Capstone: Applying Project Management in the Real World Course Syllabus

Overview: This capstone course provides a hands-on opportunity to apply foundational project management skills in realistic scenarios. Over approximately 40 hours, learners will progress through key project phases—initiating, planning, executing, monitoring, and closing—while developing practical deliverables such as project charters, stakeholder reports, and quality assessments. The course integrates storytelling techniques and AI skills relevant to modern project management, culminating in a final project that demonstrates comprehensive understanding.

Module 1: Initiating a Project

Estimated time: 10 hours

• Analyze project documents to identify project requirements
• Evaluate stakeholders and their influence
• Complete a project charter
• Use the project charter to align scope and goals among stakeholders

Module 2: Building Out a Project Plan

Estimated time: 10 hours

• Identify tasks and milestones
• Document and prioritize tasks in a project plan
• Define quality management standards
• Explore methods for sharing qualitative data

Module 3: Executing and Monitoring the Project

Estimated time: 10 hours

• Determine quality standards for project deliverables
• Evaluate project performance against quality standards
• Monitor project progress and adjust plans as needed
• Apply AI skills to support project execution and decision-making

Module 4: Closing the Project

Estimated time: 10 hours

• Develop a comprehensive project charter using research and documentation
• Assess final project outcomes against initial objectives
• Prepare final stakeholder reporting

Module 5: Communicating Project Impact

Estimated time: 5 hours

• Develop effective stakeholder reports
• Apply storytelling strategies to describe data
• Demonstrate project impact through compelling narratives

Module 6: Final Project

Estimated time: 15 hours

• Deliverable 1: Completed project charter
• Deliverable 2: Comprehensive project plan with milestones and quality standards
• Deliverable 3: Final stakeholder report using storytelling techniques

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic project management concepts
• Access to Google Workspace or similar collaboration tools
• Willingness to engage in self-paced learning and peer feedback

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Develop a comprehensive project charter using research and documentation
• Create and manage a detailed project plan with defined tasks and milestones
• Define and evaluate quality standards throughout a project lifecycle
• Produce compelling stakeholder reports using storytelling and data
• Apply AI skills to enhance project management workflows and job readiness