Leading Project Teams – MGMT 527

Course Description

Description: This course provides an analysis of effective team-based leadership practices in a project environment. Topical coverage includes creating high-performance teams, managing team conflict, motivating teams, and empowering teams for the successful completion of projects. Key principles of effective team leadership are cross-referenced with PMBOK concepts.

Rationale

Leading Project Teams MGMT 527 is one of several courses covering advanced project management topics, cross-referenced with PMBOK concepts. The course examines the critical areas for successful team leadership. It explores the key principles for building high-performance work teams, which are essential to successfully complete projects in today’s dynamic work environments.

Course Assignment

Textbook readings and lecture presentations

Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (3)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. They allow students to show their understanding and position on various topics. Discussion threads have two parts for the students: the initial thread and the replies. Below, see the information on each and examine the rubric to determine how the discussion threads are graded.

The initial thread is a more academic and scholarly discussion thread. In the initial thread, the student must show a command of the topic by discussing various theories, methodologies, and practices. The various theories, methodologies, and processes must show scholarly evidence by comparing and contrasting the various ideas into a posting that shows high academic engagement. The initial thread must follow APA, which requires no personal pronouns in scholarly academic writing.

Discussion Replies:
Replies focus more on the ideas and relationships of the other students. Each reply must have some research to discuss the various topics, but the focus is to engage the student to discuss the topic and the various ideas of all parties in the class.

Replies can use personal pronouns throughout the posting to connect to the student and to share individual ideas or personal experiences. Therefore, the student must provide a thread in response to the provided prompt for each discussion. Initial threads are more formal than student replies.

Each initial thread must be at least 400-500 words, demonstrate course-related knowledge with scholarly evidence and support, reference at least 3 peer-reviewed journal sources, and include at least 1 biblical integration. Student replies require each student to reply to 2 other classmates' threads. Each reply must be at least 200-250 words and advance the discussion topic with ideas, insights, or new material. Replies must have at least 1 source from a peer-reviewed journal source and at least 1 biblical integration.

Biblical Integration:
This assignment also includes biblical integration by comparing and contrasting the Bible to assignment themes and making the Bible apply personally. Biblical integration goes deeper into the ideas and shows how biblical principles follow or violate certain methodologies taught in the course. Students must connect the Biblical principle and the point taught in the course.

Leadership Challenges in Leading a Global/Remote Project Team Assignment

Organizations run projects globally and remotely. Global teams are teams anywhere in the world with different time zones and could be speaking multiple languages. This assignment connects students to the world of running projects remotely, which has escalated in the recent pandemic. Expanding one's knowledge in both a practical and scholarly manner helps students prepare for the future with new skills and core competencies for the growing world of project management. The assignment should be 5-7 pages in length. 

Types of Project Manager Power and Its Influence on the Team Assignment

Types of Project Manager Power paper will compare and contrast various types of power and give examples of best practices for each type when scheduling and running a project team. The researcher should discuss power shifts in project teams within various organizational structures, such as traditional, agile, and hybrid. Each shift in the project manager's power should show evidence of the type of power and how it works with the various teams. The student must include best practices for shifting the power from traditional to agile and hybrid from the project manager to the team. This assignment should be 5-7 pages in length.

Team Environment Assessment in Multiple Environments Assignment

The student will choose and assess the three different project team environments (traditional, agile, and hybrid), giving examples from specific organizations which typically have a particular style. Traditional and agile samples and definitions are in the textbook, but the student must research hybrid project methodology in organizations. Students should compare and contrast each project environment and give specific details of the similar team skills and those different for each project setting. (Do not confuse hybrid projects with hybrid working conditions where employees are working from home virtually.) The assignment should 7-9 pages in length and include at least 8 references.

Examining the Influence of (AI) on Project Teams Assignment

Students will create a research paper on Artificial Intelligence (AI) and its impact on leading project teams. Students must define team theory and compare it to artificial intelligence principles, which can change how teams function in projects, and the changes AI will bring to leading project teams.

This assignment aims to evaluate the benefits and limitations of AI in project team dynamics, with a specific understanding of how this new technology can change the team's tools, performance, and coordination between management and the teams.

Quizzes (2)

The quizzes will cover the Reading & Study material for the assigned modules: weeks. Each quiz will be open-book/open-notes, contain 20 multiple-choice questions, and have a 30-minute time limit.