The First Assignment

A. Create a blog.

Thank you for stopping by!

It has been a while since the last time I logged in my blog. Time flies, I can’t believe it is my 3rd semester already. It seems the first time I started my first English blog was yesterday. I am blessed that I had the opportunity to join CALMAT last Fall. I am still on my journey and welcome aboard. Thank you for accompanying with me for the next 3 months and hope you enjoy the trip.

The first time I heard about Project Management was 2 years ago when I was trying to change my career path. I read through the book (Microsoft Office Project 2003 Step by Step) and played with the software but I could not get deeper knowledge without hands- on practice. Today, As a Project Coordinator, I manage projects on a daily basis so I am hungry for more knowledge/skills and practice with real world projects on Project Management. This course definitely is the perfect course I am looking for - it is the right course on the right timing.

B. Visit the Intro to project management page and carefully read the page down to "Gantt". Decide on a project that you would use for this project management course. I would recommend you use your capstone as the project, but you don't have to. From this point on, we will refer to this project simply as "Project". Send a one-page description of your project to the assignment & blog forum under the same topic of your blog link. You can use the capstone project description you have already written. Make sure you begin the description with a paragraph of goal if you have not done so. (90 min, upload to blog forum)

*** I missed the face-to-face class on June 2 so I am not sync'd with what exactly we need to do with this project. With all the information Linda Huang filled me in with and my understanding, I have drafted the following. I will make modifications later. Apologized for any inconvenience.

CALMAT Orientation

Introducing new students to the CALMAT community is an imperative part of the academic experience. CALMAT staff created experiences for incoming students that prepare them for the classroom and also welcome them to our community. 

In the Fall, for new students, a full day program introduces them to resources, policies, opportunities, faculty, staff and current students at CALMAT.

From Saturday June 9 to Saturday August 11, six of us (Cristine, Linda, Wayne, Lee, Daniel and Deanna) will be working together on the project of CALMAT Orientation, which will be held on Saturday August 17. Each business school has its own strength. CALMAT is unique on its faculty’s real world experience from different industries in Silicon Valley.

Professor Tao is our contact window with Dean, CALMAT administrative staff and the four senior faculty members. He will be helping us coordinate for activities related to CALMAT website, Dean’s calendar, faculty’s presentation material & their calendars and Student Association. He will stand behind this project as our champions or sponsor, overseeing project progress and providing advice to the project manager and team. He is ultimately accountable for its success.

Bi-weekly Team call will be set up to coordinate and update.

Here is the calendar (June, 2012-August, 2012).  

http://www.oneclickwallpapers.com/calendar-2012.html

The goals for CALMAT Orientation are:

-          Let new students feel welcome.

-          Let new students get familiar with the school, faulty, alumni, resources available for them, around campus and in the city…so they know where they can get help from when they need them.

-          Let new students get a better sense of what they'll be accomplishing by working on their CALMAT degrees.

-          Let new students connect with their learning teams, classmates for the programs.

Description:


Congratulations on your acceptance to CALMAT! You are joining a lifelong and extensive network of ambitious students and well connected alumni.

Fall Trimester 2012 Orientation

Saturday, August 18

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Dress is casual and the day includes continental breakfast, lunch and refreshment breaks. Orientation attendance is mandatory and you will receive your orientation registration link once you have submitted your deposit.


For more information, please contact ABC (email: xxxx@calmat.us).

Please note: New Student Orientation is mandatory

Please review the New Student Handbook for CALMAT students below. This document contains valuable information to help you navigate your way to your CALMAT.

In addition, please review the http://calmat.us/calmat-mba for the CALMAT Program to get a better sense of what you'll be accomplishing by working on your CALMAT degree.

We also encourage you to visit the following link to review the steps you must take in order to complete your CALMAT: http://calmat.us/learning-plans. You are encouraged to review and understand how these steps affect the attainment of your degree.

For further information on any of our policies please visit our online catalog which has our CALMAT Graduate Policies and Procedures.

Preliminary Agenda:

·   Student Association Welcome Reception: The Student Association invites you to a reception with the Class of 2014. It also includes registration and several presentations by administrative staff.

• Dean's Welcome to the Class of 2014: Gather with the entire Class of 2014 for the first time.
• Learning Team Activities: Immediately following the Dean's Welcome, you will meet your Learning Team. The activities will run all day and all of the activities will be held outdoors.
• Learning Teams Lunch: Following the day of team building activities, your Learning Team will enjoy a lunch together on campus. Your learning Team mentor will join you.
• CALMAT/San Jose City Library Tour: Come see how the Library can contribute to your success in the MBA Program as Library staff introduces you to the resources the library has to offer.
• The Leadership Challenges of Industrial Competition: In this session, four CALMAT senior faculty members or alumni with extensive industrial experience will briefly present their views of the critical leadership challenges created by industrial competition. CALMAT faculty not only holds advanced degrees in their fields, but also has a wealth of industry experience that allows them to connect management theory with practical applications. Students receive innovative and relevant instruction that they will be able to apply in the real world.
• Small Group Dinners at Various Restaurants in different areas in Bay area including South Bay, North Bay, East Bay and etc: Do you want to get past the "where are you from and where did you work" stage? If so, come to a small group dinner and get to know some of your classmates. The Student Association will email all dinner attendees their assigned restaurant and group.

C. Evaluate the goal of your project against the "SMART" criteria that you've read in the assignment 1.B; Is your goal a "SMART" goal? Revise it if necessary. (100-300 words, 30 min, upload to your blog)


I believe my goals are "SMART" goals (at least at this stage) because they are:

Specific (based on the information I know)

• Well defined
• They are clear to anyone that has a basic knowledge of the project

Measurable

• Have some means to be able to know if the goal is obtainable or how far away completion is.

Agreed Upon (depend on what agreed upon on June 2)

• Have agreement between the users and the project team on what goals should be

Realistic

• Looking at the resources, knowledge, and time available can the goal be accomplished

Time-Framed

• How much time is needed to accomplish the goal
• Having too much time can affect the project performance