MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams Course Syllabus. Course Description. Course Textbook. Course Learning Outcomes. Credits.

Transcription

1 MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams Course Syllabus Course Description An analysis of the diverse sectors of project management leadership, team activity, and range of organizations and topics related to project teams. Project teams are comprised of multiple job sectors and divisions. The roles of project team members are explored from project creation to completion, while managing team conflict, motivation, individual and group behavior, and strategic completion of work assignments. Course Textbook Turner, J. R. (2014). Handbook of project-based management: Leading strategic change in organizations (4th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. Course Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this course, students should be able to: 1. Examine the nuances of individual and organizational behavior. 2. Analyze the behavioral characteristics of individual project team members. 3. Evaluate individual behavior as a component of team behavior. 4. Explore the dynamics of project teams. 5. Describe the process of leadership when leading project teams. 6. Discuss conflict management and negotiation strategies. 7. Compare the advantages and disadvantages of various organizational structures. 8. Assess strategies to manage organizational change. Credits Upon completion of this course, the students will earn three (3) hours of college credit. Course Structure 1. Study Guide: Each unit contains a Study Guide that provides students with the learning outcomes, unit lesson, required reading assignments, and supplemental resources. 2. Learning Outcomes: Each unit contains Learning Outcomes that specify the measurable skills and knowledge students should gain upon completion of the unit. 3. Unit Lesson: Each unit contains a Unit Lesson, which discusses lesson material. 4. Reading Assignments: Each unit contains Reading Assignments from one or more chapters from the textbook. 5. Suggested Reading: Suggested Readings are listed in the study guide for Units II-VIII. Students are encouraged to read the resources listed if the opportunity arises, but they will not be tested on their knowledge of the Suggested Readings. 6. Learning Activities (Non-Graded): These non-graded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. 7. Discussion Boards: Discussion Boards are part of all CSU term courses. More information and specifications can be found in the Student Resources link listed in the Course Menu bar. 8. Unit Assessments: This course contains three Unit Assessments, one to be completed at the end of Units I-III. Assessments are composed of short essay questions. MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 1

2 9. Unit Assignments: Students are required to submit for grading Unit Assignments in Units I, and IV-VIII. Specific information and instructions regarding these assignments are provided below. Grading rubrics are included with each assignment. Specific information about accessing these rubrics is provided below. 10. Ask the Professor: This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content related questions. 11. Student Break Room: This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. CSU Online Library The CSU Online Library is available to support your courses and programs. The online library includes databases, journals, e-books, and research guides. These resources are always accessible and can be reached through the library webpage. To access the library, log into the mycsu Student Portal, and click on CSU Online Library. You can also access the CSU Online Library from the My Library button on the course menu for each course in Blackboard. The CSU Online Library offers several reference services. and telephone ( ) assistance is available Monday Thursday from 8 am to 5 pm and Friday from 8 am to 3 pm. The library s chat reference service, Ask a Librarian, is available 24/7; look for the chat box on the online library page. Librarians can help you develop your research plan or assist you in finding relevant, appropriate, and timely information. Reference requests can include customized keyword search strategies, links to articles, database help, and other services. LibGuides Click here for the LibGuide for this course. Think of a LibGuide (a Library Guide) as a mini-website to help you with your assignments. It has relevant information such as databases, ebooks, and websites specific to your courses. If you have any questions, please reach out to your friendly library staff. Unit Assignments Unit I Article Review Using the CSU Online Library, locate and review an article that describes how an organization s structure can shape the roles of a project manager and project team throughout the duration of a project. The article you select must be at least five pages long, and no more than five years old. Write a summary of the article. Include the purpose for the article, how research was conducted (if any), the results, and other pertinent information. How does the article relate to what you are learning in this course? In other words, describe how the structure of the organization discussed in the article helped to shape the project manager and project team member roles throughout the duration of the project. Discuss the meaning or implications of the article s contents, as well as any flaws you find in the article. What could have made the article better? Was any information left out? How could the author expand on the results? Does the article s information relate to your professional or personal life? How? Your review must be at least two pages long, not counting cover page and reference page. Use proper APA formatting for all sources, including the textbook. You must use the CSU Online Library s databases as your source for reliable articles. Unit IV Scholarly Activity Think of a project you have been involved with at your place of employment or a place where you one day envision yourself working, and imagine that you were appointed the project manager for this project. MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 2

3 Describe the activities that you and your project team will perform in the initiating, planning, executing, controlling and monitoring, and closing processes. In addition, describe how the PMP affects each member of the project team. Remember all APA formatting requirements still apply. Document your sources, and remember even your textbook can be a source. This assignment should contain a minimum of three pages. Refer to the process model examples in the Handbook of project-based management: Leading Strategic change in organizations textbook, Chapters 15 and 16. Unit V Scholarly Activity Previously in the course, you were asked to think of a project you have been involved with at your place of employment. Think of that same project, imagine that you have been appointed the project manager, and complete the following: Create a schedule of the project tasks to be performed, and describe how the behavior of individual team members can determine the tasks they receive. In addition, describe the key processes you would follow when managing the project schedule, including how much oversight each project team member may require, again based on their behavior. Indicate how using the precedence diagram method can help you manage team tasks and avoid conflict within your team. Also, describe the role of the critical path method regarding task assignments and the negotiation of resource allocation within the project team. This assignment should consist of at least three pages, and any sources, including your textbook, should be cited and referenced properly using APA formatting. Unit VI Scholarly Activity Previously in the course, you were asked to think of a project you have been involved with at your place of employment. Think of that same project, imagine that you have been appointed the project manager, and complete the following: Identify some of the positive and negative risks associated with this project, and then rank these risks based on their level of priorities. Discuss how each of these risks can affect the project team. Using the key processes of project risk management, propose risk-response plans to the identified risks, and identify how each team member can play a role in these plans. Your assignment should consist of no less than three pages. Refer to the risk process examples in the Handbook of project-based management: Leading Strategic change in organizations textbook, Chapter 14. Remember to document your sources using APA format. Use the documentation to help bring even greater credibility to your ideas, thoughts, and process. Unit VII Project Scenario: You are the project manager responsible for a new building construction in northern Virginia. The building is worth $500,000 and will have five bedrooms, a kitchen, landscaping, and a two-car garage to be completed in two years. This was agreed upon in a firm fixed contract. During the execution (construction) of the building, you realize that the cost of materials have gone up by 10%, and your schedule is behind by 90 days due to delays from county inspections and permit processes. You also notice that if you continue with the current cost rate and schedule rate that the total cost to complete this house would be $600,000 and delivered three months late. Submit a three-page report explaining the reasons for these variances from your original project management plan and the proposed steps on how you are going to control the cost and schedule to achieve the contract threshold of $500,000 to be delivered in two years. Your plan must include the following: MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 3

4 Address identifications of impacted activities with their cost and schedule attributes, remembering to account for contingencies. Address explanations of the roles your project management team will play during the execution of your project management plan and how they will help you to control the issues that are arising during the project. At the end of your essay, add a separate section entitled, Reflections on My Learning. In this stand-alone section, summarize what you have learned in doing the research, reading the textbook, and reading the written lessons in regard to project management and how it impacted your decisions in this essay. Refer to the execution and control process examples in the Handbook of project-based management: Leading Strategic change in organizations textbook, Chapter 17. Include at least one additional source to support your ideas, thoughts, and theories. Use APA format to document your sources in-text and in your References list at the end of the essay. Unit VIII Reflection Paper Think of a project that you have previously been a part of at a past or current place of employment, and imagine that you were appointed the project manager. Describe the process you and your project team would follow for closing the project. Develop a Lesson Learned document for your organization and for your project stakeholders. This document must include what went well, what went wrong, and suggestions for improvement in future projects. Discuss how you would adjourn your team in a manner that would encourage them to want to work with you in future projects. Your paper should consist of at least four pages utilizing APA formatting. Your textbook can be a source, but include a minimum of at least two additional sources that support your ideas, thoughts, and theories. APA Guidelines The application of the APA writing style shall be practical, functional, and appropriate to each academic level, with the primary purpose being the documentation (citation) of sources. CSU requires that students use APA style for certain papers and projects. Students should always carefully read and follow assignment directions and review the associated grading rubric when available. Students can find CSU s Citation Guide by clicking here. This document includes examples and sample papers and provides information on how to contact the CSU Success Center. Grading Rubrics This course utilizes analytic grading rubrics as tools for your professor in assigning grades for all learning activities. Each rubric serves as a guide that communicates the expectations of the learning activity and describes the criteria for each level of achievement. In addition, a rubric is a reference tool that lists evaluation criteria and can help you organize your efforts to meet the requirements of that learning activity. It is imperative for you to familiarize yourself with these rubrics because these are the primary tools your professor uses for assessing learning activities. Rubric categories include: (1) Discussion Board, (2) Assessment (Written Response), and (3) Assignment. However, it is possible that not all of the listed rubric types will be used in a single course (e.g., some courses may not have Assessments). The Discussion Board rubric can be found within Unit I s Discussion Board submission instructions. The Assessment (Written Response) rubric can be found embedded in a link within the directions for each Unit Assessment. However, these rubrics will only be used when written-response questions appear within the Assessment. Each Assignment type (e.g., article critique, case study, research paper) will have its own rubric. The Assignment rubrics are built into Blackboard, allowing students to review them prior to beginning the Assignment and again once the Assignment has been scored. This rubric can be accessed via the Assignment link located within the unit where it is to be submitted. Students may also access the rubric through the course menu by selecting Tools and then My Grades. MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 4

5 Again, it is vitally important for you to become familiar with these rubrics because their application to your Discussion Boards, Assessments, and Assignments is the method by which your instructor assigns all grades. Communication Forums These are non-graded discussion forums that allow you to communicate with your professor and other students. Participation in these discussion forums is encouraged, but not required. You can access these forums with the buttons in the Course Menu. Instructions for subscribing/unsubscribing to these forums are provided below. Click here for instructions on how to subscribe/unsubscribe and post to the Communication Forums. Ask the Professor This communication forum provides you with an opportunity to ask your professor general or course content questions. Questions may focus on Blackboard locations of online course components, textbook or course content elaboration, additional guidance on assessment requirements, or general advice from other students. Questions that are specific in nature, such as inquiries regarding assessment/assignment grades or personal accommodation requests, are NOT to be posted on this forum. If you have questions, comments, or concerns of a nonpublic nature, please feel free to your professor. Responses to your post will be addressed or ed by the professor within 48 hours. Before posting, please ensure that you have read all relevant course documentation, including the syllabus, assessment/assignment instructions, faculty feedback, and other important information. Student Break Room This communication forum allows for casual conversation with your classmates. Communication on this forum should always maintain a standard of appropriateness and respect for your fellow classmates. This forum should NOT be used to share assessment answers. Grading Discussion Boards 2%) = 16% Assessments 6%) = 18% Scholarly Activities 6%) = 18% Unit I Article Review = 18% Unit VII Project = 15% Unit VIII Reflection Paper = 15% Total = 100% Course Schedule/Checklist (PLEASE PRINT) The following pages contain a printable Course Schedule to assist you through this course. By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 5

6 MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams Course Schedule By following this schedule, you will be assured that you will complete the course within the time allotted. Please keep this schedule for reference as you progress through your course. Unit I Project Strategy and Success Factors Unit Study Guide Chapter 1: Leading Change Chapter 2: Beneficial Change Chapter 3: Project Strategy and Success Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. (Central Time) Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Assessment by Article Review by Unit II Project Governance and Team Unit Study Guide Chapter 4: Project Governance Chapter 5: Program and Portfolio Management Chapter 6: Organizational Capability Chapter 7: Governance of the Project-Based Organization Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Assessment by MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 6

7 MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams Course Schedule Unit III Project Performance and Team Unit Study Guide Chapter 8: Scope Chapter 13: Time Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Assessment by Unit IV Project Process Unit Study Guide Learning Activities (Non-Graded): See Study Guide Chapter 15: Process Models Chapter 16: Start-up Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Scholarly Activity by Unit V Project Schedule Unit Study Guide Chapter 13: Time Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Scholarly Activity by MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 7

8 MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams Course Schedule Unit VI Project Risk Responses Unit Study Guide Chapter 14: Risk Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Scholarly Activity by Unit VII Project Execution & Control and Team Unit Study Guide Chapter 17: Execution and Control Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Project by Unit VIII Project Closeout and Team Unit Study Guide Chapter 18: Closeout Suggested Reading: See Study Guide Discussion Board Response: Submit your response to the Discussion Board question by Discussion Board Comment: Comment on another student s Discussion Board response by Reflection Paper by MBA 6941, Managing Project Teams 8