End of the Term Blog 8/13/11

1.  Given your knowledge and experience at the end of these courses, which course objectives did you master?  (Objectives can be viewed in the Syllabus button.

Risk Identification

Project Manager's Role

Project Risk and Risk Response Plan

2.  Given your knowledge and experience at the end of these courses, which course objectives still look troublesome to you?

Quality Improvement Methodologies - only because I have never used any of them.

3.  What obstacles did you run into during the course? How did you try to overcome them?

An instructor who really interacted with our discussion forum (more than I have seen before).  I am not that familiar with an online course.  This was the 1st time I took 2 online courses together and I really had a rough time getting disciplined and then having to be guarded in what I said or how I said it.  I don't have the experience that most of the students seemed to have in project management. So my answers, most of them, were not related to my work experience.  But going further into the class I realized that a project didn't have to mean me working as a project manager or a technical guru.  My job as a bulletin clerk at UP RR was what I used as my experiences.  Hope I am making sense.  Anyway, it got easier to relate to the subject matter and write in the discussion forum.  Thanks Professor for making me accountable for what I was writing.

4.  How do you feel here at the end of a term as you look at your efforts and accomplishments? 

I feel like I battled a Lion and I am still standing.  I feel good.

5.  What did you learn this semester and how will you use that in your current or future work?

I learned so much about Risk and how to identify, assess, and prioritize them.  I learned how to decide which ones I will mitigate, ignore, accept, avoid or transfer.  I learned risks not only impact in a negative way but some risks can be opportunities and they need to be assessed also.  The roles and responsibilities of the members on a project team are more clearer now.  I have a better feel for what it is like to be a Project Manager.  I have better knowledge on the importance of documenting the good and bad of every phase of your project as they happen.  The information you leave could make another PM's life easier and better.  What ever you are working on, leave good notes of what you encountered so someone else can benefit from them.

Middle of Course Blog

Given your knowledge/skills/experience/confidence at the start of these courses, what have you learned so far?

I have learned what role your sponsor takes on.  I didn't know the sponsor got the funding.  If the sponsor backs out or leaves the project that can be a show stopper unless another manager is up to speed on the project specifications.

Looking at the course objectives, which ones do you feel you have achieved and which ones still look difficult or completely unfamiliar to you?

1. The risk identification process - achieved
2. PM's role in managing risk - achieved
3. Process to identify risk with IT project - achieved
4. Compare various too technique - not comfortable with
5. Demonstrate prioritzing risk - achieved
6. Quality improvement methodologies - not comfortable with
7. Creat risk and qualifty reports - not comfortable with

How has the information you learned so far changed the way you approach projects or think about projects in your everyday life?

I can see what it takes to manage and support a project.  All the planning and documenting that goes on is an everyday task for me know.

Are there any topics that have been discussed that still seem unclear? What are your thoughts as you get ready to start the second half of the course?

I am still not so sure how to define the scope of a project.  How to creat the scope statement.  Also, there was a question on the test that asked if a group should meet every week to tell what they have and have not accomplished...Why is that meeting a bad idea?  I look forward to learning more interesting things about risk and managing it.

Beginning of term blog

Given your knowledge/skills/experience/confidence at the start of these courses, which course objectives look familiar to you already?

I am a little familar with the project manager's role in managing project risk only because I took CIS633.  I also know a little about the risk identification process from my last course CIS665.

Given your knowledge/skills/experience/confidence at the start of these courses, which course objectives look either difficult or completely unfamiliar to you?

Demonstrate how to prioritize risks according to their impact and significance on the overall project.  This objective scares me.  I haven't a clue what this includes.

Create comprehensive project risk and quality management reports.  This is another objective I have not a clue how to do it.

How do these courses fit into your career plans and dreams? Are the objectives crucial to your success, or will accomplishing the objectives simply mean good general background information for you?

If it will help me get my graduate degree it is crucial to my success.  Actually I am going to pursue a teaching career for after I retire.

What are your thoughts as you set out to accomplish these objectives?

I think this class is going to be very interesting.  I am exciting and ready to learn.  I started reading both books and I didn't get bored.  Imagine that...it kept my interest.  I am really looking forward to this class.