MIS 495

Information Systems Project Management and Development

Fall Quarter, 2008        4:10 pm - 5:50 pm Monday Wednesday  219 Rike Hall

 

Instructor:          Barbara Denison

Office:                212 R Rike Hall

Phone:                (937)775-2416 or 2895

Office Hours:     10:00 – 11:15 M W, 1:00 – 3:00 M

                           Or by appointment

e-mail:                barbara.denison@wright.edu

 

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

 

This course entitled Information Systems Project Management and Development (MIS 495) will include two parts.  The first part of the course will devote to the study of project management.   The concept and the practice of project management and its importance to improving the success of information technology projects will be introduced.  The second part of the course will entail investigation of an actual information systems business problem of some firm or organization in the Dayton Metropolitan area.    The project participants, working in groups of three or four, will be expected to initiate a research proposal, perform a systems analysis and design project, and present results orally and in writing to management.  Project management practices are to be applied during the planning and execution of the project.  Specific system development projects and company contacts will be developed by the faculty teaching the course and to the extent possible the students will have an option on the type of project and the type of company in which they become involved.

 

 

PREREQUISTES

 

MIS 450 and MIS 415.

 

 

COURSE OBJECTIVES

 

·         Work effectively in a self-managed team

·         Communicate effectively with business client

·         Develop and execute a project management plan for a systems development project

·         Develop a working model  (as needed)

·         Plan for implementation of solution

·         Understand the genesis of project management and its importance to improving the success of information technology projects

·         To utilize a project management tool for planning, updating, and reporting on project progress

 

REQUIRED TEXT

 

Information Technology Project Management,  Kathy Schwalbe, Thompson Course Technology, 5th edition, 2007.  ISBN-13 is 978-1-4239-0145-7.

 

A Gift of Fire, Sara Baase, Prentice Hall, 3rd edition, 2008.

 

 

COURSE REQUIREMENTS:

 

1.   The student should have the MIS senior status or equivalent and have successfully completed MIS 450 and MIS 415.  Students working in development teams of four or five will be required to:

 

      a.   Develop a project proposal outlining background, method and costs of the proposed project.

 

      b.   Complete the proposed project following the approved project proposal.

 

      c.   Present the findings to the management of the respective companies in written form and in a verbal presentation.  The presentation will be scheduled during final exam week, or the tenth week of class.

 

2.   All out-of-pocket costs for the project team will be paid by the Information Systems and Operations Management Development Fund.   Such costs will include those incurred in long distance telephone, data collection and preparation of the final written and oral report.  None of the students or individual study teams will receive compensation for their efforts beyond those expenses associated with out-of-pocket costs.

 

3.   The results of the project will be considered proprietary to the sponsor and will not be released without his/her written permission.

 

 

COURSE ORGANIZATION:

 

1.   Professor Denison will have primary responsibility for the seminar.  The course will be organized as follows:

 

      Week 1 -       Orientation and team formation and presentation of management problems to student teams

 

      Week 2 -       Visit clients to determine the details of the problem          

 

      Week 3 -       Submission of project proposal by student teams to management

 

      Week 4 -       Revise proposal based on client feedback and resubmit

 

      Week 3-9      Implementation of plan

 

      Week 10 – Finals Week    Written and oral presentation to management

 

2.   Each team will elect a team leader, treasurer, and librarian early in the term.  The team leader will be responsible for general administration, allocation of internal assignments and coordination with faculty advisor and client.  The treasurer will be responsible for handling all expense funds and making a final accounting to the instructor.  The librarian will coordinate documentation.

 

3.   Team meetings will be arranged during the first two weeks of the Quarter.  From week 2-10, group (team) meetings with faculty will be arranged as appropriate, but with a minimum of once a week. Attendance at team meetings is required.  Team meetings will be in the ISOM Conference Room, 271 Rike Hall.

 

 

 

PROJECT MANAGEMENT ASSIGNMENTS

 

Materials for project management are posted on WebCT.  This is accessible through wings.wright.edu and clicking on MIS 495 in your course list.  The Schwalbe text is the reference for these materials.  MS Project 2007 is available in the labs in Rike including the ISOM lab.  Written project management assignments are to be completed individually and turned in to the instructor.  Each group may utilize one or a combined solution in the proposal and final written report for the group.  Quizzes will be online through WebCT and will be administered during your weekly group meeting.   The lowest quiz score will be dropped.

 

 

Week

Materials

Deliverable

September 8-12

Intro to PM, Project Life Cycle, SDLC, IT Projects (from Ch. 1 & 2)

 

September 15 - 19

Project Management Process Groups:  Read Case Study (Ch. 3) especially the Business Case, Project Charter and Scope Statement

Narrative statement of scope of project (approx. one page): Due at group meeting following first meeting with client.

 

Complete Quiz 1 on Ch. 1-2

 

September 22 - 26

Project Integration Management (Chapter 4)

 

Defining Scope, WBS, and Project Estimation (Ch. 5)

Project Charter and Gantt Chart with WBS and Timeline: Due at week 3 group meeting

 

Complete Quiz 2 on Ch. 3

     

September 29 – October 3

Project Schedule and Budget (Chapters 6-7)

Complete Quiz 3 on Ch. 4-5

October 6 - 10

Project Quality Management and HR Management (Chapters 8-9)

Complete Quiz 4 on Ch 6-7

October 13 - 17

Project Communication, Tracking and Reporting (Chapter 10)

Project Risk Management (Ch. 11)

 

Updated Gantt Chart with work completed: Due at week 6 group meeting

Complete Quiz 5 on Ch. 8-9

October 2-24

Project Procurement Management (Ch. 12)

Evaluating and Controlling Technology (Ch. 7 in Gift of Fire)

Complete Quiz 6 on Ch. 10 -11

October 27 -31

 

Complete Quiz 7 on Ch. 12 and Ch. 7 in Gift of Fire

November 3 - 14

 

Project completion and Preparation of final report

November 17 - 21

 

Peer Evaluation and project review:  Due after final presentation

 

 

 

 

GRADING PROCEDURE:

 

The final grade will be assigned on the basis of project performance, including a consideration of project proposal, project implementation and final written and oral presentation.  The grading procedure will be weighted approximately as follows:

 

            Proposal                                                                     10%

            Project Management Assignments and Quizzes         22%

            Project Implementation                                              40%

            Final Written Report                                                  15%

            Final Oral Report                                                          8%

            Client Assessment                                                         5%

           

                     Total                                                                   100%

 

Grading will be on a group basis for the project development (i.e., all members of a team will share the same grade).  However, peer group rankings will be taken at the conclusion of the course and final grades adjusted as necessary.  Group members not carrying their share of the work should be reported to the instructor only after the group, as a whole, try to resolve the problem.  It is important to do this early so action can be taken to provide ample guidance to the individual.

 

 

GENERAL COMMENTS:

 

Some of the projects that are undertaken require students to learn new things, such as a new programming language, installing and using new hardware and using new software.  Not knowing the hardware or software that will be used on a project is not an acceptable excuse for not participating in the project.  This course is intended to provide you with a real world learning experience and all these things can be expected in your professional career.