IST 46700 - Information Systems Project Management

This course discusses the processes, methods, techniques and tools that organizations use to manage their information systems projects. The course covers a systematic methodology for initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing projects. This course assumes that project management in the modern organization is a complex team-based activity, where various types of technologies (including project management software as well as software to support goup collaboration) are an inherent part of the project management process. This course also acknowledges that project management involves both the use of resources from within the firm, as well as contracted from outside the organization.

Preparation for Course
P: ENGL 23401 and senior class standing.

Cr. 3.
Notes
Restricted to CS or INSY majors.
Student Learning Outcomes
1.   Learn to initiate, specify, and prioritize information systems projects and to determine various aspects of feasibility of these projects.
2.   Understand the foundations of project management, including its definition, scope, and the need for project management in the modern organization.
3.   Understand the phases of the project management lifecycle.
4.   Learn how to manage project teams, including the fundamentals of leadership and team motivation.
5.   Learn how to manage project communication, both internal to the team, and external to other project stakeholders.
6.   Learn to initiate projects, including project selection and defining project scope.
7.   Learn the techniques and tools for managing project schedules.
8.   Learn how to manage project resources, including human resources, capital equipment, and time.
9.   Learn how to manage project quality, including the identification of the threats to project quality, techniques for measuring project quality, and the techniques for ensuring project quality is achieved.
10.   Learn how to manage project risk, including the identification of project risk, and the techniques for ensuring project risk is controlled.
11.   Learn how to manage the project procurement process, including understanding external acquisition and outsourcing, as well as the steps for managing external procurement.
12.   Learn to manage project execution, including monitoring project progress and managing project change, and appropriately documenting and communicating project status.
13.   Learn how to control projects through information tracking and cost and change control techniques.
14.   Learn to close projects, including administrative, personnel, and contractual closure.
15.   Understand the mechanisms for dealing with legal issues in complex project contexts.
16.   Learn to use a common project management tool to perform typical project activities.
17.   Learn to work through several cases in each chapter, and complete a significant overall project.