• Unit 1: What is Project Management?

    In this unit, we will define project management as a discipline and set the background for its use in an organizational context. We define project management terminology and processes as well as differentiate project management from ongoing operations. We continue to see how the discipline of project management helps support an organization's strategic mission. Various frameworks for executing projects with an emphasis on the Project Management Institutes (PMI) focus will be presented. Finally, we look at the reasons projects succeed or fail.

    Completing this unit should take you approximately 5 hours.

    • Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

      • examine how projects achieve an organization's strategic objectives;
      • distinguish between projects and on-going operations when presented with various scenarios;
      • explain the role of organizational leadership in finding project opportunities and overcoming organizational challenges related to projects;
      • demonstrate best practices that contribute to a project's success or failure; and
      • demonstrate how the triple constraint – scope, schedule, and budget – interplay within a project.

    • 1.1: Introduction to Project Management

      • What is Project Management? Book

        This chapter places context around the practice of project management by defining projects and their characteristics, the process of project management, and the knowledge and skills needed to be a project manager.

      • How Are Projects Different from Ongoing Operations? Page

        It's important to understand the difference between ongoing operations, or work that supports the day-to-day operations of the business, and project work. Be sure to pay close attention to key differences and note when a project moves into operational activities.

    • 1.2: Strategic Vision

      • The Role of Strategy in Management Book

        This chapter focuses on how businesses use strategy to create a competitive advantage and value for the organization. Understanding how organizations can be strategic in their thinking helps ensure that organizations select the right projects to align with what is important.

      • Project Selection Page

        This video will discuss four different methods for project selection, including expert/executive opinion, brainstorming, non-numeric methods, and numeric methods. Each method has its own place within the process of selecting projects.

      • Calculating Net Present Value Page

        This video will demonstrate how to calculate Net Present Value, a method used for selecting projects. As it is important to be able to demonstrate monetary value and payback for projects, it's important to know how to calculate some of the financial measures that will help determine which projects will be more profitable or offer more value to the organization.

    • 1.3: Project Management Terminology

      • Framework for Project Management Book

        This chapter describes the process of project management through the lens of the Project Management Institute (PMI)'s Body of Knowledge (PMBOK).

      • Project Management Frameworks Page

        This video looks at various project management methods that are used within information technology projects. The methods of waterfall, lean, extreme programming, SCRUM, Kanban, and DevOps are discussed. If IT projects are important to you, you will want to pay attention to these methodologies.

      • Project Management FAQs Page

        Review these key terms and concepts used in project management. Pay attention to the roles of the project manager, project sponsor, and the project lifecycle.

    • 1.4: Project Success or Failure

    • Unit 1 Study Resources

      This review video is an excellent way to review what you've learned so far and is presented by one of the professors who created the course.

    • Unit 1 Assessment

      • Unit 1 Assessment Quiz
        Receive a grade

        Take this assessment to see how well you understood this unit.

        • This assessment does not count towards your grade. It is just for practice!
        • You will see the correct answers when you submit your answers. Use this to help you study for the final exam!
        • You can take this assessment as many times as you want, whenever you want.