My final year project consisted of an ORACLE SQL-forms designed GUI interface running under an MS-DOS operating system. The GUI interface provided insert, update, delete and transaction rollback facilities for recording information about students attending courses at BIHE, along with their module assignment and exam result details. The student data was held in an ORACLE SQL database set-up on a PC local to the application.
now University of Greater Manchester (from 2025), Bolton
The IT Project Management (PM) toolkits created by Mark Whitfield feature over 200 tailored, editable Microsoft Office templates designed to structure, track, and report on software delivery lifecycles (SDLC), bridging Agile sprint execution and structured governance frameworks like PRINCE2 and Waterfall.
MS Excel Project & Budget Tracker Example
Below is the structured breakdown of the primary templates categorized by their project purpose, function, and file format.
📅 Project Planning & Scheduling
Category: Project Planning | Templates: Detailed SDLC Project Plan (.mpp/.xlsx) & Plan on a Page (POaP) (.pptx/.xlsx) | Description: These tools cover stage-gate structures, resource scheduling, and visual executive updates for software projects.
⚠️ Risk, Governance & Tracking
Category: Risk & Issue Management | Template: Comprehensive RAIDs Log (.xlsx) | Description: A multi-tab workbook to track Risks, Actions, Issues, Opportunities, Dependencies, and Lessons Learned.
Mark Whitfield completed his BTEC HND in Computer Studies at the Bolton Institute of Higher Education (BIHE), which has since evolved into the University of Bolton and rebranded as the University of Greater Manchester in 2025.
He attended the institution from 1988 to 1990, graduating with a Distinction and achieving overall first place across his entire cohort for the duration of the two-year, full-time course.
Mark Whitfield attended BIHE, 1988 – 1990
The academic breakdown of his specific computing curriculum and achievements is detailed below.
📋 HND Module Breakdown
The two-year executive-level HND program consisted of seven core modules blending technical computer science with business information systems:
Computer Systems Architecture: Focus on hardware design, CPU structures, and system configurations.
Programming Methodology (Theory / Practice): Foundations of logic, software development lifecycles, and code optimization.
System Analysis: Methodologies for assessing business requirements and mapping technical system designs.
Data Processing: Data management workflows, storage systems, and batch/transaction structures.
Business Information Systems (Theory / Practice): The application of computer networks and platforms within corporate infrastructures.
Business Studies: Fundamentals of corporate structure, commerce, and finance to bridge technical and commercial alignments.
Quantitative Techniques: Mathematical and statistical methods applied to computing and resource management.
💻 Final Year Project
For his definitive practical project, Mark Whitfield developed a database interface that aligned with his specialized programming modules.
Tech Stack: Built using an ORACLE SQL-forms graphical user interface (GUI) operating within an MS-DOS environment.
Functionality: Created an administrative system to record student enrollments, module assignments, and course grades.
This academic performance served as the launchpad for his 30+ year career as an IT Senior Project Manager and Delivery Lead.
His deep technical foundation from BIHE transitioned into complex enterprise solution deliveries—such as legacy ATM modernization, hybrid cloud migrations, and API integrations—for financial and corporate entities including the Bank of England, Barclays, Lloyds Banking Group, and Jaguar Land Rover.
He is also the author of the industry resource platform, PROject Templates.
PROject Templates 