MBA 712: Project Management Master Syllabus
Course Instructor:
Office Number:
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Course Meeting Times:
Course Website: Canvas
Course Materials
Project Management: The Managerial Process (8th ed.) by Clifford Gray and Erik Larson. McGraw-Hill Higher Education, Copyright 2021 Connect Access Card: Includes eBook for Larson Project Management: The Managerial Process 8th edition ISBN: 9781260736175
I suggest you view this video for information on MHHE CONNECT SW access.
A free copy of MS Project 2016 or higher is available for download from GMU MSDNAA website. Direction is included in Week 0 -Preparation to assist you.
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 complex, dynamic, and multi-dimensional issues in project management. Students will also learn to use project management software- Microsoft Project – in planning, directing, and controlling projects.
Learning Objectives:
- To gain exposure to various tools/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 in Microsoft Project software
- To understand the skills required as a project leader and a team member in a technology project
Learning Tools for the Course
- Quizzes – from MHHE Connect software: 12 assignments of short multiple choice, True/false, fill in the blank, graph interpretation, or matching questions will be given in class (20 questions of 1.5 points each for a total of 25 points each quiz). The quiz maybe on new material to be discussed that day/class to ensure preparation and awareness of topics. It may also be given as a summary to assess retention and application of concepts discussed from the lecture and or exercises.
- Project Elements: The students will self-organize into groups. The course “Portal” or “GMU Course BB” has a section for GROUPS where you will sign up for a group project. Students will self-organize for Groups 1 -4 and will then work together as a team to assess a Business case project. An example response is presented in week 2 of the course by the Professor as a representative response. The students in the group will read the case decompose the element, analyze the issues and items in the context of the course and prepare a synopsis of the case along with pertinent points. Several questions are posed for the group to respond to in their submittal. (PowerPoint charts and associated MS word response (if needed). All case data is to be posted to the discussion board for total course access. The other groups which are not responsible for the case will read and analyze the case within their group. After the presenting Groups post the Case response to the discussion board the other groups will review data and provide a critical response to the posted analysis whit any other analysis or confirming/refuting the analysis provided.
- Class Participation: The value gained from this course is greatly affected by the quality of class participation. Effective participation requires: 1) assessing the short case analyses at the end of each of the chapters, 2) participating in Group case responses for the major cases, 3) Responding to the Leadership and Management assignment (Invictus video) assessment, 4) responding to other colleagues posts in a collaborative and positive manner in general being prepared with proper information about the topics covered. It also requires reflection and synthesis of information (sometimes quite diverse) to form cogent arguments and points. A good insightful question posed, is as important to a discussion as synthesis and answer. I look forward to discussion posts on BB, both quality and quantity of participation matters! This area is related to Discussion board assignments for Case studies and other assessments
Guidelines for Evaluating Participation – will be a percentage of the Discussion board posts and other assignments
Outstanding Contributor: Ideas offered are always substantive, provide one or more major insights as well as direction for the class. Challenges are well substantiated and persuasively presented. If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished markedly.
Good Contributor: Ideas offered are usually substantive, provide good insights, and sometimes direction for the class. Challenges are well often substantiated and persuasive. If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would be diminished.
Unsatisfactory Contributor: Contributions reflect inadequate preparation. Ideas offered are seldom substantive and do not provide a constructive direction for the discussion. Integrative comments and effective challenges are absent.
Non-Participant: This person says little or nothing in discussions. Hence, there is not an adequate basis for evaluation. If this person were not a member of the class, the quality of discussion would not be changed. points)
Performance Evaluation and Grading
| Activity | Grade % | Grade | Percentages |
| Class Participation | 20% | A | 93% and above |
|
A- | 90-92.9% | |
| Assignments | 30% | B+ | 87-89.9% |
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B | 83- 86.9% | |
| PowerPoint/narrated Case Analysis | 15% | B- | 80-82.9% |
| Invictus Leadership Video Analysis | 1% | C+ | 77-79.9% |
| Group Response to Case Analyses (4) | 5% | C | 70-76.9% |
| Final Exam | 29% | D | 60-69.9% |
| Total | 100% | F | Below 60% |
NOTE: This syllabus is a guide to the data and topics to be presented in the MBA712 course and may be revised for schedule and student comprehension purposes as coordinated with the Costello College of Business, administration and registered students.
Attendance Policy
Attendance in this class is not required for an asynchronously delivered class if a student has questions on the material, it is highly recommended that he/she contact the professor by email or schedule time during Professor Office Hours (listed above). To be successful in learning the course content students must remain current with this fast-paced delivery of material. Students are expected to review the material and assignments per the schedule for all class sessions. It is typical that each week some activities point towards the final grade will be due in the form of assignments. Therefore, not keeping up with the class pace will entail missing points. I am available by email as well as the MBA712 class discussion board for general class questions. Students are required to read and comply with the course syllabus and deliverable schedule.
Communications
All communications from me to you will be directed via discussion board or e-mail. I will address all my e-mails and replies ONLY to your @gmu.edu e-mail address for concerns of privacy and confidentiality. If you use another e-mail account as your primary e-mail, please be sure to forward your George Mason email to that account.
Make up HW, Assignment, & Exams
Grades revision or appeals on any assignment/test/homework need to be made formally and in writing within one week of the graded deliverable being returned. 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. Late homework or missed quizzes will not be accepted without pre-coordination and approval by the instructor.
Disability
All academic accommodations due to disability should be arranged through the Office for Disability Services (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 with sufficient notice before an assignment.
Honor Code
George 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 code’s provisions. In the spirit of the code, a student’s 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.
Class Etiquette
Be courteous to and respectful to the instructor and your colleagues in class! On video chats please mute your microphone and limit 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 MBA Major
(note: Goals addressed in this course are highlighted in bold text)
- Apply knowledge of information technology and business functions to understand its application in assessing, designing and improving business processes.
- Develop data organization, storage, and processing solutions to support organizational needs for information management. They will also have the option of developing skills in supporting decision making through business intelligence solutions.
- 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.
- Effectively manage information technology projects.
- 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.
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. See detailed assignment schedule posted in syllabus folder.
Per George Mason SUB policy this course is to be offered asynchronously. Therefore, the lectures will be recorded and posted for student review at their designated timeframe. Class lesson recordings will be posted by the completion of Lesson Schedule above so by 10:00pm on the night of the lesson the lecture for that session will be posted. As an option, students will be notified and able to participate in the class recording as coordinated for improved but not required engagement.
A typical in person class would consist of the following component that relate to and in-class concept: (typically from 7:00 PM -10:00 PM – 3 Hrs.). This is not the case in this course due to the distance learning aspects however, the method may be of value in structuring your studies
- Review of course syllabus & current activity progress
- Previous chapters covered
- Assess topics in upcoming chapter and assignments
- Review of week/lessons chapters PowerPoint slides and their theory
- Take the MHHE Connect Assignment (Quizzes) on the week’s chapters
- Review the Short Cases at the end of the chapter and post a brief response to the designated discussion board
- Work with your group members to prepare the Major Case Analysis and Video presentation assigned to your group for class review (weeks 5, 6, 7, 8)
- Read and Review the Major Case to be presented by the Professor (week2) or the Group #1-#4 members (week 5, 6, 7, 8)
- Write a case review with your group after the Major Case Video presentation from Groups #1 - #4 (weeks 5, 6, 7, 8). Post to the discussion board and provide comments to the colleagues.
Progressive incremental learning approach applied in MBA 712-301 Course
Details course deliverable schedule (provided in a separate excel file with the syllabus for reference)
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