University of the Cumberlands

Robert W. Plaster Graduate School Business

MBA COURSE SYLLABUS
BUOL 633: 2018 Summer IIG
Planning the Project

Instructor: Dr. Brian Houillion

E-Mail: brian.houillion@ucumberlands.edu

COURSE WEBSITE:

Access to the course website is required via the iLearn portal on the University of the
Cumberlands website: http://www.ucumberlands.edu/ilearn/

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course examines topics in project management with specific attention to the work
breakdown structure, resource planning, organizational charts in project planning, and the
elements of project planning, communications planning, procurement planning, quality
management planning, change management planning and risk management planning.

Credit Hours: 3

Prerequisite: None

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The mission of the Hutton School of Business and the Robert W. Plaster Graduate School of
Business is to foster academic excellence and student achievement at both the undergraduate
and graduate levels. Students are provided with a strong academic foundation in business, and
are prepared to become productive, competent, and ethical professionals. The Hutton School
of Business and Plaster Graduate School of Business provide a learning environment that is
characterized by student-oriented instructional methodologies and the development of
leadership and life-long learning skills in its students.

At the Hutton School of Business and Plaster Graduate School of Business, the following
broad-based goals for students have been developed:
 Students will acquire the relevant disciplinary knowledge and competencies
appropriate to their program of study.
 Students will acquire effective business-related professional skills.

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 1
  Students will be challenged to assess their personal values and connect them to ethical
behaviors appropriate to their intended endeavors.

Based upon these broad-based goals, the Plaster Graduate School of Business has identified the
following general intended student learning outcomes (MBA ISLO) for students:

1. Students will be able to demonstrate well-developed problem-solving skills.

2. Students will be able to identify the major theories and concepts in the areas of
accounting, finance, management, project management, and marketing.
3. Students will be able to apply their findings from the major theories and concepts in the
areas of accounting, finance, management, project management, and marketing to
organizational decision making.
4. Students will be able to analyze the opportunities and challenges of global business
issues.
5. Students will be able to apply standards of ethical behavior in project management to
managerial decision making.
6. Students will be able to apply appropriate technological and quantitative methods and
tools to the solution of project management problems.
7. Students will be able to demonstrate advanced professional business communication
skills.
8. Students will be able to demonstrate well-developed organizational, leadership, and
teamwork skills.
9. Students will be able to integrate theory and practical application across business
functional areas for the purpose of strategic analysis, planning, implementation, and
control.
10. Students will be able to successfully conduct academic research and scholarly writing.

Further, the Hutton School of Business and the Plaster Graduate School of Business has
developed the following intended student learning outcomes for students pursuing the Project
Management concentration (PM ISLO) in the Master of Business Administration Program.

1. Students will be able to increase their knowledge and identification of the project
management process including planning the project, initiating the project, executing the
project, monitoring the project, and controlling the project.
2. Students will be able to apply advanced analytical and critical thinking skills to evaluate
information, solve problems, and make sound decisions in the different areas of project
management.
3. Students will be able to conduct research on issues and questions relevant to the field of
project management.
4. Students will be able to identify the ethical and legal responsibilities of project managers.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

Upon completion of this course, the student will acquire and demonstrate enhanced:

 Project requirement gathering techniques

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 2
  Estimating techniques for project budgeting based on project scope
 Development of a human resource management project plan
 Development of a communications, resource procurement, and quality management plan
 Development of a change management and risk management plan for the project
 Workflow diagramming techniques and application of organizational charts

REQUIRED TEXT

Kloppenborg, T., Anantatmula, V., & Wells, K. (2019). Contemporary project management (3rd
ed). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.

Pinto, J.K. (2016). Project Management: Achieving Competitive Advantage (4th ed). Boston:
Pearson

Textbooks are required for this course and the other courses in this program. All materials
for this course and program can be found in the textbook and Internet website(s) for this course.
All reading materials are contained in the textbook and within library databases and Internet
sources. All assignments are posted on iLearn.

Additional Requirement(s):

Other articles and readings may be assigned by course professor.

COURSE EXPECTATIONS:

A. Course Activities and Experiences:

Students are expected to:

 Be fully prepared for each class session by studying the assigned reading material related
to the current topics of interest.
 Read related articles from current literature and evaluate these articles either in writing or
verbally, formally or informally.
 Actively participate in the online weekly and on-campus weekend discussion of course
topics.
 Complete course project that integrates current organizational behavior theories with
examples and issues encountered in day-to-day work activities.
 Complete specific assignments and exams when specified and in a professional manner.
 Utilize learned technologies for class assignments.

B. Academic Integrity:

At a Christian liberal arts university committed to the pursuit of truth and understanding, any
act of academic dishonesty is especially distressing and cannot be tolerated. In general,
academic dishonesty involves the abuse and misuse of information or people to gain an

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 3
 undeserved academic advantage or evaluation. The common forms of academic dishonesty
include:
a. cheating - using deception in the taking of tests or the preparation of written work, using
unauthorized materials, copying another person’s work with or without consent, or
assisting another in such activities
b. lying—falsifying, fabricating, or forging information in either written, spoken, or video
presentations
c. plagiarism—using the published writings, data, interpretations, or ideas of another
without proper documentation

Episodes of academic dishonesty are reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs.
The potential penalty for academic dishonesty includes a failing grade on a particular
assignment, a failing grade for the entire course, or charges against the student with the
appropriate disciplinary body.

C. Attendance:

Attendance and participation in the weekly discussions is expected. Regular and timely
participation in the weekly discussions is a key measure of student attendance. It is also
required for the effective delivery of course material, discussion of key concepts, and
development of cooperative and collegial relationships between students and faculty. Regular
and punctual attendance provides the opportunity for meaningful contribution to the learning
environment and will yield academic results and longer-term success in professional
development. NOTE: Each student must be in attendance for the entire duration of the
required residency weekend. Late arrivals and or early departures are not
permitted. Punctuality is important as each student is required to have their documented
in-seat time per USCIS regulations. If a student is not in attendance the entire time they
will be required to pay $300 make up fees and attend a residency make up session. (No
exceptions).

D. Students with Disabilities:

Students who may have a disability meriting an academic accommodation should contact
Mr. Jacob Ratliff in the Boswell Campus Center to ensure that their needs are properly
evaluated and that documentation is on file. Any accommodations for disabilities must be
re-certified each semester by the Academic Affairs Office before course adjustments
are made by individual instructors.

E. Student Responsibilities:

 Students should check for e-mail and class announcements using iLearn (primary) and
University of the Cumberlands webmail (secondary).
 Students are expected to find out class assignments for missed classes and make up
missed work. If you are absent from class, you are still responsible for the material
covered and any announcements made by your instructor.

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 4
  Students are expected to find out if any changes have been made in the class or
assignment schedule.
 Written work must be presented in a professional manner. Work that is not
submitted in a professional manner will not be evaluated and will be returned as
unacceptable.
 Students are expected to take the examinations on the designated dates. If you are unable
to take the exam on the scheduled date and know in advance, you are to make
arrangements with your professor before the designated date. If you miss the exam, you
must have a legitimate reason as determined by your professor.

F. Deadlines and Dues Dates: Recognizing that a large part of professional life is meeting
deadlines, it is necessary to develop time management and organizational skills. Failure to
meet the course deadlines may result in penalties. No work will be accepted after it is 3
days late.

COURSE ASSIGNMENTS AND EVALUATION:

Student Introduction (30 points): Student will post an introduction about themselves designed
to help classmates and the instructor get to know each other.

Case Study Assignments (100 points each for a total of 200 points).
At two different times during this course, the student will be given a case study from the Pinto
text to read. The assignment involves that the student read the case study and answer some or all
of the question at the end of the case study in a 3-5 page paper. Refer to the course schedule
matrix for due dates for all case assignments. All case study assignments are due at 11:55 p.m.
EST (Sunday) on the assigned week. Case study assignments are due on weeks 2 and 5).

Online Discussions (20 points each for a total of 100 points).

The student will respond to each of five (5) discussion questions during the course. Each
question involves the student posting a substantive response of at least 200 words and reference
the textbook or any outside source. In addition, to the initial post of the discussion, the student is
required to respond to any TWO (2) classmate’s responses. These responses should be
substantive and a minimum of 75 words. A response such as “I agree” or “I liked what was said”
is NOT substantive and will not be counted for course credit. Please be aware of time constraints
as all discussion question responses are due on Sunday evening at 11:55 p.m. EST. The online
discussion questions are due on weeks 1,3,4,5,7, and 8.

DQ1: Think of a recent project you completed and choose three stakeholders. Prioritize them,
using the six criteria model. (Week 1)

DQ2: You are the project manager assigned to build and decorate a model home. What might be
an example of a lead you encounter when scheduling work activities? (Week 3)

DQ3: Describe a potential timing issue that can occur early in a project and a potential timing
issue that can occur at the end of a project. How would you address each of these issues in your
project? (Week 4)

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 5
DQ4: Why is it important for project managers to understand the fixed and variable costs of a
project? (Week 5)

DQ5: To help identify risks, what are some questions a project manager could ask when
reviewing the project charter and WBS? (Week 7/8) NOTE: The online discussion question
for week 8 is due on Wednesday evening of Week 7/8 at 11:55 p.m. EST.

Exercise Projects (100 points each for a total of 200 points).

The student is required to respond to the exercises per the Course Schedule Matrix on weeks 2
and 6. Each of the two exercises should be approximately 2 pages in length and in response
to the exercise questions (from the Kloppenborg text). These assignments are due on weeks 2
and 6 on Sunday evenings at 11:55 p.m. EST.

Journal Article Reviews (100 points each for a total of 200 points).
The student is required to choose a journal article regarding the topics covered weeks 3 and 4.
The Kloppenborg text has additional readings available at the end of each chapter. Any of these
journal articles can be used for this assignment. The critique will discuss a summary of the
article along with relevant points made by the author. In addition, the student should offer a
critique of the article and should give an application of the concept being discussed. This
assignment should be approximately 2-3 pages in length. These assignments are due on weeks
3 and 4 on Sunday evenings at 11:55 p.m. EST.

Planning the Project Course Breakdown

 Work breakdown structure
 Resource Planning
 Using organizational charts in the project planning
 Elements of project planning
 Elements of communication planning
 Elements of procurement planning
 Elements of quality management planning
 Elements of change management planning
 Elements of risk management planning

Final Paper (250 points)

The final paper will require the student to complete two (2) case studies from the Pinto text and
respond to three (3) exercise questions from the Kloppenborg text. Students should incorporate
outside resources into their paper. A minimum of five (5) outside sources will need to be
referenced. This assignment is due on Sunday evening of week 7 by 11:55 p.m. EST.

Respond to two (2) of the three (3) following case studies from Pinto Chapter 7 (pgs. 245-251):
 Case Study 7.1
 Case Study 7.2

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 6
  Case Study 7.3

Students will respond to Exercise Questions #3 and #4 of Chapter 12 in the Kloppenburg text
(pp. 419 and 420).

The Final Course Paper should be approximately 10-12 pages with at least five (5) outside
references.

COURSE EVALUATION:

The student’s final grade will be determined by the results of all assignments and activities for
the course. Grading criteria are provided below:

200 points Case Study Assignments

200 points Exercise Projects
200 points Journal Article Reviews
50 points Introduction and Course Evaluation
100 points Online Discussions
250 points Final Paper
1000 points Total

Grading Scale:
A 90 – 100%
B 80 - 89%
C 70 - 79%
F 0 - 69%

Syllabus Disclaimer:

This syllabus is intended as a set of guidelines for this course and the professor reserves the right
to make modifications in content, schedule, and requirements as necessary to promote the best
education possible within conditions affecting this course. Any changes to the syllabus will be
discussed with the students.

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 7
 BUOL633 Course Schedule

Week Meeting Reading/Topic Assignment Assessment

Kloppenborg Introduction Introduction (25)
Chapter 6:
Stakeholder
Analysis and Online
July Communication Discussion Online Discussion (DQ1) (20)
1
2-8 Planning

Pinto
Chapter 2.1 – 2.2
(pages 36-47)
Kloppenborg Kloppenborg Exercise Project #1 (100)
Chapter 7: Scope (Ch. 7). End of
Planning Chapter
Exercise (#1
and #2 on Page
July 241)
2
9 - 15
Pinto Pinto Chapter 5: Case Study #1 (100)
Chapter 5: Scope Choose One:
Management Case study 5.2,
5.3 or 5.4

Kloppenborg, Online Online Discussion (DQ2) (20)

Chapter 8: Discussion
Scheduling Projects
July
3
16 - 22 Pinto Journal Article Journal Article Review #1 (100)
Chapter 9: Project Review
Scheduling

Kloppenborg Online Online Discussion (DQ3) (20)

Chapter 9: Discussion
Resourcing Projects
July
4
23 - 29 Pinto Journal Article Journal Article Review #2 (100)
Chapter 6: Project Review
Team Building

Kloppenborg, Online Online Discussion (DQ4) (20)

Chapter 10: Discussion
July 30
5 Budgeting Projects
– Aug 5

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 8
 Pinto Chapter 8,
Pinto Case study 8.1 Case Study #2 (100)
Chapter 8: Cost or 8.2
Estimation and
Budgeting

Kloppenborg, Kloppenborg, Exercise Project #2 (100)

Chapter 11: Project Ch 11, end of
Risk Planning chapter exercise
(#1 and #2)
Aug (Page 380)
6
6 - 12
Pinto
Chapter 7: Risk
Management

Kloppenborg, Final Paper Due Final Course Paper (250)

Chapter 12: Project End of Week 7
Aug Quality Planning
7
13 - 19 and Kickoff

Kloppenborg, Online Online Discussion (DQ5) (20)

Chapter 12: Project Discussion
Quality Planning Course Evaluation (25)
Aug and Kickoff
8
20 - 21 (Continued)
Pinto Chapter 6:
Project Team
Building

**Schedule is tentative in that your professor has the discretion to change the schedule with prior
notification to the class.

BUOL633 Course Syllabus

Page 9