MANGT 575: Management of Projects

MANGT 575 The Management of Projects (3 credits): A problem-based capstone course that integrates the themes necessary to appreciate the overall challenge of project management. Prerequisite: MANGT 510 prerequisite: completion of at least 15 credits from MANGT 515, 520, 525, 531, 535, or 540.

Overview

This course will introduce you to the major new theoretical and practical developments in the field of project management. During your study, it is expected that you will draw on your own work experiences to further enhance your understanding of the subject matter. Because this course functions as a “capstone” component of your degree, the material will also reflect the synthesis of multiple project challenges and demands, as well as their integration into more complex concepts. For the main course deliverable this semester (the annotated bibliography), you will need to engage in intensive communication with your course instructor before settling in on your topic of choice, but this course requires that we begin shifting our learning focus from one of “book learning” to one of active, problem-based learning.

So how are we going to do this?

 MANGT 575 materials include textbook and online content lessons available through this Web site. You may study this material at your own pace, meaning that you will be able to read and work through this information at a rate that works best for your learning style, but it will still be linked to a syllabus with dates for the different sections. A course schedule is posted later in this document to help keep you organized over the course of the semester. This Web site was designed to help facilitate your understanding of the content. It contains a link to discussion forums that you can use to ask questions or discuss content issues with your professor and fellow delegates, e-mail access, a chat room, and other materials to aid you in your study.

What will be expected of you, the student?

As a student in this course, you are expected to read the material in the course content and textbook, and complete any self-assessments and your midterm assignment. You may work through this course at your own pace, but at each stage, you should:

• conscientiously read and reflect on the material,
• ask questions (via the Web, e-mail, phone, or in person) of your instructor and fellow delegates on issues you don’t understand,
• complete your coursework assignment, and
• prepare for your final paper submission.

Interaction with the Instructor

In order to facilitate timely responses to any questions students may direct at the instructor, the following policies will be employed in this course:

1. I will log on to the Canvas site three times a week to answer direct questions or comments. If you post a question Friday afternoon, it should be answered by midday Monday.
2. In cases where students require immediate response, please e-mail me directly at my Penn State email address: jkp4@psu.edu. I will usually get back in touch with you within the day.
3. I will also routinely monitor class discussion forums and occasionally contribute comments or ask questions as part of the students’ message strings. 

Course Objectives

This course will introduce you to the major topics in the current state of project management theory and practice. By the end of this course, you should be able to:

• understand the key new developments in project management research,
• make appropriate linkages between these theoretical developments and the practice of effective project management,
• begin developing an expertise on a specific topic of project management relevant to your work experiences and interests, and become familiar with and comfortable in the steps of library-based literature review and analysis.

Activities and Assignments

The instructor will provide direction and steps for identifying and researching your topics as the semester progresses.  We will use three milestones over the term to accomplish this final annotated bibliography deliverable: a) deciding on your research topic, b) developing a problem narrative, and c) completing the annotated bibliography.

The Research Topic: Early in the semester, you will be required to submit a list of three ideas for project management topics or themes that have resonated with you over the course of your program of study.  They could be personal (e.g., dealing with generational differences on the project work site, gender bias in hiring project managers, project management in the age of COVID restrictions, etc.) or professional (e.g., developing an earned schedule metric for tracking project progress, developing a knowledge management process, Project Management Offices (PMOs), project leadership skills, identifying and training project managers to avoid the “accidental project manager” syndrome, etc.).  My only requirement is that you select something that you find interesting.  You will be dealing with this topic all semester and having a topic that appeals to you is vital for maintaining enthusiasm and interest.

The Problem Narrative: About mid-point in the course, you will submit a Problem Narrative that provides me with context; that is, it helps me understand your organization and the issues that have led you to pursue the research topic you selected.  A good Problem Narrative consists of the following elements:

• Your organization: Who are you?  What kinds of projects do you undertake?  What is your specific role?
• Your PM challenges: What are the difficulties you are experiencing in running projects?  These may be personal challenges or organization-wide issues.  Think of these as a set of symptoms.  You go to a doctor with symptoms to discover the diagnosis.  Do the same thing here.  List the challenges as a series of symptoms of the deeper problem you want to study this semester.
• A simple “therefore” statement.  “Therefore, because of who we are, what we do, and the set of problems I have identified, my research focus this semester will be on the topic of…”

The problem narrative should be around 4-5 total pages, double-spaced.

Annotated Bibliography: The primary assignment this semester will be an annotated bibliography.  This annotated bibliography consists of two primary features: 

1. A set of scholarly references (no URL sites without permission from instructor) from journals, books, or other “legitimate” sources on your topic of choice; i.e., no “popular press” sources.
2. A review and critical analysis of the references.  This review will consist of three elements:
   1. The article’s full citation; for example, “Pinto, J.K., P. Patanakul, and M.B. Pinto (2017), “’The Aura of Capability’: Gender bias in selection for a project manager job,” International Journal of Project Management, 35, 420-431.”
   2. A one-paragraph summary of the article, citing its main questions or arguments, significant findings, and their implications. DO NOT SIMPLY PASTE IN THE ABSTRACT!
   3. A (minimum) one-paragraph critical analysis and review of the article or book.  It is expected that this critique will address strengths and weaknesses of the article or book, as well as practical implications.  Don’t be afraid to use one article to support or criticize another; in other words, for your critique, I expect more than, “Well, it doesn’t work like this in my organization” arguments.

The goal of the annotated bibliography is to support your efforts to develop both a practical and theoretical expertise in the field of project management.  With this goal in mind, gaining the skills to stay abreast of recent developments is critical.

Grading

Grading for this course is based on one (1) deliverable plus your participation on the Discussion Board.  The annotated bibliography is the major piece of work you will undertake this semester.  Although it will be explained more fully in an introductory video session, the purpose is for each of you to become an expert on the project management topic you have selected.  The annotated bibliography will consist of a minimum of 15 academic references (Note: a minimum submission will lead to a minimum passing grade, or B).  The first draft is due midway through the course and the final draft is due at the end of the term.  It is worth 85% of your final grade. 

Overall grade breakdown is as follows:

• Discussion Board participation (15%)
• Annotated bibliography paper (85%)

Course Requirements and Grading

Please refer to the University Grading Policy for Graduate Courses for additional information about University grading policies.

Deferred Grades

If, for reasons beyond the student’s control, a student is prevented from completing a course within the prescribed time, the grade in that course may be deferred with the concurrence of the instructor. The symbol DF appears on the student’s transcript until the course has been completed. Non-emergency permission for filing a deferred grade must be requested by the student before the beginning of the final examination period. In an emergency situation, an instructor can approve a deferred grade after the final exam period has started. Under emergency conditions during which the instructor is unavailable, authorization is required from one of the following: the dean of the college in which the candidate is enrolled; the executive director of the Division of Undergraduate Studies if the student is enrolled in that division or is a provisional student; or the campus chancellor of the student’s associated Penn State campus.

For additional information please refer to the Deferring a Grade page.