Online Students:
Week 1 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 1

5 attendance points

Answer these questions and post your answers to Week One Discussion topic in WebCT by midnight on Sa 9/11:

1. What is the difference between an assignment and a project?
2. Describe a project that you have completed in the past. What did you create in your project? What was the time frame? What resources did you need and how did you procure them?
3. What was the most memorable aspect of the project you described in #2? What did you learn from that project that helps you anticipate the work we will do in class this semester?

All Students:

Initial Survey

50 pts.

Answer these questions to help us understand the skills and knowledge that everyone in the class has coming into the semester.

Write your answers in complete sentences with correct punctuation, grammar, spelling, etc.

Post your answers to the WebCT topic "Initial Survey."

Demographic Background
1. How old are you?
2. What is your gender?
3. What is your ethnicity?
4. Is the US your country of origin? If not, where have you resided in the past?
5. What is your occupation?
6. What is your educational background?
7. What are you currently studying?

Computer/Internet Background & Use
1. When was your first experience with using a computer?
2. When was your first experience with using the Internet?
3. How often do you currently use a computer?
4. How often do you currently use the Internet?
5. Why do you use computers?
6. Why do you use the Internet?
7. How essential is it for you to have access to computers and the Internet?
8. Do you have a computer in your home?
9. Can you access the Internet from your home?
10. Where do you most often use a computer or access the Internet?
11. What types of software programs are you competent with (e.g. desktop publishing, web design, multimedia, etc.)?
12. Have you taken any courses on how to use these programs?
13. Were these courses required?

Online Course Background
1. Have you taken any online courses prior to this one?
2. What were your experiences like?
3. What tools or programs were you required to use (e.g. WEBCT, online discussion boards, online readings, etc.)?
4. Did you receive adequate instruction on how to use these tools or programs?
5. What did you like most about taking an online course (s)?
6. What did you like least about taking an online course (s)?
7. How do online courses compare to face-to-face courses?

All Students:
Idiot's Guide, Chapters 1 and 2 (traits)

50 points

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Answer these questions and post your answers to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T 9/14:

1. Describe a project that you have completed in the past. What did you create in your project? What was the time frame? What resources did you need and how did you procure them?
2. What was the most memorable aspect of the project you described in #1? What did you learn from that project that helps you anticipate the work we will do in class this semester?
3. Of the seven traits of a good project manager, which do you believe is your strongest trait? Explain why this is a strength for you and how you used it in the project ou described in #1.

Online Students:
Week 2 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 3

5 attendance points

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Answer these questions and post your answers to Week Two Discussion topic in WebCT by midnight on Sa 9/18:

Of the 12 rules of project management, which one would you like to work on the most in the course this semester? How could stregthening this aspect of project management help you increase the possibility of project success?

All Students:
Idiot's Guide, Chapters 3 and 4 (project charter)

work in groups of 2

50 points

9/21

Answer these questions and post your answers to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T 9/21:

1. In the All-Star Cable case, how would you describe the basic idea behind the project? Explain your reasoning in describing the basic idea as you have.
2. What would be a project charter for this case that describes what the project will include and what it will not include? Describe your reasoning for your choices of what will be included and what will be excluded.

Post one assignment for your group of 2.

All Students:
Response to Project Charter

work individually

20 points

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Respond to the group whose posting is below yours on the discussion board. If yours is the last posting, respond to the first posting. Respond by replying to the posting.

Answer these questions and post your answers to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T 9/23:

1. What is your overall reaction to the project charter for the group you're reviewing? If it is good, what specifically is good about it and why?
2. What might the group have overlooked in their charter that would be important to consider when initiating this project? Why would this be important for them to also consider?

Each group member should post an individual response.

Online Students:
Week 3 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 3

5 attendance points

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Answer these questions and post your answers to Week Three Discussion topic in WebCT by midnight on Sa 9/25:

All Students:
Tufte Chapter 1: Graphic Excellence

75 points

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Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T 9/28:

1. Find an online graphic that does a good job of displaying dense data for comparison, according to Tufte's description of these principles. Include the url for this graphic in your assignment.
2. What complex ideas are being communicated in the graphic? What design principles did the designer use to clearly communicate these ideas visually? Give details about how these principles are being used in the design to facilitate clear communication and data comparison.

All Students:
Week 4 Discussion Question

Tufte, Chapter 1

5 attendance points

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Go to Edward Tufte's website and look at the fine art prints there: http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/fineart

Using the Airport Signal People graphic, explain the purpose of this graphic and how it facilitates comparison of data or ideas. How does this graphic accommodate ideas of time and space?

All Students:
Tufte Chapters 2 & 3: Graphic Integrity

75 points

Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T10/5:

1. Find an online graphic that does a poor job of displaying data truthfully and with integrity, according to Tufte's description of these principles. Include the url for this graphic in your assignment.
2. What complex ideas are being (or should be) communicated in the graphic? What design principles did the designer misuse to communicate these ideas visually? Give details about how these principles are misused in the design to misrepresent the data and lead to inaccurate conclusions.
3. How could the graphic be redesigned to more accurately represent the data?

Online Students:
Week 5 Discussion Question

Tufte, Chapters 2 and 3

5 attendance points

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Go to this NOAA graphic: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tao/vis/gif/t-dyn-med.gif

Describe the purpose of this graphic and how it facilitates the comparison of data. On page 77 of Tufte's book, he says, "The number of information-carrying (variable) dimensions depicted should not exceed the number of dimensions in the data."

In the NOAA graphic, do you think the number of information-carrying dimensions exceeds the number of dimensions in the data? Why or why not?

All Students:
Tufte Chapters 4-6: Data-ink & Chartjunk

75 points

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10/12

Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T10/12:

1. Find an online graphic that does a poor job of using data-ink and handling chartjunk, according to Tufte's description of these principles. Include the url for this graphic in your assignment.
2. What complex ideas are being (or should be) communicated in the graphic? What design principles did the designer use or misuse to communicate these ideas visually? Give details about how these principles are used or misused in the design to (mis)represent the data and lead to (in)accurate conclusions.
3. What thinking task should this data display support? How does the designer's use of ink and chartjunk inhibit the view's thinking processes?

Online Students:
Week 6 Discussion Question

Tufte, Chapters 4-6

5 attendance points

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Go to Jeffrey Veen's page on chartjunk: http://www.veen.com/jeff/archives/000071.html

How does the first computer monitor graphic illustrate Tufte's idea of chartjunk? What did Veen do to minimize chartjunk in his redesign? What principles from Tufte did Veen use in this redesign? Do you think the redesign is effective? Why or why not?

All Students:
Tufte Chapters 8 & 9:Data Density

75 points

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Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T10/19:

1. Find an online graphic that does a good job of portraying dense data, according to Tufte's description of this principles. Include the url for this graphic in your assignment.
2. What complex ideas are being communicated in the graphic? What design principles did the designer use to communicate these ideas visually? Give details about how these principles are used in the design to represent the data and facilitate data comparison.
3. What thinking task does this data display support? How does the designer handle dense data to support this thinking task?

Online Students:
Week 7 Discussion Question

Tufte, Chapters 8 & 9

5 attendance points

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Go to Neville Hunt's page on data density: http://home.ched.coventry.ac.uk/Volume/vol0/data1.htm

Explain why the graphic on the left has a data density of 0.1 while the graphic on the right has a density of 6.7. Why is the graphic on the right more informative that the one on the left?

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

graded on revision

Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on Th10/28:

• Using the All-Star Cable case study, draft a Statement of Work (SOW). Include the following sections:
  • purpose statement
  • project scope statement
  • project deliverables
  • goals and objectives
  • stakeholder

Online Students:
Week 8 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 5-7

5 attendance points

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All Students:
Idiot's Guide Chapters 5-7: Statement of Work Review

Post assignments individually

25 points

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10/30

Respond to the group whose posting is below yours on the discussion board. If yours is the last posting, respond to the first posting. Respond by replying to the posting.

Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on Th10/30:

1. In the purpose statement, how did the group state why they are doing the project? What is your reaction to this statement? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?
2. In the project scope statement, how did the group state what they would and would not do in the project? What outcomes and deliverables did the group include within the project's scope? Which outcomes and deliverables did the group state as being outside the project's scope? In what ways do you agree with this scope statement? In what ways would you revise the statement?
3. What project management deliverables are specified in the SOW? What project deliverables are specified? In what ways do you agree with this deliverables statement? In what ways would you revise the statement?
4. What goals and objectives does the group set out for the project? How does the group propose to measure them? Are they realistic? In what ways do you agree with this objectives statement? In what ways would you revise the statement?
5. Is the group's list of stakeholders complete? Who do they identify as key stakeholders? What is your reaction to this list? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?

All Students: Idiot's Guide Chapters 5-7: Statement of Work Revision

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

75 points

All Students:
Week 9 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 9

5 attendance points

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Looking at the outline and tree WBS examples on Idiot's Guide pp. 93-95 and at the Net MBA site (http://www.netmba.com/operations/project/wbs/), how would you evaluate these two designs for displaying functions, based on Tufte's principles? For example, what ideas are these graphics communicating? How does each facilitate data comparison? Is there chartjunk in the designs? Do these designs accommodate dense data for comparison?

All Students:
Idiot's Guide Chapters 9: Work Breakdown Structure

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

Graded on revision

Using the All-Star Cable case study, draft a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Include the following elements:

• major parts of the project clearly identified
• work packets organized in a logical sequence for easy scheduling
• necessary resources identified
• necessary work clearly and unambiguously identified
• WBS graphically represented using Tufte's principles for data excellence and integrity

All Students:
Week 10 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 9

5 attendance points

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All Students:
Idiot's Guide Chapters 9: Work Breakdown Structure Review

Post assignments individually

25 points

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Respond to the group whose posting is below yours on the discussion board. If yours is the last posting, respond to the first posting. Respond by replying to the posting.

Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on Th11/13:

1. Are the major parts of the project logical and clearly stated? What is your reaction to this overall organization for the project? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?
2. Are the sub-functions logical and clearly stated? What is your reaction to this overall organization for the project? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?
3. Are the work packets identified and organized to facilitate efficient scheduling? In what ways do you agree with this organization? In what ways would you revise the organization?
4. What resource needs does the group anticipate for the project? Are they realistic? In what ways do you agree with this statement? In what ways would you revise the statement?
5. Does the group's WBS graphically display information with data excellence and integrity? Which of Tufte's principles do you see at work in this WBS? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?

All Students: Idiot's Guide Chapters 9: Work Breakdown Structure Revision

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

80 points

Revise WBS assignment based on review comments and post to WebCT by 1:00 p.m. Th 11/18

Online Students:
Week 11 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 10

5 attendance points

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All Students:
Idiot's Guide Chapters 10: Network Diagram

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

Graded on revision

Using the All-Star Cable case study, draft a Network Diagram. Include the following elements:

• major activities of the project clearly identified
• interrelationships and precedence among activities clearly represented
• milestones clearly specified
• activities and milestones clearly represented along a timeline
• WBS graphically represented using Tufte's principles for data excellence and integrity

Online Students:
Week 12 Di5scussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 10

5 attendance points

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All Students:
Idiot's Guide Chapters 10: Network Diagram Review

Post assignments individually

25 points

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Respond to the group whose posting is below yours on the discussion board. If yours is the last posting, respond to the first posting. Respond by replying to the posting.

Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on T11/30:

1. Are the activities properly sequenced? What is your reaction to this overall organization for the project? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?
2. Is all necessary precedence identfied? What is your reaction to this aspect of the project plan? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?
3. Is there any precedence that really isn't required? In what ways do you agree with this organization? In what ways would you revise the organization? Are there activities that can be completed concurrently that are incorrectly shown as sequences?
4. Are all of the activities necessary? Are they realistic? Are any activities missing? In what ways do you agree with this statement? In what ways would you revise the statement?
5. Does the completion of the activities represent the accomplishment of the project goals? In what ways do you agree with this plan? In what ways would you revise the plan?
6. Does the group's network diagram graphically display information with data excellence and integrity? Which of Tufte's principles do you see at work in this diagram? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?

Online Students:
Week 13 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 11 & 12

5 attendance points

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All Students: Idiot's Guide Chapters 10: Network Diagram Revision

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

80 points

All Students:
Idiot's Guide Chapters 11 & 12: Critical Path Diagram

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

Graded on revision

Using the All-Star Cable case study, draft a Critical Path Diagram. Do not copy the diagram on page 145 of the Idiot's Guide, but redesign the diagram using Tufte's principles for displaying information about data over time. Include the following elements:

• critical path of the project clearly identified
• all critical tasks and their duration clearly represented along the path
• earliest starting and finishing dates for critical tasks clearly specified
• latest finishing dates for critical tasks clearly specified
• total float clearly calculated and displayed
• critical path diagram graphically represented using Tufte's principles for data excellence and integrity

Online Students:
Week 14 Discussion Question

Idiot's Guide, Chapter 11 & 12

5 attendance points

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All Students:
Idiot's Guide Chapters 11 & 12: Critical Path Diagram Review

Post assignments individually

25 points

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Respond to the group whose posting is below yours on the discussion board. If yours is the last posting, respond to the first posting. Respond by replying to the posting.

Complete this assignment and post to this topic by 1:00 p.m. on Sa12/11:

1. Is the critical path clearly represented? What is your reaction to this overall representation of the project plan? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?
2. Are all critical tasks and their duration clearly represented along the path? What is your reaction to this aspect of the project plan? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?
3. Are earliest starting and finishing dates for critical tasks clearly specified? In what ways do you agree with the representation? In what ways would you revise the representation?
4. Are the latest finishing dates for critical tasks clearly specified? In what ways do you agree with the representation? In what ways would you revise the representation?
5. Is the float clearly specified? In what ways do you agree with this plan? In what ways would you revise the plan?
6. Does the group's critical path diagram graphically display information with data excellence and integrity? Which of Tufte's principles do you see at work in this diagram? If it's good, why is it good? If it can be improved, what would be your suggestions for improvement?

All Students: Idiot's Guide Chapters 10: Critical Path Revision

Teams of 3

Post one assignment for the team

80 points

Revise critical path assignment based on review comments and post to WebCT by 1:00 p.m. T 12/14

All Students: Reflection

Post assignments individually

50 points