NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR UNIVERSITY
M
ASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT (MSM)
SY257/MG178: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
SPRING 2004, TERM II (March 8 - April 24)

COURSE SYLLABUS
1. Instructor (G.Y. Yacoub, Ph.D.) 4. Course Description & Objectives 7. Grading
2. Location, Class Dates, & Time 5. Course Process & Invited Lecturer 8. Before First Class
3. Required & Supplementary Material 6. Assignments & Quizzes 9. Schedule

Phone: 408-765-7992, Email: Ghassan Y Yacoub (gyacoub@ndnu.edu)
OFFICE HOURS: One-half hour before and after classroom sessions and by appointment.

2. LOCATION
Main Campus - Belmont / Carroll Apartments / B.
CLASS DATES AND TIMES: Mondays 5:30 p.m. - 8:45 p.m. from March 08 through April 19. Any exceptions to this schedule will be noted on the calendar or in case of an emergency students will be notified by telephone or email.  Activity using asynchronous discussion environments is also part of the course meeting.
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3. RESOURCE MATERIALS:
REQUIRED TEXT: 
Harold Kerzner (2003 - 8th Edition). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling, (ISBN: 0-471-22577-0).
HANDOUTS - Provided in class.
OTHER -
See Supplementary Material at Bottom
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4. COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Plan, organize and implement complex projects. Project initiation, planning, organizing, staffing, scheduling, monitoring and control, conflict management, cost effectiveness, quality, software tools for project management, team processes and leadership styles. Students implement a team project.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:  This course is designed to provide the student knowledge and some practical experience in planning, organizing, and managing projects in ways that stimulate human creativity and productivity. The student will learn that projects are the vehicles to introduce change into complex organizational systems and that managing that process requires business, technical and people skills. This course is designed to provide insights into each of those domains. Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
1.  Discuss the system principles and philosophy which guide project management theory and practice
2.  Describe the logical sequence of stages in the life of a project according to the
PMBOK® Guide
3.  Describe the methods, procedures, and systems for defining, planning, scheduling, controlling, and organizing project activities
4.  Describe the organizational, managerial, and human behavioral issues relevant to project management

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5. COURSE PROCESS: The course includes lectures, in-class and online discussions, textbook, library and Internet readings. Students study a variety of assigned readings in addition to the text book material and will be asked to evaluate the applicability of selected concepts to actual practice. Students are expected to have read all the assigned readings before each class. Since systems thinking derives much of its applicability from interdisciplinary thought, the final class project will incorporate the use of teams and a percentage of every individual's grade will be based on team participation.
Material will be discussed in the classroom that is not covered in the readings. Participation is integral to successful mastery of the material. Therefore, regular attendance is extremely important. For an unavoidable absence a student should discuss the situation with the instructor and inquire regarding how to complete make-up work. 
INVITED LECTURER: We are fortunate that Mr. Ramanjit S Rajpal has accepted to be our guest lecturer on Monday April 5th (directions on WebCT). Drawing from his extensive experience, Raman will speak on the relative importance of the qualitative aspects of Project Management. Raman is currently the software enabling project manager at Intel responsible for mobility enabling on the next-generation platform. He has 20+ years in the Computer industry of which over 15 years in management. Extensive experience in Engineering, Marketing, Project Management and Strategic Planning with a track record of effective cross-site development experience worldwide. Raman has his MBA and BSEE from the IIT.
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6. ASSIGNMENTS & QUIZZES:
Weekly assignments/WebCT discussions:  There are weekly assignments for everyone which you will present/discuss using the online WebCT course environment.  During the class meetings on Mondays, those problems will be reviewed but your online contributions are very important. All weekly assignments to be turned in at the beginning of the class.  The project case study assignments are team efforts and the chapter exercises are individual efforts. Homework is due on the first class meeting as outlined in the table below. Each case study and each homework not to exceed 1-2 pages in length. Late assignments require previous arrangements with the instructor.

Take-home midterm - The midterm will consist of a combination of definitions, multiple choice, and True/False questions.

Class Participation - Your active participation is a valuable addition to the class. Additional class interactions will occur online using the WebCT environment for this course.
Final Presentation - The final presentation is a group project that will be assigned during the first class meeting.  A hard copy of the presentation Foils (plus 6 page narrative) to be submitted to the instructor by Class 7 on 4/19/04.
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7. GRADING:

Weekly assignments 25 points
Take home midterm 25 points
Class participation 25 points
Final project presentation 25 points
Total 100 points
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8. BEFORE First Class:
1.  MS Project SOFTWARE:  Install the Text CD software on your computer.  Contact Dr. Yacoub in advance of class if you have difficulties.  Please, make sure you have done this before the start of the first class.  It is vital that you have the software running from the beginning.
2. READINGS:  Read the assigned pages for Class 1 (refer to SCHEDULE Table below).
3.  WebCT INTRODUCTION:  During the week of March 1 through March 7, introduce yourself in the class WebCT environment before the first class meeting.  Read your fellow-students introductions before the first class meeting.

GETTING STARTED on WebCT  
***If this is your first time using WebCT, or you need a review, please use directions at
http://online.ndnu.edu
For this initial assignment, read the guidelines from the following links on that page: "NDNU WebCT Username and Password and Logging-in to your NDNU WebCT Course", "Student Discussion Directions", "Student WebCT Mail Directions "
Note: Problems with getting to your "myWebCT" page?  contact : Merle Mason (mmason@ndnu.edu) the IT expert for WebCT on campus.

To use the WebCT class site:
    1.  Go to http://online.ndnu.edu, select <Logon>, enter your ID and password, and arrive at your "myWebCT page".
    2.  Select from the left column the course:  SY257_BA257 Project Management.
    3.  Select the "Discussion" icon on the home page; select the "Student Introductions" topic from Ghassan Yacoub.

To post your introduction as a new "thread":
Close (cancel) my message.
Select the <Compose Message> button in the middle of the window.
Type in your "Subject" , and your (brief, 50-100 word) "Message" and select <POST>
**** Give the system time to update the screen.  
To view your posting select <Update Listing> near middle of the window.
Your posting should be listed along with others.

    4.  EMAIL:  Confirm that you have used the WebCT Mail interface by sending the instructor an email message through this system.
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9. SCHEDULE
The schedule shows chapters to read BEFORE each class is held.  Content assigned will be covered during the class meeting, but your effort to read and apply the material before class meetings will greatly improve your ability to learn the material.

Class Date / Time

Reading

Topic

Assignment Due (Graduates) Assignment Due (Undergraduates)

Class 1

(3/08/04)

5:30-8:45 PM

Ch.  1

Perspective P, Overview P Probs: 2, 4, 6, 15 P Probs: 1, 3, 5 P
Ch.  2  Concepts & Definitions P Probs: 1, 3, 5, 11 P Probs: 2, 4 P
  NOTE: In this session, project teams will be formed that will be the basis for much of the work in the course. The teams will each select a project that will produce tangible deliverables by the end of this course. Discussion about WebCT

Class 2

(3/15/04)

5:30-8:45 PM



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Ch. 3

Organizational Structures P Case: Jones & Shephard P Probs: 1, 4 P
  PM overview,Video Clips P Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Part 1, P 121

Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Part 1, P 121

Team Project Overview P Case: Bathtub Period P Probs: 14-2 P

Class 3

 (3/22/04)

5:30-8:45 PM

Ch. 11

Planning P
(MDS)
Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Part 2, P 193 Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Part 2, P 193
Ch. 12 Network Scheduling P
(PMC)
Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Part 3, P 285 Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Part 3, P 285
  Temperament & Leadership P Discussion Discussion

Class 4

 (3/29/04)
5:30-8:45 PM

CCC Belt Project Midterm review / Discussion P

Review Projects / Progress
P
This class will be led by Sergie
Agenda: 1. Chapter 17 - Risk Management
(ADA) P
              2. Midterm Practice Review
P
              3. In-Class teams work on CCC Belt Project
P

Class 5

 (4/05/04)

6:00-9:00 PM

WebCT for Directions Invited Lecturer: Ramanjit S. Rajpal. P
Topic:
Relative importance of the Qualitative aspects of Project Management.
  Midterm (Ch 1-3, 11, 12, 17) P

       Ch. 11, 12

Planning P ,
Network Sched
P

Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Part 4, P 480

Probs: 15-2 P

Class 6

 (4/12/04)

5:30-8:45 PM

Ch. 14, 15

Pricing & Estimating (UN)  P
Cost Control (WIFF)  P
Gray/Larson: Computer project exercise, Parts 5,6, P 480, 483 Discussion
Ch. 8, 9 , 5 Partnering, Expectations  P
(ADA)
Management Functions P
(UN)
Discussion Probs: Ch9 - 1, 2, 3 P
Ch. 4, 21 Organizing Project Teams
(PMC)

Contracts & Procurement
(MDS)
Discussion Probs: Ch4 - 1, 11, 17,
24, 28, 35
P

Class 7
 (4/19/04)
5:30-8:45 PM

None

Final - Group presentations (5-15 minutes each student), (10 - 16 Foils/ group). Presentation foils, written narrative, & supporting documentation.
Course Wrap-up
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10 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL:
1. Clifford F Gray and Eric W Larson (2nd ed, 2003). Project Management: The Managerial Process. New York, NY; Irwin/McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
ISBN 0-07-249392-5. This book includes bundled MS Projects software on a CD.
2. The PMBOK® Guide - 2000 Edition. Published in mid-December 2000 and approved as an American National Standard (ANS) (ANSI/PMI 99-001-2000) on 27 March 2001.
3. Earl Hall, Juliane Johnson (2003 edition). Integrated Project Management.
New Jersey, NJ:  Prentice-Hall, Inc.  ISBN:  0-13-067449-4.  This book includes bundled software on a CD.
4. Stephen R Covey (1989). The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People: Restoring the Character Ethic. Simon and Shuster.

1. INSTRUCTOR BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY:  Dr. Yacoub has been with Intel since 1997. He has over 20 years of extensive experience working for large and small companies. Ghassan has published over 20 journal and conference papers, given numerous presentations, and participated on panel discussions. Prior to Intel, he spent 12 years at the Hughes Electronics Corporation where he was Manager of the VLSI Signal Processing Design organization before leaving in 1993 to co-found dQdt which was acquired by Mentor Graphics Corporation in 1996. Subsequently, he co-founded ASAP Solutions, Inc., an Internet company, whose Indian operation was acquired by Satyam Infoway in 1999. Ghassan's interdisciplinary interests include international business management, business processes, strategic planning, and management information systems. He is a Howard Hughes Doctoral Fellow and member of the Project Management Institute (PMI), Silicon Valley Chapter. Ghassan received his Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering (Applied Physics) from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) where he served as a visiting scholar in 1997. He received his MSEE from UC Irvine and BSEE (Electronics Option) from UC San Diego. 
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