BUS402: Project Management

This short video will get you started on the right foot in this course. As you watch, think about everything you will learn to put in your "project management arsenal". Good luck in the course!

Read this chapter, which will help you understand what actually constitutes a formal project. What goes into the making of a project? How many times have you been involved in a project that followed these parameters?

Read this page with the aim of gaining a high-level understanding of the different positions and roles within project management.

Read this chapter on the history of project management. Why does the history of project management matter to you? What can learning about the history of project management teach you about your future as a project manager?

Read Chapter 1 to get a sense of how project management principles and project management roles are applied throughout a variety of disciplines and fields. You may stop when you get to the last section, "History", since we already covered that topic.

Watch this video, which is the first part of a lecture series on project and production management. As you watch, consider how project management and production management differ. Then think about the industry in which you currently work or in which you will ideally work in your career. How is this distinction apparent in your industry?

Read this article on operations management and the concept of implementing organization-wide processes by using total quality management (TQM) guidelines. If you would like to learn more about operations management, consider taking BUS300: Operations Management.

Read this chapter, which will provide you with an overview of project management and define projects and project management. The differences between project management and operations management are also explored. While this text uses information technology projects as examples, the principles are the same for managing any type of complex project and activity. Attempt the exercises at the end of each section.

Read this article, which defines the term project management. When have you experienced being a part of a project?

Read this chapter to get a handle on what project managers must juggle. Project managers consider needs and priorities, budgets and timelines, quality and documentation, team dynamics, and organizational structure, among many other challenges.

Watch this lecture, which is the second part of the series that you watched earlier. This lecture differentiates between project management on one hand and production or operations on the other hand. It expands on this distinction by going into more depth about project management.

This is a simplified introduction to leadership in organizations and project management. Of the four qualities of transformational leaders put forward in this video, which two are the most important as they relate to project management? Are there other qualities that characterize transformational leaders? If so, what are they? What types of qualities do you like to see in the managers you have worked for?

Read the "Managing People" section on pages 36–38. This section covers managing and leading people during project execution as well as how to build effective teams.

Learning how to practice good stakeholder design is important to the success of any project. Why? What are some of the negative consequences of not practicing good stakeholder design?

Read this chapter, which gives an overview of how to create a snapshot of the project to create an outline of the project's tasks. Attempt the exercises at the end of each section.

Watch this video, which covers the financial appraisal of projects:

• estimation of the cost of the project and its timing;
• estimation of the likely revenues during each period;
• the cost of capital;
• the planning horizon of the project;
• the risk in the project as evidenced by the worst and best values of costs and revenues;
• benefit/cost ratio of discounted cash flows;
• debt service coverage ratio; and
• a company's reputation in terms of assets, liabilities, and record of previous repayments, etc.

This video demonstrates how to successfully create an initial assessment of a project's viability.

Read Sections 11.1 and 11.3, which discuss how to manage project risk to ensure the success of a project and how improper management can lead to project failure.

Consider responding to the following questions by posting your response on the course discussion board for BUS402. You may also respond to other students' posts.

1. According to PMBOK (2008), what is a project? What is project management?
2. What is your experience as a project manager? What key skills should a successful project manager have?
3. What factors do you need to consider when you start to prepare a project feasibility report? Describe the key factors and provide a few examples for each.

Read this chapter, which reviews organizational structure and the phases of a project. At what stage of a project are problems most liable to grow and have long-lasting negative consequences? Be sure to complete the exercises at the end of each section.

Read this article, which details the processes involved in carrying out the tasks in the various phases that help the organization meet the project's objectives.

Watch this lecture, which covers the life cycle that is typically followed by project and product management.

Read this article, which will help you understand the sequential flow of a project and how it differs from the traditional project life cycle. Communication is a vital component of this model. What is the benefit of good communication for a project? How can communication be improved among members of virtual teams using this model?

Read this chapter, which discusses the first phase of the project management lifecycle. We will discuss this in more depth in Unit 4.

Read this chapter, which discusses the planning phase of the project lifecycle. What are some of the pain points in this part of the project management process? What tools do project management professionals typically use to plan projects?

Read the "Planning" section on pages 23–34, which discusses the planning stage of the life cycle, including budgeting, allocating resources, scheduling, and creating the project plan.

Although this video is brief, it gives a thorough summary of the majority of the PMBOK-G and PRINCE2 approaches to planning in project management. This video is skills-focused, so be sure to take notes.

Read "Staying on Track" on page 35, which discusses project execution and keeping resources on track throughout the project life cycle.

Read this chapter, paying particular attention to the section on the execution phase, which may also be called the implementation phase. All the planning a project team did in the previous phase is set in motion in this phase.

Read this section as a review of the phased approach to project management. Did you know some organizations opt not to follow a phased approach to project management? Can you think of why this might be? Pay attention to the implementation and follow-up phases since they are new.

This chapter demonstrates how to close out projects effectively. Can you think of any other important steps to closing out a project that are missing here?

This chapter presents some of the same information as the previous resource but includes key takeaways and a section on remembering to celebrate your success upon closing out a project!

Read this article and the two case studies linked at the end. Have you ever had one of your projects fail? What did you do about it?

Think about the characteristics of an effective team, as described in this video. Can you think of an additional quality or two that could improve the effectiveness of a team? What about project teams specifically – how are they unique?

The benefit of good communication to successful project management should be clear to you. We discover daily how technology is bringing teams closer, whether virtual or not, from email and video conferencing to text messages and in-person meetings. What is your preferred communication tool, and why? Think about what you consider to be your "best practices".

In this section, you have the opportunity to explore risk in project management through the experiences of three different designers.

Properly planning for and managing risk is a huge predictor of the success of a project. When trouble comes, and it likely will, how do you get out of it? This chapter has some tried and tested methods. How will you track the issues, and what will you do to address them?

Consider responding to the following questions by posting your response on the course discussion board for BUS402. You may also respond to other students' posts.

1. What is a project life cycle? Describe each project phase with one example.
2. Have you experienced any project failure as a project manager? If so, what lessons have you learned? If not, what successful experiences would you like to share? If you haven't had any project management experience, answer this question based on the course content so far.
3. According to subunit 2.6, what key project management processes and knowledge areas are covered in PMBOK (2008)? How do they represent your real-world project management experiences?
4. As a project manager, what techniques, tools, or strategies can you use to effectively manage project risks? 

Read each of the four sections of this chapter on organizational structure. Having a basic understanding of organizational design will help you strategize risk management, project initiation, leadership, and more. What is the most important aspect of understanding organizational design you would take away from this section? Why?

This chapter aims to give an overview of organizational structure from several points of view, including culture, communications, and management. Consider the convergence of cultures between team members, stakeholders, and you, the project manager. How do you engage the team? What issues can adversely affect the project when dealing with different cultures and expectations?

Watch this video, which covers the organizational issues that management must discuss before starting a project and strategies for identifying and preventing these issues to prevent project failure. How might the point of view of the professor differ from yours, culturally? What effect does technology have in this area?

As you read, note how a project management professional's communication style, personality type, and leadership style can affect how they interact with the project team members. What communication style or personality type do you prefer in a manager? Is there a certain type of leader you work best with? Think about the type of communicator and leader you would like to be.

Read the first section of this chapter on why people management matters to the successful delivery of projects. This chapter demonstrates the importance of managing people for the success of a project. Pay attention to the learning outcomes at the top of the page. After you read, revisit those outcomes and ensure that you can do these things before moving on.

Watch this video, which covers how to select the right personnel for project implementations and tips on identifying the right people and resources such as facilities, funding, and other needs to carry out project tasks.

This video focuses on how to get buy-in from your team members and stakeholders. Part of that is how you make hiring decisions. Can you think of some examples from your work or volunteer experience where you had to make a teambuilding decision?

Creating a good working team with a group culture that benefits all members is vital to a project team's smooth functioning. Think about times when you had positive or negative interactions with team members on a project. What can you attribute these moments to? How was the project ultimately affected? Attempt the exercises at the end of the chapter.

Read this section, which discusses how to build an effective team of high performers for successful project implementation.

Watch this lecture, which discusses the importance of identifying the right resources in project teams, team-building tactics, and the effect of leadership on outcomes.

This video posits that one of the benefits of building diverse teams is interdisciplinarity, or the thinking and creating across disciplines that can happen when team members have diverse perspectives, points of view, or backgrounds. Can you think of any additional benefits of this kind of collaboration? Are there drawbacks?

Read this chapter and attempt the exercises at the end of each section. This chapter discusses how communication technology can facilitate faster and better communication among project team members. Pay attention to the learning outcomes listed at the outset of each section. After you read, revisit these outcomes and ask yourself if you have achieved them.

Read this article, which discusses why project managers must communicate effectively. Spend some time on the activity. Record your reflections in your notes.

Read this chapter and attempt the exercises. Use the learning objectives at the top of each section to frame the chapter. Although some of the information about teams will be a review, note how communication surrounds all of the factors of a project manager's success.

Read this section, keeping in mind that there is a difference between constructive conflict and conflict that can damage teams and projects. Have you noticed this distinction in any organizations you have worked for?

Managing conflict can mean more than just settling disputes among the project team members. Project managers may have to settle conflicts with their clients. In this section, you will consider the project manager's role in settling issues around competing interests, making decisions to revise previous decisions, and dealing with the client's concerns.

Read this section, which discusses why political skills will be necessary to make deals and resolve conflicts with stakeholders who project managers may have little formal authority over.

This article examines five strategies for solving common disagreements: confronting, dominating, compromising, accommodating, and avoiding. Pay attention to the literature review. If you would like to explore conflict resolution in even more depth, check out BUS403: Negotiations and Conflict Management.

Consider responding to the following questions by posting your response on the course discussion board for BUS402. You may also respond to other students' posts. 

1. What characteristics should an effective project team have?
   
2. As a project manager, what challenges may you experience when you manage your team?
   
3. When conflicts occur in your project, what strategies would be helpful for you to manage project conflicts?
   

This chapter gives a more detailed introduction to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). You will also learn about the work of the Project Management Institute (PMI), the organization that authors and maintains the PMBOK. Pay attention to the final section on project management offices (PMO).

This video discusses the first of the five process groups defined by the PMBOK Guide, which is initiating the project. The other four process groups are planning, executing, monitoring/controlling, and closing. You will see other videos about the remaining four process groups later in this course. Note that this video is titled incorrectly on YouTube; it actually refers to project initiation rather than implementing a PMO.

Begin reading at the "Project Charter" section. The majority of this chapter will be a review for you. Feel free to skim the information you already know, but pay attention to the section on project charters and examine the example project charters and template at the bottom of the page.

The project charter is a statement of the scope, objectives, and participants in a project. It provides a preliminary delineation of roles and responsibilities, outlines the project objectives, identifies the main stakeholders, and defines the project manager's authority. It serves as a reference of authority for the future of the project. You can download this document to see an example of a project charter.

GEDPRO's Open Project Management Methodology site has many project management template documents that will be of practical use to you throughout your career as a project management professional. You can download these templates and forms at http://www.gedpro.com/en/Community/Templates.aspx when you register for free via an email address.

Read this section and attempt the exercises at the end. At what point should the scope of a project be defined?

Read this section for a work breakdown structure and graphic representations of component activities and responsibility in a project. Attempt the exercises at the end of the section.

Read Chapter 9 and Chapter 10. Pay attention to the material presented in Chapter 9 on the work breakdown structure (WBS). WBS is a common tool that project managers use to decompose big, daunting tasks that entire teams or organizations are responsible for into manageable, approachable tasks that individual team members may be expected to complete. After you read Chapter 9, click the right arrow at the bottom of the page and read Chapter 10.

Watch this video to learn how to set up and use a project baseline document. You may need to employ this type of documentation in your own career.

Read this resource, which focuses on optimizing using project resources and time required to complete a project.

Watch this video. Although it is called "Project Initiation", it is about project planning.

The critical path is a crucial concept in project management. This video shows how to use activity networks to calculate the earliest and latest completion times for various project activities and how to determine which activities lie on the critical path.

Watch this video, which presents various technology tools that aid in effective project management. As you watch, think about a problem a virtual team might face and propose a technological solution to that issue.

Read the rest of this chapter. You already read section two, "Elements of Time Management". Attempt the exercises at the end of each section. This chapter discusses the scheduling aspect of project management and introduces technology and tools that help project managers stay on track. While this text uses information technology projects as examples, the principles are the same for managing any type of complex project.

Consider responding to the following questions by posting your response on the course discussion board for BUS402. You may also respond to other students' posts.

1. What is a project charter? Based on the project charter, what are your responsibilities as a project manager?
   
2. What is WBS? Why is the WBS necessary for project planning?
   
3. What are key lessons you have learned from subunit 4.2?
   
4. What techniques can you use to identify the critical path and a float in a project?
   

Using the same project that you used for the activity in Unit 2, create a sample project charter using the template in this article.

Watch this video. Note that the video is titled incorrectly on YouTube; it discusses project execution rather than project planning.

Watch this lecture, which discusses how to track and control projects and production lifecycles with PERT/cost.

Read this chapter and attempt the exercises at the end of each section. This chapter discusses quality assurance and quality control. While this text uses information technology projects as examples, the principles are the same for managing any complex project. How do you manage project quality? What do you look for? Are there differences depending on the industry or sector, such as IT vs. manufacturing?

You read the first three sections of this chapter in Unit 1. You can read them now as a refresher if you choose. Then, concentrate on section 4, "Project Risk and the Project Complexity Profile". This section discusses how to manage project risk to ensure the success of a project and how improper management can lead to project failure. Attempt the exercises at the end of the section and at the end of the chapter.

Read this article, and pay attention to the section on attitudes toward risk. Think about your industry. Is it risk-averse or open to taking smart risks? What about you, personally?

Watch this video, which discusses how to evaluate risks and use decision trees.

Read this article, which defines risk management and how it relates to the information systems process. This topic can be generalized to all types of projects.

Consider responding to the following questions by posting your response on the course discussion board for BUS402. You may also respond to other students' posts.

1. From Unit 5, what is most useful technique/tool you have learned to control project quality, and why?
2. In your opinion, what are top three risks for managing a large project? Give a few examples for each identified risk.
3. What is Six Sigma? How does the Six Sigma relate to project management practices?

Read this chapter, which discusses project execution.

Read the section on implementation on pages 39–41.

You read Section 3 of this chapter earlier, in the context of the project management professional's role in resolving conflicts. Read the rest of the chapter, which discusses how to define client expectations and how to determine the proper organizational structure to deliver an acceptable project. The client brings their own set of expectations to each project. How can you manage a disruptive client? A passive-aggressive client? What are the tools you can use for each situation, and what are the commonalities? Attempt the exercises at the end of each section.

Read this chapter, which discusses the procurement and closure aspect of closing out the project and delivering it to the client. Attempt the exercises at the end of each section.

Read this chapter, which discusses the final stage of the project management lifecycle. As the project draws to a close, you must define the closeout process. What areas are you comfortable with, and what do you need to work on as you "close out" your study of project management in this course? Can you make a closeout plan for your time taking this course?

Watch this video, which discusses how to close a project and close project contracts.

Watch this lecture, which discusses how to close a project. The review of the project is an important time for self-reflection and think about opportunities for improvement.

Consider responding to the following questions by posting your response on the course discussion board for BUS402. You may also respond to other students' posts.

1. In general, what types of project contracts exist? What are differences among them? As a project manager, what would be your most favorite contract to manage? Why?
2. How can you handle changes requested by your clients after the project deliverables have been officially accepted?
3. Assume you are assigned to an international project, what kind of potential issues or challenges do you need to be aware of when you start to plan the project?

This test was designed for the PMP exam. However, most of the concepts were covered in this course. Each question in this self-assessment test has one best answer. You have 90 minutes to complete the assessment.

If you plan to take a Project Management Professional (PMP) Certificate Exam, please be aware of the key contents covered by PMBOK (2008), as this study guide lecture points out. Click on the link above, and study these lecture notes, using the arrow button at the bottom of each slide to navigate through the whole lecture (284 slides total). This lecture highlights all key PM processes and knowledge areas that are expected to be covered in your PMP certificate exam based on PMBOK (2008).