MSIS 630 Project and Change Management (Fall 2014) Course Syllabus

Transcription

1 MSIS 630 Project and Change Management (Fall 2014) Course Syllabus 1. Instructor Information o Professor: One-Ki (Daniel) Lee MS&IS Department, College of Management daniel.lee@umb.edu (preferred) Phone: Office: M Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday 4:00PM 5:30PM or by appointment 2. Course Overview Class Logistics o Class Hours: Monday 5:30PM 8:15PM o Classroom: Wheatley W o Computer Lab: Healey Library, Third Fl., White Lab (H-3-009E) 7:00PM-8:15PM (according to the Course Schedules in Section 5) Course Objectives o To understand the nature of project management and its importance in improving the success of information technology (IT) projects o To demonstrate knowledge of project management concepts and techniques o To familiarize students with good project management practices and thus make them more successful in the workplace o To apply project management concepts and techniques by working on a group project as a project manager or an active team member o To make students ready to take industry certificates in the project management area Course Materials o Main Texts Information Technology Project Management (Seventh), By Kathy Schwalbe, Course Technology, 2014, ISBN: Project Management Business Cases Online purchases for individual cases (refer to the links for each case in Section 6) o Software Tool Microsoft Project 2013, Full version available at the Computer Labs Limited license version through Microsoft and UMass alliance Trial version (60 days) with the main text 1

2 Course Format o The pedagogical approach for this course is to combine lectures, in-class and on-line discussions, case analyses, presentations, a group project, and computer lab exercises. This course will emphasize materials from the textbook as a guide to project management concepts and illustrate those concepts through business cases, assignments, and group projects. Computer lab exercises will be used for applying project management skills through a dominant project management software application, Microsoft Project o The Course Website (Blackboard Learn, is the central communication tool for this class. This will be used to distribute class materials and announcements, collect assignments, and participate in on-line discussions. Students are required to regularly (especially before each class) log on to the Course Website to check new updates for class materials and announcements. Updates to this syllabus and other materials will be posted on this website. Please note that you are expected to submit all individual and group assignments through the Course Website. 3. Evaluations Group Individual Assignment Weight Semester Project Initiation Report and Presentation 15% Semester Project Plan Final Report and Presentation 25% 1 Page Case Summaries (four) 10% (each 2.5%) MS Project Lab Exercises (five) 10% (each 2%) Final Quiz 15% On-Line Participations (five, one per week) 10% Attendance (physical) and In-Class Participations 15% Semester Group Project (Group) o The purpose of the group project is to use a structured approach to project management in a team setting. Students are required to form groups of five members each for the group project. The groups should be as diverse as possible o Each group will select a specific project topic under the area of e-business implementation by an existing company or organization. The deliverables include a project introduction, a project initiation report (i.e., project proposal), a final project plan report, and professional presentations for both reports. o Each group member will evaluate the performance of other group members in the team at the end of the semester. If a member of the team is not performing according to expectations, then that student will be penalized. The penalty will depend on the extent of non-performance reported by other team members. o Please see a separate document for more information. 2

3 One-Page Case Summary for Case Discussion (Individual) o To take full advantage of the case learning approach and to ensure that students are able to engage in active learning, every student is expected to, at the minimum, read and understand the case assigned for the day. For this, students will need to turn in an individual, one-page summary for each case (refer to Section 6 for the cases). Each student will submit total four one-page summaries during the semester. o In each summary, simply encapsulate the important elements of the case. Students are not expected to provide in-depth analyses. The summary elements mainly involve the brief introduction to the company and the outstanding issues. Do not exceed one page for your summary (with a 12-point font and single line spacing). Around 500~600 words will be acceptable to get the full grade points (2.5) o The case summaries should be submitted as a MS Word file through the course website. Regular deadlines of this assignment will be Sunday midnight of the week and cut-offs will be 5:00PM of the class day (i.e., Monday). Submission after the class starts will not be accepted. MS Project Exercises (Individual) o Students will have a series of Computer Lab Exercises for five skill areas of MS Project o Students will be asked to follow the step-by-step instructions provided by the Instructor to complete each of the exercises. The outcomes of each of the exercises will be submitted through the course website. Regular deadlines of this assignment will be the end of the exercise day (i.e., Monday midnight) and cut-offs will be another 3 days after the regular deadline (i.e., Thursday). Final Quiz (Individual) o The course will have one final quiz in the end of the semester, which will test the student s understanding of project management concepts and tools. o The quiz can only be taken in the assigned date. No make-up and no exception. On-Line Participations (Individual) o A couple of questions regarding the topics of each week will be announced through the course website. Before each class, students are expected and required to post their answers and opinions (around 200 words) to up to the given questions. The answers should be based on their reading of textbook, business cases, and other relevant materials. Students are also encouraged to share their experiences regarding the topics. The posted answers will be discussed during the class. Postings after the class starts will not be allowed. Only one qualified posting per week will be counted (up to a total of five postings for the semester). 3

4 Attendance (physical) and In-Class Participations (Individual) o Student attendance is a very important requirement of this course because in addition to the learning through the lectures, group collaboration during in-class meetings is a critical learning component of this course. Most of all, students should be punctual for the class for timely start of the class. o Showing up to class and lab, however, is only one form of participation. The most important part of participation is paying attention and coming to class ready to discuss the day s topic. Students are expected to actively participate in class by asking questions and sharing personal experiences and perspectives on the topics of the day. Student participation will be graded based upon not only the quantity but also the quality and consistency. Overall Grading Scale o The guideline for final grading is A: %; A-: 90-93%; B+: 87-89%; B: 84-86%; B-: 80-83%; C+: 77-79%; C: 74-76%; F: Below 73% 4. Administrative Notes Assignment Due o All assignments and reports are due at the predefined time by instructor on the date specified in the course plan. In the spirit of fairness to other students, late submissions after the predefined due date and time (usually Sunday midnight of the due week for group and individual assignments) will be marked 20% lower (per day), and assignments cannot be accepted after solutions have been discussed, i.e., no assignment will be accepted after submission cut-offs (usually Monday 5:00PM of the due week). The deadlines will also be specified through the submission sites. Students need to check the submission due and cut-off which are set for each assignment. If a student does not understand an assignment, then it is his/her responsibility to seek clarification by actively asking questions. All assignment should be submitted only through the course website. o In case of extenuating circumstances, special arrangements should be made in advance with the permission of the instructor. Peer Evaluation (for Presentations and Project Participation) o In-class presentations for the semester group project will be assessed not only by the instructor but also by the classmates. This peer assessment is also considered as a part of class participation. 4

5 o Considering the fairness among the group members, fair contribution by each group member of the semester group project is expected and required. This project contribution will be evaluated by other group members. If a member of the team is not performing according to expectations, the member will be penalized as a result of peer evaluation. Academic Honesty o Students are expected to follow regulations and procedures regarding Academic Standards, Cheating, Plagiarism, and the Documentation of Written Work. Please see o Students caught cheating or plagiarizing will, at the discretion of the instructor, flunk either the assignment in question or the course and will have a description of the incident attached to his or her academic records. For each charge, no credits will be given for the assignment or test. At minimum 50% of the total course points will also be deducted and a written Notice of Academic Dishonesty will be given to the Dean s office. Cheating deprives you of something valuable and cheapens your own education. The bottom-line is that you have to do your own work. o Students should be aware that, at the discretion of the instructor, assignments may be submitted to plagiarism detection software for the purpose of detecting possible plagiarism. So, every assignments should be submitted as their original document formats (e.g., MS Word and PowerPoint), not PDF (or other transformed formats). Disabilities o If you have a disability and feel you will need accommodations in order to complete course requirements, please contact the Ross Center for Disability Services (Campus Center, UL Room 211) at CM Student Resources o The College of Management provides many useful resources for CM students, including academic advices, tutoring services, writing guide, and so on. Please see the following site: Library Resources for Management Students o The library has several very useful management databases, including Business Source Premier and Lexus/Nexus. These resources, specifically targeted to Management, will allow you get more information and more accessible information than just doing a Google search. They are available over the internet, on or off-campus (with your UMB ID) 24 hours a day. 5

6 5. Course Schedule Date Topics Chapter Due Sep. 8 Introduction Ch.1 (Week 1) Course Design and Schedule Sep. 15 (Week 2) Sep. 22 (Week 3) Sep. 29 (Week 4) Oct. 6 (Week 5) Oct. 13 Oct. 20 (Week 6) Oct. 27 (Week 7) Nov. 3 (Week 8) Nov. 10 (Week 9) Nov. 17 (Week 10) Project Management Perspectives on Project Management Project Manager, Organization, and Processes Project Initiation Project Selection and Justification Case 1 Discussion AMP of Canada Project Scope Management Defining Project Boundaries, Deliverables, and Tasks Group Project Topic Introductions MS Project Lab Exercise (1) Project Scope Management Project Time Management Activity Management Schedule Management Case 2 Discussion Administrative Data Project Columbus Day (No Class) Project Cost Management Resource Estimating and Budgeting MS Project Lab Exercise (2) Project Time Management Project Quality Management Quality Planning and Standards Group Project Initiation Presentations Project Human Resource Management Understanding Individuals Team Building and Management MS Project Lab Exercise (3) Project Cost Management Project Communication Management Communication Planning and Media Selection Case 3 Discussion Concordia Casting Co. Project Risk Management Qualitative and Quantitative Analysis MS Project Lab Exercise (4) Project HR and Communication Management Ch.2&3 Project Group Formation Ch.4 Case Summary 1 Ch.5 Group Project Topic Selection, Lab Exercise (1) Outcome Ch.6 Case Summary 2 Ch.7 Lab Exercise (2) Outcome Ch.8 Group Project Initiation Presentation and Report Ch.9 Lab Exercise (3) Outcome Ch.10 Case Summary 3 Ch.11 Lab Exercise (4) Outcome 6

7 Nov. 24 (Week 11) Dec. 1 (Week 12) Dec. 8 (Week 13) Dec. 15 (Week 14) Project Procurement Management IT Outsourcing and Offshoring Case 4 Discussion North American Financial Corporation Project Stakeholder Management Planning, Managing, and Controlling Stakeholder Management Emerging Topics in Project Management Global Project Management Project Certificates MS Project Lab Exercise (5) Project Server Group Project Final Presentations Quiz Ch.12 Case Summary 4 Ch. 13 Lab Exercise (5) Outcome Group Project Final Presentation Final Period Group Project Final Report Note: The instructor has the right to make changes to the syllabus as and when required. 6. Business Cases 1. AMP of Canada (A), Newson and Marchak, Richard Ivey School of Business, 1999 o Project selection (Alternative development) o 2. Administrative Data Project (A), Applegate and Heller, Harvard Business School Publishing, 2002 o Project scope and time management o ENG?Ntt=Administrative%2520Data%2520Project%2520%28A%29 3. Concordia Casting Co., McFarlan, Harvard Business School Publishing, 1992 o HR and teamwork management o ENG?Ntt=Concordia%2520Casting%2520Co. 4. North American Financial Corporation (NAF): The MLM Project (A), Roy and Aubert, Richard Ivey School of Business, 2006 o Outsourcing management o 7

8 MSIS630 Project and Change Management (Fall 2014) Semester Group Project Objectives of the Group Project o In addition to the lectures and case discussions, which aim to introduce the basic concepts and techniques in IT Project Management, this group project aims to improve / promote students practical skills and experience of applying modern project management concepts and techniques to manage IT projects of some real-world business practices. Overview of the Group Project o Students will complete this project in groups of five members. A variation from this norm will need the instructor s prior permission. o Each group will select an existing company or organization that they are familiar with (e.g., the company that a group member is working for) to establish the appropriate project management context. o The project group will work as a professional project management consulting team or internal project group of the company to initiate, plan, execute, control, and close the chosen IT project, in particular an e-business implementation, within the target company. Even though the chosen IT project may not be executed in reality, the group members should at least identify and report the possible issues related to the execution and control of the project. o The end product is a project management plan which addresses the project initiation, planning, control, quality assurance, risk management, and other management areas of the selected IT project based on the project management methodology introduced in this course. o The group project consists of two stages as follows: Stage1. Project Initiation Report (Proposal) and Presentation (15%) Stage2. Project Plan Final Report and Presentation (25%) Stage 1. Project Proposal Development o Each project group should select a specific IT project topic for this initial stage of group project. The primitive descriptions about the project scope and expected deliverables will be introduced to the class and discussed with other classmates in Week 4. Each group will focus on the feasibility of the project scope and the clearness of the project deliverables. o After selecting a project topic, through this stage, each project group will develop a project proposal to initiate the project, i.e., development of alternative solutions, selection of a final recommendation, and justification. 8

9 o Typical deliverables for an initial project plan (i.e., Project Proposal) at this stage include: Business Case Project Motivations (Opportunities or Threats) Alternative Solutions Selection Justifications (using various techniques for project justification, e.g., financial and non-financial analyses) Final Recommendations Primitive Stakeholder Analysis Primitive Scope Statement and Work Breakdown Structure Project Charter o Project Proposal Report There is neither a lower bound nor upper bound for the length of your project plan. As a rule of thumb, around pages with a 12-point font and single line spacing should be sufficient to document your ideas clearly. Students can also utilize appendixes for additional reference information. o Project Proposal Presentation In-class presentations of your initial project plans will be conducted in Week 7. The group presentation is subject to peer evaluation as well as instructor assessment. The duration of presentation will be around 15 minutes for each group. In addition to the project initiation report (MS Word), the presentation file (MS PPT) should be submitted through our course website by Monday midnight of Week 7. Stage 2. Project Plan Development o Each project management consulting team will refine / extend their project initiation report by means of project scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, and risk management techniques. At this stage, project groups will utilize MS Project 2013 as a computerized project management tool to complete the project plan final report. For instance, a critical path analysis should be conducted to identify the critical path, slack, and float of the project using MS Project. In terms of project cost management, project cost estimations and a cost control plan should be developed. Finally, quality, risk, and other management plans should be attached to your initial project plan. o In addition to the refined and extended project initiation report, typical deliverables for a final project plan at this stage include: Project Scope Statement Work Breakdown Structure Project Scheduling (in the form of Gantt Chart) Critical Path Analysis Project Cost Estimating and Budgeting Human Resource Estimating and Loading Project Quality Checklist Risk Register and Risk Response Plan 9

10 o Project Plan Presentation A final presentation will be conducted in Week 13. The group presentation is also subject to peer evaluation as well as instructor assessment. The duration of presentation will be around 20 minutes for each group. The project final presentation file (MS PPT) should be submitted through our course website by Monday midnight of Week 13. o Project Plan Report There is neither a lower bound nor upper bound for the length of your additional materials. As a rough estimation, around pages are needed to present your ideas clearly. Students can also utilize appendixes for additional reference information. The project final report (MS Word) will be submitted through our course website by Week 14 (a week later after the final project presentation). 10