NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR UNIVERSITY
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN MANAGEMENT (MSM)
SY257/MG178: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
SPRING 2003, TERM II (March 10 - April 21)

COURSE SYLLABUS

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

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 & DIRECTIONS: 2040 Pioneer Court, San Mateo. From Highway 101, exit West onto Highway 92.  From 92 exit South onto El Camino Real. At the first stop light, turn right onto 20th Avenue. Several blocks down, turn left into Pioneer Court (the street has a different name on the right). Near the end of the street is 2040 Pioneer Court .  Park on the street or under the building. The conference room is on the first floor.
CLASS DATES AND TIMES: Mondays 6:00 p.m. - 10:15 p.m. from March 10 through April 21. 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: (includes bundled software)
REQUIRED TEXT:  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 the bundled software on a CD.
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
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 for BA257 this February (exact date, time, and place will be announced). 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 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 critical. 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 - A primary strength of the Intensive Business Program is the experience of its students. 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 4/21/03.
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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 3 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 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

Class 1

(3/10/03)

6-10:15 PM

Ch.  1

 Introduction Review Qs 1-3; Page 18.
Ch.  2  Alignment of Projects with Organization Structure Review Qs 1-6; Page 48.
  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

(3/17/03)

6-10:15 PM



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Ch. 3

 Organization: Structure & Culture None
Ch. 4 Defining the Project Computer project exercise, Part 1, P 121
Ch. 5 Project Times & Costs None

Class 3

 (3/24/03)

6-10:15 PM

Ch. 6

 Developing a Project Plan Computer project exercise, Part 2, P 193
Ch. 7 Managing Risk None
Ch. 8 Scheduling Resources Computer project exercise, Part 3, P 285

Class 4

 (3/31/02)
6-10:15 PM

  None Midterm review / Discussion

Review of proposals / Progress		 Take-home Midterm Due

Scope statement proposals for Final Term Group project.

Class 5

 (4/07/03)

6-10:15 PM

Ch. 9

 Reducing Project Duration None
Ch. 13 Progress & Perf Measurement & Evaluation Computer project exercise, Part 4, P 480
Ch.10  Leadership None

Class 6

 (4/14/03)

6-10:15 PM

Ch. 11

 Managing Project Teams Computer project exercise, Parts 5,6, P 480, 483
Ch. 12  Partnering None
Ch. 14 Project Audit & Closure None

Class 7
 (4/21/03)
6-10:15 PM

None

 Final - Group presentations (5-15 minutes each student), (10 - 16 Foils/ group). Presentation foils, written narrative, & supporting documentation.
Ch 15, 16 Course Wrap-up None
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10 SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL:
1. Robert B Angus, Norman A Gundersen, and Thomas P Cullinane (2003 - 3rd edition). Planning, Performing, and Controlling Projects: Principles and Applications. New Jersey, NJ:  Prentice-Hall, Inc.
2. Earl Hall, Juliane Johnson (2003 edition). Integrated Project Management. New Jersey, NJ:  Prentice-Hall, Inc.  ISBN:  0-13-067449-4.  This book includes the bundled software on a CD.
3. Peters, Tom. (1992). Liberation Management. Alfred A. Knopf.
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's Business & Technology Programs organization since 1997. He has over 20 years of extensive experience working for large and small companies. Ghassan has published numerous 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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