Topics

Certainly you have your own ideas on why project management is important. Please think a moment about situations when you will have to perform a project by yourself. Examples of these situations can be within your course of studies, when you will have to perform smaller projects; when your institute is participating in a GI research project, which might be the context of your Master thesis; and when GI companies are providing new products to a customer, which might be your future job.

First, we will have a closer look what a “project” exactly is and, then, what is meant by “project management”.

Each project has to be paid by someone in terms of money and/or other resources. How can you convince somebody to pay? Project acquisition is one of the major challenges of each GI institute and GI company.

Goals

In this module you will

• See why project management is important for your program of studies as well as for your professional career
• Find out what “projects” and “project management” is
• Learn how the acquisition of projects works.

Readings

Required readings:

Textbook: Required readings: Robert K. Wysocki (2009): Effective Project Management (fifth edition), Wiley Publishing

• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2

Standish Group (1994). The CHAOS Report. [pdf]

Wikipedia (2011). Definition Project. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project

Wikipedia (2011). Definition Project Management. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_management

Additional readings:

Brox, C. and P. Pires (2004). Education in Geoinformatics - Career Profiles, Requirements, and Chances. EUGISES, Villach, Austria. http://www.cti.ac.at/eugises_2004, pre-published version see [pdf]