Managing Project Teams (Mgmt 444)
Spring, 2006
Jeff Trailer, Ph.D.
Sean Morgan
Office: Tehama 383
Telephone: 898-6570
Email:
Office hours: Tuesdays & Thursdays 3-4:30 pm, or by appointment.
Course Web Page for course e-material: http://www.csuchico.edu/~jtrailer/444.htm
Catalog Description:
Prerequisites: MGMT 303
Creating team effectiveness and developing project management skills, including the use of project management software.
Course Objectives:
In this course, you will learn about managing people and processes productively, under significant time constraints. More specifically, you will:
1. Achieve basic preparation to be a professional project manager, and prepare for professional certification in project management; P.M.P. Project Management Professional.
PMI® (Project Management Institute) is the leading nonprofit professional association in the area of Project Management. PMI establishes Project Management standards, provides seminars, educational programs and professional certification that more and more organizations desire for their project leaders. PMI® conducts a certification program in project management. PMI's Project Management Professional (PMP®) credential is the project management profession's most globally recognized and respected certification credential. To obtain PMP certification an individual must satisfy education and experience requirements, agree to and adhere to a Code of Professional Conduct, and pass the PMP Certification Examination.
P.M.P. Handbook for Certification:
http://www.pmi.org/prod/groups/public/documents/info/PDC_PMPHandbook.pdf
2. Achieve basic preparation to use professional project management software, and prepare for professional certification in the use of project management software; Certification for Microsoft Project (core-level).
Microsoft Office Specialist Certification for Microsoft Project
The Microsoft Office Specialist Certification for Microsoft Project offers globally recognized certifications of skill in the use of Microsoft Project. The core and comprehensive-level certifications for Microsoft Project are designed to be both accessible to the casual and intermittent user, yet scalable to the needs of the most sophisticated project manager or complex organization. As with the certification for Microsoft Office applications, the Microsoft Project certification requires the successful completion of a performance–based, certification exam. This exam has been prepared by experts and is designed to assess the individual's ability to use Microsoft Project’s many organizational, collaborative, and labor–saving features while working in a "live" environment. These certifications are not intended to be substitutes for the methodological certifications offered by professional, project management organizations. Rather, they exist as measurement of an individual’s ability to productively use a "tool–of–the–trade." http://www.microsoft.com/TrainCert/mcp/officespecialist/project.asp
Course goals, in terms of content, are to understand the basic nine “project management body of knowledge” areas:
· Project Integration Management
· Project Scope Management
· Project Time Management
· Project Cost Management
· Project Quality Management
· Project Human Resource Management
· Project Communications Management
· Project Risk Management
· Project Procurement Management
Course Material
Texts: Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), 2005 edition. Published by the Project Management Institute.
Project Management Manual, Published by the Harvard Business School Press
Software: Microsoft Project 2002. Published by the Microsoft Corp.
Recommended: P.M.P. Exam practice/example questions. http://www.pmi.org/prod/groups/public/documents/info/PDC_SampleQuestionsandAnswers.pdf
Membership in the professional society: P.M.I. (student cost is $40.00)
http://www.pmi.org/info/GMC_StudentMembership.asp
Other required material:
1. Nine 15-question Scantron answer sheets, and one 100-question scantron answer sheet.
2. Access to a networked computer
Evaluation. Course grades will be based on the following assignments and activities:
1. 9 quizes @ 5 % each (1 quiz on each of the 9 P.M.P. content areas) 45% total
2. 9 team-based problem sets @ 2.22% each 20% total.
3. 1 team project & presentation @ 15% 15% total
4. 1 final exam @ 20% 20% total
------
100%
Course Grading. The student’s ability to apply the concepts in this course is the ultimate basis for the overall evaluation. Accordingly, the overall evaluation may include a subjective adjustment based on the student’s verbal indication of mastery of the subject, when in the opinion of the professor, a significant discrepancy exists between the verbal and written application of the course content. Thus, I will determine your final grade in the course using the points you have earned on your assignments as a guideline. I understand that students get anxious about their grades, so, although not absolute, you may use the following as a guideline: above 90% of total points would normally be in the "A" range, above 80% would usually be in the "B" range, above 70% would normally be in the "C" range, and students earning less than 70% of the points would be in danger of receiving a "D," or less.
Your catalog defines each letter grade. Here I have added my definition to provide you with greater information on what each grade means to me.
A = Superior Work: "achievement so outstanding that it is normally attained by relatively few students." In addition to the requirements for a B, A work must demonstrate originality – a creative, surprisingly good performance from beginning to end.
B = Above Average Work: "achievement clearly better than adequate competence in the subject matter/skill, but not as good as the superior achievement of students earning As." In addition to the requirements for a C, B work must demonstrate thorough analysis of the problem, a satisfactory solution, judgment and tact in presenting the solution, good organization, and appropriate writing style when the solution is presented in writing.
C = Adequate Work: "achievement indicating adequate competence in the subject/skill. This level will usually be met by a majority of the students in the class." C work demonstrates satisfactory analysis of the problem, judgment, tact, organization, and writing style but nothing particularly good or bad.
D = Minimally Acceptable Work: "achievement which meets the minimum requirements of the course." D work is characterized by the presence of a glaring defect in an otherwise acceptable paper or by generally inadequate treatment or judgment.
F = Unacceptable Work: "achievement that fails to meet the minimum requirements of the course." F work demonstrates coverage only of essential points, poor organization, offensive tone, careless handling of the mechanics of written language.
Course Policies
1. All assignments are to be clearly printed; laser-print or equivalent quality.
2. All assignments are due at the end of class on the date due.
Completing work on schedule is an important measure of your project management skills. Thus, turning work in late indicates a failure to properly plan and execute the work and demonstrates a failure to meet a minimum level of skill in project management, so a late assignment will earn a zero.
You may turn in assignments early. If the assignment is not entirely complete by the due date, then turn in as much as you have completed so you may earn at least some credit.
The following are indicators of severe deficiencies in project management skills, and therefore result in a more severe penalty. The following will earn an additional 10% reduction in the overall score:
· Failure to meet the deadline because there exists no backup of the work file(s),
o And the hard drive crashes
o And the floppy disk is lost
o And the floppy disk is abducted.
o And a computer virus deleted or damaged the file
o And the roommate deletes, changes, and/or generally absconds with the file
o And the file, just, disappears…
o And anything in the “my dog ate the work” genre
· Failure to meet the deadline because I was still working on it the night before it was due,
o And the power unexpectedly went out.
o And the printer unexpectedly failed.
o And I unexpectedly had to go to work.
o And I unexpectedly had to go home.
o And I unexpectedly had to go to take my pet to the vet.
o And I unexpectedly realized I did not have the (fill in the blank) I needed.
o And I unexpectedly realized I did not have enough time to finish the work.
o And I unexpectedly realized I had no idea how to do the work.
3. Quizzes are given at only one assigned time and place. There are no make-up quizzes, however, if a quiz is missed, for a university approved reason, the score earned on the comprehensive Final Exam will count in place of one quiz score in the calculation of the final grade for the course.
4. Attendance. Attendance to all classes is required. There are several reasons for this. It is expected that topics covered in the class session will be incorporated into the assignments, regardless of whether or not the topic is also covered in the text(s). Thus, it is important to attend class and take notes. If you miss a class, I will not be able to re-teach the class session for you, individually. Also, it is not my responsibility to take class notes for you so you can miss class. You may make arrangements with another student to obtain notes on that class session, however, this includes a certain element of risk to you… If you miss a class, you will not be aware of requirements and techniques that may be required to earn a high evaluation. Accordingly, I do not accept “you should not give me a low grade, because I didn’t know this was required…I missed that day…” To earn a high evaluation, you will need to attend class. Finally, tasks and written assignments are often completed in the class session, and if you are not in class you will, consequently, not be able to earn a grade above a zero. If you miss class due to circumstances approved by the University (death in family, varsity sports, etc.), then you will be given a day to make up the assignment(s) during finals week. One time and date will be arranged based on the number of students who need to make-up assignments, and their other final exam schedules. If you miss that day, as well, then you will likely fail the course.
5. Always keep a copy of your work. Sometimes papers get lost and sometimes papers are never turned in. A copy of your work will clarify the situation.
6. I am always willing to discuss your assignments and grades with you given the following condition--24 hours must go by after you receive your assignment back before we can talk. Experience indicates that we are all able to communicate more effectively if think about what we want and how best to go about getting it.
7. You are expected to treat others in the class with respect and politeness. Students are invited and encouraged to think, question, disagree, and offer alternatives. Rudeness, however, will not be tolerated, and a disruptive student will be dropped from the course. Don’t whisper to one another. Don’t tear paper or make other noise that is disruptive. Don’t read the newspaper or do work for another class. These behaviors make it impossible for your classmates to learn. I will stop class and ask you to stop. This will embarrass you. Don’t create this situation for either of us.
8. Academic Honesty. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that all assignments are completed in an ethical manner. If you are unclear about a specific situation, ask your instructors. They will explain what is and is not acceptable in their classes. If a student is thought to be cheating and charges are brought, the process can result in severe consequences, ranging from failure in an individual course to long-term suspension from the university and denial of a degree. Academic dishonesty, generally, is taking credit for work which is not your own or attempting to receive credit or improve a grade through fraudulent or deceptive means. Examples include taking information from or providing information to another student, plagiarism, or altering a grade or record. Consult the guide on Ethical Standards and Disciplinary Procedures for complete definitions. Copies of the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities and answers to questions about academic honesty may be obtained in the Office of the Coordinator of Student Judicial Affairs (KNDL 110, x6897).
9. Reading Assignments. It is expected that reading assignments are completed prior to class. Evaluation of assignments is conducted assuming all material assigned has been read, regardless of whether or not the topics are also covered during the class session.
10. The schedule and number of assignments is subject to modification -- sometimes the flow of the semester is different than I thought it would be.