BA 352: Project Management {Spring 2020}

General Course Material: 

Videos:

1.      Alton Bridge (Intro to PM), VA1

2.      Causes of Project Failure, VA 2

3.      What is the PMBOK?, VA 3: Watch this video – it’s short – and write up a brief description some new things that you didn’t already know about it. (Due Monday 3/2)

Online Class Material

Goals for the five weeks of online class:

1.      Become familiar with the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) 6e

2.      Prepare to take the Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Exam

3.      Learn about careers in project management via speakers (online, I guess, I don’t know at this point?????)

Notes: Initial Comments

·         Video Greeting from Dr. Huggins

·         Explanation of Grading System for the rest of the term.

·         Explanation of Grading System for the rest of the term, part 2.

·         Office Hours

o   I will post official Zoom office hours soon.  I’m thinking about MWF from 10am to noon and from 5pm to 6pm (cocktail hour!). 4pm to 5pm (no one was using the later hour.)

o   My Zoom meeting address has been moved to Canvas to help prevent Zoom bombing.  Look it up.

o   I will answer text [(970) 946-9077] and email [huggins_e@fortlewis.edu] questions ASAP.

o   I should also be able to hold Zoom meetings at most other times of the day if I’m not in the middle of doing something else, and I quite literally have nothing else to do most of the time.  Contact me via text or email and we’ll work out a mutually agreeable time.

 

 

Online Week 1

·         Online Class Activity 1:  Respond to email that I sent on 3/23/20 so that I know that you’re OK out there somewhere!  You will get credit just for responding to a few straightforward questions.  Due: 4/3/20.

·         Online Class Activity 2:  Go online to https://www.pmppracticeexam.org/  and take PMP Practice Exam 1 (50 questions).  This might give you a taste of what the CAPM exam would be like if you choose to take it.  But on this one you can cheat like crazy, use any resource you wish, take all the time you want.  Take a picture of your final score and upload it to Canvas (or email it to me if you must).  You will get credit just for taking it, but the top scores would normally receive prizes but since I won’t see any of you again this term, let’s just say the top scores will impress me?  Due 4/3/20.

§ 

§  email from former student

·         Online Class Activity 3.  Due 4/3/20.

o    Comments on OCA 3

Online Week 2

·         Online Class Activity 4.  Due 4/10/20.

§  Our recent speaker mentioned being a “Product Owner.”  I thought I knew what that meant but it’s a new concept to me in the way he used the term.  So I looked it up and found this if you’re interested, it’s related to Agile/Scrum from the above OCA:  https://www.lucidchart.com/blog/product-owner-roles-and-responsibilities

·         Online Class Activity 5.  Wednesday 4/8/20 from 8:15am to 8:50am.  Speaker:  LeRoi Smith, PMP.  Students who watch presentation live get full credit, OK to wear your pajamas!  Students who watch the recording afterwards will get full credit for a brief written synopsis, submitted to Canvas, due 4/10/20, convincing me you watched it. 

§  Presentation

·         Online Class Activity 6.  Due 4/10/20.  Take PMP Practice Exam 2 from https://www.pmppracticeexam.org/ .  Take all the time you need, but this time, no cheating (no google, no PMBoK, no friends and family(?)).  Paper and pencil and calculator OK.  Don’t worry, I won’t grade you on your score, just see how well you can do straight up against the exam.

1.      Your goal:  Try to beat 25%, what you would average guessing randomly.  Maybe approach 50%???  What to submit?  Write down your score as a percentage. 

2.      The obvious difficulty with the exam is, uhmm, you don’t know all the material – clearly, this would help.  However, write down at least two other obstacles in the way of passing the exam and at least two other strategies (other than just memorizing everything) to help pass the exam.  Are there some types of problems that should be easier to answer correctly and some types that would be impossible no matter how much you studied?

3.      I just read today that you need a 68% to pass, only a D+!  That doesn’t sound so bad, does it?  So, for 150 questions, you need to get 100 or better.  I’ve had 5 or 6 students from previous classes take and pass the CAPM, it can be done!

a)      Assume that you learn enough of the material to guarantee getting half of them correct.  On the other half, assume you know just enough to eliminate one wrong answer out of the four multiple choice possibilities and guess between the other three.  What score does that put you at?

b)      Assume the same for the first half – all correct, but on the other half you can eliminate two of the wrong answers and flip a coin.  What score does that put you at?

 

Online Week 3

·         Online Class Activity 9  Due Friday 4/17/20.  I tried to make this one a little more interesting that OCA 7/8 – not easy to do given the material.  You may use any resource (Google, PMBoK,etc.) to answer these questions, and you get to be creative on the last two!

·         Online Class Activities 7 & 8.  Due Sunday 4/19/20.

·         Sorry, all my other potential speakers are unable to join us since their lives have been turned upside down. 

Online Week 4

·         OCA 10 Due 4/24/20. Read this document on Earned Value Management and then complete OCA 10.

o   Answer Key

·         OCA 11 Due Wednesday 4/22/20. Note non-Friday early deadline! This one consists of three (easy) parts.  1) Read the first page of the OCA 11 document and check your answers for OCA 9 (problems 1 – 13).  2) Read the second page of the OCA 11 document and choose your three favorite mnemonics for the Ten PM Knowledge Areas.  Submit these three via Canvas, just tell me the numbers of the three you like best (like 7, 12 and 24 – just making those up).  3) If you can make it, join class on Zoom on Friday 4/24 at 8:15am.  We will vote on the best Mnemonic for the 10 PM KA’s, we will determine the best PM Meme in a NCAA Tournament style competition, and it will be the last time we (kind of) all see each other together…

·         OCA 12 Due 4/24/20.  Read the Seven Page PMBoK document and then submit answers for OCA 12.

o   Official PMBoK Cheat Sheet

Online Week 5

·         Take Home Exam 3 (30 points) and Data in Excel.  Due 5/1/20.  This is it – almost done with the most disruptive semester ever!  Good luck.

·       PM Memes

 

Exam 1 Material:  CPM/PERT/Crashing/Project Simulation

 

·         Take Home Exam 1

Answer Key

·         In Class Exam 1: On Friday 2/14 – Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

MS Project Material

·         No Class on Monday 3/2.  This will be a “hybrid” day, a couple of assignments will be due including Video Assignment 3 and ICE 6.

·         Take Home Exam 2 (Due on Friday 3/13, submit via Canvas)

o   Simulation from THE 1

o    Key

Videos:

3.      What is the PMBOK?, VA 3: Watch this video – it’s short – and write up a brief description some new things that you didn’t already know about it.

Notes: M 2/10: First look at MS Project, W 2/12: Prep for Exam 1, work on THE1, F 2/14: In Class Exam 1. M 2/17: Return Exams, W 2/19: ICE 5 , F 2/21: Continue ICE 5, M 2/24: Exam 1 Answers, Case 1, W 2/26 and F 2/28: ICE 5, ICE 6, Case 1, M 3/2: No Class, W 3/4: Start THE 2, Week 9:  Complete Case 1 and THE 2

·         ICE 4

·         ICE 5

o   Key?

·         ICE 6

·         Case 1 –  Due on Friday 3/13, submit via Canvas.

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) 6e/Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM) Material

Notes: M 3/23

·         ICE 7 (See notes for M 3/23 above)