The University of MississippiRev: August 23, 2015

Fall Semester 2015Professional MBA

MBA 624Project Analysis

Professor: Brian J. Reithel, Ph.D., CDPProfessor of MIS

Office: 232 Holman HallPhone: (662) 816-3929 (cell – please feel free to call or send text messages)Email: breithel@bus.olemiss.edu Office hours: Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-11:00 a.m. or by appointment

I. COURSE OBJECTIVES

To understand the concepts of project planning and organization, budgeting and control, project communications, and project life cycles.

To learn concepts related to organizational workflow including the staffing process, project planning elements, and the project plan contents and project communications.

To master several basic project scheduling techniques including WBS, PERT/CPM, Gantt Charts, Burn Down Charts, Scrum-based project management, and resource constrained scheduling.

To understand the related concepts of organizational forms, conflict resolution, and issues related to leadership and task management in a project environment.

To become familiar with Microsoft Project.

II. COURSE OVERVIEW

This course covers issues related to managing projects in organizations and we will draw on materials from other MBA courses and experiences from the workplace. Project Management deals with seeking new methods of planning, organizing, and controlling time and resource-constrained non-routine tasks. The management of a project differs in several ways from management of a typical enterprise. The goal of a project team is to accomplish its prescribed mission and then disband; though this is easier said than done. Project Management has been around for some time, though it has recently become more important because of the shifting emphasis on teams, virtual workspaces, and information technology in accomplishing tasks.

Our key deliverable in this course is a portfolio that contains an Audit Report and Project Final Report for an ongoing project that you will select and analyze for this course. An important side benefit of this deliverable is that the analyses and evaluations that you do in these reports should be of value to the project management team of your selected project.

III. REQUIRED TEXTS AND SOFTWARE

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1. Required Text: Project Management in Practice (2011), Fourth edition, by Mantel, Meredith, Shafer, & Sutton. Publisher: John Wiley & Sons. ISBN: 978-0-470-53301-7. 

2. Optional Text: Project Management - A systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling by Kerzner, published by John Wiley & Sons, ISBN: 978-0470278703 (note that the specific ISBN doesn’t really matter – any edition after 2009 should be fine; I’ve found that some used copies of the 2009 edition are quite inexpensive via online merchants, with prices in the $10-20 range). 

Often referred to as the "bible of project management," you might be interested in if you are planning on pursuing a career in project management.  Note that this book is not absolutely necessary for our class, but it could come in handy if you want to get a more in-depth perspective on some of the topics we cover.

3. Software: Microsoft Project and our standard MBA software suite (MS Office). Please do not purchase MS Project. Instead, wait for more information from the instructor about how to obtain MS Project via the School of Business Administration’s “DreamSpark” store, via Microsoft.

4. Other course documents (handouts, assignments, special readings, etc.) will be available via the Blackboard course web site. We will make extensive use of Blackboard throughout the semester. Please submit all assignments via the specific assignment links in Blackboard unless directed to use some other means of submission. All assignments are to be treated as individual assignments unless otherwise noted by the instructor.

IV. COURSE DELIVERABLES

Deliverable Points

Assignments1. Individual Assignments (5 total) 502. Group Assignments (5 total) 50

Exams1. Midterm Exam 1002. Final Exam (comprehensive) 100

Semester Project Milestone Plan 15 Midpoint Report 15 Portfolio of Audit and Final Report 50 Portfolio Presentation 20

Total Points: 400

Letter Grade Divisions: A>=90 %; B=80-89%; C=70-79%; D=60-69%; F<=60 %(all scores will be rounded to the nearest integer value using traditional rounding rules; e.g.,

<.5 rounds down and .5 or greater rounds up)

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V. COURSE DELIVERABLES DETAIL

AssignmentsIndividual Assignments (5 total) –an individual assignment will be due every two weeks (see schedule for due dates). While you are encouraged to help each other out as you attempt to comprehend the underlying concepts, you must do your own work for each assignment. Please upload each assignment via the appropriate assignment link in Blackboard. Group Assignments (5 total) – every two weeks a group assignment will be due (see schedule for due dates). Only one person in each group should upload this assignment via the appropriate group assignment link in Blackboard.

Group Membership – you will be automatically assigned to groups of 3-4 members via Blackboard for all group homework assignments. Once these groups have been generated, you will remain in the same group for the entire semester.

ExamsThere will be a Midterm Exam and a Final Exam (see schedule for dates). These will be completed individually and handed in via Blackboard. You’ll have a 72-hour window of time, from the posting of the Word document in Blackboard to complete your midterm exam and submit it for grading. The final exam will be open for a 24-hour window, due to the tighter constraints of finals week. It is very important that each student not share or discuss the questions on the exam with anyone else. These are individual exams.

Semester ProjectYou will select a project to analyze this semester. Details on what type of project you will need are presented below (see “Selecting Your Project”).

- Milestone Plan This will be your own plan to research, select, analyze, and document your selected project to create your Final Project Evaluation Portfolio. In other words, this is a detailed timeline for the “project to complete your semester project” (i.e., this is your own, personal, work-plan regarding the detailed tasks, associated deliverables, and target dates for completing your semester project).

- Midpoint Report This will be a detailed progress report on your plan to research, select, analyze, and document your selected project to create your Final Project Evaluation Portfolio. What is working out according to your milestone plan? What is not working out according to your plan? What will you need to change in your approach in order to complete the semester project?

- Portfolio of Audit and Final Report Your key deliverable in this class is a project portfolio that contains:

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o An in-depth Audit Report (outlined in pp. 277-279 in Project Management in Practice 2011)

o A detailed Final Report (outlined in pp. 284-285 in Project Management in Practice 2011)

- Portfolio Presentation Along with your Portfolio, you will also prepare a YouTube-ready video presentation (with audio track) that discusses your project reports, key lessons learned as a project manager, and ideas about what could be done to further improve the performance of future project teams facing a similar project. It is very important that you practice making a YouTube video sooner, rather than later, so that you won’t become “trapped” and under pressure trying to figure out how to do it at the very end of the semester. IMPORTANT: The final video cannot exceed five (5) minutes in duration. This is an executive presentation intended to convey key points about your project in a succinct manner.

- Selecting Your Project There is considerable leeway in terms of the depth and detail that could be contained in your portfolio reports – your grade will be commensurate with the appropriateness of the depth and detail of your report given the data available to you for your project. For this reason, it is important that you select a real-life, ongoing project that is large enough in scope to provide a richness of detail that will allow you to construct standard project analysis and reporting charts (e.g., Gantt Charts), evaluation tools (e.g., earned value analyses), project teamwork analyses, etc.

Here are some guidelines to consider in selecting your project:

The project should have a duration of at least six months.

The project should not have reached completion until sometime after the end of our semester. This way, your audit and report portfolio might prove to be useful to the project management team.

The project should involve at least 3 different persons working in either full or part-time capacity on the project and data should exist for performing earned value calculations (that is, ongoing personnel allocation data must be available to you).

The project must have a set start and end date and data should exist for performing earned value calculations (that is, ongoing schedule allocation data must be available to you).

The project must have a clearly calculable budget and data should exist for performing earned value calculations (that is, ongoing budget allocation data must be available to you).

CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION: Note that any information shared with you by the sponsoring organization must be treated with professionalism and held in the strictest confidence. Any violation of such trust will be treated as full academic misconduct and will result in a failing grade for the semester. I will be available to discuss any particular concerns and/or needs you may encounter with regard to

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protecting confidential information associated with the selected project.

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VI. EXPECTATIONS FOR CLASS

1. Individual Work and Group Discussion via Blackboard. You and your group may need to discuss questions that arise during your studies. As long as these questions are general and for the benefit of the entire class, you are encouraged to discuss them with each other and with me by using the discussion forum on our Blackboard web page. Posting and responding to queries on this discussion forum will make your deliverables better, both individually and collectively. Also, your group has both discussion and messaging (email) facilities available through Blackboard for group-specific items and issues.

2. Standards of Professionalism. In this course, all students are expected to conduct themselves as business professionals. Your reputation, honor, and personal integrity are your most valuable and irreplaceable assets in both the business world and your personal life – do not put yourself in any situation where they might be compromised.

3. School of Business Administration Statement of Academic Integrity.

The School of Business Administration upholds honor and academic integrity in all of its teaching, research, and service activities.  All business faculty, staff, and students are charged with the responsibility to behave with personal and professional integrity and to refrain from dishonorable conduct.

It is your responsibility to understand the scope and nature of actions that constitute academic dishonesty and to seek clarification of points that you do not understand. Penalties for academic dishonesty are severe, especially given the strict course sequencing of the MBA Program.

4. Disability Accommodations. It is University policy to provide, on a flexible and individual basis, reasonable accommodations to students who have disabilities that may affect their ability to participate in course activities or meet course requirements. Students with disabilities, which have been verified through the Office of Student Disability Services, are encouraged to contact their instructors to discuss their individual needs for accommodations.

5. Incomplete Grades:Poor performance is not an acceptable reason to request an incomplete grade.

6. Assignments:Late assignments will not be accepted without prior authorization from the instructor. The semester project will not be accepted after December 9th.

7. Standards of Honesty:The academic discipline policy of the University of Mississippi will be strictly followed in this course. Violation of the policy will result in a grade of F in the course. The student should refer to the University’s policy on “Student Academic Conduct and Discipline” for general definitions of academic misconduct. PLEASE ASK ME if you have any questions about proper scholarly conduct.

8. Feedback. I will be happy to discuss the course, your progress, or any other issues of concern to you on an individual basis. Please contact me directly via phone or email. If you are a cell phone/text person, that’s fine too! The number listed for me on the

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syllabus can accept either incoming calls or text messages. If I’m unable to respond at the moment you contact me, I’ll follow up with you as soon as I can.

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VII. COURSE SCHEDULE

WK

Date MBA 624 PROJECT ANALYSIS

Assignment Due Date

WK 1

Aug 24 M

Introduction to Project Scheduling:

1. Chapter 1 pp. 1-21 and pp. 31-37.

2. Chapter 5 pp. PERT and CPM Networks (151-160).

INDL1

DUE

Sept. 2

WK 2

Aug 31

M

3. Shenhar, A.J. & Levy, O. Mapping the Dimensions of Project Success (Project Management Journal, June 1997).

4. Pinto, J.K. & Kharbanda, O.P. Lessons for an Accidental Profession (Business Horizons, March-April 1995). (note Monday Sept. 1 is Labor Day Holiday)

GROUP1

DUE

Sept. 9

WK 3

Sept 7 M

Evaluating and Terminating the Project:

5. Chapter 8 pp. 272-285.

INDL2

DUE

Sept. 16

WK 4

Sept 14

M

6. Gulliver, F.R. Post-Project Appraisals Pay (Harvard Business Review, March-April 1987).

7. Staw, B.M. & Ross, J. Knowing When to Pull the Plug (Harvard Business Review, March-April 1987).

GROUP2

DUE

Sept.23

WK 5

Sept 21

M

Management of Risk, Gantt Charts, and the Critical Path:

8. Chapter 1 - Confronting Uncertainty (pp. 21-30).

9. Chapter 5 Scheduling the Project- Project Uncertainty and Risk Mgmt. (pp. 161-177- The Gantt Chart (178-185).

10. Chapter 6 Allocating Resources to the Project- Expediting a Project (pp. 196-202).

INDL3

DUE

Sept. 30

WK 6

Sept 28 M

SEMESTER PROJECT MILESTONE PLAN DUE SEPT. 27

11. Leach, L.P. Critical Chain Project Management Improves Project Performance (Project Management Journal, June 1999, pp. 39-51).

12. Cusumano, M.A. How Microsoft Makes Large Teams Work Like Small Teams (Sloan Management Review, Fall 1997, pp. 9-20).

GROUP3

DUE

Oct. 7

WK 7

Oct 5 M

Scarce Resources: Loading, Leveling, Allocating:

13. Chapter 6 pp. 202-231.

WK 8

Oct 12 M

14. Bowen, H.K. et al. Make Projects the School for Leaders (Harvard Business Review, Sept.-Oct. 1994, pp. 131-140).

15. DeFillippi, R.J. & Arthur, M.B. Paradox in Project-Based Enterprise: The Case of Film Making (California Management Review, Winter 1998, pp. 125-139).

MIDTERM

EXAM

Wednesday

OCT. 1414 W MIDTERM EXAM Wednesday OCT. 14

W Oct M The Project Manager, Organization, and the Team: INDL4

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K 9

19 16.Chapter 2 pp. 44-71.DUE

Oct. 21

9

WK 10

Oct 26

M

17. Grenny, J., Maxfield, D., & Shimberg, A. Project Leaders Can Overcome the Crisis of Silence (Sloan Management Review, Summer 2007, pp. 46-52).

18. Sotiriou, D. & Wittmer, D. Influence methods of project managers - Perceptions of team members and project managers (Project Management Journal, September 2001, pp. 12-20).

GROUP4

DUE

Oct. 28

WK 11

Nov 2 M

SEMESTER PROJECT MIDPOINT REPORT DUE Oct. 30 (Friday)

Project Planning:

19.Chapter 3 pp. 79-108.

INDL5

DUE

Nov. 4

WK 12

Nov 9 M

20. Mallak, L.M. & Kurstedt Jr., H.A. Planning for Crises in Project Management (Project Management Journal, June 1997, pp. 14-20).

21. Fox, T.L. & Spence, J.W. Tools of the Trade: A Survey of Project Management Tools (Project Management Journal, September 1998, pp. 20-27).

GROUP5

DUE

Nov. 11

WK 13

Nov 16 M

Budgeting, Monitoring, and Controlling:

22. Chapter 4 pp. 115-144.

23. Chapter 7 pp. 238-265.

Thanksgiving Break November 23-27

WK 14

Nov 30

M

24.Busby, J.S. An assessment of post-project reviews (Project Management Journal, September 1999, pp. 23-29).

25.Ammeter, A.P. & Dukerich, J.M. Leadership, Team Building, and Team Member Characteristics in High Performance Project Teams (Engineering Management Journal, December 2002, pp. 3-10).

Dec 6 M

“PORTFOLIO OF AUDIT AND FINAL REPORT” AND “PORTFOLIO PRESENTATION” DUE SUNDAY, DEC. 6, 2015 BY 11:00 P.M.

FINAL EXAM

Wednesday

DEC. 9

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