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MET AD642 A2 PROJECT MANAGEMENT – Spring 2024

Syllabus

1. Course Overview

In more or less-structured terms, here’s what we’ll learn in this course:

• Define the important terms and concepts related to project management.

• Demonstrate capability in applying key project management tools and templates.

• Describe (and through exercises, experience) the role of the modern project manager.

• Discuss the range, scope, structure, culture, and complexity of modern projects, and where they fit in the company hierarchy.

• Examine the 10 Knowledge Areas and 5 Process Groups of Project Management as defined in the latest edition of the PMBOK® Guide, 6^th Edition.

• Gain proficiency in designing and adapting a project management life cycle.

• Formulate ways to measure project progress and implement decisions to control variances.

1.2 Important note: This course has Team and Individual components.   In industry practice, you need to excel at project management tools, but you also need to learn about team dynamics – project managers must get work done through others.  Later in this document, a pie chart and table show exactly how this balance of Team and Individual grading will be done.

TEAM		INDIVIDUAL
· Selection of team project		· In-Class Workshops
· Submission of project deliverables		· On-line Discussions
· Submission of Final Project Plan		· Mid-Term
· Presentation to Class		· In-Class Discussions
· In-Class Workshops

Ground Rules

· Policy for internet device (tablet, smartphone, and laptop) use during class for all sections of AD642 – Project Management.

Based on recent surveys from students of this course, we are instituting the following policy for class lecture time* in all sections of our course.  Nearly unanimous verbatim feedback from over 100 students indicates that the use of smartphones and tablets during class was distracting from the learning (their own as well as others around them), and that use of laptops for anything other than translation/vocabulary or for viewing slides was also highly distracting.

For that reason, and because the instructors of the course have agreed that one of our primary objectives is to ensure a positive learning environment, smartphones or tablets must be turned off during lecture time.  Students who wish to use a device for viewing of slides or for translation/vocabulary purposes, may request this exception from their instructor, who will use his or her own judgement to allow exceptions.  Students who are granted an exception will, at the option of the instructor, be seated together near the front of the class.  

Violation of this student-requested policy, as detected by the instructor and/or as reported by colleague students will be handled by the individual instructor and will include as a minimum the deduction of grading points for the offending students.

*This is a team-based course, with a good percentage of class time being given to teams for their own use. The policy turns into more of a guideline during team activity time, although of course during team meeting time during class, all team members are expected to participate jointly (and not texting or otherwise misusing their smartphones or laptops).  Also note that the lecture time in the course is limited by design, so that your time “away from the internet” will not be particularly lengthy.

2. Basic Information

2.1 Schedule

Classroom: PSY B53

Dates and Times: Tuesday’s 6:00 PM

3. Text & Materials

3.1 2 Required Texts

 

An Introduction to Project Management, Seventh Edition Paperback – 2021

Kathy Schwalbe

(Amazon)

Needed immediately

 

Project Management AD642-A2 Custom Selection of 4 Chapters (7, 10, 11, 12) from: “Project Management, The Managerial Process, 8E (eight edition)”, Erik W. Larson and Clifford F. Gray

Sold at the BU Bookstore Only

Optional

Highly Recommended if interested in a career in Project Management

PMBOK(R) Guide Seventh Edition

3.2 Other Required Materials – Microsoft Project Professional 2019 software

· BU has made Microsoft Project 2019 available at no charge from any browser (Mac or Windows), using MET-VLAB. 

· Save all your work to your local hard-drive, thumb-drive, email, etc.

· Accessing MET-VLAB:  metvlab.cloud.com

· Microsoft Project 2019 will be required for the Term Project assignments.

Check the website: www.bu.edu/metit/services/client-technology/virtual-lab for the updated instructions.

3,2a Project Plan 365

BU will make available to you a working version of a second project planning software tool called Project Plan 365.  Instructions for downloading will be provided.  

3.3 Blackboard Learn

This course will use a Blackboard Learn site. Students are required to have a BU ID and password to log in. If you do not have a BU ID yet, note that this takes some time so be sure to start this process well before class starts. The site is: https://learn.bu.edu

4.0 Course Expectations and Delivery Mode

The course will be conducted by means of a sequence of lectures and classroom discussions. There will be one lecture each week.  Each week we will cover at least one core Project Management concept.

Every student is expected to contribute every week. There is a semester-long Team Project that will require the use of Microsoft Project 2019. Students will be required to demonstrate their understanding of the key features of the course, as well as the practical application of tools and techniques.

4.5 Assignments

a) Team Project (more detail to follow)

• The main outcome of your work in this course (as a team) is a collection of project elements from a project management plan, and the associated app developed for your project using Adobe XD.  These are all submitted as part of various Sprints in the course semester. 

• App: With assistance from our TA, each team will be responsible for designing the look of an associated App (1 screen to be submitted per team member), due at Sprint #5.

• The grading breakdown (total of 50 points) is:

o Sprint 1: Charter (5 points)

o Sprint 2: High Level WBS (5 points)

o Sprint 3: High Level Gantt Chart - Network Diagram (5 points)

o Sprint 4: Risk Register (5 points)

o Sprint 5: Final Project Management Plan & App (25 points)

o Class Presentation on April 30 (5 points)

• The points on the individual sprints are earned for:

o How well your team demonstrated that they got the concept and applied the tools.  

o The overall appearance and clarity of the way the tool conveys the information o Remember: a PM’s job is 90% communication, and one form of communication is presenting visual information in an intuitively obvious way.

o Quality work that is performed consistently throughout the semester, not right before a due date.  This is particularly true for Sprint 5.

Satisfaction of Department-Wide Goals

#	Goals	Category	Compliance
1	Critical and innovative thinking	Substantial	The course requires students to collaborate in teams, to come up with a compelling project and then to “Imagine” that project into existence with a story and the accompanying project planning elements.
2	International perspective	Substantial	The discussions focus on projects from around the world and ask students to consider cultural aspects of projects – both national culture and different organizational cultures.
3	Communication skills	Substantial	The course is built on and students are evaluated base on team work, discussion sessions, projects, and video-conferenced project presentations.  All these components strongly support the development of communication skills and are critically important for the successful completion of the course.
4	Decision making	Substantial	Projects, in effect are really a series of decisions.  The risk section in particular focuses on decision making under risk and uncertainty and pairs well with AD715.
5	Technical tools & techniques	Substantial	The course presents and discusses an entire family of tools and techniques used in industry and recommended by the Project Management Institute via the Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide).
6	Research skills & scholarship	Substantial	The case analysis, discussion rigor, and focus on a well-referenced project management plan helps develop good research skills and a focus on a scholarly approach.
7	Professional ethics & standards	Substantial	The importance of professional ethics and standards in analyzing and choosing between business alternatives is discussed and emphasized throughout the subproject and discussions.
8	Creative & effective leaders	Substantial	Understanding the difference between management and leadership is fundamental to understanding the “art” part of the “art and science” of project management.  Students will learn motivational theory, and other influencing skills as well as becoming more self-aware about their own biases and styles of leading projects.

b) On-Line Class Discussions

The 4 Class Discussions (5 points each) are accessible on Blackboard.  

IMPORTANT NOTE: You will earn more points in the discussions if you add a reference for any assertions you make and/or provide a resource for further reading on the topic.  For example, if you say, “evidence shows that the earth’s temperature is rising”, add a link ( https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15 ), and/or say, ‘I found a summary report that shows the effects of climate change on large infrastructure projects here: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/sites/clima/files/docs/major_projects_en.pdf  ’.

Students are expected to post at least once and respond (with more than just, “nice one, Tim!”) to a minimum of two other posts in each discussion.

• Discussion 0 - Introduce Yourself (not graded but still important)

• Discussion 1 - Realizing you were a PM all along o Many people are actually executing projects - even small ones, like that surprise birthday party for a cousin, or a trip to Uruguay, or the sale of a house, or a political campaign - without knowing they are actually managing a project. In this class you will find that often you were ""doing PM"" and even applying specific tools without knowing their names. Discuss some examples of personal or business projects that after looking at the Syllabus and doing some of the preliminary reading defining PM, now appear to you (retrospectively) to be projects."

• Discussion 2 - Cultural Differences - Read this paper: https://scielo.conicyt.cl/pdf/jotmi/v8s1/art04.pdf Comment on how cultural differences affect projects, illustrate with examples from your own experience

• Discussion 3 - Agile 'versus' Waterfall, or Agile 'and' Waterfall - Read https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/agile-versus-waterfall-approach-erp-project-6300 and discuss the two frameworks/methodologies and discuss whether - and how - they are compatible or complementary"

• Discussion 4 – Real examples of project estimation errors and their cause’s from your own experience or from research, find a project that had problems with estimation (schedule, cost, or both) and describe the magnitude and causes of the problem, and the effect on the project - and the project's long-term result Discussion Participation Grades

c) PM100: Co-Requisite

PM100 is a laboratory which was introduced based on student input to help make sure that everyone in the course has a similar “starting point”, and so that more experienced students won’t get hung up on explanations of material they already know.  It provides for a smoother delivery of the course (with fewer ‘explanatory tangents’ needed), it assures that all of us will be up-to-date with the latest PMBOK® Guide framework and terminology, and even will assist in fundamental preparation for the PMP® Exam.  In addition, the laboratory will give you a chance to experiment with PM software, in particular MS-Project Server, which is used heavily in industry¹.  

Assignment 0 is basically the completion of PM100, which should be accomplished before the mid-term.

4.6 Course Grading 

You can expect to be challenged in this course, and excellent, research quality work will be rewarded with an ‘A’. Grades do not follow a prescribed curve.

Course grading will consist of evaluations of the homework, midterm, final and a project, weighted as follows:

Assignment Points

Class Participation/Attendance 10

Team Project 50

On-Line Threaded Discussions (4) 20

Mid-Term 20

                                                Total Points  100

Class participation means regular attendance, being prepared for in-class case study reviews, and regularly contributing to classroom discussions.  

However, if you are feeling ill, please stay home.  All material will be posted on Blackboard.  

Always submit your best work on the scheduled due date.  Re-work or Extra-credit work is not an option.

While there is no fixed absolute number of grades in any one level it is important to note that high grades reflect an excellence in the understanding of class material and organization of thought. In addition, an important aspect of any class, whether on line or in a classroom, is the shared thoughts and insights of the class members. Grades will also reflect an individual’s contributions to the class.

The standard BU Metropolitan College Grading Structure is used:

96-100: A

91-95.99: A-

86-90.99 B+

81-85.99 B

76-80.99 B-

4.7 Homework, Exams and Discussions

Assignments are due as noted on the attached class schedule.   

Late assignments will be penalized.  Please keep within stated page limits.

Part E: Policies

5. Requirements, Policies and Standards

5.1 Attendance

In-person attendance at all classes is required.

5.2 Assignments

Assignments will be assigned per the schedule. Some assignments will be graded. Proper attribution is required for sources.

5.2.1 Timely Presentation of Materials Due

All assignments (papers, homework, etc.) have due dates. These are the LAST DATES that stated material is due. I maintain the right to refuse, or downgrade, any materials presented after due dates. This is not a subject for discussion.

Student should organize their time and work so as to turn in the assignment before the due date. To be absolutely clear, this means that the work will be accepted anytime up to that date but not after. Students should develop a schedule so that the work is built around their personal needs and obligations. Students should allow for contingencies and plan to hand in their work well before the last minute. That way, should some unforeseen problem arise, the timely presentation of work is not in jeopardy.

5.2.3 Student Preparation

Minimal preparation is reading the material, and being able to summarize what it is about, what the major issues are, and some recommendations.

Superior preparation involves being able to (i) summarize the situation or problem presented by the case; (ii) recommend a solution to the discussed problem; (iii) support your recommendation with data, relevant details, and analyses; and (iv) discuss innovative solutions, or why obvious solutions might be discounted.

5.3 Requests For Extensions

The General position is that make up extensions are not given. There is no guarantee that a make-up will be permitted, and any request needs to be in writing and a written verification of the incident will be expected. Sometimes, unfortunate situations occur that make fulfilling requirements impossible and, as such, requests for extensions will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

This is not to penalize any individual student but to attempt to assure that there is a level playing field and the total class feels confident that no one has a unique advantage.

If, for any reason, you are unable to meet any assignment deadline, a student should contact the instructor immediately, and preferably in advance. All assignments must be completed.   

5.3.1 Off-Syllabus Work

Students will not be allowed to submit work for consideration that is beyond that defined in the syllabus.

6. Academic Conduct Policy

All students entering Boston University are expected to maintain high standards of academic honesty and integrity.  At Metropolitan College, the Student Academic Conduct Review Board, composed of students, faculty, and administrators, investigates all charges of academic misconduct brought against students.

In all charges of academic misconduct against a student, the student is entitled to full procedural fairness in any disciplinary proceedings.  The Student Academic Conduct Code details the guidelines governing disciplinary proceedings.  It also articulates the College’s philosophy of discipline, defines violations of the code, and enumerates penalties applicable under the code.  

It is your responsibility, as a student, to be aware of the code’s contents.

Please direct any questions about the Code to the Office of Undergraduate Student Services at [email protected].

The Student Academic Conduct Code should be read in its entirety on the Metropolitan College website.