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.