3  Course Outline

Author
Affiliation

Dr Randy Johnson

Hood College

Published

September 29, 2025

Course Description:

Prerequisite: ITMG 527. This course investigates the process of managing a computer-related project. It includes scheduling techniques and automated tools such as scheduling packages. Focus will be on the team environment conducive to successful project completion.

Course Objectives:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Analyze and apply project management methodologies: Differentiate between and apply key project management frameworks, including Agile methodologies (Scrum and Kanban), and traditional approaches, to determine the most suitable strategy for various technical projects.

  • Utilize industry-standard tools: Demonstrate proficiency in using essential project management tools like Jira for tracking work, GitHub for version control and collaborative development, and GitHub Actions for automating workflows.

  • Manage the project life cycle: Execute the core phases of a technical project, from defining a project charter and identifying stakeholders to creating a risk register and implementing effective communication plans.

  • Lead and grow teams: Develop the skills necessary to manage the human element of projects, including fostering psychological safety, resolving team conflicts, and delivering constructive feedback to lead high-performing teams.

  • Evaluate project performance: Use agile metrics such as Velocity, Cycle Time, and Lead Time, and create visual representations like Burndown and Burnup charts to track project progress, report on performance, and forecast completion dates accurately.

  • Synthesize and present project plans: Synthesize all course concepts to develop and present a comprehensive project plan, articulating the chosen methodology, risk mitigation strategies, and communication approach to a simulated team and stakeholders.

Weekly Topics1

Part 1: Foundations

This initial module sets the stage, introducing core concepts and ensuring all students, regardless of background, have a solid foundation in project management principles and agile methodologies.

  • The modern technical project

    • Topics: Introduction to the course. What some special considerations for technical projects? The shifting role of the Project Manager vs. the Product Manager vs. the Engineering Manager. Overview of the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) and its modern interpretations.

    • In-Class Activity: Analyze and discuss two contrasting project case studies: one a well-known success (e.g., the development of the first iPhone) and one a notable failure (e.g., the FBI’s Virtual Case File).

  • Project initiation and defining success

    • Topics: Moving from an idea to a project. The importance of the Project Charter. Techniques for identifying and analyzing stakeholders. Defining clear, measurable objectives and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

    • In-Class Activity: Workshop where student teams develop a complete project charter for a hypothetical tech startup.

  • Agile philosophy and the scrum framework

    • Topics: Deep dive into the core values of the Agile Manifesto and its 12 principles. Introduction to Scrum: the roles (Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team), the events (Sprints, Daily Stand-ups, Reviews, Retrospectives), and the artifacts (Product Backlog, Sprint Backlog).

    • In-Class Activity: An interactive Scrum simulation. Using sticky notes and a whiteboard, teams will plan and execute a sprint for a simple, non-technical project like organizing a large event.

  • Visualizing workflows with Kanban

    • Topics: Introduction to Kanban as an alternative agile approach. Core principles: visualizing workflow, limiting Work in Progress, and managing flow. When to use Kanban vs. Scrum.

    • In-Class Activity: Students will design and use a personal Kanban board to manage their own tasks for this course.

Part 2: The project manager’s toolkit

This section is hands-on. We move from theory to practice, introducing the essential tools that modern technical teams use daily. The focus is on conceptual understanding and basic proficiency, not expert-level mastery.

  • Version control with git and GitHub

    • Topics: Why is version control non-negotiable? The fundamental concepts of Git (repository, commit, branch, merge). The role of GitHub as a collaborative platform. Understanding Pull Requests and the basics of code review.

    • Lab Session: A guided, Git and GitHub tutorial. Students will fork a repository containing a Markdown file, create a new branch, make edits, and submit a Pull Request.

  • Managing work with Jira

    • Topics: Introduction to Atlassian’s Jira, the industry standard for issue and project tracking. Setting up a project board (Scrum vs. Kanban). Writing effective user stories and acceptance criteria. Building and prioritizing a backlog.

    • Lab Session: Student teams will create a Jira project, populate it with user stories for a sample project, and organize them into a backlog.

  • Automation with GitHub actions

    • Topics: Conceptual overview of Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD). What is it and why does it enable agile teams? Introduction to GitHub Actions as a tool for automating workflows.

    • Lab Session: Students will implement a very simple GitHub Actions workflow on their repository that automatically runs when they push a change (e.g. a simple notification).

Part 3: Leadership & team dynamics

With the foundational and technical elements in place, the course shifts focus to the “human element” of project management, which is often the most challenging.

  • Building and leading high-performing teams

    • Topics: Tuckman’s stages of group development. Fostering psychological safety. The leader’s role in conflict resolution. Giving and receiving constructive feedback.

    • In-Class Activity: Group analysis of team dynamics from a film like Remember the Titans or Apollo 13.

  • Effective communication and stakeholder management

    • Topics: Crafting communications for different audiences (technical vs. executive). Running meetings that don’t waste time. Techniques for managing stakeholder expectations and navigating organizational politics.

    • In-Class Activity: Role-playing scenarios where students must deliver bad news about a project delay to different stakeholders.

  • Agile estimation & risk management

    • Topics: Why human estimation is flawed. Relative estimation techniques like Story Points and Planning Poker. Identifying, assessing, and creating mitigation plans for project risks. Creating a Risk Register.

    • In-Class Activity: A full Planning Poker session where teams estimate the user stories they created in the Jira lab.

  • Metrics, reporting and forecasting

    • Topics: Moving beyond “is it done yet?”. Key agile metrics: Velocity, Cycle Time, and Lead Time. Using Burndown and Burnup charts to track progress and forecast completion dates.

    • In-Class Activity: Students will analyze sample project data to calculate velocity and create a simple project forecast.

Part 4: Synthesis & application

The final module is dedicated to a capstone project where student teams apply everything they’ve learned to a simulated project, culminating in a final presentation.

  • Final project

    • Topics: Introduction to the final project. Teams will be given a detailed project brief and will spend the class period planning their approach, setting up their tools (Jira, GitHub), and creating their initial backlog.

    • In-Class Activity: Dedicated team work session

  • Final project presentations

    • Activity: Teams present their final project plans. The presentation should cover their chosen methodology, their project plan and backlog in Jira, their risk register, and their communication plan.

Individual research paper & presentation

  • Students will be required to submit a paper reviewing a specific topic of interest relevant to the course.

  • Deliverables:

    • Draft proposal
    • Revised proposal
    • Draft paper
    • Revised paper

  • The paper should be on the order of 5-7 pages in APA format (e.g. double spaced, 12 pt. Times New Roman, 1” margins, etc.).

  • All citations must be properly referenced. A grading rubric will be provided with more detail.

  • Each student will have 10 minutes to present an overview of their research findings to the class followed by up to 5 minutes of class discussion

Group project & presentation

  • Teams will be given a detailed project brief and will be given class time to:
    • Planning their approach
    • Set up their tools (Jira, GitHub)
    • Create their initial backlog
  • Teams will present their final project plans to the last class

  1. Gemini was used to brainstorm and proof read during the development of weekly topics↩︎