Leave your response as a comment on this post by the beginning of class on April 25. Remember, it only needs to be a few sentences.
Answer the following question:
What was the most important takeaway (from your perspective) from this course. If you had to explain to a future MIS5102 scholar what this course was about, what would you say?
David Schuff
Jeffrey M Pearce
Stavros Hadjitheocharou
Christopher W Crawford
Jim Menkevich
Eric L. Warner
Stanley R. Horwitz
Mamta Amin
Steven Borland
Shivani B. Darji
Rachel L. Gifford
Dong Hwan Lee
Tara N. Lott
Tisha M. McKinney
Karen Padula
Geoffrey R
Martin Schryver
Jerrin C. Varghese
Amy L. Virus
Adam Ford
Albert J. Foster
Steven Jacob
John V. Nguyen
yinka
Olabamigbe Olubajo
Salin Thomas
Michele Moses
Dory V. Bearden-Edwards
Elizabeth G Brown
Mouniratou Yanda-Amedutite
The most important thing that I took from this course is to look at both my business and personal life in a more systematic fashion. I found it very helpful in understanding why things happen the way they do, as well as how to avoid unintended situations. Systems thinking can help one to understand how A affects B, how B affects C, and how C affects Z. It helps mitigate problems and allow for future success. I would use this story as a means of conveying what the course covers.
The most important takeaway for me is that I should take a systems management approach to the decisions I make in my personal and professional lives. This course reminds me of the so called “butterfly effect,” which you can read about by clicking on the following link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butterfly_effect and which was really put into focus by the online project management exercise we did, as well as several of the readings.
Expand your view and take the blinders off. A lot of what we talked about is about taking a wider view of the world in which you exist and how doing that makes you more effective in your little piece of it. This theme runs through the first half of the course with systems and the second half in project management. The more aware you can be of your environment and inter-dependencies the more effective you’ll be.
The most important take away for me was that creating effective change has nothing to do with technology. Communicating early and often with stakeholders, listening for feedback, being aware of the impact of your change on all stakeholders and setting expectations will set up up for success in every case.
This class was extremely informative to me. I feel that all the weeks discussing project management are invaluable and can be used for the rest of my personal career. Understanding the process one must go through in order to implement, maintain, and control a new system are crucial to a person with goals relating to the introduction of electronic medical records. I feel that all information, not just the project management piece, will benefit me highly in becoming an effective part in the management role.
Take a more systematic approach to a project, don’t let the project run you. Allow yourself to take a chance on the stakeholders in your team. If you are prepared and transparent with your expectations and requirements, you will get more from them. Allow the flow of communication to be open and the vision of the project to be clear and apparent.
One statement the guest speaker said that struck me in particular was “begin with the end in mind”. This class presented several tools for project management and provided a clearer understanding of what project management reall is and what the project managers role should be. I have become more cognisent of the stakeholders role in a project and how important thier input is in the success of the project.
Project management, and the strategies used to successively manage, execute and lead projects were the most important points I learned in this course. Mostly the focus was on technology based projects but the strategies used can be applied to virtually every industry. I will definitely used what I have learned in this class towards my career and life in general. For future MIS5102 scholars, I would this course is about project management and all the revolves around it.
The most important take away for this class was the systems view. In another life, I took an education/training degree from Penn State (Instructional Systems Design). That program included many of the tools we discussed in this class (process, flowcharting, communication, politics, etc.). I was introduced to something called HPT (Human Performance Technology). HPT relies on a systems approach to solving business problems. Start with the issue (where’s the pain?), use the tools to clearly describe the problem, then work backwards to identify the root cause and select the best option. It was gratifying to see the same emphasis in an MBA program.
The main lesson I learned from this class is that communication and feedback from colleagues are very important in all fields. Also, a systematic approach always takes you to the end result, regardless of what project you are working on. In research, I am always working on multiple small projects which are part of one bigger grant, but this step-by-step process helps me achieve my goals.
The most important take away for me in this class was the clearer understanding of what business process and system thinking approach are all about and how they relate to our day to day activities. The project management, step by step analysis of case studies, discussion forum and class activities just to list a few are of great value to my career path.
I think the most important take away from this course was the significance of understanding a process because that helps you think of your business from a systems perspective which is useful when trying to get to the root of a problem or redefine your requirements when designing or auditing a project. I believe if your “systems thinking skills” are strong, it will help you organize your projects and manage them in a more efficient way.
For me, the most important takeaway I would say is that the class gets you to think more from a systems perspective, where actions have consequences or effects on other areas. What I really enjoyed about this class is that the concepts are relevant and really applicable to our full time jobs. I would explain to future students that the course discusses the successes and pitfalls of project management.
The most important aspect that I took from this class was the introduction of systems thinking. No longer do I view something independently, but I find myself looking at it from a systems point of view and trying to figure it out it’s locations within the greater whole. The most interesting thing I took from this class though was the understanding of trying to manage project/work politics. I think most people believe that work politics just happen and are a thing they must just deal with. It’s very interesting to hear how people are actually trying to educate themselves about these concepts and manage them versus just dealing with them on a day to day basis.
The most important takeaway I got from this course was the importance of feedback and communication between project stakeholders. You have to incorporate the stakeholder’s ideas and feedback into the project in order for the project to be successful. The most important information that I learned from the course was how to create a RFP, how to write business requirements and project management. If I had to explain to a future MIS5102 scholar what this course was about, I would say that this course went into depth about the role of a business analysis and how to be a successful business analysis.
This course was a good learning experience for me. One of the biggest take away from this course is to understand the importance of applying “system approach” in various stages of a project management. Also, it strengthens my understanding of the roles scope, time, and budget plays in managing a project. Overall, it taught me some valuable lessons on how to make a project succeed.
in order to make a process change, business need to analyze the process or systems in place and see what are the effects if a change is made. I learned how projects are handled in general and I have to say there is no size fits all. it will depend on the business objectives and the culture of the organization.
It made me think and reevaluate my own way of analyzing problems and solutions. I started thinking and seeing wholes, the big picture. I started seeing interrelationships instead of just snapshots of situations. It enabled me to start determining cause and effect having multiple perspectives, and taking note how it’s never influenced in just one direction
The most important takeaway from this course is the systems thinking approach as opposed to the traditional approach. If I was to explain what this course entails to anyone, I would say it is about looking at a current business process and finding ways to improve and make the business process more efficient.
The MIS5102 course gave a overall view of how process works. It also taught me how proper management can be used in business situations as well as life situations. The emphasis on process, system thinking and the Big Picture gives you the tools to look at any project, set goals and objectives, follow a plan and look for signs along the way to guage whether to continue with the project or end it and cut any loses.
The main takeaway for me is the idea that using systems thinking coupled with proven project management tools can encourage innovation and effective decision making within an organization. Also, deconstructing a process to identify inefficiencies can help streamline the process, and has many implications outside of IT.
The most important takeaway I received from the course is that people (personnel/stakeholders) determine your success and not technology. Technology is available to support a company’s business objective, and allow them to operate in a more efficient and cost effective manner. However, it is the activities and functions of the staff and senior leaders in executive positions that dictate the success. This concept applies to the different topics we covered in the course which include: Business Process and Project Management. In both cases, you have to know what your personnel are currently doing to identify exactly what they need to make improvements. In regards to Business Process, understanding your staff’s workload with aid you in identifying what changes will a ripple effect. For Project Management, identifying your users’ requirements will assist you in completing the project correctly the first time. Through thorough communication to staff and key stakeholders you can overcome obstacles such as politics and poor communication that can slow down progress or result failure.
I would explain that this course helps you understand how to break down processes to further understand the processes to be able to make improvements on the processes.
I took away from this course a valuable experience in being able to analyze and understand processes at a granular level.
What I took away from this course is that it is very beneficial to take a step back and look at the bigger picture with a system thinking approach. Unless you understand all implications and impact that a change will have, you could not properly enact that change. I would tell future students that this class gives you the tools to analyze and efficiently plan for process change.
The most important take away from this class is that no matter how process improves, how perfect the system becomes, the most important thing is people. Most of people in this age thinks that many things can be automated and replace by the machine, however it is very important to remember that people are still part of the system, in fact, they are very important part of the system and it will be that way for a while.
This course allowed me to take a step back and look at the larger view or the “systems” view of the business problem. The wawa case was one of my favorites not because I love wawa but because it really helped me to understand how process changes really effect the entire system and it can result in a very positive outcome.
The most important takeaway from this class is that communication throughout a project can make or break a project. You need to communicate to all stakeholders in order to get their buy-in during the project. Also, communicating change is important to others accepting that change. It’s a trickle effect, everything you touch in a project effects someone or something else in the project. You need to communicate that change effectively to avoid negative feedback. It’s part of project management.
There are many key takeaway points that I gathered from the course. One key point is how to look at systems or businesses in a wholistic manner keeping in mind that each process has some effect on the overall system. I learned the difference between systems thinking and process thinking and how to use tools to solve everday business problems. I can truly say that I now understand the role of a Project Manager and the importance of all of the components of a project and how they affect one another. I also took away the key point that in order for a project to be successful, among other things, it must meet the strategic objectives of the business. Thank you for a great course!
This course was a good learning experience for me. It gave me an understanding of project management in various business situations. I especially enjoyed learning the process one must go through to develop and maintain a new system. Communication seems to always be the key to success in any project.