Applied Project
MASY1-GC 4100 | 102 | Fall 2023 | 09/05/2023 - 12/12/2023 | 3 Credit Modality: In-person
Course Site URL:
General Course Information
Name/Title: Joseph Ng, Adjunct Assistant Professor (him/he/his)
NYU Email: [email protected]
Class Meeting Schedule: 09/05/2023 - 12/12/2023 | Tuesday | 06:20pm - 08:55pm Class Location: Bldg:MIDC Room 1016
Office Hours: To arrange schedule, please email me at: [email protected]
Description
Where academically warranted and subject to departmental approval, the student will undertake and deliver a real-world project for active practitioners in the field. Under the direction of a faculty supervisor, the student will select and explore a topic to be developed. The student will then be required to generate a practical application of his/her findings that demonstrates professional level mastery of the subject matter involved. The project will be reviewed by the faculty supervisor and possibly one other expert in the field.
Prerequisites
All Core Courses - MASY1-GC: 1200, 1210, 1220, 1230, 1240,1250, 1260, 3310.
Learning Outcomes
At the completion of this course, students will be able to:
• Design a project proposal that will be used to initiate, conduct, and complete an Applied
Project (completed within the initial 6-week remote course timeframe).
• Design a situational analysis (completed by Week 10).
• Generate a literature survey (completed by Week 1).
• Design a project charter and associated work breakdown structure (WBS), risk analysis
and communications plan (completed within the initial 6-week synchronous course
timeframe).
• Select a Project Sponsor who is a management-level individual at the organization
benefitting from the Applied Project. The Project Sponsor must have the authority to approve the student's Project Proposal and any required resources and be available throughout the project to act as the student's mentor for the project. The Project Sponsor will also be asked to approve in writing the student's work at key intervals throughout the course and the ensuing project and be available for at least one meeting (virtual or in-person) with the course professor.
• Design a project goal and a set of project objectives that will include metrics for demonstrating project success (completed within the initial 6-week remote course timeframe).
• Conduct an Applied Project while operating in the dual role of (a) Project Manager employing the Project Management Body of Knowledge methodology and (b) Project
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Implementer, successfully meeting the project goal and objectives all within the timeframe set forth in the project plan section of the project proposal. (This will extend beyond the initial 6-week remote course timeframe).
• Write a post-project final report describing the project, its planning phase, and its implementation phase.
Communication Methods
This course will use the NYU Brightspace LMS for the delivery of course materials and for course communications.
Important course information, announcements, updates, course presentations and other materials will be posted on the NYU Brightspace LMS. Course announcements will also be simultaneously forwarded by the NYU Brightspace LMS to students' NYU email addresses.
Students are expected and required to be aware of any such announcements or communications and are advised to check the announcements as well as their NYU email address regularly during the 14-week duration of the course as well as afterward while conducting their Applied Project.
Credit students must use their NYU email to communicate. NYU Brightspace LMS course-mail supports student privacy and FERPA guidelines.
The instructor’s email address is [email protected] and it is checked regularly and frequently; students will usually receive a reply within 12 hours during the workweek. The instructor does not have access to an NYU telephone number.
The instructor will conduct office hours using Zoom, by telephone, or in-person at the NYU campus—by appointment. If you would like to schedule a meeting, please send an email to the instructor at least two days prior to the date you would like to meet. You should also suggest an alternative date in case the first date is not available. Discussions through online platforms will require that you have speakers and a microphone. A video camera is highly recommended.
Structure | Method | Modality
The course is scheduled for 14-weeks, with the first 7-weeks devoted to learning activities as a group. Each student will prepare their own individual deliverables relating directly to each student’s project. Each student’s work will thus be evaluated individually by the instructor with appropriate feedback as needed.
At the end of the initial 7-weeks in-person in-class sessions, the course professor meets individually with each student and sponsor team to review the project goal, objectives, and metrics as well as the entire project plan (Project Charter, Situational Analysis Work Breakdown Structure, communications plan, risk management plan, etc.). During this time, the instructor will provide additional lessons in an asynchronous (pre-recorded) format. These final
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7-weeks are also dedicated to individual mentoring conferences between the professor and each individual student to monitor progress and guide the student in their project activities.
The course will be conducted in a hybrid fashion utilizing a combination of in-person sessions and pre-recorded (asynchronous) sessions. Asynchronous sessions (pre-recorded) will be made available via NYU Brightspace. A URL link to each recording will be provided once the session has been recorded. The schedule of sessions will also be posted on the course’s NYU Brightspace LMS.
During the first 7-week period of formal instruction comprising the course, the student will learn how to define project objectives and metrics and how to plan and manage a real-world applied project. Course sessions will be conducted in-person at the designated location and be simultaneously available synchronously on NYU Zoom, which you can access from the course site in NYU Brightspace.
Expectations
Learning Environment
You play an important role in creating and sustaining an intellectually rigorous and inclusive classroom culture. Respectful engagement, diverse thinking, and our lived experiences are central to this course and enrich our learning community.
Participation
You are integral to the learning experience in this class. Be prepared to actively contribute to class activities, group discussions, and work outside of class.
As graduate students, you are expected to conduct yourselves in a professional manner and engage and collaborate with your classmates. SPS classrooms are diverse and include students who range in age, culture, learning styles, and levels of professional experience. To maintain an inclusive environment that ensures all students can equally participate with and learn from each other, as well as receive feedback and instruction from faculty during group discussions in the classroom, all course-based discussions and group projects should occur in a language that is shared among all participants.
Assignments and Deadlines
Each student will work under the direction of a project sponsor who is a management-level individual in the “client” organization for which the project is being conducted, who has both the responsibility and the authority to approve the project and any required resources, mentor the student, and review and approve all project deliverables such as project plans, project progress, status reports, and the final project report. The course professor will oversee the student’s progress and offer mentoring to the student during the course duration and afterwards as the project progresses.
In order to qualify for entry into this course, students must have an approved project—i.e., the project has been pre-approved by the course professor prior to the start of the course. The student proposes a project idea and the student’s project proposal outline must be approved
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by the course professor prior to the student's entry into the course.
Students prepare a project outline utilizing an instructor-provided template, which describes the project in sufficient detail for the evaluator to accept or reject the project idea. A rejection will usually be accompanied with feedback and suggestions for the student to modify the proposal outline, where feasible.
Each student will prepare a written proposal document that describes the target environment, the details of the project and the goal and objectives of the project. The proposal will be used to recruit a project sponsor within the client organization who will act as the “client” manager for the student during the project. The word “client” does not imply that any monetary payments will be made for the student’s work—although 3 credits will be awarded upon successful completion of the course and all deliverables (see next paragraph).
Students will need to have read and agree to the University’s internships terms and conditions for students as published on the Wasserman website for students. In addition, the “client” sponsor must also agree in writing to the terms and conditions for employers on the Wasserman website for Employers location. A document to be used for recording the sponsor and student agreements will be provided in the NYU Brightspace LMS in the Resources section.
Students will learn to develop a project goal and a set of objectives and related metrics for measuring the eventual achievement of those objectives once the applied project has been completed.
Students conduct a situational analysis to understand the components of the environment in which the organization operates and in which the project will be conducted, the industry the business is part of the competitors against whom the business competes, and the business’s own culture using tools such as Porter's 5-forces Model.
This is followed by a literature survey that is conducted by each student to learn about best practices, case studies, papers, and other information artifacts that can be leveraged to understand the optimal approach to conducting the applied project to achieve the desired results.
Students will develop a project charter that will be used to fully describe the approach, methodology, resources, timelines, and milestones of the project. A project management work breakdown structure will be constructed to plan the project deliverables and the activities, and resources necessary to achieve each deliverable.
These deliverables must be approved and signed-off by the Project Sponsor.
Once the above initial 7-week group instruction period is concluded, each student will embark upon his/her applied project within the "client" organization. Subsequently, for the remaining 7- weeks of the course, the professor will schedule individual mentoring conferences with each student to ensure successful startup and initiation of the student’s project. Since each
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individual project is unique, these individualized mentoring sessions will be held individually, without the entire class present.
This course requires each student to complete their project within the same semester in which they began, i.e., at the end of the full 14-week course. The exact due date by which the final report must be submitted will be published in the course website.
Individual projects and final reports are subject to the completion dates for each semester as published elsewhere in the course, and subject to SPS and NYU regulations.
Students are required to file a monthly project status report throughout the duration of their project, using a format specified during the course. The status report should be signed by the student and the student's project sponsor—signed documents can be submitted as PDF scans.
Assignment drop-boxes will be provided on the NYU Brightspace LMS course site for monthly status reports and all other course deliverables.
At the completion of the student’s applied project, each student will write a mandatory final report paper describing the project and demonstrating the achievement of the project goals and each of the objectives as measured by the metrics developed during the planning stage. The final report must cover the items listed in the final report template document published elsewhere in the course. The project sponsor must sign off on the achievement of the project goal and each objective at the planned metric level and attest to the successful completion of the project.
Final Report: Upon completion of their project, each student must submit a final report describing their project and its results. A complete guidelines document will explain what is to be included in the final report. The paper should be in the range of 50 pages, minimum, not including appendices.
Once the final paper has been graded and accepted by the instructor, the student will have completed the course requirements, provided that all course deliverables (assignments) have also been satisfactorily completed.
See outline for assignment due dates.
Course Technology Use
We will utilize multiple technologies to achieve the course goals. I expect you to use technology in ways that enhance the learning environment for all students. All class sessions require use of Zoom. All class sessions require use of technology (e.g., laptop, computer lab) for learning purposes.
Feedback and Viewing Grades
I will provide timely meaningful feedback on all your work via our course site in NYU Brightspace. You can access your grades on the course site Gradebook.
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Attendance
Students are expected to attend all in-person class sessions. Excused absences are granted in cases of documented serious illness, family emergency, religious observance, or civic obligation. In the case of religious observance or civic obligation, this should be reported in advance. Unexcused absences from sessions may have a negative impact on a student’s final grade. Students are responsible for assignments given during any absence.
If for some reason (excused absence) you will not be in class, you must notify the instructor prior to the scheduled session if you will not be attending and the reason.
Each unexcused absence or being late may result in a student’s grade being lowered by a fraction of a grade. A student who has three unexcused absences may earn a Fail grade.
University Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays:
Refer to the SPS Policies and Procedures page for additional information about attendance.
Textbooks and Course Materials
Required:
A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) - 6th edition, by Project Management Institute (PMI), 2017. ISBN-13: 978-1628251845, ISBN- 10:9781628251845. Available from Amazon.com as a paperback book or as a Kindle eBook
This book is also available as a free viewable eBook via NYU Home (home.nyu.edu), as follows:
Select the “Research” tab and then search for “PMBOK” or “Project Management Body of Knowledge.” Select the fifth (or later) Edition. The book can be viewed and read but not downloaded.
Additional required and optional readings will be posted to the NYU Brightspace LMS during the course. These will be case studies or other tutorial materials linked from the Internet.
Grading | Assessment
Your grade in this course is based on your performance on multiple activities and assignments. Since all graded assignments are related directly to course objectives and learning outcomes,
Students who join the course during add/drop are responsible for ensuring that they identify
what assignments and preparatory work they have missed and complete and submit those per
the syllabus.
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failure to complete any assignment will result in an unsatisfactory course grade. All written assignments are to be completed using APA format and must be typed and double-spaced. Grammar, punctuation, and spelling will be considered in grading. Please carefully proof-read your written assignments before submitting them for a grade. I will update the grades on the course site each time a grading session has been completed— typically three (3) days following the completion of an activity.
The student will undertake and deliver a real-world project for active practitioners in the field. Under the direction of a faculty supervisor, the student will select and explore a topic to be developed. The student will then be required to generate a practical application of his/her findings that demonstrates professional-level mastery of the subject matter involved. The project will be reviewed by the faculty supervisor and one other expert in the field.
In addition to the array of opportunities for networking and applied learning provided by the M.S. in Management and Systems program, the applied project offers a truly singular opportunity to give back to your community through your newly honed technical and management skills. The project offers you the chance to work with a startup company or nonprofit organization or business enterprise and propose a solution to a real business need. Each year, the program partners with nonprofit organizations to design student projects that not only advance your business acumen and technological skills, but also further your commitment to social responsibility.
This capstone course will give students the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of the Management and Systems subject matter by conducting a real-world applied project for a real- world organization that brings real-world business value. The project will also serve as a means of acquiring additional knowledge and expertise in one or more of the knowledge domains covered in the Management and Systems M.S. program. Students plan, conduct, and implement the applied project and act in a dual-role capacity:
the project manager and
the project implementer.
Student projects follow the internationally recognized standard Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) methodology and framework sponsored by Project Management Institute (PMI).
DESCRIPTION
Assignment 1A: Draft Proposal Applied Project Proposal 5.0% Assignment 1B: Applied Project Proposal Finalized 5.0% Assignment 2: Literature Survey 10.0% Assignment 3: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 10.0% Assignment 4A: Project Sponsor Agreement (Doc 04) 5.0% Assignment 4B: Pre-Project Sponsor Acceptance Document 5.0% Assignment 8: Status Report 5.0% Assignment 5: Project Charter (Doc 03) 5.0% Assignment 6: Change Management Plan 5.0% Assignment 7: Risk Management Plan (Doc 10) 5.0%
PERCENTAGE
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Assignment 9: Final Report Draft 5.0% Assignment 10: Final report, including signed Sponsor Acceptance 10.0% Completion of all project deliverables 20.0% Assignment 11: Presentation to the Client 5.0%
TOTAL POSSIBLE 100% Note: Each assignment is individual, there are no group or team assignments.
See the “Grades” section of Academic Policies for the complete grading policy, including the letter grade conversion, and the criteria for a grade of incomplete, taking a course on a pass/fail basis, and withdrawing from a course.
Course Outline
Start/End Dates: 09/05/2023 - 12/12/2023 / Tuesdays
Time: 06:20pm - 08:55pm
No Class Date(s): No class date: Tuesday, 10/10/2023
Special Notes: Due to Legislative Monday, there will be no class on Tuesday, October 10, 2023. This day is reserved for Monday class sessions only.
Session 1 - 09/05/23
Topic Description: The Applied Project Workflow and the Project Outline
The steps to a successful applied project
The Applied Project Workflow: Deliverables, milestones, and key dates Preparing the project proposal and understanding its elements
Due dates for final project completion and submission of the final paper
Assignments: Assignment 1A - Proposal Draft
Each student will also schedule and conduct a project kick-off meeting with their sponsor and the course professor. A template for the meeting will be posted in the Resources section of the course to guide the student in preparing for and conducting this important meeting.
Session 2 – 09/12/23
Topic description – Selecting and Planning the Applied Project
Utilizing the project outline in securing a project sponsor Researching appropriate projects
Selecting the proposed project idea
Project Sponsor Agreement
The Situational Analysis
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Assignments: Assignment 1B- Proposal Final Session 3 – 09/19/23
Topic description – The Literature Survey
Purpose of the literature survey
Sources of information for the literature survey
How to conduct the literature survey
Using RefWorks to organize and present your findings
Assignments: Assignment 2 WBS Session 4 – 09/26/23
Topic description – Planning the Applied Project and Creating the Project Charter
Purpose of the Charter
Detailed view of the Project Charter and its elements Project Plan and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Stakeholder analysis
Communications plan
Risk analysis and mitigation strategies
Assignments: Assignment 3 - Sponsor Agreement Session 5 – 10/03/23
Topic description – How to Conduct the Applied Project
Working with your project sponsor
Reporting project progress
Risk recognition and activating your risk mitigation strategy Organizing and writing your final paper
Assignments: Assignment 4 - Project Charter Session 6 – 10/17/23
Topic description – Managing Project Change.
The Change Management plan and its components
Importance of the change control board
Establishing your change control board and identifying members The Change Management process
Assignments:
Assignment 5 Literature Review
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Session 7 – 10/24/23
Topic description – NO CLASS
Assignments: NONE
Session 8 – 10/31/23
Topic description – Live Coaching/Mentoring Session
Bring your questions, project issues and problems to class and we will devote time to discuss and resolve each student’s project problems, difficulties, or questions.
Assignments: Assignment 6 - Change Management Plan Session 9 – 11/07/23
Topic description – NO CLASS Project Time Management
The remaining 7 sessions will be online Asynchronous. During this time, students are expected to complete any outstanding assigned course deliverables and will commence their individual project activities.
Assignments:
Assignment 7 Risk Management Plan
Session 10 – 11/14/23
Topic description – NO CLASS - Project Risk Management
The remaining 7 sessions will be online Asynchronous. During this time, students are expected to complete any outstanding assigned course deliverables and will commence their individual project activities.
Assignments: Assignment 8 - Status Report Session 11 – 11/21/23
Topic description – NO CLASS Proposal Final
The remaining 7 sessions will be online Asynchronous. During this time, students are expected to complete any outstanding assigned course deliverables and will commence their individual project activities.
Assignments: NONE
Session 12 – 11/28/23
Topic description – NO CLASS Project Communication Management
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The remaining 7 sessions will be online Asynchronous. During this time, students are expected to complete any outstanding assigned course deliverables and will commence their individual project activities.
Assignments: NONE Session 13 – 12/05/23
Topic description – NO CLASS Project Quality Management
The remaining 7 sessions will be online Asynchronous. During this time, students are expected to complete any outstanding assigned course deliverables and will commence their individual project activities.
Assignments: Assignment 9 - Draft of Final Report Session 14 – 12/12/23
Topic description – Final Presentations
FINAL REPORT DUE and FINAL MEETING WITH CLIENT Assignments: Assignment 10 - Final Report
NOTES:
The syllabus may be modified to better meet the needs of students and to achieve the learning outcomes.
The School of Professional Studies (SPS) and its faculty celebrate and are committed to inclusion, diversity, belonging, equity, and accessibility (IDBEA), and seek to embody the IDBEA values. The School of Professional Studies (SPS), its faculty, staff, and students are committed to creating a mutually respectful and safe environment (from the SPS IDBEA Committee).
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New York University School of Professional Studies Policies
1. Policies - You are responsible for reading, understanding, and complying with University Policies and Guidelines, NYU SPS Policies and Procedures, and Student Affairs and Reporting.
2. Learning/Academic Accommodations - New York University is committed to providing equal educational opportunity and participation for students who disclose their dis/ability to the Moses Center for Student Accessibility. If you are interested in applying for academic accommodations, contact the Moses Center as early as possible in the semester. If you already receive accommodations through the Moses Center, request your accommodation letters through the Moses Center Portal as soon as possible ([email protected] | 212-998-4980).
3. Health and Wellness - To access the University's extensive health and mental health resources, contact the NYU Wellness Exchange. You can call its private hotline (212-443-9999), available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to reach out to a professional who can help to address day-to-day challenges as well as other health-related concerns.
4. Student Support Resources - There are a range of resources at SPS and NYU to support your learning and professional growth. For a complete list of resources and services available to SPS students, visit the NYU SPS Office of Student Affairs site.
5. Religious Observance - As a nonsectarian, inclusive institution, NYU policy permits members of any religious group to absent themselves from classes without penalty when required for compliance with their religious obligations. Refer to the University Calendar Policy on Religious Holidays for the complete policy.
6. Academic Integrity and Plagiarism - You are expected to be honest and ethical in all academic work. Moreover, you are expected to demonstrate how what you have learned incorporates an understanding of the research and expertise of scholars and other appropriate experts; and thus recognizing others' published work or teachings—whether that of authors, lecturers, or one's peers—is a required practice in all academic projects.
Plagiarism involves borrowing or using information from other sources without proper and full credit. You are subject to disciplinary actions for the following offenses which include but are not limited to cheating, plagiarism, forgery or unauthorized use of documents, and false form of identification
Turnitin, an originality detection service in NYU Brightspace, may be used in this course to check your work for plagiarism.
Read more about academic integrity policies at the NYU School of Professional Studies on the Academic Policies for NYU SPS Students page.
7. Use of Third-Party Tools - During this class, you may be required to use non-NYU apps/platforms/software as a part of course studies, and thus, will be required to agree to the “Terms of Use” (TOU) associated with such apps/platforms/software.
These services may require you to create an account but you can use a pseudonym (which may not identify you to the public community, but which may still identify you by IP address to the company and companies with whom it shares data).
You should carefully read those terms of use regarding the impact on your privacy rights and intellectual property rights. If you have any questions regarding those terms of use or the impact on the class, you are encouraged to ask the instructor prior to the add/drop deadline.
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