OM 493: Management of Technology Projects Spring 2012 Course Syllabus Section 001 Time: Mondays, 7:20 pm 10:00 pm Location:

: Nguyen Engineering Building 1108

Instructor Dr. Anant Mishra, Assistant Professor of Operations Management Office: Enterprise Hall 146 Email: [email protected] Office Hours Textbook 5:00-6:00 pm Mondays 5:00-6:00 pm Wednesdays Phone: (703) 993-1771 Fax: (703) 993-1809 Also available by appointment

Gray, Clifford F., Erik W. Larson. Project Management: The Managerial Process (5th ed.), McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Copyright 2011. Students can download and install a free copy of MS Project 2010 from MSDNAA website: http://msdn06.e-academy.com/gmu_mgmt In addition, you can download a free 60 day trial of MS Project 2010 at http://www.microsoft.com/project/en/us/project-professional-2010.aspx

Software

Course Website

https://mymasonportal.gmu.edu/

Course Objective:
Managers are increasingly involved in the management of technology projects. These projects may involve the development of information systems, new products/processes, or infrastructure development projects for the public or private sector. Project management is widely used in business to accomplish unique outcomes with limited resources under critical time constraints. Many managerial problems are associated with planning, directing, and controlling resources to meet the technical, cost, and time constraints of projects. This course focuses on various areas of project management such as project organizations, teams, scheduling, cost control, earned value analysis, risk management, and managing project quality. On completing the course, the student should have a thorough understanding of the complex, dynamic, and multi-dimensional issues in project management. Students will also learn to use project management software Microsoft Projects in planning, directing and controlling projects.

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Learning Objectives:
To gain exposure to the various tools and techniques used to define, plan and manage a technology project. To develop logic and analytical thinking required in handling real-world technology projects. To gain experience and knowledge of Microsoft Project software. To understand the skills required as a project leader and a project team member in a technology project.

Learning Tools for the Course

Lectures: My teaching philosophy is based on the belief that learning is an active process. To be successful in this course, you need to be actively engaged in the course material. My lectures are interactive. The purpose of the classroom experience is to help you better understand and apply the concepts that will covered in the text and readings. We will use exercises and a discussion-oriented lecture format to help us to do this. Note: PowerPoint slides will be posted throughout the semester. For ease of taking notes print out the slides (in a handout format) and bring them to class. In-Class Exercises: These are in-class learning experiences, completed in a team environment. In-class exercises are designed to reinforce the topics learned in the class. Students are typically given a fixed amount of time (usually 15 minutes) to work with their teams to complete each exercise. In-class exercises will be occurring at random during the semester. Full credit is given if you are present in class and attempt the exercise. They are not graded for correctness. Make-up in-class exercises are not allowed under any circumstances. Homework Assignments: Assignments will primarily consist of problem sets that are designed to give you valuable practice and enable your understanding of the concepts covered during the lectures. Each student is responsible for learning and understanding the material and is required to do the assignments individually. Assignments are to be handed in at the beginning of the class period in which they are due. No late homework assignments will be accepted. Team Project: The team project will form a core component of course learning. The purpose of this activity is to help students understand how concepts covered in the class apply to practice. Students may nominate topics of appropriate scope for instructor approval and may work in teams of 3-4 depending on class size. A project report of around 10 pages (double spaced) and accompanying power point presentation slides are due from the team at the end of the semester. The students arent reporting the results of the planned work, but explaining how they will do the work e.g., what will be the work breakdown structure and the accompanying schedule, what would the project cost be, what are the risks and how would they be managed. At the end of the semester, teams will be expected to make a 20 minute presentation on their project and submit their project report. Group participation by team member peers is part of the project grade.
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Class Presentations: Students will be required to make a team presentation once during the semester on a topic that relates to project management. There will be considerable flexibility in the choice of topics. Potential topics for presentation can include those relating to: new product development projects (e.g., electronic gadgets, pharma drugs), government projects (e.g., mission to mars, defense projects, military missions), entertainment projects (e.g., making of Toy Story 1, creation of a TV series), and more.

Student Performance Evaluation and Grading

Activity Exams (2 Exams @ 32.5% each) Team Project Homework Assignments In-Class Exercises Class Presentation/Participation Total % of Total Grade 65% 15% 10% 5% 5% 100% Grade A AB+ B BC+ C D F Percentages 93% and above 90-92.9% 87-89.9% 83-86.9% 80-82.9% 77-79.9% 70-76.9% 60-69.9% below 60%

Attendance Policy
Attendance in this class is highly recommended in order to be successful in learning the course content. Students are expected to be on time and attend all class sessions. It is typical that each week some points towards the final grade will be due in the form of in-class assignments. Therefore, missing a class may entail missing points. If you miss a class, make arrangements with a classmate to obtain a copy of the lecture notes. If an emergency prevents you from attending class, please discuss the absence with your instructor as soon as possible

Make up Exams
Notice will be given before each exam; if you cannot take the exam at the designated time, you must make arrangements with the instructor before the exam is given. Exams may be made up only under extreme emergencies AND at the sole discretion of the instructor. A penalty for lateness may be assigned. Missed exams will be assigned a score of zero.

Disability
All academic accommodations due to disability should be arranged through the Office of Disability Service (ODC). If you are a student with a disability and you require academic accommodations, please contact the ODC at 703-993-2474. I will cooperate fully with the ODC to accommodate all students special needs.

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Honor Code
Mason shares in the tradition of an honor system that has existed in Virginia since 1842. The Honor Code is an integral part of university life. On the application for admission, students sign a statement agreeing to conform to and uphold the Honor Code. Students are responsible, therefore, for understanding the codes provisions. In the spirit of the code, a students word is a declaration of good faith acceptable as truth in all academic matters. Cheating and attempted cheating, plagiarism, lying, and stealing of academic work and related materials constitute Honor Code violations. To maintain an academic community according to these standards, students and faculty must report all alleged violations to the Honor Committee. Any student who has knowledge of, but does not report, a violation may be accused of lying under the Honor Code. The University's Honor Code is designed to ensure that the principles of academic honesty and integrity are upheld. All students are expected to adhere to this code. All acts of academic dishonesty will be dealt with in accordance with the provisions of this code. For more information on the University's Honor Code, please visit http://www.gmu.edu/catalog/apolicies/#honor_system_and_code.)

Class Etiquette
Be courteous to and respectful to the instructor and your colleagues in class! Talking, texting, playing on laptop, doing work from other classes, or anything else that detracts from the in-class learning environment is not acceptable in the class.

Learning Goals for the ISOM Major

(note: Goals addressed in this course are highlighted in bold text) 1. Apply knowledge of information technology and business functions to understand its application in assessing, designing and improving business processes. 2. Develop data organization, storage and processing solutions to support organizational needs for information management. They will also have the option of developing skills in the area of supporting decision making through business intelligence solutions. 3. Use knowledge of computer networks as part of the IT solutions for improving business processes. They will also have option of developing more advanced skills in the areas of network and security. 4. Effectively manage information technology projects. 5. Understand the overall systems development life cycle and be able to recommend IT system solutions accordingly. They will also have option of learning appropriate development tools to develop prototype of IT solutions for business management.

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Course Topics and Schedule

A tentative list of topics is given below. The list follows the basic order and coverage of topics in the required text, and is subject to change during the semester. Some sections in the text will be skipped, as announced. Some material not contained in the text may be presented in class, as will be noted.
Date 1/23 1/30 2/06 Topic Course Introduction Project Management in the IT Context Project Selection Project Organization Project Management Structure Project Charter Project Scope Management Defining the Project Microsoft Project 2010 Demonstration Project Scope Management Estimating Project Times & Costs Homework 1 Due Project Time Management Critical Path Method Project Proposal Submission Exam 1 SPRING BREAK 3/19 3/26 4/02 4/09 4/16 4/23 4/30 5/14 Project Risk Management Reducing Project Duration Project Crashing Performance Measurement and Evaluation Project Update Submission Performance Measurement and Evaluation (contd) Emerging Topics in Project Management Homework 2 Due Project Presentations Project Presentations Project Report Due Exam 2 7 9 13 13 Chapter 1 2 3

2/13

2/20

2/27 3/05

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