You go to work one day, a reasonably happy and competent young engineer, and then your boss drops a bombshell on you: As of next Monday, you will take over the XYZ project, and will be acting as the project manager, as well as retaining your current duties as the lead design engineer. Don't panic! This is not the time to run and hide, or to tell your boss, “No way, I'm an engineer and I don't want any part of this project management stuff.” This is what most of us faced somewhere in our careers when we were given the opportunity to manage a project.
PMI has long taken a lead in both encouraging and providing the necessary training, education and certification of competency for the field of project management. Though the Project Management Body of Knowledge is undergoing massive revision, it still has been the central unifying thread that has bound together project managers from all fields.
THE PROGRAM
With the guidance and support of the Orange County PMI Chapter, the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Extension Department has introduced a major certificate program in program and project management. Melvin E. Hall, Dean of University Extension, encouraged the creation of this new program to meet the needs of the commercial industry and work force in Orange County. An advisory committee representing the Orange County business community aided in designing the program and several teach in it. Companies represented include commercial electronics, waste management, food services, entertainment, international business, major construction corporations, county government and aerospace. Also represented are members of the local PMI chapter and key faculty from the UCI Graduate School of Management and Engineering, as well as staff directors from UCI Extension who will be managing the certificate program.
Proposed Certificate Program in Project Management
As currently envisioned, the curriculum will consist of seven required courses, each representing 2.5 to 3.0 units of credit. Required courses will take approximately 200 class-hours to complete. There will initially be seven electives, of which each candidate must select two. The total program will encompass 260 hours of instruction. UCI is on a quarter system, consisting of ten-week courses. Courses currently being considered by the advisory committee are listed below.
What makes this program different from most others being offered through private training organizations or other universities is the experiential hands-on training. University Extension believes that the best way for students to learn, retain knowledge, and be able to put that knowledge to use on the job requires that material be absorbed in a multi-week environment, with sufficient “homework” such as hands-on company-related projects, so that the intellectually learned material becomes real and is absorbed for use in the real workplace. It is believed that the core courses represent the basic knowledge that PMs in all fields require to do their job. The electives will provide the specialized knowledge unique to their specific industry and field of interest.
Local companies will benefit immediately from this new program. Participants will obtain information and skills needed to help them avoid making mistakes that can cost their company time and money.
The current offering at UCI Extension consists of four different project management basic courses, each dealing with a specialized segment of the community:
- Program and Project Management for Manufacturing (30 hours)
- Project Management for Technical Managers (24 hours)
- Project Management for Small Construction (24 hours)
- Project Management for Contracts Management (36 hours)
Effective fall 1994, UCI Extension will be offering two additional courses in construction project management as well as one course in managing software projects and one in managing multiple small projects. Students can also enroll in the project management course offered within the Civil Engineering Department. As evident from the above offerings and future plans for a comprehensive certificate program in the field of project management, we have clearly recognized the need and importance of this field of study in the organizations of the future. Approximately 80 students enroll each year in the current courses. This is expected to increase markedly with the new courses being offered.
MEETING THE MARKET'S NEED
We believe that organization in the middle ‘90s and beyond will consist of two kinds of groups: self-managed work units, doing the repetitive flow processes, and special-purpose ad hoc project teams doing everything else. Everyone working will be part of a project team or else the beneficiary of the actions of a team. We believe it is imperative that sufficient numbers of the work force be trained in project management to accomplish the projects now being handled by functional groups. UCI Extension will, with the aid of the Orange County PMI Chapter and the advisory board, develop the course work so that it is up to date, applicable to today's and tomorrow's needs, and contains the information needed to sit for the Project Management Professional exam. These organizations will also help UCI select instructors from the business community.
Project Management Ad Hoc Advisory Board
John Bing* – Trustee, PMI |
Frank Reynolds* – Banking and Service Sector |
Benjamin Caffey* – Construction |
Kevin Rohan* – Food Services |
Tom Herrera* – Computer Products |
Carlton Scott – Graduate Faculty |
Leroy Lambright – Aerospace, Software |
Robert Teel* – Construction |
Mark Linquist – Aerospace |
Baba Thapa – International Electronics |
Bob Metzler* – Environmental Engineering |
Mario Vidalon – Engineering Programs |
Frank Micheletti – Commercial Electronics |
Marty Wartenberg* – Project Manager |
Lori Muñoz-Reiland – Program Director |
Julie Wilson* - Insurance |
Elayne Rail* – Public Works |
*PMI member |
Extension's philosophy is to use qualified instructors from the industry in which the teaching will be done. The people currently teaching in project management programs are seasoned professionals in project management. Requirements for instructors include the following:
- In-depth current knowledge of the subject matter
- Proven ability to teach the subject
- Knowledge and experience in the specific industry
- Enthusiasm and interest in the subject
- A minimum of a master's degree from an accredited university
For these project management courses, PMI certification will be encouraged. This entire program and its individual courses must first go through a rigorous review by the applicable academic department on campus. In this case, the UCI Graduate School of Management will be the approving organization. All courses and instructors must meet the demanding standards of this department before UCI Extension can offer the new classes or certificate program.
We at UCI Extension and our supporters in this area, including the Orange County PMI Chapter, and our advisory board are very excited about this new and innovative program here on the West Coast. We believe that this program will become one of our more popular offerings, both on campus and at selected organizations.
Marty Wartenberg is a corporate training consultant and teaches for the University of California, Irvine Extension Department, responsible for developing new curricula and customizing extension courses for government and industry clients. He spent over 30 yearn in various engineering, project management, and executive management positions, including vice president of new product development at the Interstate Electronics Division of Figgie International.
Marty has an undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering and an M.B.A, is a licensed Professional Engineer in California, and is an active member of the Orange County PMI Chapter.