PROJ - Project Management

This course introduces the principles of project management. It examines the broad field of project management and the relationships between project management knowledge areas, process groups, and component processes. There is a focus on developing competencies and personal behaviors, which increases the likelihood of delivering projects that meet stakeholders' requirements. Identifying various project stakeholders and defining the business problem or opportunity are key aspects in the evaluation and prioritization phases of initiating a project amidst changing business conditions. Students will learn the process of properly initiating a project with elements as appropriate: internal (project charter, kickoff meeting) and external (turnover meeting, contracts, and agreements).

This course introduces a project approach that considers HR planning with a focus on distinguishing requirement types and gathering project requirements. Students will evaluate quality tools, apply quality standards, create a project charter and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), and create a risk register with a risk response plan.

This course introduces students to the documentation needed through the planning stages up to and including obtaining sponsor approval to launch the project. The process starts with identifying relationships, dependencies, leads, and lags for activities. To develop the project schedule, students will perform analogous, parametric, and detailed estimating. Students will select the appropriate methodology (Critical Path or Critical Chain Method) and construct the project schedule. Students will perform a make or buy analysis to choose a procurement strategy and develop a procurement solicitation as appropriate. Prior to obtaining sponsor approval, students will develop a project budget and related project accounting documentation.

This course focuses on project management leadership and team skill development. Students will assess individual project management leadership skills needed, identify gaps, and plan accordingly. Students will determine the team type and assess needs for team development: interpersonal skills and cultural competencies. Students will learn how to adapt leadership styles to the project and formulate project vision and strategy, identifying project manager roles and responsibilities.

In this course students will analyze and interpret project performance data, whether predictive or iterative, in order to manage project interfaces and select quality control techniques and processes. Students will build a communication management plan and establish a stakeholder relationship management approach. Students will develop an approach for vendor management and administration. Students will apply appropriate monitoring and control methods to project changes.

In this course students will identify and plan for troubled project recovery: Stage 1 -Recognition, Stage 2 -Immediate Recovery, Stage 3 - Sustained Recovery, and Stage 4 - Maturity and Organizational Learning. Students will assess project validation and verification and distinguish between implementation and transition plans. Students will identify methods for procurement closeout and completion of final acceptance, lessons learned, and organization learning.

In this course students will distinguish project management office (PMO) strategies and types, experiment with creative solutions, and apply rational and intuitive decision-making to situations with uncertainty. Students will examine complexity criteria and apply Monte Carlo Analysis as appropriate. Students will discuss organizational change management and construct a capstone portfolio.