DISC 4374
INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROJECT
MANAGEMENT
Fall 2010
TBA
Online Course
Carl Scott, Ph.D.
Office: 260B Melcher Hall
Office Hours: by appointment
E-mail: cscott@uh.edu
Phone: 713-743-4753
Fax:
713-743-4706
Purpose:
This course presents the area of Information Systems Project
Management. Virtually all IS business processes involve IS project Management.
Some business and individuals make extensive use of IS Project Management, others
struggle to understand and use the tools used in IS Project Management. The focus of
the course will be to develop in the student some of the skills of IS Project
Management and to give the student a practical application of those skills.
Grading:
Grades in this course will be based upon the following distribution:
Exams
50%
Quizzes
10%
Peer Evaluation
5%
Individual Presentations
5%
Team Technical Project
1. Wiki
2. Presentations
3. Completed
Project
5%
5%
20%
Total = 30%
1/9
Percentage
Grade
Ranges
A
100 - 93%
A-
92 - 90%
B+
89 - 87%
B
86 - 84%
B-
83 - 80%
C
79 - 70%
Exams: There will be three exams proctored in one of the Bauer RICS Labs. Exams
typically are multiple choice, fill in the blank, true false and short essay. The
questions will come from the lectures. Grades will be posted the following week.
Quizzes: 5 Quizzes will be given online, with the lowest of them dropped. The
questions will come from the lectures. Grades will be posted the following week.
IS Project: Each student team will work with a client from the non profit sector. The
Executive Service Corps of Houston will coordinate the projects with the student and
the
instructor.
Potential
Projects
can
be
found
at
http://wiki.bauer.uh.edu/wiki/index.php/Main_Page. Requests for a particular project
will be considered based on the skills of the student team. However all project will
be assigned by the instructor.
Wiki and weekly Activity Report: A weekly activity report will be posted to the
Wiki, http://wiki.bauer.uh.edu/wiki/index.php/Main_Page by the team lead to the
ESCH project consultant and the instructor. The activity report will be in a Word
format and will summarize any contact between the team and project personnel. The
goal of the report is to keep both the instructor and client up to date on activities of
the team. The Wiki grading rubric is provided at the end of syllabus.
Class Presentations: During the semester individuals from each team will present
various aspects of their project. This briefing will be done in WebCT WIMBA and
2/9
will be related to the topic being discussed in class. The more entertaining the
presentation, the better and demos are encouraged! A different individual will make
the presentation each time. By 1700 the day prior to making the presentation the
team will use email to turn in its presentation. A 10 % reduction in grade will be
assessed for each hour after that before the assignment is turned in. All assignments
should be saved as Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, or Excel. In addition, your project
can be improved by searching the Internet for additional information to support
elements of your analysis. All electronically submitted documents must contain your
name and the names of the members of your team. The name on the email message
itself is not sufficient. In other words, your documents must contain your name and
the names of the members of your team. The presentation is evaluated using the
rubric at the end of the syllabus and provided to the student.
Peer Evaluation: At the end of the course, each student will provide a peer evaluation
on the other members of the team. Each student will be given 100 points to assign to
the other members of the team. A caveat though is, that the there must be a
reasonable deviation in the ratings. Equal or near equal ratings will result in a penalty
for the evaluator. Grades will be posted the following week.
Lectures: Lectures will be available online via iTunes U (http://itunes.uh.edu) at the
beginning of week indicated in the calendar below.
Resources:
The textbook for this course is IT Project Management , 2nd Edition
Jack T. Marchewka
ISBN-10: 0-471-71539-5 New York, NY John Wiley, 2006.
Blackboard Vista
Blackboard Vista is the new version of WebCT Vista.
 How will I get my Blackboard Vista User Name?
You will NOT get a User Name if your instructors do not use Vista for your courses.
 For Blackboard Vista, your User Name is your PeopleSoft ID.
 For WebCT Vista, your User Name is your Cougarnet ID.
 Here’s three ways to get your User Name:
Online at http://www.uh.edu/webct - Click “Check User Name” to get your WebCT
User Name.
In person in Room 116 of the PGH building on the main campus, Monday-Friday, 8
am-8 pm.
By phone at 713-743-1411 - 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
 New users: Your User Name will start to work only AFTER the first day of class.
 If you register late or change sections, allow 1-3 working days AFTER you register
for a class for your User Name to be created and added to the class.
3/9
 Be sure to type your User Name and password exactly as specified.
 What’s my password?
Your initial password is your 6-digit birth date in the format mmddyya! where “a” is the first
initial of your last name in lower case. The exclamation point is part of the password. For
example: April 1, 1983 for Jane Smith would be entered as 040183s! You will be required to
change your password the first time you log on and every 90 days after that.
 Where do I find my WebCT Vista or Blackboard Vista courses?
Once you have your User Name, go to http://www.uh.edu/webct. Click the red “WebCT
Vista” button or the blue “Blackboard Vista” button. Enter your User Name and password
exactly as specified. Use “Check Your Browser” to check your computer configuration.
 How do I get help using WebCT Vista or Blackboard Vista?
Go to http://www.uh.edu/webct and click on “Student Help” to see a variety of options.
Students can also call 713-743-1411 or send email to support@uh.edu.
Academic Honesty:
The University of Houston Academic Honesty Policy is strictly enforced by the C. T. Bauer College of
Business. No violations of this policy will be tolerated in this course. A discussion of the policy is
included
in
the
University
of
Houston
Student
Handbook,
http://www.uh.edu/dos/hdbk/acad/achonpol.html. Students are expected to be familiar with this policy.
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities:
The C. T. Bauer College of Business would like to help students who have disabilities achieve their
highest potential. To this end, in order to receive academic accommodations, students must register
with the Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD) (telephone 713-743-5400), and present
approved accommodation documentation to their instructors in a timely manner.
4/9
Tentative Schedule
Week
Beginning
Aug 23
Aug 30
Sept 6
Sept 13
Sept 20
Sept 27
Oct 4
Oct 11
Oct 18
Oct 25
Nov 1
Nov 8
Nov 15
Nov 22
Nov 29
Dec 2
Topic
Chapter 1: The Nature of Information Technology Projects Project Assignment
Chapter 2: Conceptualizing and Initiating The IT Project
Chapter 3: Developing the Project Charter and Baseline Project Plan
Chapter 6: The Work Breakdown Structure and Project Estimation
Chapter 4: The Human Side of Project Management First Exam Sept 23
Chapter 5: Defining and Managing Project Scope
Chapter 11: Managing Organizational Change, Resistance, and Conflict
Chapter 7: The Project Schedule and Budget
Chapter 8: Managing Project Risk
Final Presentations
Chapter 9: Project Communication, Tracking, and Reporting Second Exam Nov 4
(Chap 7-9, 11)
Chapter XX: Agile
Chapter 10: IT Project Quality Management Chapter 12: Procurement,
Management and Outsourcing
Chapter 13: Project Leadership, Ethics, and Multicultural Projects
Chapter 14: Project Implementation, Closure, and Evaluation
Third Exam (Chap 10, 12- 14 Agile) Peer Evaluation
Tentative Presentation Schedule
August 26
Presentation: Team leaders will present their team roles for each person.
Sept 9
Presentation: For your project, provide a signed Statement of Work (Project Charter) and a Baseline Project Plan (Gantt
chart) for your project
Sept 16
Presentation: Present revised Gantt Chart with detailed Work Breakdown Structure
Sept 30
Presentation: Present revised Gantt Chart and status of project
Oct 4
Presentation: Present the Change Management Plan for your project
Oct 28-30
Final Presentation/: Present the implementation of your project.
5/9
Student Profile
Put your
Picture here
Student Name ____________________________
Student Team____________________________
Your Interests ____________________________
_________________________________
________________________________
This class will not be successful if I don’t learn:
_________________________________
_________________________________
_________________________________
6/9
MIS 4374 – PRESENTATION GRADING RUBRIC
Student Speaker’s Name ______________________ TeamName____________________________
Topic ______________________________________
1. INTRODUCTION (20 pts)
Audience ID’d, related to? Credibility established?
Problem stated / proposed solution previewed?
__________
2.
BODY OF SPEECH
(25 pts)
Clear structure for effective case build? (Any confusion about problem/solution?)
Sufficient support / detail? (Evidence, other than speaker opinion)
Future consequences / benefits described?
Cohesive presentation?
Wiki Presentation up to date
3.
CONCLUSION
(15 pts)
Summary, including restatement of main points?
Call for specific action (acceptance of recommendation)?
__________
__________
4.
DELIVERY
(20pts)
Vocal (rate/volume/pauses/dysfluencies/other)
Language / articulation / pronunciation
Command of material (use of notes)
__________
5.
VISUAL SUPPORT/HANDOUTS
6.
TIME
(10 pts)
TYPE:_______
__________
(10pts)
__________
STUDENT GRADE __________
TEAM GRADE _______
7/9
Wiki Grading Rubric
Amoun
t of
Points
Update
s
0
Greater
than
average
of 4
days
late
Average
of 4
days
late
1
2
3
4
5
Average
of 3
days
late
Average
of 2
days
late
Average
of one
day late
Update
d every
two
weeks
Team Info
Organizations
Info
Mentor
Info
Organized
Format
Progress
Names
Name
Name
Agendas are in
chronological
order
Readab
le Font
Style
Agendas
Positions
Purpose
Contact
Info
Minutes are in
chronological
order
Professi
onal
Color
Team
Members
contact
Information
Mission
Statement
Experie
nce
Section Headers
Readab
le Font
Size
Pictures
Website link
(if applicable)
Picture
Experience
Logo (if
applicable)
of
Meetings
Minutes
of meeting
System
Doc
Normal,
lets some
update
system
Detailed,
lets
someone
update
system
8/9
User
Doc
Experie
nced
user
can use
system
Novice
can use
system
Project
Manage
ment
Chart
(Gantt
Chart)
Scope
of
Work
System
Reques
t
Posted
Poste
d
Posted
9/9