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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hello Michael</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>While I agree that a theoretical exercise such as a
test might allow students to explore project management more deeply, in my
experience many are not ready for a truly deep analysis of a 'real project' - as
someone else has said, they just don't have the experience. And yes, an exercise
in correctly sequencing a long list of tasks might be a good exercise in logical
deduction, but I don't know that it adds to the understanding of the basic
concepts involved in project management.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Treating their problem-solving task as a real
project (and it is when you think about it!) I think is much more useful.
By the time the task is issued students should have some idea of how long
various stages will take (in fact during the skills development sessions and
practice tasks I get them to note start and finishing times for different tasks;
eg to design a small dbms, to create a working form etc).</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>As to when the planning is done, project management
of real IT project is an iterative process: first use a model (eg SDLC) to
determine main tasks that have to be done (ie analyse, design, develop...) and
estimate how long they will take - hence an overall project management
plan is developed and it will perhaps be crude but it gives an idea of what's
ahead. Start the project, then at the completion of the first stage, the next
stage is more accurately planned, and so on, the detailed planning of each
stage benefitting from what has gone before.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>So, using their 'experience' and knowledge of SDLC,
students can estimate how long they think each of the main stages will take, and
draw, say, a Gantt chart. They then start the project (eg analyse). From this
they can now refine their estimates of the next stage (eg design). They then
design. From this they can now plan in detail the development stage - their
design will help them decide what tasks have to be performed; eg build two
tables, build three forms, ..., test report,.... To this they can add estimates
of time for each and so refine the time for overall development. And so
on.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I have used this approach with students doing
project management planning at two points: first overall project using study
design SDLc as model: they have to remember the stages, then draw a Gantt chart.
The second point is after the design: using their design they have to detail all
the 'building' tasks required to get a working product, and again draw a Gantt
chart - this is in fact a breakdown of the 'develop' bar in their first Gantt
chart. This might require them to adjust their overall plan. What makes it even
more real (even though there's no budget, and there's only themselves to manage,
and the project planning is not very deep) is that they have a very real
deadline to meet. My feeling is that students gain a better appreciation of the
overall idea of project management by seeing how they have to manage themselves
and their project in order to meet an actual deadline.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Regards</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Robert T-A</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Brighton SC</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=michael@stmargarets.vic.edu.au
href="mailto:michael@stmargarets.vic.edu.au">Michael Torsello (Mr)</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=itapps@edulists.com.au
href="mailto:itapps@edulists.com.au">Year 12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing
List</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 23, 2007 2:17
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> RE: [Year 12 IT Apps] Unit
3,Outcome 1 database and project management</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=278340903-23022007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Paula</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=278340903-23022007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=278340903-23022007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>I take your point but annotations seem very weird to
me.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=278340903-23022007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>You are telling me that we want students to create
an electronic information product but we want them to print out tables,
queries, forms so they can annotate them.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=278340903-23022007><FONT face=Arial
color=#0000ff size=2>Talk about going backwards to the old CAT days where
every CAT was a tome's worth of paper.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=278340903-23022007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff
size=2></FONT></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN
class=278340903-23022007><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>When students
create their project plan, is the analysis stage meant to be part of it or do
they only plan the actual making and testing of the
database?</FONT></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2><SPAN class=278340903-23022007>And
which students will want to admit that things went wrong during their SAC? If
everything goes well, they don't have to change their plan. If something goes
wrong, then they have to change their plan as well as fix their mistakes.
</SPAN></FONT></DIV><!-- Converted from text/rtf format -->
<P align=left><B><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial
size=2>----------------------------------</FONT></SPAN></B> <BR><B><SPAN
lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>With thanks</FONT></SPAN></B> <BR><B><SPAN
lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael Torsello</FONT></SPAN></B>
<BR><B><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>Director of
Computing</FONT></SPAN></B> <BR><B><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>St
Margaret's School, Berwick</FONT></SPAN></B> <BR><B><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT
face=Arial size=2>Ph: (03) 9703 8111</FONT></SPAN></B><SPAN
lang=en-us><I></I><I></I></SPAN> </P>
<P align=left><FONT face=Arial size=2><EM>"Unless mankind redesigns itself by
changing our DNA through altering our genetic makeup, computer-generated
robots will take over our world." </EM>Stephen Hawking</FONT></P>
<DIV> </DIV><BR>
<DIV class=OutlookMessageHeader lang=en-us dir=ltr align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT face=Tahoma size=2><B>From:</B> itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au
[mailto:itapps-bounces@edulists.com.au] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Christophersen,
Paula P<BR><B>Sent:</B> Friday, 23 February 2007 12:15 PM<BR><B>To:</B> Year
12 IT Applications Teachers' Mailing List<BR><B>Subject:</B> [Year 12 IT Apps]
Unit 3, Outcome 1 database and project management<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=Section1>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Dear colleagues</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I have a couple of comments to
make about the queries raised in </SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Michael
Torsello</SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">s’s email regarding the tasks for
this outcome.</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 18pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt"><FONT
face=Symbol size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol">·<FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=1><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">The outcome requires students to
apply project management strategies when producing a solution and information
product. This means that giving students a separate project management (PM)
task that does not require the application of PM skills to the development of
a solution is <B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">not</SPAN></B> appropriate.
So sorry folks, but Task 2 is intertwined with Task 1, even though they are
reported separately. <BR><BR>Also note on page 25, second para of Area of
Study 1 − ‘The project plans must be developed in the designing stage of the
problem-solving methodology.’ The amount of project management required
in this outcome is not extensive, and the reaccreditation committee
responsible for the development of the study design believed that it is a more
meaningful task if applied to the development of a solution and product.
<BR><BR>Also, this para states that the PM plan should include information
about: tasks, time and resources − budget is not a consideration. For
resources, students just have to list the technology they are using, so the
bulk of the plan focuses on tasks and time, and the monitoring of their
progress. If all goes according to plan, then no adjustments need to be
made.<BR><BR></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN-LEFT: 18pt; TEXT-INDENT: -18pt"><FONT
face=Symbol size=1><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt; FONT-FAMILY: Symbol">·<FONT
face="Times New Roman" size=1><SPAN
style="FONT: 7pt 'Times New Roman'">
</SPAN></FONT></SPAN></FONT><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">I would consider 500 minutes for
the SAC to be at the upper end of the time scale. I wonder if your task
expectations are a little too much? Also note that students do <B><SPAN
style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">not</SPAN></B> have to prepare a written report for
Task 1 − while the key skill states that students must ‘evaluate how the
efficiency of the solutions and the effectiveness of the products meet
identified decision-making needs’, the task description says that this is
achieved through <B><SPAN style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold">annotations</SPAN></B>.
This is a lot less formal and time consuming (see page 30 ‘Students annotate
the solution and information product to indicate how the identified
decision-making needs are met’) than a written report. </SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Regards</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial">Paula</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face=Arial size=2><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY: Arial"></SPAN></FONT> </P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Paula Christophersen</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">ICT </SPAN></FONT>Curriculum Manager</P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Victorian </SPAN></FONT>Curriculum and Assessment</P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Authority</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">41 St Andrews Place</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">EAST MELBOURNE</SPAN></FONT> 3002</P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Phone: 03 9651 4378</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoAutoSig><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt">Fax: 03 9651 4324</SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt"></SPAN></FONT> </P></DIV>
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