TCM490
Senior Project
Syllabus
Summer 2004
Prof. Crum
Room 200
E-mail: profkc@profkc.com
kcrum@kc.devry.edu
Web: www.profkc.com
Course Description
Through an applications-oriented team project, students demonstrate their skills in problem-solving, projectmanagement, and oral, written and visual presentation. To complete the project, students integrate aspects of
network analysis, design, planning, implementation, and evaluation. Prerequisites: MGMT-404, and TCM415 or TCM-440 (5 contact hours/4 credit hours
Textbook and Materials
Due to the variety of projects and assignments, there are no required textbooks. However, students should
utilize all appropriate resources for completion of project and insure that any and all information is reliable
and accurate. Each team is responsible for keeping copies of all documentation, reports, and other
information pertinent to the project and storing these on disk for presentation to the Senior Project
coordinator at the completion of the course.
Class/Lab Rules and Procedures
Attendance is mandatory per DeVry standards. However, due to the nature of this class, class attendance will
be required for the first three weeks. Beginning week 7, class attendance will be dictated by the events of
your project and by the discretion of the Senior Project coordinator. All students should check daily the
Senior Project class web site for those days of required attendance. In addition, final presentations will
require your attendance. There is no tardy policy for this class; you are either on time or not.
No food/drink, opened or unopened, will be allowed in the
classroom. All cellular phones and pages must be on nonaudible signal.
Any need for access to DeVry’s labs and/or materials for research
should be coordinated with the Senior Project Coordinator and/or
your Project Mentor.
Finally, students are required to follow the appropriate conduct
for academic honesty as outlined in the student handbook.
Office Hours
Monday: 8-9 PM
Tuesday: 8-9 PM
Friday: 5-6 PM
**other times by appointment
Class Grading
The grades for the senior project are determined using both objective and subjective components.
The Client, Project Coordinator and Faculty Mentor provide subjective grading. Each team member will evaluate
all other members of their team. Each of these sets of scores is averaged together and represented as a
percentage score. This score is factored together with the objective items, as described later, to arrive at the
final course grade.
Group Components:
Project Startup and Concept Phase**
Client Request Received
Complete Startup Activities
WBS (draft)
Project Description (draft)
Project Development Phase **
Project Description (final)
WBS in MPP File (final)
Business/Technology Analysis (draft)
Project Implementation Phase **
Business/Technology Analysis (FINAL)
Project Close-Out Phase **
Formal Presentation
Project Notebook and CD
Client Notebook
Client Acceptance Form
Project Team Status Reports**
60%
20%
15 pts
20 pts
25 pts
25 pts
20%
50 pts
20 pts
20 pts
10%
25 pts
35%
40 pts
30 pts
15 pts
15 pts
15%
Individual Components:
Resume
Required class attendance
Formal Presentation participation
Completed evaluations/assessment forms
Lessons Learned Document
Status Reports (on-time, complete)
40%
10 pts
10 pts
30 pts
10 pts
10 pts
30 pts
** 5 points deducted per week late (see deadlines for each phase). Additional points deducted for incomplete
assignment.
Final Grade Calculation


The final grade will be determined by taking the average rating of your Project Coordinator, Project
Mentor, Client and peer evaluations, and your percentage of approved completion of the objective
items. For example if your average rating from the evaluations is 70% and your percentage of
approved completion of the objective (or project) items is 90%, your final grade would be 80%.
All students must contribute a minimum of 20 hours to their project to receive a final grade. This is
all time directly related to the project, such as travel to client site, client and group meetings,
presentations, work and research; it does not include class time.
Final Notes





Students will be expected to stay informed on class activities. You should check the Senior Project
class web site on a daily basis.
In your team's capacity as a Senior Project, you are representing DeVry to the companies or
businesses for which you will be providing your services. Therefore, it is paramount that you choose
and scrutinize your project selection carefully. It is VERY important that you conduct yourselves in
a professional, business-like and ethical manner in all dealings with the client.
Your team is acting as a consulting entity under the coordination of DeVry. However, unlike
professional consulting firms, we do not guarantee your project, only a best effort, nor do we carry
professional insurance for your actions or recommendations.
Students are not allowed to accept remuneration for their work. The Senior Project coordinator
must approve any offers of reimbursement by the client to any member of the project team.
This course and your project operate under strict deadlines. No excuse will be accepted for late work.
Course Checklist of Basic Activities
Start Up Phase:
The order of deliverables, material, and activities for both project and course items is listed below under the course/project phase in
which they occur. This phase should be completed by the end of week 3. Teams without a project after week 4 will be asked to
join another team or drop the course. Each team is responsible to verify their progress with the mentor and coordinator at the start
of each phase.
Start Up Phase, Part 1 (deadline – end of week 1)
 Class Attendance
 Review Syllabus and Orientation Package
 Drop Dead Deadline for team formation: Each student must be associated with a team. Failure to make this deadline will
be documented.
Start Up Phase, Part 2 (deadline – end of week 3)
 Set up an FTP/HTTP accessible project site.
 Write individual resumes and post to project site.
 Mentor Commitment Form: secure a Mentor (This must be a full-time DeVry Professor willing to provide basic to specific
project advice for the team.)
 Memo e-mailed to Project Coordinator announcing team formation. Subject: Team formation. Provide Team members and
PM, list phone numbers, email, project storage site and access information and team mentor information.
 Hold your first meeting and initialize a plan.
 Establish e-mail list to include team member, mentor and project coordinator.
 Determine best times for further team meetings based on team member schedules and mentor schedule.
 Obtain a notebook for record keeping and project documentation. Project leader must always have this for project leader
meetings!!
 Find one or more clients that are possible project candidates (if not already done)
 Obtain a Client Request and Client Commitment form.
 Status Reports – Starting week 2
 Each team member will submit an individual status report to his or her project leader NLT Sunday for the
preceding week’s work.
 Each project leader will submit a group status report to the Senior Project Coordinator NLT Tuesday for the
preceding week’s work.
 Project leader will turn in the individual status reports to Senior Project Coordinator during weekly project leaders
meeting
 Submit to Senior Project Coordinator the Start-up Phase packet for approval:
 Routing form for Start-up Phase
 Client Request
 Client Commitment
 Mentor Commitment
 Team Information Memo
 Resumes
Concept Phase:
 Deadline: This phase must be completed prior to the end of 1 week after a Client Request is approved and no later than
the end of Week 5. This is a "DROP DEAD" milestone for the course. If you have not made this deadline, you may be
requested to drop the course or may be assigned to another team. Failure to make this deadline will be documented.







Class Attendance
Obtain approval on Client Request packet.
Draft of Project Description.
Project WBS taken to 3 levels in MS Project format to include dependencies, resource assignments, durations.
Obtain and complete a Student License for each team member to be turned in with Concept Phase Package to Coordinator
Backup all documentation to FTP site.
Concept Approval routing packet:




Cover Sheet,
Original/copy of Client Request,
Draft Project Description,
Project WBS (Gantt Chart view showing all tasks, durations, start/finish dates, predecessors, resource
assignments)
 Student licenses.
Development Phase:
 Drop Dead Deadline. This phase should be completed 2 weeks after Concept Phase completion. The "DROP DEAD"
milestone for this phase is week 7. If you have not made this deadline, you may be requested to drop the course or maybe
assigned to another team. Failure to make this deadline will be documented.
 Class Attendance: if required.
 Final version of Project Description / Proposal
 Final MS Project file to include WBS, dependencies, resources and durations.
 Preparation of Client Evaluation and Assessment forms (to be provided by Senior Project Coordinator)
 Draft of Business/Technology Analysis (Top-down model)
 Status reports (as outlined in the Start-up Phase)
 Documentation storage
 Development Phase Routing Packet:
 Routing Form for Development Phase Cover Sheet
 Final Project Description / Proposal
 Final MS Project File (Gantt chart showing dependencies, time durations, assignments)
 Draft of Business/Technology Analysis.
 Client Package (after Development Phase packet approved):




Project Description – to be signed by client
Client Evaluation and Assessment forms (provided by Senior Project Coordinator)
Project Team information and resumes
Arrange meeting with client, project leader, and Senior Project Coordinator for review of assessment, evaluation and
questions (This can be done at any time during the project but prior to close-out phase).
Implementation Phase
 Deadline: This phase must be completed by the end of week-13 of the term. If you have not made this deadline, you may
be in danger of not completing your project and not passing the class! Failure to make this deadline will be documented.
 Class Attendance if required
 Completion of WBS activities and tasks.
 Final version of the Business/Technology Analysis
 Weekly Status Reports for each week. (See Start-up phase).
 Update FTP/HTTP accessible site for project documentation and storage
 Scheduling of Formal Presentation time and place with Senior Project Coordinator
 Implementation Phase Packet:
 Routing Cover Sheet for Implementation Phase
 Final Business Technology Analysis
Close Out Phase
Deadline: This phase must be completed prior to the end of week-14 of the term.










Complete project tasks and activities dictated by project description and MPP file.
Notify Senior Project Coordinator of completion of project
Complete and print Client Acceptance Form
Deliver Client Acceptance Form to Client prior to presentation for signature
Prepare and rehearse Final Presentation
Prepare Lessons Learned documents
Prepare Project Completion Notebook
Complete team evaluations and program assessment
Verify formal presentation time and room
All project teams will give their formal presentation before the end of week 14! Schedule times MUST be approved by
the coordinator prior to issuing invitations.
 Invite appropriate people to presentation

Client/Mentor/Coordinator

Dean: sjohnson@kc.devry.edu

Career Service

Other interested parties
 Deliver Project Team Formal Presentation
 Delivery of Project Notebook to Project Coordinator to include the following:

Client Documents: Request, Commitment, Project Description, Client Acceptance (all signed)

MS Project File, Complete Gantt Chart View

Pertinent Project Documentation, such as reports, manuals, etc,

Copy of Formal Presentation

Copy of Business Technology Analysis

Group Status Reports

Team Resumes

Individual Lessons Learned Documents

All of the above items on electronic format plus individual status reports and complete MS Project File
 Project Notebook and CD-ROM Deadline: with 24 hours of the Formal Presentation.
 At the end of the formal presentation, the following forms will be given directly to Senior Project Coordinator:
 Client evaluation and assessment forms (collected by Senior Project Coordinator)
 Team/peer evaluations
 Student program assessment
 Mentor assessment (will be collected by the Senior Project Coordinator)