Managing Projects and Perspectives

Description

What does success look like for you? In this course we will endeavor to respond to this question on both personal and professional levels. It takes integrated thinking and discipline to become a successful project manager. Tools are only tools. In addition to building an awareness of your own management style, we will use real world client based applications to explore and understand the social/political/environmental nuances of successful project management. Students will work hands on with a pre-selected client organization to apply your learning and develop an implementable project plan. 

Learning Objectives

1) Develop an awareness of the project environment (culturally, economically, socially, and politically). This requires understanding, listening to and hearing your stakeholders rather than believing you know what is best.

2) Recognize key project management questions: what are the client's needs (real, perceived, political)? What are the potential impacts of meeting these needs (intended or unintended)? What is the risk tolerance for the organization and is the project scope reasonable?

3) Cultivate a self-awareness of your own management style when managing others, projects, and yourself.

4) Create a knowledge base of the vocabulary and processes of project management.