Journal of Information Systems Education (JISE)

Volume 19

Volume 19 Number 1, Pages 99-110

Spring 2008


Defining Projects to Integrate Evolving Team Fundamentals and Project Management Skills


Harold Smith, III
Penn State University
New Kensington, PA 15068, USA

Debra Smarkusky
Elizabeth Corrigall

Penn State University
Dunmore, PA 18512, USA

Abstract: Industry has indicated the desire for academic programs to produce graduates that are well-versed in collaborative problem solving and general project management concepts in addition to technical skills. The primary focus of a curriculum is typically centered on the technical training with minimal attention given to coalescing team and project knowledge. In this article, we present an evolutionary approach to defining projects for the duration of a student's tenure that integrates the development of team competencies and project knowledge. The approach uses the project management processes defined in the Project Management Institute's Project Management Body of Knowledge as a standard collection of project knowledge and identifies different levels of expertise that should be exhibited by students at different points through the curriculum. We also provide a collection of example projects to illustrate the differences between projects at each of the freshman, sophomore, junior and senior levels.

Keywords: Project management, Team fundamentals, Problem-based learning, Competency matrix, Project scaffolding

Download this article: JISE - Volume 19 Number 1, Page 99.pdf


Recommended Citation: Smith, H., Smarkusky, D., & Corrigall, E. (2008). Defining Projects to Integrate Evolving Team Fundamentals and Project Management Skills. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(1), 99-110.