MBA K731 Project Management Winter 2015 Course Outline- TENTATIVE. Information Systems Area DeGroote School of Business McMaster University

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1 K731 - Winter of 8 COURSE OBJECTIVE MBA K731 Project Management Winter 2015 Course Outline- TENTATIVE Information Systems Area DeGroote School of Business McMaster University This course aims to provide students with the basic tools and techniques of project management, to demonstrate the importance of project management knowledge for future career decisionmaking, and to reinforce project management skills by means of experiential learning and lecture-based methodologies. INSTRUCTOR AND CONTACT INFORMATION Dr. Nicole Wagner Instructor Kenneth Owen Teaching Assistant nwagner@mcmaster.ca owenkd@mcmaster.ca Office: RJC 217B Office: DSB A211 Office Hours: by appointment Office Hours: TBD (905) x20558 Tel: (905) x26195 Class Location: RJC 236 Wednesday 2:30-5:20 p.m. Course Website: The course website will be the primary mode of information dissemination. Please check this website regularly for posts concerning the course. COURSE ELEMENTS Avenue: Yes Leadership: Yes IT skills: Yes Global view: Yes Participation: Yes Ethics: Yes Numeracy: Yes Written skills: Yes Evidence-based: Yes Innovation: Yes Group work: Yes Oral skills: Yes Experiential: Yes Guest speaker(s): Yes Final Exam: No

2 K731 Winter of 8 COURSE DESCRIPTION The delivery of this course encompass a wide range of methods including in-class activities, case studies, group work, presentations, lectures, readings and Microsoft Project lab work. This course explores the stages of managing a project, including project initiation, planning,, implementation and control, and closing using quantitative and qualitative methods. This course aims to provide students with competencies in ten key project management areas: scope, time, cost, quality, human resources, risk, procurement, communication, integration, and stakeholder management. The methodologies and philosophies of the Project Management Institute (PMI) are discussed. Following this course, students could work towards the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification. LEARNING OUTCOMES Upon completion of this course, students will be able to complete the following key tasks: Discuss the project management processes and knowledge areas covered by the Project Management Institute's Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) Apply the project management knowledge areas, concepts, tools & techniques to initiate, plan, execute, control, and close projects Assess real-life project management issues & project risks by means of quantitative & qualitative techniques Develop solutions to project management issues leading to successful project management outcomes Define the specialized project management skills and the role of the project manager Utilize specified project management software to efficiently manage projects Calculate the Earned Value Management parameters that are necessary for project control Identify the project stakeholders and manage their expectations REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS AND READINGS Avenue registration for course content, readings and case materials $ FREE K731 Custom Courseware Packages (purchase through the bookstore): 1. Project Management $ Project Management Cases $ 44.00

3 K731 Winter of 8 EVALUATION Learning in this course results from all in-class and out-of-class activities. Students will be evaluated as individuals and as teams when team work is assigned. For team work, all team members share the same grade adjusted by peer evaluation. Your final grade will be calculated as follows: Components and Weights Assignment #1 Case Study Analysis (group) 15% Assignment #2 Microsoft Project (individual) 15% Midterm Test In-class Test (individual) 30% Term Assignment Group Project Management (group) 30% Participation In-class Contribution (individual) 10% Total 100% All assignments must be handed in electronically through the course website by the deadline date and time specified for each component. The penalty for overdue assignments is 20% of the total assignment mark per day. NOTE: The use of a McMaster standard calculator is allowed during examinations in this course. See McMaster calculator policy at the following URL: Grade Conversion At the end of the course your overall percentage grade will be converted to your letter grade in accordance with the following conversion scheme. LETTER GRADE PERCENT POINTS A A A B B B F

4 K731 Winter of 8 Communication and Feedback Students that are uncomfortable in directly approaching an instructor regarding a course concern may send a confidential and anonymous to the respective Area Chair or Associate Dean: Students who wish to correspond with instructors or TAs directly via must send messages that originate from their official McMaster University account. This protects the confidentiality and sensitivity of information as well as confirms the identity of the student. s regarding course issues should NOT be sent to the Administrative Assistant. Instructors are encouraged to conduct an informal course review with students by Week #4 to allow time for modifications in curriculum delivery. Instructors should provide evaluation feedback for at least 10% of the final grade to students prior to Week #8 in the term. Assignment #1 Case Study Analysis (group) This assignment is worth 15% of your final grade and students should work on this assignment in groups. All group members are expected to contribute to the assignment equally and will share the same grade, adjusted by peer evaluation. One of seven cases will be assigned to each group for analysis and presentation to the class. All cases are selected from the K731 course pack. Presentations should take no more than 30 minutes in addition to 15 minutes allowed for questions and answers. Students are expected to make effective use of material discussed in class as well as other resources available from the Web or specialized relevant references. The mark of the team presentation will be based on how professional and comprehensive the presentation is, and how well the Q&A period was handled by the team. PowerPoint presentations are expected. The evaluation form used in assessing case presentations is available on the course website. Case presentation slides must be handed in electronically through the course website by 12:00 p.m. (noon) on the day the case is being presented. Slides submitted late but before the class time will receive a penalty of 10%. Slides not submitted before class will receive a penalty of 20%. Assignment #2 Microsoft Project (individual) This assignment is worth 15% of your final grade and students should work on this assignment individually. This assignment is composed of a case study and a series of MS Project exercises that aim at improving students' MS Project software skills. Students will work through many exercises through which they will learn how to carry out basic tasks including developing network diagrams, creating performance reports, changing calendar specifications, adding, adjusting and removing activities. Students will then apply their MS Project skills to answer all the case questions assigned for this assignment. An assignment document with further instructions will be discussed in class and posted on Avenue.

5 K731 Winter of 8 Midterm Test This class has one midterm test, worth 30% of your final grade. The test will take place in class on March 11, The goal of this test is to determine student understanding of the concepts and the ideas discussed in class and described in the course textbook. The tests will cover material from the textbook, lectures and class discussions. Details regarding the format of the test will be discussed in class ahead of time. This is a closed-book test. Term Assignment (group) This assignment is worth 30% of your final grade and students should work on it in groups. All group members are expected to contribute to the assignment equally and will share the same grade, adjusted for peer evaluation. The term assignment is designed to give students the experience of working on a small project team and planning a project on their own. This assignment will demonstrate understanding of project management processes, including initiating, planning, executing and controlling a project using project management tools. The details of the term assignment requirements will be discussed in class and posted on Avenue. In general, groups will need to establish a contract of roles and responsibilities for team members, penalties for poor performance, and when they will meet (5%). The team will submit a proposal to the instructor for the project they wish to manage stating the justification for the project topic (15%). Once approved, students are to apply what they have learned in class to develop and manage the project. A 25 page report consisting of professional quality writing is to be submitted on the project (40%). All members of the team will also deliver a presentation on the project during the last class (40%). Participation Your class participation is worth 10% of your final grade. Students are encouraged to engage actively in class discussions related to the material being presented by the instructor or the cases being presented by student teams. Instructors and TAs will feel free to cold-call on anyone at any time. Hence, it is very important that you prepare for each and every class and case as appropriate. Debate and challenge are important activities that help in the learning process and the willingness of individuals to engage in such activities with their classmates is appreciated. Opportunities for in-class participation include: Taking part in discussions during the lecture part of class by: o Asking questions o Responding to questions posed by the instructor or other students o Making relevant comments on material covered o Bringing current news items for discussion Asking questions and making comments after case presentations. To do this properly, you must read and reflect on the case being presented on any given week prior to coming to class. Name cards and class pictures are used to help give credit for your participation. You must have a name card with your full first and last name clearly written and displayed in front of you for

6 K731 Winter of 8 every class. If you are absent from any class for a legitimate reason, you should indicate that to the instructor so that you are not penalized for lack of participation during that class. Participation marks will be based on both the quantity and quality of your in-class contributions. Mere attendance in class without participation does not earn you any participation marks. Instructors will strive to give all students equal contribution chances but you have to show interest in participating by raising your hand. ACADEMIC DISHONESTY It is the student s responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. Please refer to the University Senate Academic Integrity Policy at the following URL: This policy describes the responsibilities, procedures, and guidelines for students and faculty should a case of academic dishonesty arise. Academic dishonesty is defined as to knowingly act or fail to act in a way that results or could result in unearned academic credit or advantage. Please refer to the policy for a list of examples. The policy also provides faculty with procedures to follow in cases of academic dishonesty as well as general guidelines for penalties. For further information related to the policy, please refer to the Office of Academic Integrity at: MISSED ACADEMIC WORK Missed Mid-Term Examinations / Tests / Class Participation Where students miss a regularly scheduled mid-term or class participation for legitimate reasons as determined by the MBA Academic Services Office, the weight for that test/participation will be distributed across other evaluative components of the course at the discretion of the instructor. Documentation explaining such an absence must be provided to the MBA Academic Services Office within five (5) working days upon returning to school. To document absences for health related reasons, please provide the Petition for Relief for MBA Missed Term Work and the McMaster University Student Health Certificate which can be found on the DeGroote website at Please do not use the online McMaster Student Absence Form as this is for Undergraduate students only. University policy states that a student may submit a maximum of three (3) medical certificates per year after which the student must meet with the Director of the program. To document absences for reasons other than health related, please provide the Petition for Relief for MBA Missed Term Work and documentation supporting the reason for the absence.

7 K731 Winter of 8 Students unable to write a mid-term at the posted exam time due to the following reasons: religious; work-related (for part-time students only); representing university at an academic or varsity athletic event; conflicts between two overlapping scheduled mid-term exams; or other extenuating circumstances, have the option of applying for special exam arrangements. Such requests must be made to the MBA Academic Services Office at least ten (10) working days before the scheduled exam along with acceptable documentation. Instructors cannot themselves allow students to unofficially write make-up exams/tests. Adjudication of the request must be handled by the MBA Academic Services Office. If a mid-term exam is missed without a valid reason, students will receive a grade of zero (0) for that component. STUDENT ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES Student Accessibility Services (SAS) offers various support services for students with disabilities. Students are required to inform SAS of accommodation needs for course work at the outset of term. Students must forward a copy of such SAS accommodation to the instructor normally, within the first three (3) weeks of classes by setting up an appointment with the instructor. If a student with a disability chooses NOT to take advantage of an SAS accommodation and chooses to sit for a regular exam, a petition for relief may not be filed after the examination is complete. The SAS website is: POTENTIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE COURSE The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term. The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the student to check their McMaster and course websites weekly during the term and to note any changes.

8 K731 Winter of 8 MBA K731 TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE- WINTER 2015 WEEK DATE READINGS/LECTURES DELIVERABLES 1 Jan 7 Course overview Term project group formation & class photos Project Management overview (pp. 1-33) Case study analysis overview 2 Jan 14 3 Jan 21 4 Jan 28 5 Feb 4 6 Feb 11 PM organizational structures (pp ) Project teams (pp ) Distribute Assignment 1 & Term Assignment Project selection and portfolios (pp ) Defining projects (pp ) MS Project 1 Estimating project times and costs (pp ) Developing a project plan (pp ) Scheduling resources and costs (pp ) MS Project 2 Distribute Assignment 2 Reducing project duration (pp ) PERT Finalize teams & assignment of cases Due: Team Contracts Case 1: Beijing EAPS Consulting Case 2: Ken Private Limited Due: Term Assignment Proposal Case 3: HMS Pinafore Feb 18 MID-TERM RECESS 7 Feb 25 Project evaluation and control (pp ) MS Project 3 Case 4: The Toronto Sun and Caribana Due: Assignment 2 8 Mar 4 Project risk planning (pp ) Case 5: Proctor & Gamble 9 Mar 11 MID-TERM (IN CLASS) 10 Mar Mar 25 Closing the project (pp ) Term assignment check-in Guest speaker Special topic: Agile Project Management Case 6: MS Society of Canada Case 7: GlobalMed Telemedicine at Rio 12 Apr 1 Term Project Presentations (I) 13 Apr 8 Term Project Presentations (II) Due: Term Project Reports