Course Syllabus

Project Management
Critical Steps to Launching and Leading Successful Change Initiatives

PDF of Syllabus

Harvard University Extension School Winter Session
Dates: January 4-January 21, 2016*
Time: 2:00-5:00pm
Location: 1 Story Street 306 (tentative)

*Students must plan travel so they are in Boston/Cambridge on Friday, January 22, 2016, which is the designated make-up date in case of snow cancellation between January 4 and January 21.

Faculty:

David A. Shore, PhD
Faculty, Harvard Extension School
Adjunct Professor of Organizational Development and Change
Business School, University of Monterrey, Mexico
dshore@fas.harvard.edu

Deb Cote, PMP
Corporate Manager, Information Systems
Director, Project Management Office
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Partners Healthcare
Deb_Cote@dfci.harvard.edu

Office hours: 1:30-2:00pm on days when the class meets with the faculty member who is teaching on that day.
Faculty are also available via email throughout the course.

Snow Cancellations: 617-495-4024, 617-496-NEWS, Harvard Extension Website http://extension.dce.harvard.edu

Harvard Extension School Calendar: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/january-session-january-4-23

Please note: This syllabus is subject to change.
Most recent update: 10.28.15

Syllabus Outline

1. Course Description
2. Course Purpose
3. Teaching Methodology
4. Course Material
5. Assignments
6. Evaluation and Grading
7. Detailed Class Schedule

This course guides students through fundamental project management concepts and behavioral skills needed to success-fully launch, lead, and realize benefits from projects in profit and nonprofit organizations. Successful project managers skillfully manage their resources, schedules, risks, and scope to produce a desired outcome. In this course, students explore project management with a practical, hands-on approach through case studies and class exercises. A key and often overlooked challenge for project managers is the ability to manage without influence—to gain the support of stakeholders and access to resources not directly under their control. Special attention is given to critical success factors required to overcome resistance to change. We will review causes of project failure and how to mitigate risks through proper planning in the early phases of a new initiative. The course may be taken for credit at the Harvard Extension School, but does not offer credits towards outside certification.

2. Course Purpose
This course focuses on project management methodology that will allow you to initiate and manage projects efficiently and effectively. You will learn key project management skills and strategies, and you will have the opportunity to apply this knowledge through assignments.

Upon completion of the course, participants should be able to:

• Understand project management design, development, and deployment
• Use project management tools, techniques, and skills
• Employ strategies to address the ubiquitous issue of resistance to change
• Align critical resources for effective project implementation
• Understand the implications, challenges, and opportunities of organizational dynamics in project management
• Identify and use key performance metrics for project success
• Understand how to manage project cost, quality, and delivery
• Engage and lead effective project management teams in your organization
• Impart project management knowledge, tools, and processes to your colleagues
• Recognize and mitigate the early seeds of failure in the project life cycle

The concepts in this course will be taught using a combination of lecture, discussion, and dialogue around cases, with emphasis on active learning. A case is a comprehensive exposition of a real managerial situation describing a set of problems and requiring a plan of action. The case method provides a pragmatic framework for the learning process. Its success depends heavily on student preparation and active participation in class discussions.

The Case Method of Learning
The case method of learning requires that each person prepare for the case on his or her own. While there are no right or wrong answers, there are good and bad analyses as well as hasty and impractical recommendations. This course highlights the process of arriving at your own conclusions and recommendations, rewarding those that marshal evidence in the case analysis and apply careful thinking to shared problems.

Case preparation has two major parts: diagnosis and solution. They should be tightly connected. In the diagnosis, it is critical to distinguish between the symptoms (case facts) of a problem and the actual problem (causes). The solution should be sound and capable of implementation.

The real discussion of a case takes place in class. Meaningful discussions depend upon five prerequisite conditions: 1) presence, 2) punctuality, 3) preparation, 4) participation, and 5) pertinence. Each student must be thoroughly familiar with the details of the case and be ready to share his/her views with the class. The case method demands that students challenge each other’s ideas and collectively build upon the collective deliberations. The instructor, in this format, only facilitates the discussion. The instructor does not judge who or what is right or wrong given the case at hand.

The overriding aim of any case study is to explore the entire range of key issues and fully articulate the potential pros and cons of the possible measures.

In-Class Contributions
You are expected to be present for all classes, arrive on time, and submit all assignments on time. If you absolutely cannot attend class, please let the instructor know in writing in advance.

Your in-class contributions are important because you will be learning from one another. The case instructor’s role is not to impart wisdom, but to facilitate your learning from each other. Our discussion should not always arrive at some consensus. To the contrary, comments that identify the pros and cons of alternative decisions and generate a healthy debate are strongly encouraged.

While we anticipate vigorous in-class discussion, we expect arguments to remain professional. In this spirit, we ask that class members speak only when called upon. Whoever is talking should receive the full attention of the class; listen to what he or she has to say and build upon previous speakers’ comments. Try to wait to raise your hand until someone has finished talking. Finally, address your comments to the entire class, not just to the instructor.

Please come fully prepared and ready to participate for every class. You may be called upon to open a case by presenting your analysis and recommendations at the start of class or to be asked for a comment in the midst of the discussion.

How to Benefit Most From Our Class                           

1. Come to classes regularly and on time, despite the New England weather.
2. Find learning and positive experiences with your classmates and the instructor.
3. Proclaim yourself a willing learner, with the desire to learn and to share.
4. Read your assignments, and read them on time.
5. If asked by the instructor to give your opinion on a topic, give your best answer.
6. Willingly and unselfishly share your ideas, experiences, and opinions to the class.
7. Go above and beyond the call of duty in participation.
8. Appreciate the opinions and values of your classmates.
9. Turn in your assignments completed well and on time.
10. Respect the basic tenets of confidentiality in this class, where people are encouraged to share their knowledge, experiences, beliefs, and fears; and expect that their confidentiality will be respected.

Harvard Extension School Grading Policies
Grades reflect the quality and quantity of a student’s work submitted throughout the term according to the grading standards listed below. Undergraduate- and graduate-credit students may earn the following grades:

• A and A− grades represent work whose superior quality indicates a full mastery of the subject and, in the case of A, work of extraordinary distinction. There is no grade of A+.
• B+, B, and B− grades represent work of good to very good quality throughout the term; however, it does not merit special distinction.
• C+, C, and C− grades designate an average command of the course material.
• D+, D, and D- grades indicate work that shows a deficiency in knowledge of the material.
• E is a failing grade representing work that deserves no credit. E may also be assigned to students who do not submit required work in courses from which they have not officially withdrawn by the withdrawal deadline.

This description is from the Harvard Extension School: http://www.extension.harvard.edu/exams-grades-policies/grades

Harvard Extension School policy is that grades below a B- do not count toward the Certificate Program.

Academic Honesty
You are responsible for understanding Harvard Extension School policies on academic integrity (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/student-conduct/academic-integrity) and how to use sources responsibly. Not knowing the rules, misunderstanding the rules, running out of time, submitting the wrong draft, or being overwhelmed with multiple demands are not acceptable excuses. There are no excuses for failure to uphold academic integrity. To support your learning about academic citation rules, please visit the Harvard Extension School Tips to Avoid Plagiarism (www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/tips-avoid-plagiarism), where you'll find links to the Harvard Guide to Using Sources and two free online 15-minute tutorials to test your knowledge of academic citation policy. The tutorials are anonymous open-learning tools. All students are encouraged to review Writing with Sources, prepared by Harvard’s Expository Writing Program, available at the COOP and online at http://usingsources.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do

Accessibility
The Extension School is committed to providing an accessible academic community. The Accessibility Office offers a variety of accommodations and services to students with documented disabilities. Please visit www.extension.harvard.edu/resources-policies/resources/disability-services-accessibility for more information.

4. Course Materials
The course materials include one required book and a course pack.

Required Book
Shore, David A., Launching and Leading Change Initiatives in Health Care Organizations: Managing Successful Projects. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2014. ISBN 978-1-118-09914-8

Course Pack
The course pack must be purchased through Harvard Business Publishing. The syllabus also lists a few additional materials that may be accessed online for free. Additional related materials will be made available as handouts. The course pack includes most published materials you will need to purchase, such as cases and articles.

To access the course pack:

1. Register for the course through the Harvard Extension School.
2. Go to https://cb.hbsp.harvard.edu/cbmp/access/42896665 
3. Complete the short registration.
4. Use a credit card to purchase the course pack.
5. After you purchase the downloaded course pack, you may print the materials.

The length of the course makes advance preparation critical to maximize your investment. We expect all students to arrive in class ready to discuss the readings due that day and to deliver assignments on time, with proper citation using APA citation style: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

Students will be assessed through individual assignments and group assignments as indicated below. Further details on the assignments will be discussed in class.

6. Evaluation and Grading
Evaluation of your performance will be based on the following:

Assignment               Percentage             Due Date                    
Assignment #1                  5%                     Thursday, January 7
Assignment #2                40%                     Monday, January 11
Assignment #3                15%                     Thursday, January 14
Assignment #4                40%                     Tuesday, January 19

Three assignments are completed in groups. Groups must ensure that each team member plays an active role. Groups will assign a team leader who will ensure the assignment is turned in by the deadline. Each assignment must be posted to the course dropbox before or at the time it is due. Peer review will play a part in assignment evaluation.

Assignment #1 is a team contract. Teams will be assigned based on a course questionnaire. Teams will meet to write a one-page contract/terms of engagement paper that all members can agree to abide by for assignment #4. This assignment is due on January 7, 2016 so teams can lay this groundwork prior to beginning the final assignment.

Assignment #2 is an individual written and oral assignment. Each student will identify a challenge encountered in projects that they would like to explore. The student will identify the typical circumstances in which the issue arises, make recommendations on how to address this problem, and how to prevent this problem in the first place. Students will write a 2-page, double-spaced paper on this problem and solution. This individual assignment is due on Monday, 1/11. Students will then give a 5-minute oral summary of this problem and their suggested solution in class. Sources should be cited using APA format: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/02/ 

Assignment #3 is a small group-written paper and presentation. During our first class on 1/4 small group assignments will be outlined and due on 1/14. The assignment includes a 3-5 page written paper and a 10-minute presentation. The later will be graded in part through peer feedback.

Assignment #4 is a 20-minute group presentation on 1/20 based on a case study. This presentation should be completed using PowerPoint. The presentation should be brought on a thumb drive (memory stick) to class on 1/19. Memory sticks will be returned. Please include any notes along with slides.

Class attendance (expected) and participation in discussions are important parts of your learning. The quality of your contributions is more important than quantity. Be prepared to present your analysis and action in a concise, logical fashion. You should be able to refer to specific outside materials and/or case material to support your points.

7. Detailed Class Schedule