COURSE NUMBER: MBA290P.1

COURSE TITLE: Project Management Case Studies

UNITS OF CREDIT: 2

INSTRUCTOR: Richard Grant

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

MEETING DAY/TIME: Tuesday 4:00-6:00 pm

PREREQUISITES: None

ABSTRACT OF THE COURSE'S CONTENT AND OBJECTIVES:

This course presents case studies of a variety of projects in diverse fields, including IT, construction, business reorganization and strategy. Several of the case studies will be drawn from various aspects of the Bay Bridge Retrofit. Students will work individually and in teams to review situations which were faced by the management of major corporations and public sector entities, and then to propose strategic decisions based on those situations. As the problems caused by the management’s actions are presented, the students will be asked to create work plans to alleviate them. When there is a point in the projects where management determined that outside consultants were required, the students will take the role of the consultants and recommend immediate, short-term and long-term actions. As background for decision making and creation of work plans, segments will be presented on project life cycle methodologies, project organizational structure and project management software.

This course is not about the specifics of techniques for any particular type of project. The emphasis in this course is the confrontation of the universal problems that cause projects to get into trouble. Detailed analyses will be made of the structure and dynamics of project teams, the matching of skill sets and personality types to team roles, and the ways in which projects are subverted. The student will learn what it takes to manage a large project to a successful conclusion in the face of statistics that suggest projects have a high failure rate.

REQUIREMENTS OF THE COURSE:
Reading of texts on project management and methodologies, case studies of projects, class exercises (individual and team) on work plan development, multiple short papers, final paper. No final exam.

GRADING BASIS:
30% class participation, 30% final project, 40% other written assignments and short papers.

RECOMMENDED FOR:
Engineering students, MBA candidates and law students who will  participate in or manage projects in the course of their careers. 

INSTRUCTOR:
Richard M. Grant,  former Senior Management Consulting Partner, Deloitte & Touche. Mr. Grant has over thirty-five years of professional experience. His specialties include management of high-risk and large-scale projects and crisis management.