Examines the role of leadership and leader communications within the organizational and project environments. Foundational concepts related to projects, project management, and the role of the project manager are presented. Oral and written communications will be studied to show how effective communications are integral to the success of the function of an organization and its projects. Topics include an introduction to project management, leadership and communications theories and practice, evaluating project leadership and leader communications, team and ethical leadership and collaboration within teams, and effective project communications skills.
Examines the industry standards as fundamentals for practicing project management. Students explore the project environment, the functions associated with projects, systems of delivering value to the organization, and the principles of project management. These standards are applied to the project environment and project management practices are evaluated against these standards. Topics include the concepts and application of project teams, stakeholders, systems thinking, complexity, risk, and organizational change.
Investigates industry standards as fundamentals for practicing project management. Students explore the Project Performance Domains, Project Tailoring, and Project Models, Methods, and Artifacts. The industry standard project management framework is discussed, evaluated, and applied to common project management tools and practices.
Examines the use of agile project methodologies focusing on foundational principles, processes, techniques, and tools. Students study common implementations of agile methodologies and compare and contrast them with the traditional waterfall methodology. The methodologies are explored in the context of the industry project management framework and evaluated for adoption at the project and organizational levels.
An examination of the methods used to make informed and ethical strategic decisions. The course provides a review of qualitative and quantitative methods applied to the decision making process. Topics include goal setting, systems thinking, cost-benefit analysis, contingency planning, decision trees, risk assessment, and decision evaluation.
Practical application of the methods and techniques used to conduct business analysis in order to achieve the desired business outcomes. Students explore and apply the best practices for conducing needs assessment, requirements analysis, modeling, verification, and outcome evaluation. The business analysis practices are aligned with the professional standards in the context of project and program management.
In-depth study on the scalability and tailoring of project management principles and performance domains for large, high risk, and complex projects. Students adapt project management methods and techniques to address the rigors required to successfully guide advanced projects. Topics include planning, scheduling, evaluation, problem-solving, leading, and communication in the context of large, complex, and high-risk projects.
Evaluation of the project, program, portfolio hierarchy and its application in driving change and delivering value to the organization. Students explore techniques of coordinating work across projects, associating project deliverables with tangible benefits, ensuring project benefits, and evaluating project portfolios against business value and strategic alignment. Industry standards and best practices for managing programs and project portfolios are examined and evaluated.
Exploration on the values of dignity and respect in stakeholder relationships and how these values lead to better engagement and trust while increasing project performance and human flourishing. Students apply these values in the global project context fostering relationships across cultures with human-centered project leadership for the purpose of benefiting all stakeholders.
Special Topics.
An examination of the research process designed for students preparing for the Capstone Project. Using scholarly and professional literature, students will identify current problems facing organizations and propose potential solutions. Topics include topic selection, research methodologies, scholarly writing, APA formatting, library research, evaluation of scholarly and professional literature, and the process of giving and receiving effective peer review feedback. The course will result in the creation of a project proposal for the Capstone Project.
Working with an assigned project advisor, the students begin the work to complete the capstone project. The project synthesizes knowledge of course materials within their respective program. The project consists of the identification of a business problem and corresponding research questions, extensive research of the problem domain, development of a solution based on the findings from the research, and a detailed implementation plan. (16 weeks).
Working with an assigned project advisor, students complete the remaining work on the Final Applied Project by synthesizing a solution to the defined business problem. The course concludes with an approval, publication, and oral presentation of the Final Applied Project. (16 weeks)