change. 

In October 2023, Esri Ireland published a succinct 2-page case study ‘Facilitating remote working throughout Ireland’ highlighting my National Hub Network use of GIS for Connected Hubs, as a customer success story. My GIS spatial data capture and analysis has benefited both internal clients plus external citizens, plus importantly this case study shines a light on my GIS informed MSc in PM research thesis ‘Decarbonising Hubs.’

Did you find that the elements you were studying had practical relevance in your day-to-day role? 

I continue to develop and have increasingly used the anti – ‘busy fool’ system by fully prioritizing tasks, using Kanban lean methods categorising relevant tasks based on things like importance, size and urgency. Modules like Research Methods honed my data collection, analysis, and interpretation as robust skills. I have been involved in project management for 25 years but perhaps was sometimes working in the dark without the valuable new tools, skills and knowledge that the ATU Master of Science in Project Management programme has now given me. 

Application and synergy of my ‘Decarbonising Hubs’ Research Thesis topic to Project Management:

GIS can be well utilised as asset management tools supporting the extension of building life cycles with one source of truth, plus cross populating things like Dynamic Digital Twins and BIM, with geographic digital databases at the core of many modern projects. The Connected Hubs team is the de facto Project Management Office (PMO) for both establishing and operating the National Hub Network, branded as Connected Hubs. Worldwide, new approaches to project management are being adopted harnessing Project Information Models (PIM), with GIS and BIM data at the centre. GIS has a crucial role fully embedded within the PMO of Ireland’s National Hub Network.

Overall, completing my MSc in Project Management, via Online, Flexible & Professional Development at Atlantic Technological University | ATU Sligo, was an extremely rewarding experience.