Syllabus
ISE 515: Engineering Project Management
Spring 2010
Tuesdays; 6:40pm to 9:20pm in OHE 100B
Overview
ISE 515, Engineering Project Management, is an introductory course in Project Management. There are no course
prerequisites. However, the instructor assumes that each student has undergraduate-level competency of mathematics
and probability and is capable of preparing professional papers and briefings in the English language.
In this course we cover a myriad of project management topics, including:
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The Role and Future of Project Management in Industry
Project Selection Criteria
Project Proposals, Plans, Reviews and Final Reports
Characteristics of Effective Project Managers and Project Team Members
Conflict Management
Organization Forms
Planning and Scheduling Techniques and Analysis (including PERT and CPM techniques)
Estimating and Budgeting Practices
Monitoring Practices (Earned Value Methods)
Total Quality Management and its role in Project Management
Strategic Management and Project Portfolio Management
Project Termination
By our second session, students will be grouped into work teams and will be responsible for preparing six project
deliverables: a written project proposal and an accompanying briefing, a written project plan and an accompanying
briefing, a project interim report briefing, and a project final report briefing. Each of these deliverables will be graded
using the following criteria and weight: Clarity (30%), Logic (25%), Persuasion (25%), and Presentation (20%).
Most students won’t find the course material to be intellectually difficult. However, with over twenty-five years of
experience, the instructor has learned that an important secret to project management success is learning how to
think, act, and communicate in the role of a project manager. Many people in industry struggle in the project
manager’s role for failing to heed this lesson. Consequently, this course emphasizes the application of knowledge, and
not simply its collection and regurgitation.
Instructors
Professor:
TA:
Steve Benshoof
Maryam Tabibzadeh
Contacts:
benshoof@usc.edu
m.tabibzadeh@gmail.com
For routine messages or questions, use either email or leave a phone message with the department
office. For emergencies only, call Prof. Benshoof at (949) 285-3555.
Office Hours:
Benshoof:
Tabibzadeh:
4:30pm to 6:00pm Tuesday afternoon in GER 205. (213) 740-5383
1:30pm to 3:30pm Thursday afternoon in GER 309.
Rev B
3/6/2016
Textbook and Readings
Project Management, A Managerial Approach, 7th Edition (earlier editions can be used at your risk)
Authors:
ISBN-13
Copyright:
Meredith and Mantel
978-0-470-22621-6
2009
Class discussions will examine current issues of engineering project management; therefore, students are encouraged
to read sources such as The Wall Street Journal, Fortune magazine, business sections of major newspapers, or internet
news sources such as Yahoo News (one of my favorites).
Attendance and Participation
While formal attendance will not be noted, or graded, every student should understand that their learning success (and
course grade) will be maximized by regularly attending class and participating in discussions. In addition, since group
work is required, missing our sessions will not only affect your class experience but your fellow classmates’ experience
as well. If you do miss a class, it is your sole responsibility to find out what materials were covered, what assignments
were made, and what handouts you missed.
Grading
Your course grade will be a weighted score comprised of the following:
Introductory Paper
Project Deliverables (6)
Peer Evaluation
Midterm Exam
Final Exam
5%
30%
15%
20%
30%
In addition to an introductory and two major papers, there are four oral presentations (briefings) required, for a total of
seven deliverables. Concerning the briefings, it’s preferred that the group speaker be on-site; however, with DEN
technology, it’s quite feasible for the speaker to be off-site. All briefings should be between 10 to 15 minutes in length
and be prepared in PowerPoint. Prior to class, all teams must have their briefings loaded into the DEN Blackboard
system so that they can be promptly downloaded to the classroom computer’s desktop.
The Peer Evaluation is an assessment of your participation and contributions to your team. Each student will prepare
an evaluation, with a letter grade, for every member of his/her team. The instructor will combine all separate
evaluations into one peer evaluation for each student. Indeed, one of the most important lessons you’ll learn from this
course is how your peers feel about your teamwork. Past students have been both pleasantly surprised and
appropriately humbled by this evaluation.
Exam Dates
There are two exams planned for this course, a Midterm and a Final. The Midterm is scheduled for 9 March 2010 and
the Final is scheduled for 11 May 2010. Students will only be allowed to reschedule these exams in case of a family
emergency. Rescheduling the Final Exam may also require a Dean’s approval. Be aware: personal events (e.g.,
weddings, birthdays, reunions, vacations, etc) are not regarded valid academic reasons for rescheduling exams and will
not be seriously considered by either the instructor or the Dean. Work conflicts will be considered on a case-by-case
basis. Distant DEN students will be required to coordinate any rescheduling directly with DEN staff.
Internet Communication
Do not assume that either your professor or TA will hold question/answer dialogues over email exchanges; likely, we
will not. There are too many students in our class to offer each person that opportunity. If you have questions or
concerns, which I hope you do, you’re encouraged to contact us during our scheduled office hours. Alternatively, we
will post topics in the Discussion Board of the DEN Blackboard. If you have a question, post it there for everyone to
read and we’ll respond as promptly as we can and for the benefit of the entire class.
Rev B
3/6/2016
Distribution of Course Materials
Students are not allowed to distribute class slides, hand-outs, exams or any other instructor-provided materials without
the express consent and approval of the instructor. Any student caught violating this policy will be subject to USC
disciplinary procedures.
Academic Integrity
The Viterbi School of Engineering adheres to the University's policies and procedures governing academic integrity as
described in SCampus. Students are expected to be aware of and to observe the academic integrity standards
described in SCampus, and to expect those standards to be enforced in this course. DEN students can find SCampus
through the USC website.
Students with Disabilities
Any student requesting academic accommodations based on a disability is required to register with Disability Services
and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP.
Please be sure the letter is delivered to your instructor (or the course Teaching Assistant) as early in the semester as
possible. DSP is located in STU 301 and is open 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. The phone number for
DSP is (213) 740-0776.
Rev B
3/6/2016
ISE 515 Course Schedule; Spring 2010
Session
Date
Subjects
Readings & Homework
Deliverables Due
1
12 Jan
Introduction;
Project Management Overview
None
None
2
19 Jan
Strategic Management; Project
Selection Models
Chapters 1 and 2
3
26 Jan
Project Manager;
Project Organizations;
Team Introductions
Chapters 3 and 4
Essay: “Why I Feel
Project Management Is
Important”
None
4
2 Feb
Project Planning;
Persuasive Proposals
Chapter 5
None
5
9 Feb
In-Class Proposal Briefings
Chapter 6
Project Proposals
(briefing and paper)
6
16 Feb
Feedback on Proposals;
Scheduling;
Network Techniques
Project Plans
Chapter 8;
2, 4, 9 and 15
7
23 Feb
Cost Estimation;
Budgeting; Learning Curves
Chapter 7
8
2 Mar
In-Class Project Plan Briefings
None
Project Plans (briefing
and paper)
9 Mar
Midterm Exam
None
None
16 Mar
Spring Break
(extra credit opportunity)
None
None
10
23 Mar
Review Midterm Results
Total Quality Management
11
30 Mar
Critical Path Methods;
Project Progress Reviews
Chapter 9
(problems 9-1, 3, 7, 12)
Assigned Problems*
12
6 Apr
Earned Value Measurement
Chapter 10
(problems 10-2, 4, 8)
Assigned Problems*
13
13 Apr
In-Class Progress Reviews
None
Progress Reviews
(briefing only)
14
20 Apr
Project Control;
Risk Management
Chapter 11
None
15
27 Apr
In-Class Final Project Reviews
None
Final Reviews (briefing
only)
16
11 May
Final Exam
None
Peer Evaluations
Problems 8-
Review for Midterm
9
7:00pm to 9:00pm
Final Project Reviews
Review for Final Exam
Assigned Problems*
Rev B
3/6/2016