INF387 Administration:
Managing Projects and Leading Change in Information Organizations
Spring 2011
Thursdays 9-12
UTA Bldg Rm 1.212
Professor Diane E. Bailey
debailey@ischool.utexas.edu, UTA 5.438
Office Hours as follows: email is the best way to reach me; in-person times are Thursdays or Fridays 12-1 if
arranged in advance; voicemail a no-go, but quite happy to talk by cell if arranged by email.
TA George Royer
georgewroyer@yahoo.com
OVERVIEW
This course is designed to help you develop skills and awareness for administering and leading an information
organization. The course emphasizes active learning primarily through a group project conducted with an
external organization, combined with class exercises and case discussions. Personal reflection is also critical to
your learning and is prompted by assignments. Practice and reflection are central to your learning in this course.
Although oriented to developing practical skills to help you in your career, the material in the course is
grounded in theory and research from finance, marketing, administration, human resources, strategy,
innovation, and the like. We start at the top by focusing on developing a strategy that is expressed through a
clear mission and vision, then explore how to implement your larger ideas via your organization’s policies,
projects, and people.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
This course targets administration-related as well as general learning outcomes. Specifically, you will
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Evaluate and write mission, vision, and values statements
Learn and use project planning tools and project management methods
Create a balanced scorecard
Practice strategic planning via a SWOT analysis
Write a job description
Learn how to recruit, interview, and develop staff, including volunteers
Gain insights for how to manage your board of directors
Build a media kit, learn to hone your organization’s message, and create a direct mail campaign
Plan an organizational event and gain advice on how to develop relations with donors
Learn how to build a professional network of people you like
Practice your teamwork skills while gaining firsthand experience in an organizational project
Hone your verbal, visual, and written presentation skills
Gain insights from experienced administrators about the challenges they face and skills they need
Ultimately, develop an understanding of what it takes to lead an organization, build confidence in
your ability to lead others, and gain and demonstrate skills and knowledge through case studies, inclass activities, a group project, and numerous class discussions
pg. 1
COURSE POLICIES
Attendance and Participation
You are expected to attend each week’s class session and to have completed the reading and any assignments
so that you can actively engage in discussions. You are also expected to work diligently and cooperatively on
in-class exercises and your group project. Poor attendance and participation will lower your grade; good attendance and
participation may improve it.
Grading
See end of syllabus for descriptions of the eleven assignments in this course. For convenience, I grade
assignments on a point basis as noted in parentheses below; in those cases where the points do not match the
percentage I simply convert the scores on my grade sheet.
Assignment
Percentage of Grade
Mission and Vision Fit (10 pts)
5
Group Project Plan (10 pts)
10
Group Project Plan Presentation (20 pts)
10
Case HW #1 (10 pts)
5
Project Organization Scorecard (10 pts)
10
Case HW #2 (10 pts)
5
Case HW #3 (10 pts)
5
Group Final Report (20 pts)
20
Group Final Presentation
a. Class Evaluation (of your group) (20 pts)
5
b. My Evaluation (of your group) (20 pts)
10
10. Self Evaluation (10 pts)
10
11. Case HW #4 (10 pts)
5
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
Total
Due Date
2/3
2/17
2/17
3/3
3/24
4/7
4/14
4/21
4/28
5/5
5/5
100%
Submission of On-Time and Late Work
All written assignments should be submitted in hard copy on the date shown; email submission will incur a
5% penalty. Your individual and group presentations cannot be late because of scheduling needs. Likewise,
you must turn in your evaluation of your own performance the last day of class. For all other assignments,
you will lose 10% of your grade for work submitted by noon on Monday and another 10% per day for each
additional day late. Late work, and only late work, should/must be submitted by email.
University of Texas Honor Code
The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual
opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through
integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community. Source:
http://www.utexas.edu/welcome/mission.html
Documented Disability Statement
Any student with a documented disability who requires academic accommodations should contact Services
for Students with Disabilities (SSD) at (512) 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone). Faculty are
not required to provide accommodations without an official accommodation letter from SSD.
pg. 2
Documented Disability Statement (cont’d)
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Please notify me as quickly as possible if the material being presented in class is not accessible (e.g.,
instructional videos need captioning, course packets are not readable for proper alternative text
conversion, etc.).
Please notify me as early in the semester as possible if disability-related accommodations for field
trips are required. Advanced notice will permit the arrangement of accommodations on the given day
(e.g., transportation, site accessibility, etc.).
Contact Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice) or 1-866-329-3986 (video phone)
or reference SSD’s website for more disability-related information:
http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/for_cstudents.php
pg. 3
MATERIALS YOU MUST ACQUIRE, THEIR PRICE AND SOURCE
#
1
Item
Wolf, T. 1999. Managing a Nonprofit
Organization in the Twenty-First Century.
New York: Simon & Schuster.
Drucker, P.F. et al. 2008. The Five Most
Important Questions You Will Ever Ask About
Your Organization.
Verzah, E. 2008. The Fast Forward MBA in
Project Management. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.
GanttProject software.
Williams, R. 2009. The Non-Designer’s
Presentation Book. Peachpit Press, Berkeley,
CA. (or a similar presentation guide of
your choice, no approval required)
Cost
$10
Amazon.
$10
Amazon.
$13
Amazon.
Free!
$17
http://www.ganttproject.biz/
Amazon.
6
Heath, C. & Heath, D. 2008. Making your
presentation stick. From their website:
http://heathbrothers.com/resources/.
Free!
On the Blackboard site for this course.
7
Kaplan, R.S. and Norton, D.P. 2000.
Strategy Scorecards in Nonprofit,
Government, and Health Care
Organizations. HBS# 1615BC-PDFENG.
$4
See link below.
8
Case: Otago Museum.HBS# 910B07-PDFENG.
Yate, M. Hiring the Best: Manager’s Guide to
Effective Interviewing and Recruiting, Fifth
Edition. Adams Media.
Groysberg, B. and Lane, D. 2005. People
Management (Exercise). HBS# 406034-PDFENG.
Case: Museum of Fine Arts Boston. HBS#
506027-PDF-ENG
Case: Let’s Talk Science. HBS# 907A08PDF-ENG.
Case: Finance Department Restructuring at the
Field Museum. HBS# KEL139-PDF-ENG.
$4
See link below.
$10
Amazon.
$4
See link below.
$4
See link below.
$4
See link below.
$4
See link below.
2
3
4
5
9
10
11
12
13
Cost of Course Materials
Source
$84
Harvard Business Press Course Link: http://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cb/access/7881946
pg. 4
WEEKLY CLASS SCHEDULE
Class
Topic
1/20
Intro
1
2
In-Class Activities
Course Intro,
How and What
to Learn in this
Course
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Student intros
Project intros
Organizing teams,
choosing projects
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Read the syllabus.
Read Wolf, 1999. Managing a Nonprofit Organization,
Chapter 1.
Mission, Vision,
& Values
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Examining mission,
vision, and values
statements
Mission/vision/
values exercise
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Drucker et al. 2008. The Five Most Important Questions.
Have your first group meeting with your field sponsor
(see end of syllabus for description).
Bring to class the mission & vision of your project
organization.
Exercise with Gantt
and CPM charts
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2/3
4
2/10
5
2/17
Developing and Communicating Your Strategy
1/27
3
Items to Do/Read PRIOR to Class
(see tables above for full citations)
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Planning Project
Work
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Communicating
Your Vision
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How to give a talk
One-minute intros
Hand-off exercise
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Verzuh, E. 2008. Fast Forward MBA in Project Management.
Chapters 6-7, 14-15.
Download free software called Gantt Project:
http://www.ganttproject.biz/download and bring your
laptop to class (or make sure a friend is)
Due in Class
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Mission
& vision
fit
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Group
project
plan
Williams. 2009. The Non-Designer’s Presentation Book.
Heath and Heath. 2008. Making your presentation stick.
Watch one talk on TED: http://www.ted.com/
Come prepared TODAY with a one-minute intro for
your part of your group presentation
Have your second group meeting with your field
sponsor (see end of syllabus for description).
Group Project Plan Presentations
pg. 5
Class
Topic
6
7
3/3
Creating
Metrics
2/24
8
3/10
In-Class Activities
Boards of
Directors
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SWOT exercise
Expert Talk: Board
management
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Wolf, Chapter 2.
Mapping
Strategy and
Developing
Measures of
Success
Strategic
Staffing &
Human
Resources
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Case discussion
Creating a balanced
scorecard for Otago
Museum
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Kaplan and Norton, 2000. Strategy Scorecards.
Case: Otago Museum
Wolf, Chapters 6 and 7.
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People management
quiz
Job description
exercise
Expert Talk:
Interviewing
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Yate, 2005. Hiring the Best. Read chapters 1-9.
Wolf, Chapter 3.
Take Groysberg and Lane’s People Management Quiz,
score your results, and bring them to class.
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3/17
9
3/24
10
3/31
Building Your Internal Staff
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Items to Do/Read PRIOR to Class
(see tables above for full citations)
Due in Class
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Case HW
#1
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Project
org’n
scorecard
Spring Break
Group One-on-One Meetings with Professor
Personnel
Policies
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Recruitment
exercise
Staff development
exercise
Expert Talk:
Volunteer programs
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Wolf, Chapter 4.
pg. 6
Class
Topic
4/7
12
4/14
13
4/21
Connecting to Your External
Community
11
In-Class Activities
Items to Do/Read PRIOR to Class
(see tables above for full citations)
Community &
Public Relations
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Case discussion
Media kit exercise
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Case: Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
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Case HW
#2
Marketing
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Case discussion
Website name game
Message exercise
Branding exercise
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Case: Let’s Talk Science.
Wolf, Chapter 5.
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Case HW
#3
Fundraising and
Development
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Direct mail exercise
Event planning
exercise
Expert Talk: Donor
relations
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Wolf, Chapter 8.
Have your third group meeting with your field sponsor
(see end of syllabus for description).
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Group
Final
Reports
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Group
present’n
evals
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Case HW
#4
Self evals
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14
15
5/5
Group Project Final Presentations
Leading
4/28
Due in Class
Leading Change
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Case discussion
Expert Talk: Build
your network
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Case: Finance Department Restructuring at the Field Museum
Wolf, Chapters 10 and 11.
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pg. 7
ASSIGNMENTS
You must complete eleven assignments for this course, as listed here and described in detail below.
1. Group Project
a. Mission and Vision Fit
b. Project Organization Scorecard
c. Group Project Plan
d. Group Project Plan Presentation
e. Group Final Report
f. Group Final Presentation
g. Self Evaluation (to be completed by you independently)
2. Case HWs (four total, to be completed by you independently)
**All written assignments are due in class at the beginning of class, printed in hard copy, doublesided, no cover page. Email copies in lieu of hard copies will incur a 5% penalty. Late work, by contrast, can and
must be submitted by email.**
GROUP PROJECT
A main vehicle for your learning in this course is the completion of a group project in an external
organization. I have arranged four projects so that you will lose no time in finding one of your own.
You will hear a description of each project the first day of class and choose a project at that time.
Seven assignments involve this group project. For written assignments, make sure you follow good
practice in labeling all graphics and referring to them explicitly and thoroughly in your text. Allow
sufficient white space around all graphics to enhance their effect. Use section headings to help
organize and break up text, being consistent in formatting for headings at the same level. Proofread
your work diligently. Although multiple team members will contribute to the text, the assignments
should flow with a single voice; thus, you need to allot time for the smooth integration of
contributions. Similar admonishments hold for your verbal and visual presentations.
In addition, you must hold a minimum of three meetings with your field sponsor as follows:
First Meeting (prior to 1/27). At this meeting, you should introduce yourselves to your sponsor and
communicate your enthusiasm for this project and your appreciation of the sponsor’s time and effort
in working with you. Retrieve, at a minimum, the organization’s mission, vision, and values
statements (try to find these on the web prior to your meeting, then confirm them), the
organization’s balanced scorecard (if they have one) and related strategic planning materials, and a
more complete understanding of the project. Go over the course timeline with the sponsor and
arrange your second meeting. Your sponsor may wish to meet more frequently than I specify,
perhaps weekly; remember that these interactions are key opportunities for your learning.
Second Meeting (prior to 2/10). At this meeting, you should confirm your understanding of the
project’s scope, fit with the organization’s strategy, expected deliverables, timeline, and the like. The
purpose of this meeting is to ensure that all parties are on the same page with respect to the project
plan. You may invite your sponsor to your class presentation if you like; I would welcome his or her
presence.
Third Meeting (prior to 4/21). At this meeting, you should confirm your accomplishments, their
meaning and impact in preparation for your final report and presentation. Seek the sponsor’s
judgment of your performance. If you faced obstacles that proved problematic, do not avoid
pg. 8
discussing them with your sponsor; rather, take this opportunity to gain his or her perspective on
what tactics might have worked better. You may invite your sponsor to your class presentation if you
like; I would welcome his or her presence.
I expect that you will devote several hours each week per team member on this project in addition to
your reading and case assignments for class discussions. Your commitment to, and resourceful
performance on, this project will not only greatly aid your learning, but will also reflect well on you
and the school. You will have one scheduled group meeting with me (in class, week 9); others can be
arranged if desired.
Mission and Vision Fit
Your first project assignment is to write a statement (300 words minimum) showing how the project
that your group has taken on fits with the mission and vision of the parent organization. Why is this
project important to the organization? How does it map onto their strategy? What will it help them
achieve? Use no cover sheet and indicate word count.
Project Organization Scorecard
For this assignment, you must create a balanced scorecard for the parent organization of your
project. If the organization already has one, please do not examine it until you have completed your
own. Then, you might compare the two, note differences and similarities, and discuss which one you
think is more accurate or useful. Submit your scorecard with a narrative describing it. Use no cover
sheet and indicate word count (300 words minimum).
Group Project Plan
In this document, you should describe the purpose of your project and its fit with the organization’s
strategy; you should include a description of the organization, its mission and vision. (You may
borrow here from your first two assignments.) Lay out the scope of the project: What will it include?
What related activities or tasks will it not include and why not? Detail your plan of work, including a
Gantt chart; describe how you will divide work amongst your team members. Describe your
expected interactions with your sponsor (how often will you meet, what will the sponsor’s role be).
Finally, list and describe the expected deliverables from your project. How will you, your parent
organization, and the class come to understand whether or not you are successful in this project? Use
no cover sheet and indicate word count (600 words minimum).
Group Project Plan Presentation
Prepare and give a verbal and visual presentation to the class that relays the information included in
your written project plan. You may use whatever presentation technologies you wish, with the caveat
that you should practice their use prior to the presentation day to ensure they work smoothly. Plan to
give no more than a 15-minute presentation to allow ample time for questions and answers
afterward. You are limited to one handout, which may be double-sided. Employ a layout that will
facilitate retention and later reference, not one that will cram in additional, uncovered material. I
alone will evaluate your presentation according to the metrics listed on the evaluation sheet at the
end of the syllabus.
Group Final Report
Write up thoroughly your project, including material from the project plan, expanded now to include
details of what you did, how you did it, and what the results were. Describe obstacles you faced not
as an excuse for suboptimal achievement, but as a demonstration of the kinds of issues that arose
and how you dealt with them (successfully or not). Include a discussion of what you learned as a
team. For this assignment alone, you may use a single cover sheet (but no folder, paper cover, or
special binding); indicate word count (1500 words minimum).
pg. 9
Group Final Presentation
Prepare and give a verbal and visual presentation to the class that relays the information included in
your final report. You may use whatever presentation technologies you wish, with the caveat that you
should practice their use prior to the presentation day to ensure they work smoothly. Plan to give no
more than a 15-minute presentation to allow ample time for questions and answers afterward. You
are limited to one handout, which may be double-sided. Employ a layout that will facilitate retention
and later reference, not one that will cram in additional, uncovered material. The class and I will
evaluate your presentation according to the metrics listed on the evaluation sheet at the end of the
syllabus.
Self Evaluation
Write an essay (minimum 500 words) describing your performance in your group. Use no cover sheet
and indicate word count.
Note, I am not asking for a summary of how your group performed nor do I want an accounting of
which tasks you did and which others did. Rather, I am looking for in-depth reflection about your
performance as a group member: I want to know about the group’s dynamics and your role in them.
For example, if you had a personality conflict with someone that led to problems in your
presentation, summarize what happened and why you think it did. Where did you fall down in
dealing with this person? I don’t want to read about someone else’s inadequacies; I want to read
about the challenges this person posed for you and how you successfully or unsuccessfully dealt with
those challenges. What might you try differently next time? What do you need to think about in
terms of your own behavior and performance in groups going forward?
If everything went really smoothly, why was that? Think about your group’s interpersonal
interactions, personality types, project planning, use of time, strategies, skills, and so on. Do not
assume in this positive case that you simply were a great group member with great colleagues;
instead, think about what went well so that you can be on the lookout in future groups for ways to
establish similar conditions.
Statements like, “I learned that not everyone works as hard or as fast as I do so I am going to have to
take on more of the work,” reflect a lot less self-discovery than statements like, “I recognized – too
late – that people have different ideas of what a comfortable timeline is and that I get really anxious
and angry when I think work is late. I need to learn how to communicate my worries so that I don’t
end up being irritable with and resentful towards my teammates.” In short, focus on improving the
situation not by expecting others to change or by you taking on a disproportionate share of the
workload, but by communicating openly with your team to develop work routines and project
timelines that work for everyone.
CASE HWs
These four assignments are meant to foster your understanding of the business cases that we will
read and discuss by asking you to consider specific questions relevant to the case prior to coming to
class. Answer the questions below. Assignments are due at the beginning of class. Use no cover sheet
and indicate word count for each assignment (200 words minimum each).
Case HW #1 Otago Museum
In class, we will build a Balanced Scorecard for the museum. To that end, answer these questions:
1. What is the museum’s strategic objective?
pg. 10
2. From a learning and growth perspective, what does the museum want to achieve?
3. How might the museum measure the public’s satisfaction with its performance?
4. What does the museum want to achieve with respect to:
a. Its permanent collection and special exhibits?
b. Its physical environment?
c. Its retail operations?
5. What funding and revenue opportunities exist for the museum?
Case HW #2 Museum of Fine Arts Boston
1. What is your evaluation of Malcolm Rogers’ leadership of the MFA since his arrival in 1994?
2. Were Special Exhibitions a good way of attracting a larger audience pool to the museum?
How successful were they at the MFA?
3. What should the museum do to address the decline in the core audience over the years?
What can we infer from Exhibits 6, 7, and 8?
4. How should the museum position itself for the 2010 opening of the American Art wing? For
example, should it stay the course, drastically reposition around American History and Art,
incorporate a heavy dose of avant-garde works of art, expand the interactive program in
music and theatre, or some other option?
Case HW #3 Let’s Talk Science
1. What marketing challenge does LTS face?
2. Does the training package (Science with Impact) meet the needs of its target audience? Does
it fit with the company’s overall strategy?
3. What does LTS need to consider when determining the price of Science with Impact? Do
you agree with the proposed price? Justify your position.
4. Will the proposed promotion plan be effective? Why? What else could be done to promote
the product?
5. Should LTS sell SWI in the Unites States and the United Kingdom? Why or why not?
Case HW #4 Financial Department Restructuring at the Field Museum
1. What impact can large-scale organizational change have on everyday management, as
illustrated in this case?
2. What is the role of leadership in a crisis? How well did Jim Croft carry out this role?
3. What were Croft and his change team attempting through their use of the congruence
model?
4. What are some of the challenges inherent in informal personnel networks?
5. Why do you think the team looked for some quick wins?
pg. 11
GROUP PROJECT PRESENTATION EVALUATION
Group Topic ___________________________________________________________
Evaluated By___________________________________________________________
Provide a score for each area below according to the following scale:
10
9.5
9
8.5
8
7.5
Absolutely, Well Done, Perfect!
Excellent, Just Needs a Little Tweaking
Very Much So, But One or Two Non-Critical Issues
More or Less So, But a Couple Key Weaknesses
Not Exactly, Multiple Problems
Absolutely Not, Far Below Expectations
Delivery, Visual Aids, and Engagement
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Was the verbal delivery good in terms of pace, volume, intonation and the like?
Was the nonverbal delivery good in terms of confidence, gestures, movement, use of space,
eye contact, and the like?
Were the visual aids helpful, supportive, clear and easily understood?
Did the presenters engage the audience’s attention?
Content, Organization, and Goal Achievement
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Score ______
Score ______
Was the content appropriate and sufficient?
Was the material organized coherently, with clear relationship between ideas, sound segues
between sections, and strong introduction and conclusion?
Did the presentation meet its intended objective?
Total Score (max 20) ______
pg. 12