1 A MODEL FOR TEACHING IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT SIMUTANEOUSLY TO UNDERGRADUATE MANAGEMENT AND IT STUDENTS Presented by Carl Rebman University of San Diego Decision Sciences Institute November 18, 2007 Paper co-authored by Fred L. Kitchens and Queen E. Booker

2 Purpose of the Paper To describe a model for teaching Information Technology Project Management to MIS and General Management majors to: Improve the management skills of MIS students Improve the IT skills of management students Develop the project management skills of both groups of students

3 Why MNSU opened ITPM to non MIS students Declining MIS enrollment Course holds 36 students; enrollment had been 5-7 students Project management was listed as one of top skills recruiters are looking for from our new graduates

4 Problem with course Designed to emphasize software development using project management Students’ only prior exposure to project management in the college is a module in Production and Operations Management This module can be as little as one class hour and generally no more than two at MNSU MIS curricula emphasize software and technology management General management curricula emphasize general management skills such as human resource management

5 Course Design 16 week semester course 4 weeks intensive seminar in project management concepts using 3 hours class time and a minimum of three hours online per week emphasizing project management concepts covered under the project management guidebook and the project management certification exam as well as effective team management and the system development lifecycle 12 weeks of hands-on IT related project management exercises, each designed to last 3 weeks although students decide how long each project will take for their team to complete

6 Course Design: Assessments Three assessment at the end of the first four weeks: An assessment on the technical nature of project management tools A pre-assessment of IT knowledge and expertise A self-assessment of the student’s perception of their own management style.

7 About the projects During the third and fourth weeks, students are assigned to teams of 4 (the chair was particularly helpful in this instance. Once the class filled, he only added students in groups of 4). During the fourth week, the students assess their strengths and weaknesses and select one of the four projects to manage within their team Each team also decide on when each project will begin and when it SHOULD end. Teams can choose to complete the projects in parallel or one at a time.

8 Expectations of the Project Manager Each project manager: Develops a project plan consisting of all the planning tools for a project Is required to submit the project plan for approval as they would in a business environment. Is given a limited budget Is required to submit four scope reports during the duration of their respective projects, with the last scope report submitted after the completion of the project. Is given an hourly bill rate based on graduation date. The hourly rate ranges from $200 for students graduating in three semesters to $300 for students graduating in the current semester.

9 Assessments Post Project At the end of the project, team members evaluate the project manager on his or her use of the project management tools, and using the same questions used in the self- assessment earlier in the semester. The assessment results are provided to the project manager for reflection purposes only. At the end of the semester, students are assessment on project management tools and techniques and IT concepts covered by the class.

10 During the Project Period Prior to the scheduling of the projects, training sessions on each of the types of IT technologies are scheduled for which students are enrolled. The purpose is to see if the scheduling of training influences when students decide to begin certain projects.

11 Sample Projects Prototype a data warehouse (database design only) Design a wireless network for a hotel Design a spreadsheet based decision support system Design a market basket analysis module for retail sales Design through data architecture an ERP system

12 Assessment and Evaluation Results This approach to teaching Project Management was attempted in 2005 and In the fall semester 2005, the class consisted of 15 IT related majors and 9 management students. In the fall semester 2006, the course had 17 MIS/IT related majors and 55 general management majors.

13 Assessment and Evaluation Results Continued The goal of the class is to improve the project management skills of both groups while improving the general management skills of the MIS students and the IT skills of the general management students

14 Assessment and Evaluation Results Continued Based on a comparison of pre- and post-test results: The general management students actually performed better than expected on the pre-IT test. The MIS students significantly (.05) improved their knowledge on general management concepts. The general management students improved between pre-test and post-tests but not as significantly

15 Student Assessment of the Course Fall 2005Fall 2006 QuestionStudent TypeMean Opinion of subject contentGM44.3 MIS/IT34.1 Course meets expectationsGM MIS/IT44.1 General opinion of assignments GM44 MIS/IT Progress on ProjectsGM44 MIS/IT44 Course FormatGM MIS/IT4.44.1

16 Problem with the class format Students were not required to attend class after the fourth week This behavior crossed over into other classes much to the dismay of other faculty members

17 Future Steps College is building a new college of business that is scheduled to have a lab conducive to group work which will allow the course to require students to attend class as required to complete projects Depending on groups and group skills, not all projects can be completed successfully in the time allotted. More time will need to be emphasized regarding techniques for keeping projects on task.

18 Questions?