ENGR405:

Lesson 1 Overview

During this course, you will become familiar with project management basics and have a chance to apply what you learn as you work through a semester-long course project. To succeed in this course, it is important that you start each lesson early in the week to allow time to complete the lesson assignments. A big part of project management is time management, and that will also be a big part of being successful in this course!

Each lesson module will begin with a brief overview of the lesson, the learning objectives, and an overview of the reading assignments for that lesson. It is important that you read the reading assignments listed in the lesson overview before continuing on to the remainder of the lesson commentary, as some of the exercises embedded within the module expect that you have already read the assigned material. Occasionally, additional short reading assignments or web links are introduced within the commentary that are not included in the overview readings, but these are typically short readings of one to three pages.

In addition to the basics of project management that are covered in Textbook 1, another big component of this course includes supplemental material, exam prep suggestions, and tips to help prepare you to take the PMP^®/CAPM^® project management certification exams.

ENGR 405 Project Management for Professionals was developed with two key audiences in mind. The first audience includes those of you who are now or will be in the future working on a project team or serving as a project manager. For this audience, the course provides practical instruction to enable students to effectively manage projects and demonstrate an understanding of the formal project management process. The second audience includes students in the first category that are also interested in pursuing a Project Management Professional (PMP^®) or Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM^®) certification.

The course lesson commentaries provide material that supplements the readings in your textbooks. The commentary includes test prep tips for those of you interested in taking the PMP^® or CAPM^® exam as well as material that is needed to complete the lesson assignments.

There is a lot of material provided through the two course books and the online commentary; you may choose the extent to which you want to cover this material based on whether your future plans include the PMP^® or CAPM^® exam.

Students Not Taking the PMP^® or CAPM^® Exam

If you have no future interest in taking one of the exams, you may wish to cover only the following materials:

• Read the Textbook 1 readings and other supplemental reading assignments (you do not need to read the Textbook 2 readings).
• Read the lesson commentary.
• Take the lesson quizzes (for “extra credit”) until you are satisfied with your grade.*

Students Planning to Take the PMP^® or CAPM^® Exam

If you are interesting in taking one of the exams, you should cover the following materials:

• Read all reading assignments (including the Textbook 2 readings).
• Read all of the lesson commentary and carefully review the PMP^®/CAPM^® exam tips.
• Prepare index cards for each of the 49 project management processes and their inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs; continuously review them and be able to place them in the correct project management process groups and knowledge areas.
• Take the lesson quizzes (for “extra credit”) as many times as you can for practice.*

*Each lesson includes a quiz that is worth a small fraction of the course grade. Each quiz includes approximately five questions based on the Textbook 1 material. The remaining quiz questions were developed to give you practice for the PMP^®/CAPM^® exam. You may take each quiz up to 5 times, and you will retain the highest score. The quiz questions will come from a larger bank of questions specific to the project management (PM) processes covered in the lesson. As you take the quiz a second and third time (and so on), you will encounter different questions, giving you more practice for the exam.

Course Exams

Please note that there are three course exams. These exams do not include PMP^®/CAPM^® process questions; they are solely focused on the material in Textbook 1.

This first lesson will introduce you to the Project Management Institute (PMI)^® and various project management certifications. The content in this course is tied to PMI^®’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)^®, which is assessed on certification exams. The lesson provides an overview of the PMBOK^® structure, which both presents a logical environment for learning the keys to effective project management, and also prepares you for exam certification, if that is something you plan to pursue in the future.

You will begin exploration of project management with a discussion regarding the characteristics of a project, the life cycle of a project, project constraints and their impact on a project, and the project management process. You will also have a brief look at project team development and effective communication, as these are important for your work throughout the course; keep in mind that they are covered in greater detail much later in the course.

Learning Objectives

Upon conclusion of this lesson, you should be able to

• navigate this course;
• identify the characteristics of a project;
• describe the project life cycle, and identify activities in each phase;
• identify project constraints, and describe their potential impact on a project; and
• discuss the project management process.

Lesson Readings & Videos

Please complete the assigned textbook readings prior to reading the lesson commentary:

• Course Syllabus
• Textbook 1: Chapter 1
• Textbook 2:
  • pages 1–11 and 17–41
• Lesson Commentary, includes:
  • Video series on Exam Tips: Project Management Professional (PMP^®) (9 short videos; 47m 49s total).

Lesson Activities

• Journal Entries (2)
• Video Biography (initial video post)
• Lesson 1 Questions
• Lesson 1 Quiz

Tips for Getting Started in This Course

This course can be beneficial to those of you who work or plan to work as a project manager, as well as those of you who have never worked formally as a project manager. Chances are that most of you have worked on a project team or have undertaken a personal project at home and understand that project management basics can be beneficial to you in your personal life as well as your work on a team. During the course, it might be difficult for some of you to relate to the material without formal project experience. For those of you in this situation, try to relate the material to a personal project, whether that project is planning and executing a birthday party or wedding, or building a deck in your backyard. Being able to connect the information to a tangible project will help you to understand and apply the various project management concepts. A key to successfully undertaking the project as well as the rest of the lessons and activities in this course will be effective time management. Keep this in mind as you establish your study regimen and team modus operandi.

Please be sure to read through the Syllabus, and let me know if you have any questions. To help everyone get to know each other better, you will be creating an introduction video biography for one of your assignments in this lesson. Be sure to watch your instructor’s video when you work on the activity.

As described in your Syllabus, there are some assignments, such as discussions, that require you to submit your initial assignment (video or response to a discussion prompt) by 11:59 p.m. (ET) Thursday to allow your classmates time to view your video or read your response to the discussion prompt, and post a comment by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on the following Sunday.

Project Management Software: Microsoft Project (MS Project)

Your course textbook relies heavily on MS Project to illustrate important concepts throughout the course. You will need access to MS Project (or an equivalent such as Project Libre—a free open-source project management tool) to complete components of the course project starting in Lesson 4.

Please note that MS Project is only compatible with Windows operating systems. Mac users will need to use Project Libre.

MS Project via Microsoft Azure

You also have the option to access MS Project 2016 and MS Project 2019 via Microsoft Azure Website. You will need to sign in with your Penn State WebAccess account and agree to the Terms of Service before you access the software. You can review the steps via Accessing MS Project Through the Microsoft Azure Website document. But, please note that there could be a potential conflict with Office depending on the version that it installed. If you have any problems with the process, please contact the World Campus HelpDesk for assistance.

Project Management Body of Knowledge (With Journal Entry L1-1)

It is nearly time to dig into the meat of the course. But first, some of the organizations, sources, certifications, and acronyms will be clarified that you will encounter in your studies. To be a well-versed project manager, your awareness of these entities is important. In fact, you may want to join or be certified by a professional organization—this knowledge can be an important part of your resume and open career paths for you.

Project Management Institute (PMI)^®

The Project Management Institute (PMI)^® is a project management professional organization that provides services related to the development of standards, research, education, publication, networking opportunities in local chapters, hosting conferences and training seminars, and providing accreditation in project management. Visit the Project Management Institute website.

Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)^®

The PMI^® works with volunteers to create industry standards such as A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge. This guide is in its sixth edition, which was released in the fall of 2017. See the next pages, PMBOK^® changes, for differences between the 5th and 6th edition of the PMBOK Guide^®.

PMI^® Certifications

The PMI^® offers certification in several areas of project management:

• Project Management Professional (PMP)^®
• Portfolio Management Professional (PfMP)^®
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^®
• PMI Professional in Business Analysis (PMI-PBA)^®
• Program Management Professional (PgMP)^®
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^®
• PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)^®
• PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)^®

The instructors designed this course to help prepare you for future PMI^® certification. The following includes a list of requirements for PMP^® certifications and CAPM^® certification (adapted from PMP^® as of 2016):

Project Management Professional (PMP)^® Certification

Prerequisites include

• secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or the global equivalent);
• 7,500 hours leading and directing projects; and
• 35 hours of project management education

or

• four-year degree;
• 4,500 hours leading and directing projects; and
• 35 hours of project management education.

PMP^® Certification Exam (PMI^® member: $405*, Nonmember: $555) includes

• 200 multiple-choice questions,
• four hours to complete exam, and
• 60 professional development units (PDUs) required every three years to maintain PMP^®.

Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^® Certification

CAPM^® certification is an option for those of you interested in some type of certification but do not yet have the prerequisite hours of project management experience.

Prerequisites include

• secondary degree (high school diploma, associate’s degree, or the global equivalent); and
• 1,500 hours of project experience

or

• 23 hours of project management education completed by the time you sit for the exam.

CAPM^® Certification Exam (PMI^® member: $225*; Non-member: $300) includes

• 150 multiple-choice questions; and
• three hours to complete exam.

To maintain your CAPM^®, you must retake the exam every five years.

*If you are interested in taking the PMP^® or CAPM^® exam while you are a student, you can join PMI^® with a student membership of $32 (compared to the standard rate of $129). As noted previously, PMI^® membership saves you money on the cost of the certification exams. Please note the prices are quoted for 2016. To receive the PMI^® membership discount, you will need your PMI^® membership number on the exam application.

Watch the following LinkedIn Learning videos on Exam Tips: Project Management Professional (PMP^®) by Sandy Mitchell (9 short videos; 47m 49s total). Be sure to watch the study tips, as they will help you throughout this course.

If you are not already logged in through Penn State go Penn State's LinkedIn Learning page, login, and then click on the video series link.

These videos cover the following:

Before You Start Studying:

• What is the PMP^® certification?
• What are the PMP^® eligibility requirements?
• Tips for filling out the application
• PMI audit process

Studying for the Exam:

• Study tips
• Reading and understanding exam questions

Taking the Exam:

• What to expect on exam day
• Time strategies for taking the exam

Conclusion: What’s Next

• What to do after the exam

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Stop, Think, and Reflect—Journal Entry L1-1

• Please reflect on whether you see having a project management certification as beneficial to your career plans in the next five years. Is project management a significant component of your current or near-future career responsibilities? Do you plan to pursue some type of certification through the PMI^®?

Before continuing with this lesson, think about what you just covered, and reflect on these questions. Then write down your answers or reactions, and submit them in the text box of Journal Entry L1-1.

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Journal Entry L1-1

Answer the following questions before moving on to the rest of this course to realize the full potential impact of these assignments:

• Please reflect on whether you see having a project management certification as beneficial to your career plans in the next 5 years. Is project management a significant component of your current or near future career responsibilities. Do you plan to pursue some type of certification through the PMI®?

Journal Entry 1 Rubric

Criteria	Fully Completed	Missing
Please reflect on whether you see having a project management certification as beneficial to your career plans in the next 5 years. Is project management a significant component of your current or near future career responsibilities. Do you plan to pursue some type of certification through the PMI®?	5.0 pts	0.0 pts

Course Alignment With PMBOK®

Textbook 2 outlines 10 project management knowledge areas, and Textbook 1 supports Textbook 2. Textbook 1 illustrates this alignment on page xix of the preface. In addition, Table 1.1 summarizes this alignment along with the distribution of questions on the PMP® exam.

Table 1.1. Alignment of Project Management Knowledge Areas and Course Textbook (by Chapter)

Knowledge Areas	% of Exam Questions
3. Project Management Processes	15%
4. Project Integration Management Textbook 1, Chapters 1, 2, 4, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12, and 13	12%
5. Project Scope Management Textbook 1, Ch. 4: “Defining Scope, Quality, Responsibility, and Activity Sequence”	11%
6. Project Schedule Management Textbook 1, Ch. 4: “Defining Scope, Quality, Responsibility, and Activity Sequence” Textbook 1, Ch. 5: “Developing the Schedule” Textbook 1, Ch. 6: “Resource Utilization”	12%
7. Project Cost Management Textbook 1, Ch. 7: “Determining Costs, Budget, and Earned Value”	7%
8. Project Quality Management Textbook 1, Ch. 4: “Defining Scope, Quality, Responsibility, and Activity Sequence”	6%
9. Project Resource Management Textbook 1, Ch. 4: “Defining Scope, Quality, Responsibility, and Activity Sequence” Textbook 1, Ch. 5: “Developing the Schedule” Textbook 1, Ch. 6: “Resource Utilization” Textbook 1, Ch. 10: “The Project Manager” Textbook 1, Ch. 11: “The Project Team” Textbook 1, Ch. 12: “Project Communication and Documentation” Textbook 1, Ch. 13: “Project Management Organizational Structures”	8%
10. Project Communications Management Textbook 1, Ch. 12: “Project Communication and Documentation”	6%
11. Project Risk Management Textbook 1, Ch. 8: “Managing Risk”	9%
12. Project Procurement Management Textbook 1, Ch. 2: “Identifying and Selecting Projects” Textbook 1, Ch. 3: “Developing Project Proposals” Textbook 1, Ch. 9: “Closing the Project”	7%
13. Project Stakeholder Management Textbook 1, Ch. 1: “Project Management Concepts” Textbook 1, Ch. 10: “The Project Manager” Textbook 1, Ch. 12: “Project Communication and Documentation”	7%

Throughout the commentary, the instructors will be providing insights that will be helpful to you, if you decide to sit for one of the PMI® certification exams. In addition, they will have exam prep test questions scattered throughout the commentary to allow additional practice. When possible, they will also align the course reading quiz questions with test prep questions for additional practice.

Project Management Processes

PMBOK^® breaks project management into knowledge areas, but it also breaks it down by high-level processes: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. Table 1.2 illustrates the relationship between the project management processes, knowledge areas, and the 49 project management processes and the approximate breakdown of PMP^® exam questions by process groups. Each of the 49 processes are labeled according to the numbering scheme used in the PMBOK^® and will be referenced throughout the course.

It is important to note that the project life cycle is not the same as the project management life cycle, although they both can include the same phases: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing. The project life cycle may not include all phases, depending on the size of the project. For very large projects with multiple intermediate phases, you can repeat the project management life cycle within each phase. The project management processes presented throughout the course lessons are used by project managers in the formal project management process, designed to assure adequate management of the most complex, extensive programs. Often, you can expect to manage smaller projects with the same key elements, but with less formality and less comprehensive detail.

Table 1.2 has the PMP^® exam breakdown by project management processes and knowledge areas. Percentages indicate the percentage of exam questions in each process or knowledge domain. Topic numbers indicate the corresponding chapter section within the PMBOK^® Guide.

Table 1.2. PMP® Exam Breakdown by Knowledge Areas and Project Management Processes

Knowledge Areas	Initiating Process Group 13%	Planning Process Group 24%	Executing Process Group 30%	Monitoring and Controlling Process Group 25%	Closing Process Group 8%
3. Project Management Process 15% (15% of questions on processes specifically)
4. Project Integration Management 12%	4.1 Develop Project Charter	4.2 Develop Project Management Plan	4.3 Direct and Manage Project Work 4.4 Manage Project Knowledge	4.5 Monitor and Control Project Work 4.6 Perform Integrated Change Control	4.7 Close Project or Phase
5. Project Scope Management 11%		5.1 Plan Scope Management 5.2 Collect Requirements 5.3 Define Scope 5.4 Create WBS		5.5 Validate Scope 5.6 Control Scope
6. Project Schedule Management 12%		6.1 Plan Schedule Management 6.2 Define Activities 6.3 Sequence Activities 6.4 Estimate Activity Durations 6.5 Develop Schedule		6.6 Control Schedule
7. Project Cost Management 7%		7.1 Plan Cost Management 7.2 Estimate Costs 7.3 Determine Budget		7.4 Control Costs
8. Project Quality Management 6%		8.1 Plan Quality Management	8.2 Manage Quality	8.3 Control Quality
9. Project Resource Management 8%		9.1 Plan Resource Management 9.2 Estimate Activity Resources	9.3 Acquire Resources 9.4 Develop Team 9.5 Manage Team	9.6 Control Resources
10. Project Communications Management 6%		10.1 Plan Communications Management	10.2 Manage Communications	10.3 Control Communications
11. Project Risk Management 9%		11.1 Plan Risk Management 11.2 Identify Risks 11.3 Perform Qualitative Risk Analysis 11.4 Perform Quantitative Risk Analysis 11.5 Plan Risk Responses	11.6 Implement Risk Responses	11.7 Monitor Risks
12. Project Procurement Management		12.1 Plan Procurement Management	12.2 Conduct Procurements	12.4 Control Procurements
13. Project Stakeholder Management	13.1 Identify Stakeholders	13.2 Plan Stakeholder Engagement	13.3 Manage Stakeholder Engagement	13.4 Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

PMP®/CAPM® Test Taking Tips

Having gone through the relationships between Textbook 1, Textbook 2, and your studies, it is appropriate to spend a few moments considering how you will be able to best use this course to prepare for the certification exam(s). Throughout the online course commentary, the instructors will provide test taking tips for the PMP®/CAPM® exams. When possible, they will structure the lesson quizzes in the format of actual exam questions to test your understanding and to serve as practice for the exam. The questions on these quizzes carry much less weight than the exam questions and are meant to be more of a self-check.

Textbook 2 discusses inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs related to the project management processes, where the outputs of one process can become the inputs to another process.

Inputs and outputs are documentable items or documents, such as organizational processes, policies and plans, deliverables, constraints and assumptions, reports, estimates, results, assessments, work break structures, and so on.

Tools and techniques are what you use or what you do to inputs to create outputs. Tools and techniques could include things like software, estimating systems, inspections, templates, skills and knowledge, facilitation techniques, and so on.

Project Management Concepts

The previous pages of this lesson demonstrated the relationships between Textbook 2, the lesson material, and test taking tips. As you delve into the actual project management processes, it is important to understand PM concepts. Your assigned reading for this lesson introduced you to an overview of these basic project management concepts. These concepts included the attributes of a project, the project life cycle (initiating, planning, performing, and closing) and the project management process.

This initial chapter provides a quick overview, and each of these areas will be explored in more detail in subsequent chapters and lesson modules, so don’t be discouraged with the large amount of information presented in this overview.

Business Operations Versus Projects

Your book describes specific attributes of a project. Be sure that you have reviewed those attributes and are able to describe what constitutes a project. There is a strong connection between business operations and projects. Projects and operations are performed by people, constrained by limited resources, and planned, executed, and controlled. You might initiate a project in response to an operational need. Once the project outcome (product or service) is complete, it is turned over to operations. The distinction between the two types of activities is that operational work is ongoing in support of the organization, while project work ends when the project closes. Operations are ongoing, include standard products or repetitive services, and can include generally repetitive processes that follow the organization's existing procedures with the purpose of sustaining the business.

Lesson 1 Focus on Practice

Projects defined: For each of the following, indicate if you think each one meets the definition of a project as discussed in your book and the lesson commentary.

 

The Project Life Cycle and Project Management Processes

As discussed in your reading, the project life cycle has four phases that includes project initiation, project planning, performing the work required to complete the project deliverables, and project closure activities. Note that the text does not separate out the “fifth” step, as in Textbook 2—monitoring and control—but consolidates it into the performing phase.

Initiating Phase

The initiating phase of a project includes project identification and selection. During this phase, it is important to determine whether a project should be completed. All organizations have a limit on resources and a determination must be made as to whether a project should be undertaken. You will review project selection in more detail in Chapter 2 of your book.

As discussed in your readings, a project is formally initiated through a project charter. Project charters typically come from the sponsor of the project, where the sponsor formally authorizes the project. You will explore project charters in more depth in Chapter 2/Lesson 2.

As reviewed earlier, the project management process includes five process groups that map onto the project cycle. The initiating phase of a project falls within the initiating process group and includes all of the activities related to 4.1: Develop Project Charter and 13.1: Identify Stakeholders project management processes (see Table 1–2).

Planning Phase

The planning phase of a project maps to the planning project management process group. It includes the development of the project management plan that includes many different sub-components that span planning activities related to project scope, time, cost, quality, resources, communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholders. Of the 49 project management processes that you will cover in this course, 24 of them are in the planning process group.

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Focus on Application

The ability to properly plan a project can be one of the key distinguishing attributes of young engineers, an attribute that can accelerate their career over their contemporaries.

While much of what you will discuss can be considered common sense, the expectations and tools that constitute accepted program management standards are universal. “Doing your own thing” may suffice for one project, but not for another. Doing it the proven way will succeed!

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Performing Phase

The performing phase of a project includes an activities map to both the executing process group and the monitoring and controlling process group. There are 10 project management processes in the executing process group, and 12 processes in the monitoring and controlling process group. You have completed your planning, and now you need to get down to the work to accomplish the project objectives.

Closing Phase

The closing phase of a project maps to the closing project management process group. As discussed in your readings, the closing phase of the project is an important component of project management and often overlooked. There is 1 project management process associated with this process group, closing the project or phase.

“Project management planning, organizing, coordinating, leading, and controlling resources to accomplish the project objective. The project management process involves planning the work and then working the plan” (Gido et al., 2018, p. 15).

As discussed in your readings and as highlighted by the amount of focus on the planning process, it is evident that planning is a critical part of the success of a project.

Balancing Project Constraints (With Journal Entry L1-2)

Your textbook discusses the importance of balancing project constraints and how critical each of the constraints shown are to the success of your project, shown in Figure 1.2 here.

Take a brief look at these constraints and consider the impact on the success of a project:

• Quality and Scope: Obviously, poor quality is an issue, as is not achieving the agreed upon scope, but often the level of acceptance is debatable or negotiable. You must identify and agree upon these early in the project, as you develop the scope and management plans. Disagreement on or inability to achieve the agreed-upon project quality or scope can turn an otherwise successful project into a failure.
• Stakeholders and Customer Satisfaction: It is important to know who reports to whom, who has controlling interests, who benefits, who invests, and so on. Basically, whom do you need to satisfy? Understanding the stakeholders' and customers' expectations or requirements is essential to achieving a satisfactory project outcome.
• Schedule: Again, you identify and agree upon this early in the project as you develop the scope and management plans. When defining the schedule, you must consider both the work as well as the needs of the stakeholders. Often, there are penalties for late completion, and on occasion, awards for early completion.
• Budget and Resources: Key items are definition and tracking of the income and expenditures—the budget. Again, this is interrelated to the quality and schedule, with a strong connection to the resources—what is needed and what is available for the project. In fact, there is often an analogy to a three-legged stool, where any of the three legs (quality, schedule, budget), if not completed well, can cause the project to tip and fall.
• Risk: With overt recognition of risks, whether to the scope, quality, costs, resources, schedule, customer satisfaction, and so on, the project manager can institute preventive measures and plan on reactive actions if (and when) things do not go according to expectations. Lacking a risk management plan is an invitation for uncontrolled deviations.

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Stop, Think, and Reflect—Journal Entry L1-2

• Once you get going on a project, unforeseen circumstances can jeopardize your ability to achieve your project’s objective, as it relates to the project’s scope, cost, or schedule. What are some unforeseen circumstances that could impact each of these: scope, cost, or schedule? Give a different example for each, NOT the same example that impacts all three.
• What preventive actions should you take now to preclude their occurrence? What reactive actions can you plan on in case they occur?

Before continuing with this lesson, think about what you just covered, and reflect on these questions. Then write down your answers or reactions, and submit them in the text box of the Journal Entry L1-2.

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Journal Entry L1-2

Answer the following questions before moving on to the rest of this course to realize the full potential impact of these assignments:

• Once you get going on a project, unforeseen circumstances can jeopardize your ability to achieve your project’s objective as it relates to the project’s scope, cost, or schedule. What are some unforeseen circumstances that could impact each of these: scope, cost, or schedule? Give a different example for each, NOT the same example that impacts all three.
• What preventive actions should you take now to preclude their occurrence, what reactive actions can you plan on in case they occur?

Journal Entry 2 Rubric

Criteria	Fully Completed	Missing
Once you get going on a project, unforeseen circumstances can jeopardize your ability to achieve your project’s objective as it relates to the project’s scope, cost, or schedule. What are some unforeseen circumstances that could impact each of these: scope, cost, or schedule?	2.5 pts	0.0 pts
What preventive actions should you take now to preclude their occurrence, what reactive actions can you plan on in case they occur?	2.5 pts	0.0 pts

Lesson 1 Summary

During this lesson, you were introduced to the Project Management Institute (PMI)®, their certifications, and the structure of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)®. This information was provided for those of you interested in taking one of the certification exams. Throughout the course, the instructors will be providing test taking tips, and they strongly suggest that you purchase some index cards and use them to identify the PMBOK® Guide five process groups, 10 knowledge areas, and 49 project management processes. Use these cards to define these terms and establish relationships. Remember, for the 49 processes, start by writing the name on the front of the card and leave the back of the card blank. As you move through this course we will call out important inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs related to each process, and you can write those on the back of your cards as you go. Even if you do not see an exam in your near future, this activity will help you to organize the course information and you never know it might come in handy in a year or two.

You were also introduced to the characteristics of a project, the life cycle of a project, project constraints and their impact on a project, and the project management process. You also had a brief look at project team development and effective communication. As you saw, planning and communication are essential to successful project management and taking the time to develop a well-thought-out plan before the start of the project is critical to the successful accomplishment of any project as is an effective project team. The assignments in this lesson provide an opportunity for you to get to know your fellow classmates through shared introductory videos and the opportunity to share good and bad team experiences to help you build more effective project teams.

Before you move on to the next lesson, please make sure you have completed all of the readings and activities listed for this lesson within the Course Schedule of the Full Syllabus.

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References

Gido, J., Clements, J., & Baker, R. (2018). Successful project management (7th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) (6th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute.

Lesson 1 Activities

Lesson 1 Quiz

You may take this quiz 3 times and your highest grade will be kept.

Lesson 1 Questions

Consider a project in which you have recently been involved. It should be a project that has been completed.

If you have not worked on a formal project, there are many things that you have probably been involved in that you can use for this example. Consider discussing the following: a birthday party, cookout, camping trip, home improvement project, car repair, and so on.

1. Textbook 1 describes 7 attributes that define a project. Provide a description of four of the attributes discussed in your book and then explain how your example project meets the definition of a project.

   Describe the attribute and provide an explanation:

   1. Attribute 1
      1. Description (definition):
      2. Explanation (how your project meets this):
   2. Attribute 2
      1. Description (definition):
      2. Explanation (how your project meets this):
   3. Attribute 3
      1. Description (definition):
      2. Explanation (how your project meets this):
   4. Attribute 4
      1. Description (definition):
      2. Explanation (how your project meets this):
2. Describe each of the following for your example project:
   1. Project objectives:
   2. Scope:
   3. Schedule:
   4. Cost:
   5. Assumptions:
3. Give at least 3 examples of deliverables for your project.
   1. Deliverable 1:
   2. Deliverable 2:
   3. Deliverable 3:
4. Describe at least one activity for each of the phases of the project life cycle for your example project. Give specifics regarding your project.
   1. Initiating:
   2. Planning:
   3. Performing:
   4. Closing:
5. How did you monitor the project's progress? If you didn't, how could you have done so?
6. Describe three unexpected circumstances (risks) that could have jeopardized the success of the project.
7. Describe the anticipated benefits of the project.

Lesson 1 Questions Rubric

Criteria	Achievement Level 1:	Achievement Level 2:	Achievement Level 3:	Achievement Level 4:	No Marks
Spelling, grammar, question numbers, page layout, name, assignment title etc.	0.8 pts Document did not contain any spelling or grammar errors, it included student's name and assignment title, responses were easily distinguished to meet rubric expectations.	0.6 pts	0.4 pts	0.2 pts	0.0 pts
Question 1	3.2 pts Response describes an example project's attributes and why your example project meets the definition of a project. Discusses at least 4 attributes.	2.0 pts Response describes an example project's attributes and why your example project meets the definition of a project. Discusses at least 3 attributes.	1.0 pts Response describes an example project's attributes and why your example project meets the definition of a project. Discusses at least 2 attributes.	0.5 pts Response describes an example project's attributes and why your example project meets the definition of a project. Discusses at least 1 attribute.	0.0 pts No response or response does not address the question.
Question 2	3.2 pts Response describes the objectives, scope, schedule, cost, and any assumptions regarding an example project.	2.0 pts Response only describes 3 of the following: the objectives, scope, schedule, cost, and any assumptions regarding an example project.	1.0 pts Response on describes 2 of the following: the objectives, scope, schedule, cost, and any assumptions regarding an example project.	0.5 pts Response on describes 1 of the following: the objectives, scope, schedule, cost, and any assumptions regarding an example project.	0.0 pts No response or response does not address the question.
Question 3	2.4 pts Response describes at least 3 deliverables for the example project. Response is well developed and shows thoughtful consideration of the concepts.	1.8 pts Response describes only two deliverables or lacks full development of the concepts.	1.2 pts Response on describes 1 deliverable or shows superficial thought regarding concepts.	0.6 pts Response describes only 1 deliverable with no thought of concepts.	0.0 pts No response or response does not address the question.
Question 4	3.2 pts Response describes at least one activity for each of the 4 phases of the project life cycle for an example project and provides specifics.	2.0 pts Response describes at least one activity for 3 of the 4 phases of the project life cycle for an example project and provides specifics. Or, response lacks full development of concepts.	1.0 pts Response describes at least one activity for 2 of the 4 phases of the project life cycle for an example project and provides specifics. Or, shows superficial thought regarding concepts.	0.5 pts Response describes at least one activity for 1 of the 4 phases of the project life cycle for an example project and provides specifics.	0.0 pts No response or response does not address the question.
Question 5	2.4 pts Response describes how progress was monitored or how they could have done so if it wasn't. Response is well developed and fully addresses the question.	1.8 pts Response addresses all aspects of the question but lacks full development of concepts.	1.2 pts Response includes superficial thought.	0.6 pts Response does not address all aspects of the question and includes superficial thought.	0.0 pts No response or response does not address the question.
Question 6	2.4 pts Response describes some unexpected circumstances (risks) that could have jeopardized the success of the example project. Response is well developed and fully addresses the question.	1.8 pts Response addresses all aspects of the question but lacks full development of concepts.	1.2 pts Response indicates superficial thought.	0.6 pts Response does not address all aspects of the question and includes superficial thought.	0.0 pts No response or response does not address the question.
Question 7	2.4 pts Response describes the anticipated benefits of the project and is well developed.	1.8 pts Response lacks full development.	1.2 pts Response indicates superficial thought.	0.6 pts Response is very limited in its description and indicates superficial thought.	0.0 pts No response or response does not address the question.

Video Biography

Please create a self-introduction video in which you share information about yourself with your fellow classmates and your instructor.

Part 1: Record a Video Introduction

You will record a 1–2 minute video to introduce yourself to your fellow students and your instructor. Out of respect for your fellow students, please adhere to the 1–2 minute time limit. Think about this as a replacement for the first day of class in a residential classroom, where everyone gets a chance to get to know each other better, so everyone can communicate with some level of comfort before diving into course discussion forums.

To achieve this, use the recording software of your choice, and be sure to answer the following questions:

• Your name.
• Your program of study at Penn State (not all students will be coming from the same program).
• Where you work (if you are currently working), your career aspirations, and your work experience (including full-time and part-time jobs).
• Any project-related experience (on the job, in other courses, or volunteer activities).
• Short description of your favorite project and your role in the project (if you have not worked on a formal project at work, you may discuss a course project or perhaps a personal home improvement project or event-planning project).
• Any other interesting information that you would like to share (such as interests, special skills or talents, notable achievements, etc.).

Part 1 is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of Lesson 1.

Submit Part 1 by selecting Reply and either using the Record/Upload Media function in Canvas () to record or upload your video or copying/pasting a link to your video in your discussion reply.

Part 2: Watch Your Instructor's and Peers' Videos

After you have added your introduction, watch the introductions of your classmates and instructor, and comment as appropriate. Comment on at least 50% of your peers' videos (but feel free to comment on all of them if you want). If a peer already has a few comments please select someone that does not yet have any comments. Please be sure to visit this discussion regularly throughout the first week of class in order to watch everyone’s introductions.

Part 2 is due by 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Sunday of week 2.