About this course: Projects are all around us. Virtually every organization runs projects, either formally or informally. We are engaged in projects at home and at work. Across settings, planning principles and execution methodologies can offer ways in which projects can be run more effectively and efficiently. Project management provides organizations (and individuals) with the language and the frameworks for scoping projects, sequencing activities, utilizing resources, and minimizing risks. This is an introductory course on the key concepts of planning and executing projects. We will identify factors that lead to project success, and learn how to plan, analyze, and manage projects. Learners will be exposed to state-of-the-art methodologies and to considering the challenges of various types of projects. As a Project Management Institute (PMI®) Registered Education Provider, the University of Virginia Darden School of Business has been approved by PMI to issue 12 professional development units (PDUs) for this course, which focuses on core competencies recognized by PMI. (Provider #2122)
Created by: University of Virginia
Taught by: Yael Grushka-Cockayne (@grushkay), Associate Professor of Business Administration
Darden School of Business
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 4 weeks of study, 1-2 hours/week |
| Language | English |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Welcome to the World of Projects
Welcome to the course -- we're excited you're here! In our first week, we'll gain an understanding of what a project is, what it isn't, and why that matters. We'll consider how projects are defined and a project’s three objectives. We'll look at a model for examining a project’s organization and its stakeholders, and then analyze those stakeholders using a power/interest grid. We'll look at the main reasons why many projects fail and then learn how to measure success. Finally, we'll review the key stages in the project life cycle and highlight the important features of each stage.
8 videos, 4 readings
- Prompt de discussão: Introduce Yourself
- Leitura: Course Overview
- Video: What Is a Project?
- Video: How Do We Define a Project?
- Video: Considering the Organization & Stakeholders
- Video: Project Success & Failure
- Video: The Making of Boyhood & British Airways T5 Examples
- Leitura: The Making of Boyhood and British Airways Terminal Five Examples
- Prompt de discussão: The Making of Boyhood & British Airways T5 Examples
- Video: The Making of Boyhood & British Airways T5 Summary
- Video: Project Life Cycle
- Leitura: HealthCare.gov (Supplemental Case Study)
- Prompt de discussão: HealthCare.gov (Supplemental Case Study)
- Leitura: Week 1 Slides
Graded: The Fundamentals
WEEK 2
The Ins & Outs of Project Planning
During our second week, we'll start digging into the details, focusing on how to develop a project plan. We'll understand why we plan and what a plan should or should not include. We'll discuss the process of scoping out a project and see tools that can help us identify what should be included in our project. We'll learn about sequencing project tasks and the nature of the dependencies among project activates. We'll learn how to determine a project’s duration and critical path, how it is determined, and why it is useful. We'll see how we should schedule a project and, finally, we’ll review how you can make changes to a plan to support your overall project objectives.
9 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Detailed Scoping
- Video: Identifying Dependencies
- Video: Determine the Completion Date & Critical Path
- Video: How Do We Schedule?
- Video: What If I Don’t Like Planning? Making Changes
- Video: Reflecting on Common Mistakes
- Video: Virginia Festival of the Book (Supplemental Case Study)
- Prompt de discussão: Virginia Festival of the Book (Supplemental Case Study)
- Video: Supplemental Tutorial: Getting Started with Microsoft Project
- Leitura: Week 2 Slides
Graded: Project Planning
WEEK 3
It’s a Risky World & Then the Unexpected Happened
In our third week, we'll consider the risk and uncertainties projects face. We'll understand what is risky about projects. We'll identify and assess project risks and prioritize these risks in order to focus our attention on those most impactful to the project. We’ll consider schedule risks in detail and ask, "What is the likelihood of finishing on time? What are the drivers that may cause delays in my project?" We'll see how a project budget can be set to include a contingency. Finally, we'll consider situations with a high degree of ambiguity and identify methods than can useful in these situations.
9 videos, 1 reading
- Video: Identifying & Assessing Project Risks
- Video: A More Realistic Timeline Part I
- Video: A More Realistic Timeline Part II
- Video: Cost Risk Analysis
- Video: Planning for Ambiguity
- Video: Lumi Juice (Supplemental Case Study)
- Prompt de discussão: Lumi Juice (Supplemental Case Study)
- Video: Supplemental Tutorial: Modeling Schedule Uncertainty Part I - Tornado Charts in Microsoft Excel
- Video: Supplemental Tutorial: Modeling Schedule Uncertainty Part II - Monte Carlo Simulations in Microsoft Excel
- Leitura: Week 3 Slides
Graded: Project Risks
WEEK 4
Ready, Set, Go: Project Execution
In our final week, we'll move from plan to action and consider the execution phase of a project. We'll learn about the earned value approach for monitoring and controlling progress. We'll consider the individuals who are executing the project and how their habits impact project progress. We'll discuss some alternative methods for project execution such as Agile, Scrum, and Kanban. Finally, we'll review and summarize the course, and our journey from project definition through execution and completion.
9 videos, 2 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Video: Earned Value
- Video: Those Who Execute
- Video: Agile, Scrum, & Kanban
- Video: Supplemental Tutorial: Tracking Progress & Updating Project Plan in Microsoft Project
- Leitura: Salesforce.com (Supplemental Case Study)
- Prompt de discussão: Salesforce.com (Supplemental Case Study)
- Teste para praticar: Earned Value
- Video: Project Management in the Wild
- Video: Project Management Case File #143
- Video: Project Management Case File #168
- Prompt de discussão: Project Management in the Wild
- Video: Course Conclusion
- Leitura: Week 4 Slides
Graded: Project Execution
FAQs
How It Works
Trabalho
Cada curso é como um livro didático interativo, com vídeos pré-gravados, testes e projetos.
Ajuda dos seus colegas
Conecte-se com milhares de outros aprendizes, debata ideias, discuta sobre os materiais do curso e obtenha ajuda para dominar conceitos.
Certificados
Obtenha reconhecimento oficial pelo seu trabalho e compartilhe seu sucesso com amigos, colegas e empregadores.
Creators
University of Virginia
A premier institution of higher education, The University of Virginia offers outstanding academics, world-class faculty, and an inspiring, supportive environment. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University is guided by his vision of discovery, innovation, and development of the full potential of students from all walks of life. Through these courses, global learners have an opportunity to study with renowned scholars and thought leaders.
Pricing
| Purchase Course | |
|---|---|
| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
A really nice course, that gives you a great insight into PM tools and principles, and leaves you with the feeling, that you could actually manage a project now way more competent than before.
Great teacher and good tests! They really helped me to learn whenever I had to retake them and watch the videos again. The cases exercises were nice too :)
Very complete for an initial approach
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Well organized course, with an essential theoretical analysis and a lot of real examples of project management situations.