Syllabus
MGMT 4135 Project Management – Spring Semester 2013
Business Administration Department
Southern Polytechnic State University
Course Description
This course is a comprehensive study of project management concepts. Students will be introduced to
the fundamental principles and technologies that are paramount to successful management of
projects. This course also will survey the human and scientific elements in this management field of
study.
In this course, students will learn project management through three approaches. First, students will
read the textbook and participate in class discussion. Second, students will work on weekly
assignments that reflect the knowledge learned from the text. Finally, students will form teams to
work on a project that involves a start-up company called “Wed-Away.” This project focuses on
management issues, people skills, proper planning, cost containment, and risk management.
Course Textbook
Project Management, the Managerial Process, 5th edition, Erik W. Larson, Clifford F. Gray
Instructor
Francine Warner, MS, PMP
770-307-7393
Email: fwarner@spsu.edu
Website: http://educate.spsu.edu/fwarner
Course Objectives
 Provide an understanding of the science and art of managing a project
 Determine how projects are selected while supporting the strategic goals of the organization
 Describe organizational structures and how they affect project implementation
 Instruction on the importance of good project planning and the methodologies used
 Examine the potential risks associated with the project
 Learn strategies for keeping the project schedule on track, such as crashing and fast tracking
 Understand the importance of stakeholder management
 Review the required soft skills of a good project manager
 Learn how Earned Value formulas provide succinct status on the current state of the project
 Learn why proper closing of a project is so important to the performing organization
 Examine the political, sociological, and multicultural aspects in today’s organizations
 Learn project management by actually performing portions of a project
Measurable Learning Outcomes
 Explain the role of project manager and project team
 Explain project requirements and how to obtain them
 Define clear scope and project objectives and outcomes
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Identify risk factors and success factors
Prepare a risk management plan
Identify appropriate team organizational structures
Prove that the project management methodologies were learned through your completed team
project plans
Technology Requirements
Participation for this course will require computer technology. You should have Acrobat Reader,
Microsoft Office 2007 or 2010 (MS Word, MS PowerPoint), and MS Project installed on your computer.
Your text book comes with a DVD containing a 60-day trial of MS Project 2010
Course Grading
Grade Weights
Assignment
Class Participation
Chapter Assignments
Mid-Term Exam
Final Project Content
Final Course Exam
Team Presentations
Points Percent
10
10%
15
15%
20
20%
25
25%
25
25%
5
5%
100
100%
Grading Scale
Course Grade
A
B
C
D
F
Points
90 – 100
80 – 89
70 – 79
60 – 69
0 – 59
Class Participation
Participation includes your attending a minimum of 80% or 12 scheduled classes. Your input during
class discussions will also be noted. All students are expected to be fully engaged in this interactive
course. I prefer our class sessions to be a dialog rather than a monologue.
Chapter Assignments
See Course Schedule for assignments to be done at the end of each Chapter. You are to clearly identify
the selected exercise followed by your solution statement as it pertains to the chapter text. All
submissions are to be written in MS Word. Assignments are to be submitted (emailed) by Tuesday
mid-night of each week. Follow the format provided on last page of syllabus. Use correct punctuation
and proper use of grammar.
Mid-Term Exam
The mid-term exam will cover Chapters 1 through 7. These Chapters cover project management
fundamentals, project planning, and project risk management. Chapter-7 marks the mid-point of your
studies and will also equipment you with the necessary elements in order to complete your class team
project plans.
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Final Course Exam
The final exam will cover the entire course study and will be held the last evening of class.
Team Projects and Presentations
The project charter will be distributed to each student during Week-2. All teams will be performing the
same project (it’s a fun one). Because this project is quite complex, you will only be required to fully
build out two legs of your parent WBS and build the rest of your plan based on those WBS elements.
We will discuss this further during week-2.
Team project packages must be submitted no later than mid-night Sunday, April 21. Failure to submit
the entire package by this deadline is an automatic fail grade for each project team member for this
element of the course.
 The base software for project plan will be MS Word. Diagrams and charts should be inserted as
JPG images.
 Project plans must contain an overall narrative that directs the reader to each component of
the plan.
 To make this project experience more realistic, each team will elect a project manager who will
be responsible for the oversight the project team. This is not a dictatorship but is a relationship
building role. The PM will hold group voting sessions to ensure everyone on the team is in
agreement on what the plan will include and which team members will head-up certain project
responsibilities.
 Team project work is to be completed outside of class. The project manager will schedule team
meetings and meeting location that is convenient for the majority of the team. Team members
are asked to be as flexible as possible with your schedules. All team members and the project
manager are to work together cohesively and professionally.
 The Project Manager is to report any team member who is not contributing to the project.
 Participation from each member must be evident.
 Each student must be fully responsible for the final content of the entire project plan – again,
group approval by vote.
 Please feel free to discuss aspects of your project with the instructor after class if your team
desires additional direction.
Team Project Contents
The team project plan must include (at a minimum) the following project elements:
 Project Requirements document (template provided)
 Project Scope statement (template provided)
 WBS and WBS Dictionary
 Responsibility Matrix
 Communications Plan
 Project Schedule (MS Project software)
 Risk management plan
 Stakeholder register
 Stakeholder management plan
 Project Budget
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Team Project Grading
Your team project plan will be graded on comprehension of each content element. The plan will also
be judged on style, correct use of grammar, and intuitive navigation through the plan.
Team Project Presentations
During weeks 14 and 15, each project team will present their projects to the class. Your presentations
will be done in MS PowerPoint. Teams may also distribute hard copies of some project elements that
may not lend itself well to PowerPoint.
Presentation Boundaries
1. Do not read verbatim from your PowerPoint slides.
2. Presentations will be timed. They must not exceed 20 minutes. Teams should practice ahead
of time to ensure you will not lose points for exceeding the time limit. Practicing ahead of time
will also ensure that technical glitches have been worked out, which will chip away from your
allotted 15 minute slot.
Presentation Execution
1. (5 minutes) Each presentation should begin with the name of the project manager and names
of each project team member. All project team members should have been assigned a specific
project role and those members should explain how they performed their role.
2. (15 minutes) Actual presentation. Teams can elect one or more members to address the class
on any portion of the presentation.
Student Responsibilities
All individual work you submit is expected to be your own work. Cut and Paste is not acceptable nor is
it ethical. Read University Policy on plagiarism at http://www.spsu.edu/arts/conduct.htm
Discussing this course material and its concepts with other class members outside of class can be very
helpful and is even encouraged. It is not permissible, however, to work with another class member
when working on your individual homework assignments. Students who cheat will be dropped from
the course and given a failing grade.
Changes to Course Schedule
The instructor reserves the right to make changes to the course schedule as necessary. Any changes
that need to be made will be discussed with the class.
Disabilities
Student with disabilities who believe that they may need accommodations for this class are
encouraged to contact a counselor at 678-915-7226 as soon as possible to ensure that such
accommodations are implemented in a timely fashion.
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Classroom Etiquette
Cell Phones: Cell phone use is not permitted during class. If you are expecting an emergency
call, please inform me before class begins. Silence all phones before class begins.
Laptops/Tablets: Students may use laptops or tablets for taking notes during class. This is a
privilege. No student should be surfing the Internet during class lecture and discussion. Please
do not make this an issue.
Attendance: You must attend at least 80% of all class hours in order to pass this course. All
students are expected to be in class and settled by 5:55 PM. Class will start promptly at 6:00PM
and is scheduled to end at 8:45PM. Any student who is not present by 6:00PM will be marked
as late. Three ”lates” equals one absence. Any student not present by 6:20PM will be marked
absent (circumstances negotiable). The good news: most evenings, you will be given a 15-20
minute break.
Ground rules for class discussion: One person at a time should be talking. Please do not have
sidebar conversations while someone else is speaking. Listening intently and waiting your turn
to express your own ideas is acceptable and honorable conduct.
Respect: Please respect the student or team that is presenting material to the class by not
leaving the classroom and by not engaging in conversation while the presentation is in
progress.
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Course Schedule
Week-1
Jan 9, 10
Week-2
Jan 16, 17
Week-3
Jan 23, 24
Week-4
Jan 30, 31
Week-5
Feb 6, 7
Class Agenda
 Getting to know each other
 Expectations
 Syllabus review
 Overview of the course
 Lecture and class discussion on
the highlights of Chapters 1-2-3
and 16
 Team project – Review the project
charter
 Lecture and class discussion on
Chapter-4
o WBS development
o Responsibility Matrix
o Communications Plan
 Lecture and class discussion on
chapter 5
 Introduction on Network
Diagramming (Chapter-6).
 Lecture on Chapter-6 and class
participation on network
diagramming forward and
backward passes.
 In-class exercise of the Greendale
Stadium Case, pg. 198
Week-6
 Introduction and class discussion
Feb 13, 14
on Chapter-7
 Conclude Chapter-7 (if necessary)
Week-7
Feb 20, 21  Mid-term review
Assignments
 Read Chapters 1-2-3
and 16
 Perform 2 exercises
from Chapter-2
 Perform 1 exercise
from Chapter-3
 Form Project Teams
 Review project
expectations
 Read Chapter 4
 Perform exercises #1
and #3
 Team Project
development based
on this week’s topics
 Read Chapters 5
 Answer all 4 review
questions and
perform exercises #1
and #2
 Read Chapter-6
 Perform Exercise #1
and #5
Email NLT Mid-night
Submit 3 exercises by
Tuesday, Jan 15.
 Re-read Chapter-6
 Perform Exercises #8
and #20
 Read Chapter-7
 Perform exercise #3
 Review chapter-7
 Answer Review
Questions
 Perform exercise #3.
Be sure to justify
your response.
Submit AON drawings
and Chapt-7 Exercise #3
by Tuesday, Feb 12
 Re-read Chapters 1
thru 7
Prepare for Mid-Term
exam.
Submit exercises by
Tuesday, Jan 22
Submit review
questions and exercises
by Tuesday, Jan 29
Submit AON drawings
by Tuesday, Feb 5
Submit review
questions and exercise
#3 by Tuesday, Feb 19
Start preparing for
Mid-Term exam.
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Week-8
Feb 27, 28
Mid-Term Exam – FEB 27, FEB 28
35 Questions
Read Chapter-8
SPRING BREAK
March 3 thru March 9
Daylight Savings time begins 2AM Tuesday, Mar 10th. Spring forward!
 Lecture and class discussion on
Chapter-8
Week-9
Mar 13, 14
Week-10
Mar 20, 21
 Survey of Chapter-9
 Lecture and class discussion on
Chapter-10
 Lecture and class discussion on
Chapter-11
 Class team exercise on quality,
communication, risk, and
planning
 Team mini-presentations
Week-11
Mar 27, 28
Week-12
Apr 3, 4
 Lecture and class discussion on
Chapter-12
 In-class demonstration of
gathering requirements and
working with the customer.
 Perform Chapter-8
exercise #12
 Read Chapters 9 and
10
 Chapter-10 Perform
all 6 mini-case
scenarios in Exercise
#6
 Read Chapter-11
 Perform Exercise #1
and #3 based on the
synergies of your
current project team
Submit time-phased
budget and Mini-case
by Tuesday, Mar 5
 Read Case Franklin
Equipment, Ltd. Pg.
413. Answer and
justify your response
to the 4 case
questions that
follow.
 Read Chapter-12
 Answer Chapter-12
review questions pg.
439
 Read Appendix 12.1
and answer review
questions on pg. 451
 Read Chapter-13
 Answer review
questions
Submit case study
answers, Chapter-12
questions, and
Appendix 12.1 answers
by Tuesday, Mar 26.
Mid-term exam scores
distributed
Submit Chapter-11
exercises by
Tuesday, Mar 19
Submit your answers by
Tuesday, Apr 2
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Week-13
Apr 10, 11
Week-14
Apr 17, 18
 Lecture and class discussion on
Chapter-13
 Concentration on Earned Value
formulas
 Lecture and class discussion on
Chapters 14 and 15.
 Begin Team Project presentations
 Conclude Team Project
presentations
 Discuss elements of the Final
Exam
Week-15
Apr 24, 25
Week-16
May 1, 2
Final Course Exam
 Complete Chapter-13
Exercises #1 thru #3
 Read Chapters 14
and 15
 Read and submit
answers to case
AMEX, Hungary pg.
560-562
 Finish team project
plans
Submit Chapter-13
exercises and case
answers by Tuesday,
Apr 9
Team project plans are
to be submitted by midnight SUNDAY, April 21.
 Prepare for Final
Exam
 Exam covers all
chapters except 15 &
17
 Hint: Review “Key
terms” at the end of
each chapter
 Hint: Review Study
Outlines and PDF
Chapter
presentations
50 Questions
Graded Team Projects
returned
See following page for the cover page format to be used on ALL ASSIGNMENTS that are submitted via
email.
MGMT 4135 Project Management – Spring Semester 2013
Business Administration Department
Southern Polytechnic State University
(Student Name)
(WED or THUR)
Description of Submission (e.g. Chapter-17, Exercise #4 and #5)
(Date of Submission)