COURSE NUMBER: MBA290P.1

 

COURSE TITLE: Project Management Case Studies

 

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2.0

 

INSTRUCTOR: Omar Romero-Hernandez

 

E-MAIL ADDRESS: oromero@haas.berkeley.edu

 

CLASS WEB PAGE LOCATION: http://bspace.berkeley.edu  

 

MEETING DAY(S)/TIME: Tuesdays 2:00-4:00PM

 

PREREQUISITE(S): None.

 

INTRODUCTION:

Business leaders constantly compete for executives’ attention, resources, and to deliver projects on time, within budget and with a degree of quality that matches their reputation. Only one of every three projects lands to successful completion. You will be taught what it takes to lead successful projects. 

 

The primary objective of this course is to develop critical skills and the knowledge needed to successfully pitch and lead projects. This will require understanding the concepts of project initiation, planning and organization, control, communications, and project life cycles.  Methodologies, frameworks, tools and international standards are presented along with a series of business cases in diverse fields, including IT, construction, product development, business reorganization and strategy. Students will also learn on the use of Project Management software and risk analysis.

 

Two computer simulations are an integral part of this course. This is a 2 credit course so simulations have been designed to take no more than one week each and still be insightful experiences. In the first one, students face the challenges associated with implementing an organization-wide project initiative. Students will be assessed on their ability to achieve the greatest percentage of adopters within the company while simultaneously using the fewest resources. The primary objective of the second simulation is to bring a competitive product to market on time and on budget, ahead of the competition.

 

The course represents a strong foundation for those interested in pursuing certification by the Project Management Institute (PMI).

 

CLASS FORMAT:

 

The class format includes case discussions, lectures, guest speakers, computer simulations and software tools. The success of this course relies upon your effort to arrive prepared for class and be actively involved. Students will work individually and in teams to review real-life situations which were faced by managers and are then required to propose assertive solutions.


REQUIRED READINGS:

The course will use a packet of readings and case materials available at study.net

Briefs with class material and take-away points will be available.

Textbook: Meredith, J., Mantel, S. J. Project Management, A Managerial Approach, 8th Edition, Wiley and Sons.

 

BASIS FOR FINAL GRADE:

20% Class participation

55% Case study questions, assignments, simulations

25% Team Project

 

ABSTRACT OF COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

The primary objective of this course is to develop critical analysis skills needed to successfully lead projects. This will require understanding the concepts of project initiation, planning and organization, control, communications, and life cycles.  In addition, students are expected to learn several basic project scheduling techniques including WBS, CPM, Pert, Gantt Charts, and resource constrained scheduling.  Case studies presented in class will help students to understand the related concepts of organizational forms, conflict resolution, and issues related to leadership and task management in a project environment.  Concepts are aligned with PMI standards and global best practices.

 

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH:

Prof. Omar Romero-Hernandez has been an academic and project practitioner for more than 15 years. Omar has worked for a diverse range of public and private organizations such as Procter & Gamble, PEMEX (Oil & Gas), Accenture, Ministry for the Environment, United Nations, the Stock Exchange and several more.

 

He is a Chemical Engineer with graduate studies in Economic Policy and Government and a PhD in Process Economics and Environmental Impact from Imperial College, London, UK.  Currently, he is a National Researcher, and author of various books including: Renewable Energy Technologies and Policies, and Industry and the Environment and several international publications on project management, business and sustainable development.

 

He has led various internationally awarded projects in the field of sustainable business strategies and implementation – Prof. Romero-Hernandez was the recipient of the 2010 Franz Edelman Award, the world’s most prestigious award on Operations Research and Management Science.