Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

Assignments
School of Business MGT/437 Version 4 Project Management
Copyright 2009, 2006, 2004 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.

Course Description This course examines project management roles and environments, the project life cycle, and various techniques of work planning, control, and evaluation for project success. Policies Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum.

University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Kerzner, H. (2006). Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling (9th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. Meredith, J. R. & Mantel, S. J. (2006). Project management: A managerial approach (6th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: Wiley. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Software Microsoft Project 2007 (Virtual Desktop)

Week One: Project Definition

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Objectives 1.1 Determine the importance of project management in the current business environment. 1.2 Determine the goals and purpose of a project in terms of the triple constraints. 1.3 Determine the stakeholders of the project. 1.4 Develop project scope. 1.5 Analyze the relationships among organizational culture, project structure, and project resources.

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Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

Readings

Read Ch. 1, 11, & 16 of Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Read Ch. 2 of Project Management: A Managerial Approach. Read the Week One Read Me First. Read this weeks Electronic Reserve Readings. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. DQ 1 DQ 2 DQ 3 Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you answer the following questions: What is a project? What are the basic phases of the project lifecycle and their purposes? Why is it important for organizations to use project management to accomplish tasks? Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 3 All Week 1

Participation Discussion Questions

Individual Project Management Paper

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper

Week Two: Project Planning Technical

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Objectives 2.1 Select the proper project management organization: pure project, matrix, and functional. 2.2 Develop SMART requirements. 2.3 Create a project schedule. 2.4 Develop a project budget in terms of the triple constraints. Read Ch. 3 & 1214 of Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Read Ch. 5, 7, & 8 of Project Management: A Managerial Approach. Read the Week Two Read Me First. Read this weeks Electronic Reserve Readings. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. DQ 1 DQ 2 DQ 3 Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 3 All Week 1

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Learning Team Instructions

Develop your 5,250- to 7,000-word Final Project plan over the next 4 weeks. Each week, you update and add the next phase to the project plan. The following are the deliverables for this project: Week Two Deliverable: Project Proposal Paper and Presentation Week Three Deliverable: Project Planning Technical Paper Week Four Deliverable: Project Planning Human Capital Paper Week Five Deliverable: Project Implementation, Control, and Termination Paper and Presentation Day 6 5

Learning Team Charter Individual Achieving Project Goals Simulation

Submit your Learning Team Charter. (See Library > Learning Team Toolkit) Resource: Achieving Project Goals simulation Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you address the following from the simulation: How did completing this simulation change your perspective of project management? Provide examples in your response. What advantages and limitations of project management are identified in the simulation? How do you anticipate bottlenecks when planning for a project? If you are required to crunch the project, which factor would you compromise onrisk or time? Explain your answer.

Day 7

10

List four key points from the reading assignments that are emphasized in the simulation. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper Learning Team Project Proposal Paper and Presentation Select a project as the basis for your final project. The project may be one that applies to your work or your personal life. Keep in mind that this project is used to explore the concepts of project management. Obtain faculty approval of your selected project prior to beginning your assignment. Project characteristics that work best include the following: A project that interests the Learning Team A project that requires multiple resources A project that is large enough in scope to apply the project management principles, yet limited enough in scope to be manageable for you within the next 4 weeks. Examples of projects that have worked well are building a garage or planning a wedding. Day 7 5

Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word project proposal. Include the following items in your proposal:

Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

Background and statement of need: Briefly describe the organization that is in need of the project. Discuss the expected benefits that are motivating the organization to commission this project. Project stakeholders: Start by identifying the project customer. This person approves resources for the project and holds your team accountable for results. Identify additional stakeholders of the project and determine how they are affected by the project. Project goals in terms of triple constraint: These are the measures that are used at the end of the project to judge the overall success or failure of the project. Time: Identify the completion date of the project. Budget: List the expenses and any other resource constraints for the project. Project performance: List the desired outputs from the project. Specify the performance criteria for the project. Project scope: A statement of work (SOW) must be developed to define what is and what is not included in the project. Summary: Your proposal summary must be presented to the project customer and demonstrate that the benefits from successful completion of the project justify the proposed costs.

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper

Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

Week Three: Project Planning People and Teams

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Objectives 3.1 Explain the function of communication within project management. 3.2 Compare and contrast various conflict management resolution techniques. 3.3 Explain team development techniques. Read Ch. 5 & 7 of Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Read Ch. 6 of Project Management: A Managerial Approach. Read the Week Three Read Me First. Read this weeks Electronic Reserve Readings. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. DQ 1 DQ 2 DQ 3 Write a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you compare and contrast the three primary project management organizational structures: functional, matrix, and pure project. In your paper, discuss the situation in which each structure would be the best method to manage a project team. Provide rationale for decisions. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper Learning Team Project Planning Technical Paper Resource: Microsoft Project 2007 Virtual Desktop Write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that adds to the project your team started last week. Check to ensure the projects triple constrains are still valid. Complete the following items in your paper: Phase I Update SOW o Using the statement of work (SOW) from last week, review and update it based on course material acquired during the last week. Include in the update the SMART requirements for the project. Identify the specific tasks required to complete each item listed on the SOW. Identify the resources required to accomplish each task.

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All Week

Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 Day 7

Individual Project Management Organizational Structures Paper

10

Day 7

Phase II Project Schedule and Budget Update

Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

Arrange the tasks into a schedule that takes into consideration the required dependencies between tasks. Use the Microsoft Project 2007 Virtual Desktop available on the student website to complete the schedule. Present the schedule in either PERT or Gantt chart format. Identify the critical path through the network. Review the network results and compare to the projects triple constraint. Specifically compare the following: Timing Budget Project specifications scope and SMART

o o

Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

Week Four: Project Implementation

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Objectives 4.1 Create a plan to control the triple constraints within the project. 4.2 Create a risk management plan. 4.3 Develop a change management plan for the project. Read Ch. 15 & 17 of Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Read Ch. 11 of Project Management: A Managerial Approach. Read the Week Four Read Me First. Read this weeks Electronic Reserve Readings. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. DQ 1 DQ 2 DQ 3 Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you explain team development techniques. In your paper, complete the following: Identify how project team members are selected. Identify team-building strategies. Identify potential areas of conflict within a diverse project team. Identify techniques for reducing the probability of dysfunctional conflict. Identify conflict resolution techniques used when conflict arises. Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 Day 7 3 All Week 1

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Participation Discussion Questions

Individual Team Creation Paper

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Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper Learning Team Project Planning Human Capital Paper Resource: Week One Project Use the same project you selected in Week One to write a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you demonstrate how you use communication to maintain effective teamwork at the following key points in a project: Communication management: Explain how the project manager communicates performance evaluation results to both the management and the customer. Team selection: Identify the project organization structure selected and why it was selected. Explain how approval for this organization structure is obtained. Project revisions: Projects must be revised to eliminate any resource conflicts over allocations. Generate a task Day 7 5

Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

responsibility matrix, and a resource availability matrix to identify resource conflicts. Next, update your project plan with necessary revisions. Your paper must identify how the resource conflicts are identified, what method is used to eliminate these conflicts, and how these project revisions are communicated both internally to your team and externally to the organization as a whole. Performance monitoring: Discuss how team members report activities. Explain how the teams performance is reported to the project stakeholders. In your paper, include the following: o o o o o o o Risk management items Project status information Cost and schedule variance analysis Formulating cost, schedule, and performance alternatives Forecasting budget and schedule completion Methods of corrective action taken Managing expectations

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper

Week Five: Project Termination

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Objectives 5.1 Evaluate project outcomes in terms of the triple constraints. 5.2 Compare and contrast various performance measurement systems. 5.3 Identify appropriate termination methods. 5.4 Produce a final project report. Read Ch. 12 of Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling. Read Ch. 13 of Project Management: A Managerial Approach. Read the Week Five Read Me First. Read this weeks Electronic Reserve Readings. Participate in class discussion. Respond to weekly discussion questions. DQ 1 DQ 2 DQ 3 Complete the Final Examination. Day 2 Day 4 Day 6 Day 7 3 All Week 1

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Participation Discussion Questions

Individual Final Examination

15

Assignments MGT/437 Version 4

Individual Performance Measurement Paper

Write a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you compare and contrast at least three performance measurements. Discuss the importance of performance measurement within a project. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper

Day 7

10

Learning Team Project Implementation, Control, and Termination Paper

Resource: Week One Project Use the same project selected in Week One and any information previously gathered. Prepare a 5,250- to 7,000-word cumulative paper in which you update each component of your previous papers, and include the following: Project Proposal Paper Project Planning Technical Paper Project Planning Human Capital Paper

Day 7

15

Compile your paper and address the following additional components: Overall evaluation of the project: In particular, how did you do against the triple constraints? o o o Timing Budget Project specifications

Steps taken to return the human resources to the organization: For projects that had people assigned full time, what are their new full time assignments? Input for future projects: o o What went right with the project that must be repeated with the next project? What went wrong that must be corrected with the next project?

Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines. Research and reference citations required for every paper
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