Project Management

Course Syllabus

Course Information

Course Description

Human society has been organizing their efforts as projects for hundreds of years. A project may be a class room exercise, a church activity, a software product development, a moon launch, or even a set of landscaping tasks. Projects usually require someone to manage the project with the responsibilities to ensure the project is successful. During this class we will examine the techniques and skills needed to manage projects of all different types. We will start this class by focusing on the role of the project manager. We will define the project manager role and responsibilities and discuss critical success factors for most every project.

In this course you will participate in several directed discussions where we will analyze several project situations and case studies. We will cover issues in areas such as project estimation, project scope, working with project members from different cultures, and project risk management. You are expected to participate and contribute to these group discussions on a weekly basis.

In addition to the group discussions, you will also need to complete some module exercises, and complete a set of final project documents for a project of your choosing. The module exercises are designed to help you complete your project documents and reinforce course learnings. The final project documents (described in depth later) will provide the framework for the definition and scheduling of a specific real–world project.

Course Learning Goals

After completing this course, you will be able to demonstrate an understanding of:

project definition and task organization,
project risk management,
project task estimation and schedule planning documents,
understand potential cultural issues when with working with project members from other cultures,
resolve project management related problems using the skills of negotiation, mediation or interpersonal commmunication,
explain how race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, or religion interact to shape oneself or others demonstrate the skill of managing projects to successful completion.

Course Competencies

In this course, you will develop the following competencies:

Competence	Competence Statement and Criteria
H3D	Can employ the skills of negotiation, mediation, or interpersonal communications in the resolution of a problem.
H3B	Can explain how two or more of the factors of race, ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, or religion interact to shape oneself or others.
FX	Can describe and demonstrate the skill of managing projects to successful completion.

Grades lower than a C- do not earn credit or competence in the School for New Learning.

Course Resources

To buy your books, go to http://depaul-loop.bncollege.com

Required Reading:

Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management. 4th edition (December 2011). Wiley, John & Sons.

Lanier, Sarah. Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot - And Cold - Climate Cultures. February 2004. McDougal Publishing.

Course Grading Scale

A = 95 to 100	A- = 91 to 94	B+ = 88 to 90
B = 85 to 87	B- = 81 to 84	C+ = 77 to 80
C = 73 to 76	C- = 69 to 72	D+ = 65 to 68
D = 61 to 64	F = 60 or below	INC

Please note: Grades lower than a C- do not earn credit or competence in the School for New Learning.

Course Structure

This course consists of 10 modules. Each module has a discussion question. Some modules have review homework exercises.

To see course due dates, click on the Checklist link on the top navigation bar. This page contains module-specific checklists and due dates for the work due in the course.

Course Structure

This course consists of 10 modules. The estimated time to complete each module is 1 week.

The following table outlines the course:

Week, Module # and Title	Readings	Assignments
Week 1, Module 1: Introduction	Review Final Project Assignment requirements Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, chapters 1 and 2. Wiki Project Management Article-specifically pay attention to the project development stages	1.1 Introductions Discussion 1.2 Project Experience Discussion
Week 2, Module 2: Understand Project Stakeholders	Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Chapter 3 Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Publish a Charter from Chapter 4 Read online article on Stakeholder Analysis Watch the following videos: Leading Cause of Project Failure: Lack of Executive Support Improving Your Ability to Deliver Projects: Develop a Project Charter	2.1 Business Process Re-engineering Discussion 2.2 Submit Project Topic 2.3 Develop a Charter Document
Week 3, Module 3: Developing Project Rules	Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Chapter 4 Watch the following videos: Leading Cause of Project Failure: Continual and Unregulated Change Define Success	3.1 The Apartment Renovation Discussion 3.2 Develop a SOW
Week 4, Module 4: Managing Project Risk	Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Chapter 5 Watch the following videos: Leading Cause of Project Failure: Denial of Risk Improving Your Ability to Deliver Projects: Risk Management	4.1 Risk Analysis Template and Risk Log 4.2 Risk Management Discussion
Week 5, Module 5: Dealing with People from Different Cultures	Read Lanier, Sarah. Foreign to Familiar: A Guide to Understanding Hot - And Cold - Climate Cultures, Chapters 1–5 Watch the following videos: Cultural Dimention: Direct versus Indirect Communication Style High vs Low Context Culture Clock vs Event Time	5.1 Warm Vs Cold Climate Cultures Discussion
Week 6, Module 6: Creating a Work Breakdown Structure	Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Chapter 6 Watch the following videos: 3 keys to creating a WBS Improving Your Ability to Deliver Projects: Create a Work Breakdown Structure Work Breakdown Structure: Demonstration	6.1 Work Breakdown Structure Discussion
Week 7, Module 7: More on Cultural Differences	Read the China Development Team Case Study Watch the following videos: Individualism vs Collectivism Cultural Dimension: Low versus High Power Distance Defining a Culture as Masculine or Feminine	7.1 Work Breakdown Structure 7.2 Cultural Dimensions Discussion
Week 8, Module 8: Realistic Scheduling	Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Chapter 7 Read Case Study 3 - Inherited Project	8.1 The Inherited Project Discussion 8.2 Creating a Schedule
Week 9, Module 9: Dynamics Of Estimation	Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Chapter 9 Read Case Study 4 - Estimating on the Fly	9.1 Estimating on the Fly Discussion
Week 10, Module 10: Balancing the Project	Read Verzuh, Eric. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management, Chapter 9	10.1 Final Project 10.2 Final Project Discussion

Assessment

The criteria to complete this course require that:

You participate consistently and constructively by completing the readings and course exercises by their due dates.
You submit your final project by the due date.
You consistently, actively, and in a timely fashion participate in the online discussions. You will receive a weekly note from the instructor, if your participation is estimated as outstanding, sufficient or insufficient. In any case you will have the opportunity to comment on the opinion of the instructor.

Evaluation Weighting

Category	Percent of Grade	# of Deliverables
Participation in Online Discussions	24%	Throughout the course
Final Project	36%	1
Assignments	40%	3–5

Final Project Guidelines

Develop a complete set of planning documents for a real project. Ideally the project you select should be one that you have worked on or will work on in the future. The project that you select should have sufficient:

Project Size - your project should have at least 3 project members in the project doing the actual work
Project Complexity - your project should have at at least 5 major tasks/activities. Each of these major activities should have 3 sub tasks.

Your final project document must contain several required sections, including project charter, project statement of work, risk analysis and several other sections. See the final project description for details.

In addition to the final project, you will also be required to write a “Project Post-Mortem.” In this assessment, you will describe how your project dealt with the specific aspect of the competency for which you are enrolled.

Timeline for the Final Project

Week 1-3	Explore Project Topics
Week 5	Final Project Topic Due
Week 4-10	Develop Final Project

Final Project Example Topics

Here are a few sample project ideas:

House Roofing - A project to re-roof a house that involved 5 roofers, roofing tiles, ladders, hammers, nails, etc. The customer might be the home owner and the sponsor would be the company owner.
IT Computer Software Deployment - A project to deploy a set of PCs with special software configuration to a set of department users. The project might include obtaining the PCs, configuring the PCs with the software, deploying the PCs to the users and training the end-users. The customers might be the department users. The sponsor might be a department head.
Church Wide Volunteer Project(s) - This project might involve several volunteers simultaneously working several small volunteer projects. As project manager you might help assign volunteers to the projects, get materials, coordinate with the volunteers, set the event date and coordinate with the church staff. The customers might be the places where volunteers will work. The sponsor might be church staff.
Business Process Re-engineering - This project might involve re-designing one or more business processes. The process might be a company performance review process, a new employee orientation/training process, a purchasing process, etc. The team members might be other employees with vested interest in the process. The customer might be the process members and the sponsor may be a department head or executive. >Final Project Assessment

Notes on competencies and project selection:

Your project needs to have sufficient complexity to work in this class. That means at least 3-4 project members with an independent sponsor. For example, a project of ‘Retiling my floor’ may not work (since you or your spouse is probably the sponsor).
If your competency is H3B then you must either:
1. Select a project with a cross-cultural element such as out-sourcing a project, working with a team with diverse backgrounds or training with employees in another country.
2. Interview someone from another culture about their experiences working on a cross cultural project.
3. Provide a specific project post-mortem write-up (see final project description).

Final Project Assessment

Please see the final project description in the corresponding dropbox.

General Assessment Criteria for All Writing Assignments

All writing assignments are expected to conform to basic college-level standards of mechanics and presentation.

Consider visiting the Writing Center to discuss your assignments for this course or any others. You may schedule appointments (30 or 50 minutes) on an as–needed or weekly basis, scheduling up to 3 hours worth of appointments per week. Online services include Feedback–by–Email and IM conferencing (with or without a webcam). All writing center services are free.

Writing Center tutors are specially selected and trained graduate and undergraduate students who can help you at almost any stage of your writing. They will not do your work for you, but they can help you focus and develop your ideas, review your drafts, and polish your writing. They can answer questions about grammar, mechanics, different kinds of writing styles, and documentation formats. They also can answer questions and provide feedback online, through IM/webcam chats and email.

Obviously, the tutors won’t necessarily be familiar with every class or subject, but they are able to provide valuable help from the perspective of an interested and careful reader as well as a serious and experienced student-writer.

Schedule your appointments with enough time to think about and use the feedback you’ll receive. To schedule a Face-to-Face, Written Feedback by Email, or Online Appointment, visit www.depaul.edu/writing.

Discussion Forums

Discussion Forums are an important component of your online experience. This course contains discussion forums related to the topics you are studying each week. For requirements on your participation in the Discussion Forums, please see "Course Expectations" in the syllabus.

A Course Q & A discussion forum has also been established to manage necessary, ongoing social and administrative activities. This is where the management and administrative tasks of the course are conducted, and where you can ask 'process' questions and receive answers throughout the course. Please feel free to answer any question if you feel you know the answer; this sharing of information is valuable to other students.

Each student is expected to log on to the Discussion Forum at least 3 times per week and to make at least three contributions per discussion in the forum. Your responses to both instructor questions and to other students’ comments will enhance the learning experience for all students and counts towards your grade.

Your contributions to discussions should include a supporting statement(s). Draw from your text readings, magazines, work or any personal experiences, etc. to explain why you agree/disagree with another student or why you have the perspective that you have.

Text does not carry the tone and nuances of face–to–face conversations. You read messages through your own perceptions, so misinterpretation is both easy and common. Congenial interaction in online conversations facilitates the learning process. Extra attention is needed in online dialogue for these reasons.

In on–line courses, the student is an interactive learner with the instructor providing guidance and mentoring.

Assessment Criteria for Online Discussion Participation

In the online discussions you need to:

Clearly and consistently link what you are learning in the course to your real life experiences.
Show logical, well formulated arguments for your discussion points.
Contribute to the online discussions in a collegial fashion. Especially make sure to maintain a kind and collegial tone and close with your signature.
Demonstrate good "listening" skills and active inquiry skills in the online discussions. This means that you pay attention with openness to the commentary of others and you offer constructive and interested commentary, whether in the form of questions or statements.
Contribute your own original ideas to the online discussion in ways that facilitated learning for other people. (That is a posting should NOT simply say, I agree with you without contributing additional ideas and thoughts of some substantive nature.)
Contributions must be timely, creating all your posts just before the deadline does not help move the discussion along.

Online Participation Guidelines

The following guidelines may encourage you to be active and critical in your participation, only together we will make this course a significant and pleasant learning experience:

Participation is essential, so please connect to the course every day or at least every second day.
Post your response to the discussion assessments in the first part of the week, in the second part of the week post comments to the other students.
Discuss critically, give support to your peers, provide own ideas and experiences, challenge ideas of others or just make a comment that you read the posting.
The role of the instructor, to make it easy for you to interact, to promote significant discussion, to give feed back on your postings and offer help where needed.
This is not an independent study course, but a paced online group learning experience. This study guide indicates 6 to 11 hours per week of your time to be spent on this course of ten weeks.
Please accept the challenge to work with others, to construct knowledge in negotiation with others. Working individually on the Assessments and just posting them might not lead to significant knowledge and skills.

Some difficulties at the beginning of an online course are quite normal; solving them is part of every distance learning experience.

Course Expectations

Time Management and Attendance

SNL's online courses are not self-paced and require a regular time commitment EACH week throughout the quarter.

You are required to log in to your course at least four times a week so that you can participate in the ongoing course discussions.

Online courses are no less time consuming than "face to face" courses. You will have to dedicate some time every day or at least every second day to your studies. A typical four credit hour "face to face" course at SNL involves three hours of classroom meeting per week, plus at least three to six hours of study and homework per week.

This course will require at least the same time commitment, but your learning activities will be spread out through the week. If you have any problems with your technology, or if you need to improve your reading or writing skills, it may take even longer.

The instructor should be notified if your life events do not allow you to participate in the course and the online discussions for more than one week. This is particularly important when there are group discussions or you are working as part of a team.

If you find yourself getting behind, please contact the instructor immediately.

Your Instructor's Role

Your instructor's role in this course is that of a discussion facilitator and learning advisor. It is not their responsibility to make sure you log in regularly and submit your assignments. As instructor, s/he will read all postings to the general discussion forums on a daily basis but may not choose to respond to each posting. You will receive feedback to assignments.

The instructor may choose to designate "office hours" when s/he will be online and available and will immediately respond to questions. Depending on the instructor, this response may be by e-mail, instant messenger or telephone. Otherwise, you will generally receive a response to emailed or posted queries within 48 hours.

Your Role as a Student

As an online student, you will be taking a proactive approach to your learning. As the course instructor's role is that of a learning guide, your role is that of the leader in your own learning.

You will be managing your own time so that you can complete the readings, activities and assignments for the course, and you will also be expected to take a more active role in peer learning.

Please also note that this is a course offered by DePaul University's School for New Learning (SNL), a college for undergraduate and graduate degree-seeking students 24 years and older. SNL welcomes the perspectives and encourages the participation of all DePaul students, and students who take this course should respect and be mindful of SNL's mission in supporting a diverse and inclusive environment. More information about SNL can be found here.

View this brief demo Taking SNL Online courses in D2L to learn how to navigate through your course.

If you’re new to SNL Online see additional resources on the course home page under Student Resources/Getting Started.

Course Netiquette

Online discussions are an important part of your course experience. To ensure a positive learning environment, please follow the following minimum expectations. Use your common sense, as not all situations can be covered:

Be polite
Respect other participants’ views or opinions
Think before you write, and ask yourself if you would say the same thing in person
Use positive phrases (i.e., "Good idea!" or "Thanks for the suggestions," etc.)
Be sensitive to cultural differences
Avoid hostile, curt or sarcastic comments
No objectionable, sexist, or racist language will be tolerated
Create a positive online community by offering assistance and support to other participants.
Use correct grammar and syntax

Policies

Academic Integrity

DePaul University is a learning community that fosters the pursuit of knowledge and the transmission of ideas within a context that emphasizes a sense of responsibility for oneself, for others and for society at large. Violations of academic integrity, in any of their forms, are, therefore, detrimental to the values of DePaul, to the students' own development as responsible members of society, and to the pursuit of knowledge and the transmission of ideas.

Violations include but are not limited to the following categories: cheating; plagiarism; fabrication; falsification or sabotage of research data; destruction or misuse of the university's academic resources; alteration or falsification of academic records; and academic misconduct. Conduct that is punishable under the Academic Integrity Policy could result in additional disciplinary actions by other university officials and possible civil or criminal prosecution. Please refer to your Student Handbook for further details.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is a major form of academic dishonesty involving the presentation of the work of another as one's own. Plagiarism includes but is not limited to the following:

The direct copying of any source, such as written and verbal material, computer files, audio disks, video programs or musical scores, whether published or unpublished, in whole or part, without proper acknowledgement that it is someone else's.
Copying of any source in whole or part with only minor changes in wording or syntax, even with acknowledgement.
Submitting as one's own work a report, examination paper, computer file, lab report or other assignment that has been prepared by someone else. This includes research papers purchased from any other person or agency.
The paraphrasing of another's work or ideas without proper acknowledgement.
Resubmitting one's own previous work from a different course or college, without the permission of the current instructor.

Plagiarism, like other forms of academic dishonesty, is always a serious matter. If an instructor finds that a student has plagiarized, the appropriate penalty is at the instructor's discretion.

DePaul University Incomplete Policy

The intent of the Incomplete grade is to allow students extra time to complete their final assignments. This need arises because, in the closing weeks of the course, they have an event of significant magnitude that adversely affects their ability to complete the course, e.g. serious illness, death in the family, overseas deployment, or natural disaster.

You must request an incomplete grade in writing two weeks before the end of the quarter. Incomplete grades will be considered only after you have satisfactorily completed at least 75 percent of the coursework, and you have such an unexpected, uncontrollable event that prevents you from completing your course. Do not assume that you will qualify for an incomplete. Students who are failing the course at the point where they request an incomplete will not receive one, nor will they be granted after the end of the quarter. Incomplete grades are given at the discretion of the instructor.

If you do receive permission from the instructor to take an incomplete in the course, you will be required to complete a contract with the instructor, specifying how you will finish the missing work within the next two quarters (excluding summer). See the Incomplete Grade Contract Form.

Undergraduate and graduate students will have up to two quarters to complete an incomplete. At the end of the second quarter (excluding summer) following the term in which the incomplete grade was assigned, remaining incompletes will automatically convert to "F" grades. Ordinarily no incomplete grade may be completed after the grace period has expired. Instructors may not change incomplete grades after the end of the grace period without the permission of a college-based Exceptions Committee. This policy applies to undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. NOTE: In the case of a student who has applied for graduation and who has been approved for an Incomplete in his or her final term, the incomplete must be resolved within the four-week grace period before final degree certification.

Description of Pass/Fail Grading Options

Students have the option of taking all SNL undergraduate courses as Pass/Fail even if a class is initially structured for a letter grade assessment. In these cases a Pass is awarded when competence is demonstrated at a level that would otherwise earn a grade of C- or higher.

In deciding to select Pass/Fail grading students should be aware that competencies assessed in a course as Pass will earn credit hours toward degree completion but will not be included in computing grade point averages. Attempted competence demonstration assessed within a class as Fail will not only be recorded as credit hours attempted but will also be included in computing a student's grade point average.

For SNL students, competencies awarded for Independent Learning Pursuits and in the Lifelong Learning Domain do not count toward the university's specification that only twenty credit hours may be earned through the Pass/Fail assessment option.

Please note:There are three SNL courses within the BA curriculum that are always assessed on a Pass/Fail basis: Foundations of Adult Learning (course number LL 250; competences L-2 and F-1), Advanced Project (course number FA 303; competences F-11 and F-12) and Summit Seminar (course number LL 390; competence L-12). These classes may not be taken for a letter grade assessment. Therefore, work that might otherwise be assessed at grades A through C- will earn a Pass in these classes.

There are an additional five SNL courses within the Lifelong Learning Area of the BA curriculum for which instructors regularly use a Pass/Fail grading system that may instead be taken for a letter grade assessment if this is a student's preference. These classes are: Independent Learning Seminar (course number LL 103; competence L1); Writing for Competence (course number LL 260; competence L-4), Critical Thinking (course number LL 270; competence L-5), Research Seminar (course number LL 300; competences L-8 and L-9), and Externship (course number LL 302; competences L-10 and L-11). In addition, SNL's undergraduate Writing Workshop (course number LL 140; competence H-3-J) regularly uses Pass/Fail, although students may request a letter grade assessment. In these instances SNL offers undergraduate students the opportunity to request a letter grade assessment from their instructor. Students who need a letter grade for tuition reimbursement may wish to consider this option, as well as those who wish to raise their GPA. Students planning to attend graduate school may also prefer letter grades to Pass/Fail assessments.

If a student wants to switch the method of assessment, either to or from the Pass/Fail option, this must be requested from the instructor in writing by the beginning of the third week of the quarter. For courses that meet fewer than ten weeks of the quarter, this request must be made by the beginning of the third week of the course. The grading basis may not be changed after these deadlines, with no exceptions.

For Students Who Need Accommodations Based on the Impact of a Disability

Students seeking disability-related accommodations are required to register with DePaul's Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) enabling you to access accommodations and support services to assist your success. There are two office locations:

Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD)
Loop Campus: Lewis Center 1420. (312) 362-8002
Lincoln Park Campus: Student Center 370. (773) 325-1677
csd@depaul.edu

Students are also invited to contact their instructor privately to discuss your challenges and how the instructor may assist in facilitating the accommodations you will use in this course. This is best done early in the term and the conversation will remain confidential.

Dean of Students Office

The Dean of Students Office (DOS) helps students in navigating the university, particularly during difficult situations, such as personal, financial, medical, and/or family crises. Absence Notifications to faculty, Late Withdrawals, and Community Resource Referrals, support students both in and outside of the classroom. Additionally we have resources and programs to support health and wellness, violence prevention, substance abuse and drug prevention, and LGBTQ student services. We are committed to your success as a DePaul student. Please feel free to contact us.

Protection of Human Subjects

For more information see: http://research.depaul.edu/

Demonstrating the acquisition of competencies in this course can involve "interactions"—interviewing and or observing other people—discussing those interviews or observations with other class members and writing them up in one or more final report(s). As such, these activities qualify as "research" with "human subjects" and are subject to University and Federal guidelines. Because it takes place in the context of this course, your research is exempt from approval by the School for New Learning's Local Review Board only under the following conditions:

The information you collect is EXCLUSIVELY for the purpose of classroom discussion and will NOT be used after the term is over. If there is any possibility that you will EVER use it in further research or for publication, you must obtain approval from the Local Review Board before you begin.
You assess and ensure that no "harm"—physical, mental, or social—does or could result from either your interviews and/or observations or your discussion and/or reports.
The privacy and confidentiality of those that you interview or observe must be protected. Unless you receive specific permission, in writing, from the person(s) you interview or observe, please change their names, and make sure that their identity cannot be readily ascertained from the information you provide.
If you want to use real names and relationships, they must sign an "informed consent" document. For information on creating an "informed consent document" see, for example, http://www.research.umn.edu/consent.

Copyright and Student Privacy

In accordance with DePaul’s Acceptable Use Policy, commentary and materials within SNL Online classes shall not be copied, reproduced or published elsewhere without the express written consent of individuals involved.

Credits

This course was designed and produced by David A. Lash and staff at SNL Online of the School for New Learning of DePaul University.

Printed in the USA.