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CSC 351 PROJECT MANAGEMENT 2016: COURSE SYLLABUS INSTRUCTOR: Peggy Batchelor peggy.batchelor@furman.edu Office: RH 200A Phone: X3222 Office Hours: By AppointmentLecture: 8:30-9:45 Tuesday & Thursday RH204Lab: 2:30- 4:30 Thursday RH 108 COURSE DESCRIPTION As organizations continue to look for ways to reduce costs, managers are often expected to oversee special projects in addition to their traditional responsibilities. When a project is too complex for one person to handle, the project manager is expected to lead a team of diverse employees to complete the assignment. This course will assist the project manager to break down a complex project into manageable segments, lead a diverse project team, and use effective tools to ensure that the project meets its deliverables and is completed within budget and on schedule. Students will complete a plan for an actual project, giving them valuable experience with the relevant tools and skills, including Microsoft Project software. COURSE OBJECTIVES Implement the key steps involved in managing a project Organize the project into manageable componentsSuccessfully lead project teams and work with stakeholdersUse effective tools to oversee and monitor complex projectsDevelop project budgets and schedulesBring complex projects to successful completionUse Microsoft Project to create a project plan and monitor progressDevelop a comprehensive project plan which is ready for implementation Analyze and apply lessons from other actual projectsCLASS ATTENDANCE Attendance at the lectures is critical for successful completion of the course. Students will be expected to download course materials from the class web site (cs.furman.edu/~pbatchelor/csc351) prior to class, and are responsible for taking notes. Note that the slides made available on the web site are not substitutes for the lectures and attending class. I frequently provide verbal explanations, clarification and instructions regarding concepts, assignments, and course deliverables during class time. Examples of project plans may also be reviewed and discussed during class. It is assumed that students will attend every class in its entirety and take notes in order to ensure that they don’t miss this essential part of the course. During the first week I will be breaking you up into 4 teams. Each team will work together on assignments for the entire course.MICROSOFT PROJECT 2013 TUTORIAL By the end of this course, students are expected to have acquired basic skills with Microsoft Project 2013, a commonly used project management software product employed in many industries. REQUIRED READINGS The only required book is: Brief Guide to Project Management by Dr. Kenneth Abernethy. Available in the CS Office for $20. The following book is not required. Students are, however, required to read cases which will be discussed in class from the Pinto book listed below. This book may be purchased in the bookstore and shared by team members.? Pinto, Jeffrey K., Project Management, Achieving Competitive Advantage (2nd Edition), Prentice Hall 2009 I ISBN-10: 0136065619 I ISBN-13: 978-0136065616 Many students prefer to supplement class lectures with readings, so the following book is recommended and is available online: ? Project Management Institute, A Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (4th Edition) ETHICAL STANDARDS Students are expected to maintain the highest ethical standards with respect to plagiarism and cheating. Neither plagiarism nor cheating will be tolerated on any assignments or exams. Students may collaborate with others only when expressly permitted by the instructor (i.e. working on team assignments). Students who violate academic standards will at a minimum receive a failing grade for the applicable assignment or exam, and may also receive a failing grade for the course. CASE STUDIESCase AnalysisCases provide vehicles for learning diagnostic skills. They illustrate applications of the concepts and frameworks introduced by the assigned readings and class discussions. Case studies are instructive in two ways. Initially, they guide pre-class preparation, offering methods to diagnose case problems and issues, to select appropriate forms of analysis (e.g., quantitative, logic, experience, conceptual), and to apply the lessons from case solutions. Before the start of class, each student should be able to recommend concrete measures to the challenges presented in the case study and be capable of defending them based upon solid evidence and coherent analysis. Secondly, case studies illustrate the diversity of approaches to any given problem, encouraging students to realize that others do not always diagnose, analyze, and solve dilemmas in the exact same fashion. This course demands that class members understand alternative approaches, learn from their colleagues, and engage in a constructive dialogue with their peers. To do so requires that participants listen to each other as well as talk in class. Furthermore, I ask that class members defend their position in order that they may fully understand its strengths and weaknesses. There is no single right answer for a case, just as there is rarely a single right decision in actual practice.Analysis comprises more than simply noting and summarizing case facts. Solid analysis applies reasoning to determine how these facts relate to each other, and most importantly, how these facts point to the underlying causes of the case situation.ASSIGNMENTS Two copies (one electronic and one paper) of each assignment are due by 5:00pm on the date stated in class.? The electronic copy is due sent to my email: peggy.batchelor@furman.edu ? The paper copy needs to be dropped in the box outside my office – RH200A. Points will be taken off for late and incomplete submissions. A late assignment is one which is not turned in by the due date at 5:00pm. An incomplete assignment is missing key components, or occurs when one version (electronic or paper) is not submitted by the deadline. COURSE PERFORMANCE EVALUATION Student performance will be evaluated based on performance in three categories, Project Plan Assignments and Class Participation (i.e. discussion of assigned case studies), and exams, including the final exam: Project Plan Assignments Students will be asked to complete a comprehensive project plan incorporating lectures, class discussions, cases, and Microsoft Project software. Project Selection: Select a group project which has been completed and which you worked on in some capacity and develop a Project Plan for that project. Examples of appropriate projects include: ? a group assignment at school, ? a group project at work, ? planning an event ? developing a program or training, etc. The project needs to have a minimum of 10 tasks (preferably more) and should have duration of at least two weeks. No two teams can select the same project, so please check with other team members to ensure that they aren’t planning to use the same project for their assignments. Assignment Grading Methodology: Each assignment of the Project Plan will be graded according to the rubrics which are included in the second part of this document, “Project Plan Assignments.” The rubrics for each assignment outline what meets, does not meet, and exceeds requirements, and are used for grading. Be sure to follow the rubrics in the syllabus and make sure you complete the necessary components. Each assignment is worth 100 points and required components will be graded as follows: ? Meets Requirements: The assignment meets the basic requirements in all areas outlined on the rubric ? Does Not Meet Requirements: The assignment doesn’t meet basic requirements, is incorrect or is incomplete. ? Exceeds Requirements: Those assignments which go over and above requirements will receive higher scores. Ways to exceed requirements include but are not limited to: o in-depth analysis, exceptional writing, and other demonstration of additional effort o thoroughness and comprehensive descriptions o inclusion of additional project plan components which are covered in class, or which the student researches on his or her own time Late Assignments: Students may not submit their assignments late without pre-approval by the me.. There will be a 10 point penalty for assignments which are late or incomplete as well as those where either the electronic version or paper copy is missing at the deadline. No assignments will be accepted after Friday at 5:00pm (24 hours after the Thursday submission deadline)Class Participation Students are expected to participate in class discussions, particularly those relating to assigned cases. In-class exercises or short quizzes may be used toward the class participation score. Grading is as follows: I. Does Not Meet Expectations: Does not attend all classes and/or does not participate II. Meets: Attends all classes or has pre-approved absence; moderate participation III. Exceeds: Attends all classes or has pre-approved absence; active, productive participation ................
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