Module 2: IT Project Management
GCOM 7830 (6 credit hours)
This course is designed to develop more effective project managers through its coverage of concepts, techniques, and technologies relevant to the manager of an IT project. To this end, the module is closely tied to the requisite body of knowledge espoused by the Project Management Institute (PMBOK) and consists of seminars on such topics as planning (including integration and scope management), estimation and scheduling, cost management, risk management, sourcing and vendor management, portfolio management, project recovery, change management, and measuring project value; workshops on communication and negotiation; and tutorials on project management tools such as Microsoft Project and Construx Estimate. In addition, student teams conduct a project retrospective over the course of the module for class presentation.
Topics covered include:
- Project planning
- Managing teams
- Estimation and scheduling
- Requirements management
- Usability engineering
- Project cost management
- Project budgeting
- Measuring project value
- Risk management
- Portfolio management
- Management communication
- Sourcing and vendor management
- Project recovery
- Leading change
Examples of past projects or assignments:
- IT project retrospective:
- Analysis and critique of a completed IT project (or major milestone)
- Objective: apply module concepts/ideas/techniques while critiquing the project management process and outcome, as well as make recommendations for improvement
- Deliverables: report and presentation to module faculty
- Individual assignment: analysis and critique of an organization’s IT project management practices
Guest speakers who have assisted in this course in the past:
- Charles Beard, CIO, SAIC
- Dan Elron, Managing Partner, Accenture
- Elizabeth Hackenson, Senior VP & CIO, Alcatel-Lucent
- Ray Hoving, Principal Consultant, Ray Hoving Associates LLC
- Pinkaj Klokkenga, Federal Reserve IT