This one-year course is designed for students with previous experience in R& D work. The course introduces some of the most up-to-date perspectives of R& D project management. Students are expected to take their prior R&D experiences as a basis and utilize the workshops, case studies and discussions to practice and learn efficient project management in a R&D environment. Our project management is composed of three stages: a pre-launch, launch, and implementation stage. We are to use the three stages to develop a systematic project management strategy. The individual steps associated with these three stages will guide the student through the necessary steps to take a project from its early infancy to successful deployment in an efficient and effective manner.
In this course, at the pre-launch stage, the student will learn about the following: (a) writing a project description, (b) undertaking an intra-project priority analysis, (c) stakeholder analysis, (d) complexity assessment, (e) scope and sizing of projects, and (f) project chartering. Within the launch stage, the student will learn how to develop (a) a task plan, (b) an organizational plan, (c) perform a estimation, (d) handle execution, (e) perform scheduling, and (f) learn how to maintain progress reviews and project control.
The course will also include some of the latest developments on brainstorming implementation approaches, Taguchi methods, innovation stretch research management, patent applications/preparations, etc. Guest lecturers will be invited to give lectures on special topics, participate in workshops, etc. Students will learn to work in groups of six during the workshop sessions. As the discussions may discuss the student’s previous experiences and projects, which may or may not have been published, all students from the M.S. or Ph.D. programs will be required to have prior written approval from their advisors to attend the class.