| Project Management Postgraduate Dissertation of the Year

This category recognises outstanding dissertations that demonstrate relevance to the project profession.

The category is open to entrants from all sectors who have completed a masters degree. To be eligible to enter this category the master’s degree must have been awarded and graded in the academic year 2023/24 (if you are unsure if you qualify in this academic time frame please contact awards@apm.org.uk for clarification before applying, giving details about your academic years/graduation date/university and course). A dissertation may only be entered into this category once. Entrants can be members or non-members of APM, from both in and outside of the UK.

Entries should take the form of a 100-word statement OR a 90 second video (in English) demonstrating how your dissertation is significant to the project profession (including where relevant the Societal Impact in the category criteria below). This must be accompanied by the full dissertation as a PDF document and a letter from the entrant’s supervisor and/or external examiner confirming that the dissertation has been graded.

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Congratulations and good luck to all our finalists...

This dissertation investigates the factors influencing AI adoption within our field, providing insights that are both timely and essential for the advancement of project management practices.

The research does this by identifying the drivers and barriers associated with AI adoption in project management. Understanding these factors is crucial for project professionals striving to leverage AI technologies effectively in their own projects.

The use of AI in project management is a subject of significant interest and ongoing industry discussion; this dissertation adds to the existing knowledge by providing findings that are both relevant and critical.

There is growing interest in design thinking contributions to project management within an innovation context. The success of design thinking is not solely dependent on the process but also on the critical roles of facilitation and leadership.

This dissertation undertakes a literature review and employs an inductive approach to explore the interplay between these important roles through causal loop diagrams. The research is guided by the thematic (a priori) analysis and offers some initial systemic hypotheses. Moreover, the dissertation discusses how facilitation and leadership may contribute to complex infrastructure projects through human centered (collaborative) design thinking methodologies.

This dissertation investigates how the combination of Design Thinking (DT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) which may lead to better project outcomes. It uses causal loop diagrams (CLDs) to formulate a hypothesis on the synergy of DT’s creative, human-centred approach with AI’s analytical, data-driven power. It proposes a systemic hypothesis for innovation, decision -making, and stakeholder satisfaction. The integration of these practical benefits is illustrated with thematic analysis, grounded theory, and a case study. Effectiveness, innovation, stakeholder engagement, and best practices in ethics, sustainability, and tech integration are strengthened by the proposed approach.