(FALL 2009)

Project Monitoring and Control (Section 2) MGMT X452.39  (2)

A required course in the Certificate Program in Project Management.
This course focuses on proven and newly emerging methodologies for monitoring and controlling projects during the implementation (or post-planning) segment of the project life cycle. Good project planning practices are a vital precursor to attain effective monitoring and control. A brief but thorough review of project initiating and planning practices will be covered, with a special emphasis on project planning with earned value (EV) metrics. By providing early warning signals on the "health" of the project, EV is a powerful means of monitoring and communicating project performance. Additionally, the course provides in-depth coverage of a variety of methods to develop and present meaningful project performance reports, including the application of the earned value methodology to develop trend and variance analyses as well as cost and schedule forecasting. Of equal importance is the management of expectations of all stakeholders. Students will use a variety of monitoring and controlling techniques and will apply them effectively to determine cost and schedule performance against the plan. Students will become adept at "drilling" down into the performance data to flush out the root cause of problems. They will also become skilled at synchronizing EV data with a variety of schedule planning and control techniques, including network diagrams, tracking Gantt charts, crashing and fast tracking. By applying all available tools, students will gain the necessary knowledge to develop a set of possible corrective action scenarios. A highly interactive course with an emphasis on individual and team exercises, enabling the student to enhance their critical thinking and immediately apply the knowledge gained into job-related proficiency. This course also addresses change management and control, including the recognition, implementation and differentiation between product scope and project scope changes. Prerequisite: Mgmt X442.28, Introduction to Project Management Principles and Practices.

Dave Jacob, M.S., principal of Doren Associates, a management consulting company. His company provides services to corporate clients in the development of Project Management and Business Process Systems, Team Building and Staffing Strategies, and Training. He served as president of the Orange County Chapter of the Project Management Institute (PMI). in 1998, he was the recipient of the UCI Distinguished Instructor Award.