Course 2017-2018 a.y.

Classes: 31 (II sem.)

Instructors:
Class 31: MARCO SAMPIETRO

In recent years project management has strongly increased in popularity. Even if many project management concepts are well established, only recently companies understood the strategic importance of focusing on how projects should be managed. Started as a technical discipline, its evolution has brought it in the management agenda. Despite project management popularity, the number of projects with poor performances is still very high. Key project management concepts are not so difficult in theory but applying them is not an easy task. Project success is based on details and on the way project management methodologies, structures and behaviors are customized to a specific situation.

• At the end of the Project Management course participants will be able to
• Organize and manage the human resources involved in a project.
• Define a winning project strategy.
• Understand the project environment and the way it influences the project outcomes.
• Define, understand and improve a project management plan.
• Identify the threats that may negatively influence project outcomes.
• Understand the proper project management approach depending on the project characteristics.

• Introduction to project management.
• Project life cycle.
• Organizational structures and project management.
• The project team.
• Key concepts in project team management.
• Defining the project strategy.
• Project stakeholder management.
• Project scope management.
• Project scheduling.
• Assigning, balancing and controlling project resources.
• Project risk management.
• Managing projects in uncertaint environments.

For attending students
The attending student status is held for the first two exam sessions. After these sessions, students must take the exam as non-attending.
Students receive an individual evaluation at the end of the course composed as follows:

• Final individual exam = 40%. 30 multiple choice questions (only one correct answer per question, no penalties). Approximate duration of the exam: 45 minutes.
• Individual assignment = 50%. Attending students are required to deliver a project output. Every participant select a project of his/her interest. The project selection can be based on real cases (from the direct experience of the participant or from other sources, such as the Web) or new ideas. The final assignment has to be based on the Project Plan Template, available on the elearning platform.
• Class active participation (individual) = 10%. It does NOT mean showing up during classes, but it refers to active contribution during the discussion of cases, involvement during simulations ...

A pass course is issued ONLY in case each of the above grades is >= 18/30.

For non attending students
Written exam (individual) = 100% (based only on the book indicated in the material for non-attending students)

• 10 multiple choice questions.
• 1 open-ended question.
• 1 minicase.
  

Approximate duration of the exam 75 minutes.

 

For attending students

• Course materials provided by the instructors.
• Reading packet.

• M. SAMPIETRO, T. VILLA, Empowering Project Teams: Using Project Followership to Improve Performance, Boca Raton, CRC Press Taylor&Francis Group, 2014, ISBN-13:978-1482217551, ISBN-10:1482217554.