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Case Studies in Project Management: Theory Versus Practice. by Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D., PMP Associate Professor, Augsburg College VP of Education, PMI-Minnesota November, 2001 www.augsburg.edu/ppages/~schwalbe schwalbe@augsburg.edu. Think roosters are cool?.
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Case Studies in Project Management: Theory Versus Practice by Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D., PMP Associate Professor, Augsburg College VP of Education, PMI-Minnesota November, 2001 www.augsburg.edu/ppages/~schwalbe schwalbe@augsburg.edu
Think roosters are cool? Beware! They can turn on you, and you on them!
What’s My Point? • Experiential learning is very important; you can’t learn most things just by reading or talking about them • People in all disciplines, including project management, need to develop higher order cognitive skills to be effective
Presentation Outline • Background on learning using case studies • Three types of case studies • Real projects • Past projects • Fictitious case studies • Review a few fictitious cases/exercises • Discuss good cases and need for more
Case Studies as a Learning Tool • Case studies help develop higher levels of cognitive development (Bloom’s taxonomy) • Case studies help people make meaning out new concepts (Kolb’s experiential learning model)
Bloom’s Taxonomy ofCognitive Development • Knowledge (learn terminology) • Comprehension (explain terms in own words) • Application (apply concepts to problems) • Analysis (break down and examine information) • Synthesis (creatively apply various concepts to new situations) • Evaluation (judge the value of material) Case Studies
Kolb’s Experiential Learning Model Concrete Experience Case studies Active Experimentation Reflective Observation Transformation (making meaning) Prehension (pre- senting material Abstract Conceptualization
Real Projects as Case Studies • Best way for students to learn (I believe) • Advantages: • Students, teachers, and sponsors work together to initiate, plan, execute, control, and close projects • Sponsors receive great work at a great price • Students get “real” experience applying what they’re learning in class • Disadvantages: • Upfront time required to find good projects • Class time must be structured over a longer time period (like semesters) • Risks involved in running real projects
Suggestions for Using Real Cases • Have HW#1 be for students to propose a potential project (see paper for HW description) • State selection criteria, and be sure to include strong sponsorship, student interest, realistic scope, learning potential, etc. • Require PM tools like a charter, WBS, Gantt chart, status reports, project web site, etc. • Show students samples of good projects done by previous students and discuss what you liked about them
Past Projects as Case Studies • Most students have some work experience, so they can find past projects to analyze • Advantages: • Students can compare theory vs. practice • Students learn to interview people, analyze information, and document real projects (see ResNet example in my book) • Disadvantages: • Sometimes hard to find organizations willing to share project information • Risk of not finding much relationship between theory and practice • Students prefer doing their own projects rather than analyzing someone else’s
Suggestions for Using Past Projects • Have students discuss using the past projects for a class assignment with the organizational sponsor first • Offer to keep all information strictly confidential, and let sponsor know they will receive copies of the students’ analysis • Provide detailed guidelines on how to do the analysis (I had students either create or analyze project documents, describe lessons learned, theory vs. practice, etc.)
Theory Versus Practice of PM: Past Projects As Case Studies • In fall of 2000, I had 3 classes (100 students, 20 group projects) analyze past projects and Microsoft Project files from real companies • Students documented the projects and either analyzed or created charters, WBSs, Gantt charts, lessons learned, etc. for the projects. They also used these tools to manage their class projects • We found that many companies did not apply common PM theories, tools or techniques • Students used several skills in doing these projects and really could analyze and evaluate past projects
Samples of Past Projects Used for Students’ Case Studies • Sun Server Prototype Project • IBM Software Development Project • Boston Scientific, Scimed Stent Development Project • Carlson Companies “Best Companies to Work For” Project • Godfather Pizza Colossal Crust Marketing Campaign Project • Mentor Corp. L. Catheter Pilot Line Process Development/Lean Manufacturing Project
Some Results from Analyzing Real Cases Studies • The more technical projects, like those at IBM and Boston Scientific, used more PM tools • Few projects had a project charter in textbook format (short and signed) • Few companies used a WBS, but most had “lists” of what needed to be done • Some companies had some form of a schedule, but few used true Gantt charts • Few mentioned using other common tools taught in most PM courses
Results of Analyzing MS Project Files • Few of the real case studies used Microsoft Project or any type of PM software • Only a couple of the 20 or more Project files students collected used any of the the cost or human resource management features, and if they did, they were used improperly • Many Project files had terrible WBSs – often had no hierarchy at all • Most files did not have tasks linked properly, include milestones, or use tracking features • Only one real project of these 20 used critical path analysis
Fictitious Case Studies • Many educators use fictitious exercises and case studies • Advantages: • All the information is available (including answers for instructors) • Can be short or long, done in class or as HW • Disadvantages: • Students cannot interact with real characters • Instructors must keep finding new cases to avoid boredom and cheating
Need for More Project Management Case Studies? • Harvard Business Review and other sources have many case studies, but are many directly related to project management? • Is it hard to find shorter, focused case studies related to project management? • Let’s review a few minicases included in the second edition of my book, Information Technology Project Management
Comments on Need for More Case Studies in Project Management?
Contact Information • Feel free to e-mail me your ideas at schwalbe@augsburg.edu • Look at project management information, lecture notes, syllabi, articles, samples of student projects, etc. from my web site at www.augsburg.edu/ppages/~schwalbe
Final thought: Remember that we all influence our future leaders… Scott Schwalbe – Future Governor?