University of Sharjah, College of Business Administration

Department of Management Information Systems

Project Management (0303370)
Course Syllabus, Spring Semester (2016/2017)

Prerequisites: Database Management (0303240) or equivalent.

Credit Hours: 3 hrs.
Course Days/Times: Sun/Thu: 12:30-1:45pm (M10-002)
Course Homepage: on the Blackboard system
Instructor: Dr. Mohamed A. Nour
Office: W5-139
Telephone: 06-505-3522
Email: mnour@sharjah.ac.ae
Office Hours: Sun/Thu: 9:30-12:30pm
Mon/Wed: 9:30-11:00am
Mon/Wed: 12:30-2:00pm
And by appointment.

Course Description:

This course covers the concepts, techniques, and issues necessary for successful management of
information systems/technology projects. Technical and behavioral aspects of project management
are discussed. Major topics include: Managing the project adoption issues such as selection and
approval of projects, cost/benefit analysis and requirements analysis; Planning for systems
development and estimation; Scheduling and implementation issues such as project organization,
implementation, and control.

Linking Course Goals with Course Outcomes

Course goals: The goals of this course are to:
Provide knowledge of project management
A concepts, terms and techniques
Understand the genesis of IT project, program,
B and portfolio management and their importance
to the enterprise success
Provide knowledge of project management
techniques such as project selection methods,
C work breakdown structures (WBS), network
diagrams, Critical path analysis, cost estimation,
etc.
Learn how to plan, evaluate, select, and manage
D a project.
Develop knowledge and skills related to
E monitoring and controlling project progress.
Course Outcomes: Students who successfully
complete this course will be able to:
1 Demonstrate knowledge of basic project
management concepts.
2 Apply project management theories, tools, and
methods to managing project, programs, and
portfolios.
3 Master several basic project planning techniques
including Work Breakdown Structure (WBS),
network diagrams (PERT), Critical path analysis
(CPM), cost estimation, etc.
Evaluate a project to develop the scope of work,
4 provide accurate cost estimates, and to plan the
various activities.
Monitor, review, and evaluate progress on a
5 project.

Learn project management techniques and skills Apply the knowledge gained, and develop team
F by working on a group project as a project 6 skills, through a team project.
manager or a team member.

1
Linking Course Goals with Program Goals
Course goals: The goals of this course are to:
A. Provide knowledge of project management
concepts, terms and techniques
B. Understand the genesis of project, program,
and portfolio management and their importance
to the enterprise success
C. Provide knowledge of the project management
techniques such as project selection methods,
work breakdown structures (WBS), network
diagrams, Critical path analysis, cost estimation,
etc.
D. Learn how to plan, evaluate, select, and
manage a project
E. Develop knowledge and skills related to
monitoring and controlling project progress.
F. Learn project management concepts by working
on a group project as a project manager or a
team member.
Linking Course Outcomes with Program Outcomes
Course outcomes: Student who successfully
complete this course will be able to:
1 Demonstrate knowledge of basic project
management concepts.
2 Apply project management theories, tools, and
methods to managing project, programs, and
portfolios.
3 Master several basic project planning
techniques including Work Breakdown Structure
(WBS), network diagrams (PERT), Critical path
analysis (CPM), cost estimation, etc.
4 Evaluate a project to develop the scope of work,
provide accurate cost estimates, and to plan the
various activities.
5 Monitor, review, and evaluate progress on a
project.
6 Apply the knowledge gained, and develop team
skills, through a team project
Required Textbook:
Information Technology Project Management, 7th ed. (International ed.), by Kathy
Schwalbe, Course Technology, 2014. (ISBN-13: 978-1-133-62722-7).
2
Program goals: The goals of this program are to:
A. Acquire the core knowledge of management
information systems and information
technology.
D.
Understand life cycle management of
application projects.
C. Understand and model organizational
processes and data.
E. Establish the ability to evaluate and develop
organizational information systems.
D. Understand life cycle management of
application projects.
F. Contribute as a group member in IT related
projects.
Program outcomes: Student who successfully
complete this program will be able to:
1 Demonstrate an understanding of the key
concepts and major technological
components of MIS.
3 Analyze business strategies, problems
and opportunities in organizations and
make appropriate information system
recommendations.
6 Apply MIS tools and techniques to solve
real-world business problems.
5 Apply MIS knowledge and skills learned
to facilitate the acquisition, development,
deployment and management of
information systems.
4 Use acquired knowledge to manage
project life cycle development activities
7 Gain practical experience with information
systems development through working as
part of project team.
8 Demonstrate leadership and responsible
behavior in a group setting.
Secondary Teaching Resources Needed:
MS Project 2007/2010
Computer laboratory

Other References:
Any introductory textbook or manual on Microsoft Project 2007/2010 in the library.

Teaching Methods:

This course will be taught using a combination of lectures, tutorials and demonstrations. Students
will be required to relate and apply the concepts covered in the course to managing information
systems/technology projects, and to understanding the issues and problems of managing such
projects. Demonstrations in the laboratory and assignments and projects will be used to reinforce
course concepts.

Class Policy:
1. You should complete the reading assignments before class. This will help you
follow and hopefully understand the class material as is delivered.
2. Assignments and projects should be completed and submitted during the due date.
Assignment and projects submitted after the due date may be rejected or assessed a
late penalty (see Homework Assignments for penalties for late work).
3. Attendance is important in this class. Late arrivals and earlier departures, without the
instructors prior permission, are considered absences. See classroom and
attendance policy below.
4. Quizzes and exams are to be taken during their scheduled times or when
administered. Make-ups will not be available except for special cases (see MakeUp
Examinations for University regulations for makeups). Generally, there are no make
ups for quizzes!
5. Any work that you submit to me, including exams, must be that of your own,
completed during this semester. Inappropriate use of any other students work,
including your own from a previous semester, is considered plagiarism, which will
be reported to the University and handled accordingly (see Homework Assignments
below).

Assessment Tools and Criteria:

The final letter grade will be based on the following components:

Component: Percentage: Overall %
Assignments 10
Course Project 15 35%
Quizzes 10
Midterms 25 25%
Final 40 40%
Total 100 100%

3
 Final Letter Grade Computation (Scale):

Percentage Points Grade

=> 90 4.00 A
85 - < 90 3.50 B+
80 - < 85 3.00 B
75 - < 80 2.50 C+
70 - < 75 2.00 C
65 - < 70 1.50 D+
60 - < 65 1.00 D
< 60 0 F

Homework and Lab Assignments:

Scope:
Assignments will vary in nature and points. They will mostly be derived from outside sources, but
will address topics and concepts included in the assigned readings, or discussed in class. Most
assignments will include written reports, solving problems, or answering questions and exercises
about course-related material, and may be completed MS Excel, MS Project 2007/2010, or a related
tool.
The outcomes covered by the assignments are the following: 1, 3 and 5.

Policy:
No assignment will be accepted through Email or Blackboard, only hard copy. Late assignments
will, at the discretion of the instructor, be accepted and reduced 25% each day late, but will not be
accepted after the third day. Unless otherwise indicated, all assignments are individual (not group)
assignments and collaboration of any kind will not be accepted or tolerated. Cheating and
plagiarism will render the assignment zero from both parties and will be dealt with according to the
University Policy, as indicated in the class policy earlier. Read the Student Code of Conduct and
Academic violations in the University Catalog (handbook) for more information. You are
reminded that it is your responsibility to keep a copy of all your submitted assignments. This
includes all marked assignments returned to you (as well as the marked exam papers). You will be
required to produce these in order to review you marks or grade, if required.

Class Project:

The purpose of the team project is to provide the opportunity to apply the tools and techniques
demonstrated in class to a real-world problem, within a project team environment. Students should
submit a written report and prepare and deliver a formal presentation of your class project at the
end of the semester. The presentation is open to questions from the instructor and fellow
classmates. The project will be described more fully some later.
No project will be accepted through Email or Blackboard, only hard copies!

The outcomes covered by the project are the following: 6.

4
Quizzes:
Scope:
The quizzes will be in the format of short essay questions, True/False or multiple choice questions
(MCQs). They will be derived from the textbook and related class materials. The outcomes
covered by the quizzes are the following: 1, 2, & 5.

Policy:
There will be roughly two (or three) quizzes that will be distributed about evenly throughout the
semester. The possible date of each is shown in the following tentative course outline. Each quiz
will cover about one to two chapters. The quizzes are non-cumulative.

Exams:
Scope:
There exams will vary in nature and points. Thy will be derived from the textbook and related class
materials.
The outcomes covered by the exams are the following: 1, 2, 3, and 4 for the mid-term exam and 2,
3, 4, and 5 for the Final exam.

Policy:
There is a one midterm exam and a final exam. The possible date of each is shown in the following
tentative course outline. The midterm will be more comprehensive and will cover three or more
chapters and is non-cumulative, but the final exam will, as per University policy, be cumulative
and comprehensive. During exams and quizzes, NO mobile phones are to be carried inside the
exam room.

SN Course Outcomes Assessment Tools

1 Demonstrate knowledge of basic project management Assignments, quizzes, & midterm
concepts exam
2 Apply project management theories, tools, techniques, Project, Midterm and final exam
and methods to managing a project
3 Master several basic project planning techniques including Assignments, midterm and final
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), network diagrams exam
(PERT), Critical path analysis (CPM), cost estimation, etc
4 Evaluate a project to develop the scope of work, provide Project, midterm, final examinations
accurate cost estimates, and to plan the various activities
5 Monitor, review, and evaluate progress on a project Assignments, Quizzes, and final
examination
6 Apply the knowledge gained, and develop team skills, Project
through a team project

MakeUp Examinations
University regulations for makeup exams stipulate tough provisions for providing them.
Remember, no makeups for quizzes, only midterms. The following are the rules that govern
makeups:
1) The student should present a documented excuse to the course instructor for his/her
absence within five days (shorter in the summer) of missing the exam.
2) Acceptable excuses include: sickness, delivery, death (immediate family only),
emergencies, a conflict with another exam, or three exams in the same day.
3) The Dept. Head, in consultation with the course instructor, approves or disapproves
the makeup exam
4) The makeup exam should be given within two weeks (shorter in the summer) of the
original exam date.

5
Attendance Policy:

Everyone is expected in the classroom after 5 minutes from the beginning of the class. No
admittance to the classroom after 5 minutes.
According to the University regulations, absences will be dealt with as follows:
10% absences: First warning.
15% absences: Second warning.
20% absences: Student will be prevented from taking the final exam.

For the purpose of computing the above percentages, ALL absences, with or without an excuse,
will be counted and included.

Dishonesty in Examinations and Submitted Work:

All academic work and materials submitted for assessment must be the work of the student.
Cheating is not limited to coping from others work and giving unauthorized assistance, but it also
includes the use of devices or procedures for the purpose of achieving false scores on examinations.
Plagiarism is the copying of another persons ideas or expressions without appropriate
acknowledgement and presenting these ideas or forms of expression as your own. In this regard,
NO mobile phones are allowed in the exam room during an exam. Please note that the University
takes all complaints and accusations against students violating the Universitys Code of Conduct
very seriously, from cheating or attempting to cheat, helping and attempting to help someone else
cheat, whether directly or indirectly, including the use of mobile phones (read more about this in
the Student Guide).

Library Usage:
The Library will be used, as appropriate, for researching and solving homework assignments and
projects, and looking for applicable & feasible case studies.

Use of Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for posting assignments, grades, lecture notes & other course materials,
important announcements, sending e-mail notices to the class, quizzes, and other purposes as the
instructor may decide. Each student is required to use Blackboard for this course and is
responsible for having an active Blackboard account, knowing how to access and sign on to
Blackboard, making sure they are enrolled in the course, making sure their e-mail address stored in
Blackboard is up to date and correct, and for checking Blackboard regularly, preferably once per
day at a minimum. In the current day and age, missing important information distributed via
Blackboard is not an excuse for not knowing. During the first week of class, each student is
responsible for verifying his or her personal information and e-mail address in Blackboard and for
correcting or updating it, if necessary. Any student unable to access the course on Blackboard
must notify the instructor immediately.

E-mail Communication
The instructor may send e-mail broadcast messages to the class from time to time regarding
important developments that arise between classes as well as Absence Warning messages, and any
other reminders. E-mail will be sent to the e-mail address on file in the Blackboard system.
Students are expected to check their e-mail on a regular basis, at least once per day, but preferably
more often, and maintain their E-mail account usable. Missing important information distributed
by e-mail is not an excuse for not knowing.

6
 Tentative Class Outline (Note: week begins on Sunday!)
WEEK of: TOPIC READING ASSIGNMENTS*
1 Introduction to the course
Sun: 5/2 Introduction to Project Management Ch.1
Guide to Using Microsoft Project 2010 Appendix A
2
Introduction to Project Management Ch.1
Sun: 12/2
3
The Project Management & IT Context Ch.2 Assignment 1 Given
Sun: 19/2
4 Assignment 1 Due
The Project Management Process Groups Ch.3
Sun: 26/2 Project Given
5 Assignment 2 Given
Sun: 5/3 Project Integration Management Ch.4 Quiz 1: Thursday 16/3/2017

6 Ch.4 Assignment 2 Due

Project Integration Management
Sun: 12/3
7
Project Scope Management Ch.5
Sun: 19/3
8
S p r i n g B r e a k Spring Break
Sun: 26/3
9
Project Scope Management Ch.5 Midterm: Thursday 6/4/2017
Sun: 2/4
10
Project Time Management Ch.6 Assignment 3 Given
Sun: 9/4
11 Project Time Management Ch.6 Assignment 3 Due
Sun: 16/4
12 Project Cost Management Ch.7 Assignment 4 Given
Sun: 23/4
13 Project Cost Management Ch.7 Assignment 4 Due
Sun: 30/4 Quiz 2: Thursday 4/5/2017
14 Project Quality Management Ch.8
Sun: 7/5 Projects due: Thursday 11/5/2017
15 Project Quality Management Ch.8
Sun: 14/5
16 Slack, Course Wrap-up
Sun: 21/5
*
Note: Please check the final exam, semester break, & holidays from the Universitys official calendar.
Note: Actual assignment and project due dates override the tentative dates given on this table!