Case

This Module's Case is about how to develop a successful project team. The core of the case is a description of an actual team development situation:

Poole, C. (2003, March 26). Three week project turnaround.

XProgramming.com. (2011). What is extreme programming?

Flynn, A., & Mangione, T. (2011). Five steps to a winning project team.

And then there are pieces of "practice wisdom" on the team development process, such as:

Sherrer, A. (2011, May 31). Six characteristic stages of team development. The Project Management Hut.

Webster, M.. (2011, June 13). Six 5 tips to motivate your project team. The Project Management Hut.

Overall, it seems as though we know a lot about how to create and deploy successful project teams. So why is there such frustration and so many reported failures?

As noted earlier, you should also consult material from the Background Information or related other materials you find yourself (be sure to reference properly whatever specific sources you draw on). You may want to do some further searching in the project management support websites.

Case Assignment
When you've read through the articles and related material, scanned the websites, and thought about it carefully, please prepare a short (4-5 page) paper discussing the question:

"Discuss how IT manager could create and maintain a successful and winning project team"

You should probably be prepared to address issues such as the definition of "success," costs and benefits involved, and who either receives or pays them, sources of pressure on the team and its management, and responsibilities incurred by the various participants.

Assignment Expectations
Your paper should be short (4-6 pages, not including cover sheet and references) and to the point. It is to be structured in the following manner.

You are expected to:
- Begin this paper by stating your position on this question of managerial practices, clearly and concisely
- Citing appropriate sources, present the reasons why you take this position. Be sure to make the most effective case you can. Use the Poole case fol illustrations where possible.
- Then present the best evidence you can, again citing appropriate sources, against your position-that is, establish what counterarguments can be made to your original position.
- Finally, review your original position in light of the counterarguments, showing how they are inadequate to rebut your original statement.
By the end of your paper, you should be able to unequivocally re-affirm your original position.

You will be particularly assessed on:
- Your ability to see what the module is all about and to structure your paper accordingly.
- Your informed commentary and analysis-simply repeating what your sources say does not constitute an adequate paper.
- Your ability to apply the professional language and terminology of communications and information systems correctly and in context; you are expected to be familiar with this language and use it appropriately.
- Your effective and appropriate use of in-text citations to the assigned readings and other source material to support your arguments.

SLP

You'll remember that the general project for this term involves creating an implementation plan for the new TUI learning management system, Desire2learn (D2L). You've already had the opportunity to review some project management software; now you'll have the opportunity to begin to put together an actual plan using it.

- For this module, you should think about the people involved in your implementation process. These might include personnel from the vendor, along with University IT staff, administrators, faculty, other staff, and possibly students as well. Who is going to be needed, to do what, when?

- Use your software to incorporate staffing into your project plan; allocate and distribute your personnel resources as you think they will be needed. If you need to make specific assumptions about people or their availability, don't hesitate to do so as long as you keep a record of such assumptions and make them explicit in your write-up. Don't hesitate to contact your professor if you have questions or want to clarify any particular points.

- Finally, prepare a brief (2-3 page) report summarizing your activities regarding the previous two steps -- personnel definition and plan design. Attach your plan report either as a component of the document (not counted against the page requirement). Be as personal and reflective as you can; remember, your aim is to describe what you learned from this process and how it might affect your behavior and your career.

SLP Assignment Expectations

Your paper will be evaluated on the following criteria:

- Complete the SLP assignment. Length of 2-3 pages (since a page is about 300 words, this is approximately 600-900 words)

- Conducted evaluation and analysis as required

- Precision: the questions asked are answered.

- Clarity: Your answers are clear and show your good understanding of the topic.

- Breadth and Depth: The scope covered in your paper is directly related to the questions of the assignment and the learning objectives of the module.

- Critical thinking: Incorporate YOUR reactions, examples, and applications of the material to business that illustrate your reflective judgment and good understanding of the concepts.

- Your paper is well written and the references are properly cited and listed.