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: Monday,
2:00PM-4:00PM
PREREQUISITE(S): None.
INTRODUCTION:
Business leaders constantly compete for board’s
attention, resources, and to deliver projects on time, within budget and with a
degree of quality that matches their reputation. Project data across IT,
consultancy, marketing and, product development sectors indicate that only one
of every three projects lands to successful completion.
We are revamping this course. The primary
objective is to develop critical skills and the knowledge needed to
successfully plan, pitch and lead projects. On one side, 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 and practitioners. Students will also learn on the use of project
management software, risk analysis techniques, and team performance.
Two computer simulations are an integral part of
this course. In the first one, students face the challenges associated
with implementing an organization-wide project initiative. The primary
objective of the second simulation is to bring a competitive product to market
on time and on budget, ahead of the competition. This is a 2 credit course so
simulations have been designed to take no more than one week each and still be
insightful experiences.
The course represents a strong foundation for
those interested in pursuing certification by the Project Management Institute
(PMI). There are 90% chances that students will be working in projects after
graduating. This class will provide fundamental and practical skills to help
them navigate in this path.
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 plan a new
project and, 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 gain insight
and develop critical analysis skills needed to successfully plan and lead and
pitch projects. Real scenarios on project initiation, planning and
organization, control, communications, and life cycles are provided. In
addition, students learn several project scheduling techniques including Work
Breakdown Structure (WBS), Critical Path Methods (CPM), PERT, Gantt Charts, and
resource constrained scheduling. Emphasis is placed on the planning stage as it
represents the most influential phase for project success or failure. Several
case studies and presentations from leading practitioners will help students to
understand the related concepts of project goals, organizational challenges,
and issues related to leadership and task management in a project environment.
Concepts are aligned with Project Management Institute (PMI) standards, leading
project management software and global best practices. This class is recommended to those leading to
consultancy firms, Silicon Valley tech firms and, marketing.
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. 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, leading
practitioner, 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 –– sponsors include the United Nations,
Ministry of the Environment, Industry consortiums, S&P 500 companies, the
Stock Exchange and NGOs. Prof. Romero-Hernandez was the recipient of the
2010 Franz Edelman Award, the world’s most prestigious award on Operations
Research and Management Science.