The document is a detailed syllabus for the MGT437 Project Management course at the University of Phoenix, outlining key dates, facilitator information, course structure, and assignment guidelines. It emphasizes the importance of participation, late assignment penalties, and collaboration within learning teams, while also providing a general overview of the course topics, objectives, and grading criteria. The syllabus also includes guidelines related to technology requirements and technical support for students.

1. Course Syllabus
MGT437
Project Management
Course Start Date: 03/16/10
Course End Date: 04/19/10
Please print a copy of this syllabus for handy
reference.Whenever there is a question about what assignments
are due, please remember this syllabus is considered the ruling
document.
Copyright
Copyright ©2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved.
University of Phoenix© is a registered trademark of Apollo
Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Microsoft©, Windows©, and Windows NT© are registered
trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or
other countries. All other company and product names are
trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
companies. Use of these marks is not intended to imply
endorsement, sponsorship, or affiliation.

2. Edited in accordance with University of Phoenix© editorial
standards and practices.
Facilitator
Information
Patricia Dues[email protected] (University of Phoenix)
[email protected] (Work)
702-229-5433 (Work)
702-655-9427 (Home)
702-683-3278 (Cell)
Facilitator Availability
I am available from 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Pacific Time on most days.
Feel free to contact me at work during the week or at home in
the evenings or on the weekend. If these times are not
convenient for you, please let me know. I will be happy to
accommodate your schedule, if possible. I provide you with
these times to make it easier to communicate with me, and not
to limit our contact.
I want you to know that, should you need to contact me outside
these time frames, you should not hesitate to do so.
For emergencies, when you are not able to gain access to
messages on the Online Learning System (OLS), please send a
message to my personal email address. In the event a third party
needs to contact me, please direct them to my contact
information listed under "facilitator information." No third
party should use your login credentials to gain access to the
classroom.
Instructor Bio
I received my Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of
Washington in Seattle – major in psychology; minor in business
administration. I earned an MBA from the University of
Phoenix in 1997. After 26 years in the banking industry, with 12

3. of them as a data processing manager and/or project manager, I
moved into the government sector. I am currently the Program
Office Manager for the City of Las Vegas. My team manages all
Information Technology projects in addition to other
strategically critical projects for the City Manager’s Office. I
earned my Project Management Professional (PMP) designation
in 2005.
Welcome!
Welcome to MGT437 - Project Management. I congratulate you
on embarking on your Bachelor’s Degree. I will do everything
that I can to ensure that the next 5 weeks will be a stimulating
learning experience for all of us. If you ever have questions or
need coaching, please feel free to email me. Together, I trust
that we will have an exciting, motivating and rewarding class
adventure.
Where to Go to Class: Your Course
Forums Main: This
is the main forum for the class and is where you may ask
questions between class meetings. It has read-and-write access
for everyone.
Chat-Room: This is a read-and-write access forum. It is
designed as a place to discuss issues not related to the course
content.
Course-Materials: This is a read-only forum, which means you
can read messages here but cannot send any. This is where I
will post the course syllabus and materials.
Learning-Team-A, B, C, D, E and F: These six Learning Team
forums will be used as workrooms for the learning teams. You
will be assigned to one of these learning teams during
Workshop One. Learning Team assignments are to be posted to
one of the Individual Forums of one of the students in the team.
Individual Forum: You will see one forum with your name on it.

4. This is a private forum, shared only by you and me, the
facilitator. Your classmates will not have access to this forum.
This is where you will post your individual assignments, and
where I will post your feedback. You can also ask questions
here. However, if you have general questions about instructions
of assignments, please post those in the Main forum, since other
students may benefit by that exchange as well.
Policies
For class policies, please see the Policies
link on the left side of the Materials page for the course on
eCampus. Faculty and students/learners will be held responsible
for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within
that link. University policies are subject to change so please be
sure to read them at the beginning of each class as it may have
changed since your last class. Policies may be slightly different
depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you
have recently changed modalities it is important you read the
policies governing your current class modality.
Participation
Participation means posting notes in the <Main> newsgroup.
Posting elsewhere does not count toward overall participation in
the course. Students are "participating" only if their notes can
be seen in the <Main> newsgroup. As a general rule of thumb,
students need to post at least 10 substantive notes (Not just "I
agree" notes) over 4 of 7 days each week above and beyond the
posting of assignments to be considered for full participation
points. Quantity is important, but the quality of the notes is
even more important. Posting your response to the weekly
discussion questions does not count toward participation points
for the week.
Late Assignments
Late assignments receive a 5% deduction for each day they are
late if assignments are not posted by 11:59 p.m. M.S.T. on the

5. day they are due. Late assignments will be accepted until the
last day of class. Technological issues are not considered valid
grounds for late assignment submission. In the event of a
University of Phoenix server outage, students should submit
assignments through email to the instructor and post to the
individual forum when systems are restored. Unless an
Incomplete grade has been granted, learner assignments
submitted after the last day of class will not be accepted.
Learning
Teams
University of Phoenix students are expected to work effectively
in diverse groups and teams to achieve tasks. They must
collaborate and function well in team settings as both leaders
and followers. They should respect human diversity and behave
in a tolerant manner toward colleagues and peers. If you
experience difficulties working with your team, you are
expected to resolve them within the team if possible. However,
please feel free to contact me for guidance if you have concerns
in this area. Because Learning Team projects are outcome-
based, all members of your Learning Team will generally earn
the same grade for Learning Team projects. However, I reserve
the right to report different grades for different Learning Team
members if I see a substantial imbalance in individual
contribution. Learning Teams should provide a brief summary
of any communication held outside the forum. Therefore, if you
hold conference calls, work in a real-time chat room, or get
together outside the OLS (Online Learning System)
environment in another way, please post a log, transcript, or
summary in the Learning Team forum. Further, do not use any
of these supplementary communication tools unless everyone on
your Learning Team agrees to the method and to the schedule. If
you have any questions, please contact me.
Several of the assignments in this class will be completed in
Learning Teams of three to five students. I will set up these
teams by the end of Week 1. If you have any requests for

6. teammates, please let me know by Thursday of the first week
via your Individual Forum. Learning Team Charters are
required. Please see the instructions in the weekly sections for
more information. All Learning Team assignments must be
submitted to one of the team member’s individual forums.
It is expected that you will actively participate with your
learning team and contribute to the team discussions by a)
contributing original work that is accepted and used by the team
with proof of originality b) participating in the project from
assignment organizing through meaningful final review of the
team project for submission, and c) ensuring to your team that
your contributions are your original work and properly quoted,
cited, and referenced.
Technical Support
Technical Support is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Call 1-877-832-4867, or use the e-mail support form. Answers
to the most common issues are found in the Knowledge Base by
clicking Help, found at the top of every student Web site.
Feedback
Each week, I will provide grades or scores and comments on
assignments within 6 days of when they were submitted. I will
send feedback to your Individual forum. After I send feedback
each week, I will post a notification in the Main forum.
Grading Formula
Points
Grade
95+
A
90-94

7. A-
87-89
B+
84-86
B
80-83
B-
77-79
C+
74-76
C
70-73
C-
67-69
D+
64-66
D
60-63
D-
<59
F
Course Description
See eCampus.
Course Topics & Objectives
Se
e eCampus.
Course Materials
See eCampus.
Software Requirements
In accordance with the University of Phoenix catalog and
program enrollment agreement, students must agree to a
minimum standard for Technology Recommendations and
Competencies, which includes access to and competency in

8. Microsoft® Project. For the purposes of project planning in any
of the university’s undergraduate project management courses,
our faculty have been instructed to utilize Microsoft® Project as
the software of choice for teaching course objectives. In
addition, the university has secured a student rate for purchase
of a full version of Microsoft® Project. For further details click
the Library tab and select Software Offers at the top of the
course page on the University of Phoenix student Web site.
Furthermore, the university recognizes that Microsoft® Project
is one of many options for project planning software. Other
software is acceptable to use, as long as students meet the
course requirements. Regardless of the project planning
software that you have selected, please make every effort to
acquire and familiarize yourself with it prior to Week One of
your project management course. Also, realize that faculty
utilizes valuable instructional time to focus on teaching project
management, not project management software. A link to the
Microsoft® Office Online Help and How-to for Microsoft®
Project is on the University of Phoenix student Web site. Click
on Web Links, select Software Tutorials, and Microsoft®
Project Assistance.
Point Values for Course
Assignments
ASSIGNMENTS
Due
Points
Individual (70%)
Project Management Paper
W1
10
Achieving Project Goals Simulation
W2
10
Project Management Organizational Structures Paper

9. W3
10
Team Creation Paper
W4
5
Final Exam
W5
15
Discussion Questions
All
10
Participation
All
10
Learning Team (30%)
Project Proposal Paper and Presentation
W2
5
Project Planning – Technical Paper
W3
5
Project Planning – Human Capital Paper
W4
5
Project Implementation, Control, and Termination Paper
W5
15
Total
100
Week One
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Read the materials listed on for Week One.

10. 2. Individual Assignment: Project Management Paper
· Prepare a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper that addresses the
following questions:
· What is a project?
· What are the basic phases of the project lifecycle and their
purposes?
· Why is it important for organizations to use project
management to accomplish tasks?
· Format your paper according to APA standards.
3. Read the following items, available at
http://mycampus.phoenix.edu:
a. “Learning Team Handbook.”
b. “Guide to Charter.”
c. “Learning Team Charter.”
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will not count towards the class
participation requirement.
Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4
out of 7 days during the week. Only posts in the Main classroom
forum will count towards your class participation score.
Assignment
Individual or Learning Team
Location

11. Due
Project Management Paper
Individual
Individual
Monday, Day 7
Discussion Question Responses
Individual
Individual
Saturday, Day 5
Participation
Individual
Main
4/7 days
Week Two
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Read the materials listed on for Week Two.
2.
3. Individual Assignment: Achieving Project Goals Simulation
· Resource: Achieving Project Goals simulation.
a.
· Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you address the
following items from the simulation:
b.
1. How did completing this simulation change your perspective
of project management? Provide examples in your response.
2. What advantages and limitations of project management are
identified in the simulation?
3. How do you anticipate bottlenecks when planning for a

12. project?
4. If you are required to crunch the project, which factor would
you compromise on, risk or time? Explain your answer.
5. List four key points from the reading assignments that are
emphasized in the simulation.
6. Format your paper according to APA standards.
4. Learning Team Instructions: Overview of Final Project
· Develop your 5,250- to 7,000-word Final Project plan over the
next four weeks. Each week, you update and add the next phase
to the project plan.
The following are the deliverables for this project:
· Week Two Deliverable: Project Proposal Paper and
Presentation
· Week Three Deliverable: Project Planning – Technical Paper
· Week Four Deliverable: Project Planning – Human Capital
Paper
· Week Five Deliverable: Project Implementation, Control, and
Termination Paper
5. Learning Team Assignment: Project Proposal Paper
· Select a project as the basis for your final project. The project
may be one that applies to your work or your personal life.
Keep in mind, this project is used to explore the concepts of
project management.

13. a.
· Gain faculty approval of your selected project prior to
beginning your assignment. Project characteristics which work
best include the following:
b.
· A project that is of interest to the Learning Team
· A project which requires multiple resources
· A project that is large enough in scope to apply the project
management principles, yet limited enough in scope to be
manageable for you within the next four weeks
· Examples of projects which have worked well are building a
garage or planning a wedding.
· Prepare a 1,400- to 1,750-word project proposal. In your
proposal, include the following items:
c.
· Background and statement of need: Briefly describe the
organization that is in need of the project. Discuss the expected
benefits that are motivating the organization to commission this
project.
1)
· Project stakeholders: Start by identifying the project customer.
This person approves resources for the project and holds your
team accountable for results. Identify additional stakeholders of
the project and determine how they are affected by the project.
2)

14. · Project goals in terms of triple constraint: These are the
measures which are used at the end of the project to judge the
overall success or failure of the project.
3)
· Time: Identify the completion date of the project.
4)
· Budget: List out the expenses and any other resource
constraints for the project.
5)
· Project performance: List the desired outputs from the project.
Specify the performance criteria for the project.
6)
· Project scope: A Statement of Work (SOW) must be developed
to define what is and what is not included in the project.
7)
· Summary: Your proposal summary must be presented to the
project customer and demonstrate that the benefits from
successful completion of the project justify the proposed costs.
8)
· Format your paper according to APA standards.
9)
6. Prepare and Submit the Learning Team Charter.
Weekly Reminders

15. Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will not count towards the class
participation requirement.
Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4
out of 7 days during the week. Only posts in the Main classroom
forum will count towards your class participation score.
Summary of Week 2 Deliverables
Assignment
Individual or Learning Team
Location
Due
Achieving Project Goals Simulation
Individual
Individual
Monday, Day 7
Project Proposal Paper
Learning Team
Individual of a team member
Monday, Day 7
Learning Team Charter
Learning Team
Learning Team
Monday, Day 7
Discussion Question Responses
Individual
Main
Saturday, Day 5
Participation
Individual
Main
4/7 days
Week Three
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Read the materials listed on for Week Three.

16. Individual Assignment: Project Management Organizational
Structures Paper
· Prepare a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you compare
and contrast the three primary project management
organizational structures: functional, matrix, and pure project.
In your paper, discuss the situation in which each structure
would be the best method to manage a project team. Provide
rationale for decisions.
· Format your paper according to APA standards.
Learning Team Assignment: Project Planning – Technical Paper
· Prepare a 1,400- to 1,750-word paper that adds to the project
begun last week. Check to ensure the project’s triple constrains
are still valid. Address the following items in your paper:
· Phase I – Update SOW
a.
· Using the SOW from last week, review and update it based on
course material acquired during the last week. Include in the
update the SMART requirements for the project.
1)
· Identify the specific tasks required to complete each item
listed on the SOW. Identify the resources required to
accomplish each task.
· Phase II – Project Schedule and Budget Update
b.

17. · Arrange the tasks into a schedule that takes into consideration
the required dependencies between tasks. Computerized project
management software is required.
1)
· Present the schedule in either PERT or Gantt chart format.
Identify the critical path through the network.
2)
· Review the network results and compare to the project’s triple
constraint. Specifically compare the following:
3)
· Timing
· Budget
· Project specifications (scope and SMART)
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will not count towards the class
participation requirement.
Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4
out of 7 days during the week. Only posts in the Main classroom
forum will count towards your class participation score.
Summary of Week 3 Deliverables
Assignment
Individual or Learning Team
Location
Due

18. Project Management Organizational Structures Paper
Individual
Individual
Monday, Day 7
Project Planning – Technical Paper
Learning Team
Individual of a team member
Monday, Day 7
Discussion Question Responses
Individual
Individual
Saturday, Day 5
Participation
Individual
Main
4/7 days
Week Four
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENTS
1. Read the materials listed on for Week Four.
2. Individual Assignment: Team Creation Paper
· Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you explain team
development techniques. In your paper, include the following
items:
· Identify how project team members are selected.
· Identify team-building strategies.
· Identify potential areas of conflict within a diverse project
team.
· Identify techniques for reducing the probability of
dysfunctional conflict.

19. · Identify conflict resolution techniques used when conflict
arises.
a.
· Format your paper according to APA standards.
3. Learning Team Assignment: Project Planning – Human
Capital Paper
· Resource: Week One Project
· Use the same project you selected in Week One to prepare a
1,400- to 1,750-word paper in which you demonstrate how you
use communication to maintain effective team work at the
following key points in a project:
· Communication Management: Explain how the project
manager communicates performance evaluation results to both
the management and the customer.
· Team selection: Identify the project organization structure
selected and why it was selected. Explain how approval for this
organization structure is obtained.
· Project revisions: Projects must be revised to eliminate any
resource conflicts over allocations. Generate a task
responsibility matrix, and resource availability matrix to
identify resource conflicts. Next, update your project plan with
necessary revisions. Your paper must identify how the resource
conflicts are identified, what method is used to eliminate these
conflicts, and how these project revisions are communicated
both internally to your team and externally to the organization

20. as a whole.
· Performance monitoring: Discuss how team members report
activities. Explain how the team’s performance is reported to
the project stakeholders.
· In your paper, include the following:
a.
· Risk management items
· Project status information
· Cost and schedule variance analysis
· Formulating cost, schedule, and performance alternatives
· Forecasting budget and schedule completion
· Methods of corrective action taken
· Managing expectations
1)
· Format your paper according to APA standards.
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will not count towards the class
participation requirement.
Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4
out of 7 days during the week. Only posts in the Main classroom

21. forum will count towards your class participation score.
Summary of Week 4 Deliverables
Assignment
Individual or Learning Team
Location
Due
Team Creation Paper
Individual
Individual
Monday, Day 7
Project Planning – Human Capital Paper
Learning Team
Individual of a team member
Monday, Day 7
Discussion Question Responses
Individual
Individual
Saturday, Day 5
Participation
Individual
Main
4/7 days
Week Five
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Read the materials listed on for Week Five.
2. Review the objectives from Week Four, and discuss
additional insights and questions that may have arisen.
3. Individual Assignment: Performance Measurement Paper
· Prepare a 700- to 1,050-word paper in which you compare and
contrast at least three performance measurements. Discuss the
importance of performance measurement within a project.

22. · Format your paper according to APA standards.
4. Individual Assignment: Final Exam
· Prepare to take a final exam before end of Day 7.
5. Learning Team Assignment: Project Implementation, Control,
and Termination Paper and Presentation
· Resource: Week One Project.
· Use the same project selected in Week One and any
information previously gathered. Prepare a 5,250- to 7,000-word
cumulative paper in which you update each component of your
previous papers include the following:
a.
· Project Proposal Paper
· Project Planning – Technical Paper
· Project Planning – Human Capital Paper
1)
· Compile your paper and address the following additional
components:
b.
· Overall evaluation of the project: In particular, how did you
do against the triple constraints?
1)

23. · Timing
· Budget
· Project Specifications
a)
· Steps taken to return the human resources to the organization:
For projects that had people assigned full time, what are their
new full time assignments?
2)
· Input for future projects:
3)
· What went right with the project that must be repeated with
the next project?
· What went wrong that must be corrected with the next project?
· Format your paper according to APA standards.
a)
Weekly Reminders
Discussion Questions
Discussion question responses will not count towards the class
participation requirement.
Participation
All Week: Remember to participate in the class discussions 4
out of 7 days during the week. Only posts in the Main classroom
forum will count towards your class participation score.
Summary of Week 5 Deliverables
Assignment
Individual or Learning Team

24. Location
Due
Project Implementation, Control, and Termination and Final
Paper
Learning Team
Individual of a team member
Monday, Day 7
Final Exam
Individual
Individual
Monday, Day 7
Discussion Question Responses
Individual
Individual
Saturday, Day 5
Participation
Individual
Main
4/7 days