PROJECT MANAGEMENT – POINT-WISE TEACHING PLAN
1. Introduction to Project Management (Duration: 20
minutes)
(a) Explain what a Project is — a temporary effort to create a
unique product, service, or result.
(b) Define Project Management — the process of leading a
team to achieve goals within constraints (scope, time, cost, and
quality).
(c) Give simple examples students can relate to:
(i) Organizing a college fest.
(ii) Building a mini IoT device in a hackathon.
(iii) Developing an app for attendance or mess management.
(d) Show how each of these requires planning, scheduling, and
teamwork.
Activity:
Ask students to write one “mini project” they were part of and
identify who acted as the Project Manager (even informally).
2. Five Phases of Project Management (Duration: 25
minutes)
(a) Initiation: Identify the problem and set goals.
a) Example: “Students struggle with class schedule updates
→ build an app for timetable alerts.”
(b) Planning: Define tasks, timelines, and resources.
b) Tools: Gantt Chart, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
(c) Execution: Perform tasks using teamwork and
collaboration tools (GitHub, Trello, Google Workspace).
(d) Monitoring: Track progress, quality, and performance
using KPIs.
(e) Closure: Deliver the final outcome, review lessons
learned, and celebrate completion.
Teaching Tip:
Use a real project timeline (e.g., building a college website)
to illustrate how each phase overlaps.
Activity:
Divide students into groups of 5; each group selects one idea
and breaks it into 5 project phases on chart paper.
3. Key Skills in Project Management (Duration: 15
minutes)
(a) Time Management – Setting realistic deadlines.
(b) Task Delegation – Assigning roles based on strengths.
(c) Problem Solving – Managing unexpected challenges.
(d) Communication – Sharing progress clearly.
(e) Adaptability – Handling change in requirements.
Example:
During hackathons, time runs out; leaders delegate coding,
testing, and documentation tasks to finish before deadlines.
4. Project Planning and Prioritization (Duration: 25
minutes)
(a) Explain how planning converts goals into actionable steps.
(b) Introduce MoSCoW Model for prioritizing features:
(i) Must Have, (ii) Should Have, (iii) Could Have, (iv) Won’t
Have.
(c) Discuss Kano Model for understanding customer
satisfaction.
(d) Teach MVP (Minimum Viable Product) concept using
example:
Instead of building a complete app, first make a simple
prototype that solves the main problem.
Activity:
Students plan a simple mobile app idea using MoSCoW method
and identify “must-have” and “optional” features.
5. Agile and Lean Methodologies (Duration: 20 minutes)
(a) Define Agile: An iterative approach to project management.
(b) Explain Scrum roles – Product Owner, Scrum Master,
Development Team.
(c) Demonstrate a Kanban Board using Trello or whiteboard
columns: “To Do”, “In Progress”, “Done.”
(d) Explain Lean Thinking: eliminate waste, deliver faster.
Example:
Show how Freshworks or Zoho uses Agile sprints for new
software versions.
Activity:
Simulate a 10-minute “Agile Sprint”:
Round 1: Teams design idea sketches.
Round 2: Feedback.
Round 3: Revised output.
6. Risk Management and Quality Control (Duration: 15
minutes)
(a) Identify possible project risks – technical, financial,
schedule, or communication breakdown.
(b) Teach Risk Matrix – probability vs. impact.
(c) Explain quality assurance methods – reviews, testing,
customer feedback.
Example:
If the project team depends on poor internet during online
meetings, that’s a medium probability, high impact risk.
Activity:
Students create a small risk matrix for their campus-based
project.
7. Communication and Team Coordination (Duration: 15
minutes)
(a) Discuss importance of communication with stakeholders
(team, mentors, users).
(b) Show examples of written communication: emails, reports,
progress summaries.
(c) Explain difference between technical documentation and
user documentation.
(d) Stress cross-functional communication — engineers must
explain technical details to non-tech people.
Example:
How Zoho’s tech teams report updates to marketing and
investors.
8. Case Studies and Real-Life Examples (Duration: 20
minutes)
(a) Zoho Corporation – built in India, scaled globally using
Agile project management.
(b) Freshworks – started in Chennai, became NASDAQ-listed.
(c) Byju’s – used technology and project teams for scaling e-
learning.
Teaching Tip:
Show short 3-minute video clips or news articles about how
these companies managed projects.
Activity:
Group Discussion: “What can a student startup learn from
Zoho’s project culture?”
9. Scaling and Process Standardization (Duration: 20
minutes)
(a) Product Scaling – from MVP to full-scale product.
(b) Team Scaling – hiring and maintaining startup culture.
(c) Market Scaling – entering new geographies, adapting to
local needs.
(d) Infrastructure Scaling – cloud computing, automation tools.
Example:
How a college project (e.g., online attendance system) could
scale to serve multiple colleges via cloud infrastructure.
Activity:
Teams create a “Scaling Strategy Canvas” on paper.
10. Closure and Evaluation (Duration: 10 minutes)
(a) Review five stages of project management.
(b) Summarize key tools and methods: Agile, Trello, MoSCoW,
Risk Matrix.
(c) Reflect on teamwork, leadership, and adaptability.
Activity:
Mini Quiz or reflection paper – “How can project management
improve your future engineering projects?”
Optional Add-Ons
Invite a startup founder or college project leader to
share a 15-minute experience.
Assign a 1-page project proposal as a graded exercise:
title, objective, scope, deliverables, and timeline.