13 IPS 440: Project Management and Design
In order to challenge IPS 440: Project Management and Design, students must have real-world experience in a professional position designated as Project Manager or with project management duties in their responsibility.
If a student already has their CAPM certification, that qualifies as a course equivalency for IPS 440, and that student can receive credit for the course without completing the portfolio.
To challenge, students must write short essays describing their project management experience in line with fundamental Project Management definitions, terminology, and stages.
This requires students to have both certification and experience specifically in Project Management, working under the title of Project Manager or with similar duties. If you have questions about your qualifications or would like to talk through your experience, please reach out to your Instructor.
The textbooks for IPS 440: Project Management and Design are:
- Project Management, 2nd Edition (2014), open source text created by Adrienne Watt, published as an open educational resource by British Columbia “BCcampus Open Education” program.
- Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) 7th Edition (2021), available through the Boise State Albertsons library for digital check out.
- Optional: PMP Study Guide, 9th Edition. Kim Heldman (Amazon)
What this course is (and is not) about
We understand that many jobs and duties in life require people to wear many hats, juggle many things, keep many plates spinning. A lot of us are just default managers of projects in our lives. However, this course is not about improvised project management done by the seat of our pants. There is a technical expertise and skillset for Project Management done in the professional and organizational field, and that is what this course is about. This challenge will require this specific real-world public experience, and asks students to demonstrate college-level learning on the techniques and elements of project management in the organizational sphere.
This course leads students through the necessary knowledge and fundamental frameworks to both understand and apply the principles of highly effective Project Management, and allows students to analyze and evaluate their own project plans as well as the plans of others. As such, challenges to this course should have deep knowledge and experience with the Project Lifecycle and Ten Knowledge Management Areas of Project Management from the PMBOK, as well as experience and examples to discuss these areas thoroughly. Challenges will also need to document their work process as well as evaluate and analyze their project management practice for areas to grow.
Course Description
IPS 440: PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND DESIGN
This course is designed as a practical overview and exploration of the tools that Fortune 100 and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) use to effectively manage their investments of attention, time, and resources. Whether you choose to become a professional project manager, play the role of a project sponsor in your work, or contribute as a member to project (or volunteer) teams, this course will introduce you to a general framework that you will understand, can adapt, and can leverage in your daily work, and perhaps day-to-day life.
COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Explain the context in which projects are vital, and the typical lifecycle that a project follows from initiation to close out
- Identify the strategic categories in which most projects occur, and how organizations manage and oversee project delivery
- Interpret the inter-related roles that project stakeholders play, and understand how unique interests can be categorized
- Communicate how project requirements can be captured, delivered, and validated. Explain how risks and uncertainty can be tracked and addressed.
- Demonstrate how uncertainty can be estimated, and explain the importance of estimation in moving projects forward.
- Evidence your application of the project management tools and concepts project managers use to effectively monitor and control project activities, generating a complete project plan.
- Paraphrase the impact of emerging trends in the workplace, and how they are impacting project management and delivery.
- Evaluate the application of course concepts in the peer review process, looking at the final Personal Projects of others and offering feedback and suggestions to improve their plans.
