MGNT 440: Project and Event Management
Prerequisite: Junior standing or permission of instructor
Credit Hours: (3)
Provides both technical and behavioral management skills for projects and the experience-based
sub-category of projects called 鈥渆vents.鈥� The content deals with planning, scheduling,
organizing, implementing, and controlling projects using software tools, project management
methods, and team leadership behavior. Significant class emphasis is placed on the
project management process applied to a semester-long event/project plan and implementation.
Note(s): Applied Learning designated course.
Detailed Description of Course
Content: The course focuses on the following topics:
1) How organizations go about evaluating and selecting projects. Special attention
is devoted to the importance of aligning project selection to the mission and strategy
of the firm.
2) The organizational environment in which projects are implemented. The discussion
of matrix management and other organizational forms is augmented by a discussion of
the role the culture of an organization plays in the implementation of projects.
3) Developing a plan for the project including defining the scope of the project and
developing a work breakdown structure (WBS), the challenge of formulating cost and
time estimates, and utilizing the information from the WBS to create a project plan
in the form of a timed and sequenced network of activities.
4) Project Risk: How organizations and managers identify and manage risks associated
with project work.
5) Resource allocation with special attention devoted to how resource limitations
impact the project schedule, time-phased budget development, and strategies for reducing
("crashing") project time either prior to the initiation of the project or in response
to problems or new demands placed on the project.
6) Project implementation and the sociocultural side of project management which focuses
on the role of the project manager as a leader and stresses the importance of managing
project stakeholders within the organization.
7) Project Team Leadership including team dynamics with leadership skills/techniques
for developing a high-performance project team.
8) Managing project stakeholders by discussing how to outsource project work and negotiate
with contractors, customers, and suppliers.
9) Monitoring project progress with special attention devoted to the key concept of
earned value.
10) Project life cycle which covers closing out a project and the important assessment
of performance and lessons learned.
11) Implementation of project management in multicultural, international environments.
12) Organizational oversight and how it impacts the management of projects.
13) The emergence of agile project management, a more flexible team approach to managing
complex projects where requirements cannot be clearly defined before the project beings.
14) Coverage of career issues in the field of project management.
Detailed Description of Conduct of the Course
1) Assigned readings
2) Classroom application exercises based on content of readings
3) Project management software assignments applying these tools to a multi-part case
based on an actual company.
4) Team-based event project which requires the application of concepts, tools, and
frameworks from the readings, application of the project management software tools;
team leadership and coordination including task assignments, activity responsiblities
milestone planning, team member feedback activities; budgeting; event rehearsal; legal
due diligence; execution of the event; partnering with community client benefitting
from the event; and generation of a paper documenting all event-related actions and
planning.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
1) Apply the concepts, techniques, and decision tools available to project managers.
2) Develop work breakdwon structures and networks for planning, scheduling, and controlling
projects.
3) Manage and negotiate potential personnel and technical conflicts and problems that
can occur on projects.
4) Develop appropriate team leadership skills for successfully managing a project.
5) Develop a framework for a complete computer-based system for managing a project.
Assessment Measures
Embedded course measures - Exams, project management software exercises, presentations, paper.
Other Course Information
None
Review and Approval
April 21, 2017
March 01, 2021