1.3: Overview
- Page ID
- 49172
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This book invites you to learn project management by doing project management—from the very first page.
You won’t be reviewing theoretical definitions or filling out isolated worksheets. Instead, you’ll be embedded in a high-pressure business scenario at a fictional but realistic company, C-Bay Inc., and asked to deliver. Your success will depend on your ability to act, analyze, lead, communicate, and adapt—not just absorb.
Throughout the course, you’ll move through the full lifecycle of a strategic project in a team-based environment. By the end, you will have created a portfolio of professional-quality deliverables and built the kind of self-directed, team-oriented, and judgment-based skills that employers expect in project management roles.
The C-Bay Simulation
The backbone of the practicum is a multi-phase simulation centered around C-Bay Inc., a tech company facing urgent infrastructure and organizational decisions. The company is scaling rapidly and has tasked your team with solving real business problems:
- Where should they expand?
- How should they budget for future growth?
- What risks should they mitigate?
- How should they communicate with stakeholders and leadership?
You’ll take on these challenges as a consulting team embedded in the organization, not as students solving classroom problems.
Each Chapter = A Real Project Milestone
Each chapter represents a new milestone in the C-Bay project. Just like in the workplace, your work will evolve as the situation unfolds:
|
Chapter |
Milestone |
|
1. Initiating the Project |
Clarify the challenge, form your team, deliver your charter and recommendation |
|
2. Defining Scope and Success |
Break down requirements, build a formal scope statement |
|
3. Estimating Costs and Planning Resources |
Construct a basic cost model and resource plan |
|
4. Identifying Risks and Planning for Change |
Identify risks, design mitigation strategies, and build change response plans |
|
5. Executing and Monitoring |
Track performance, build a dashboard, manage mid-course adjustments |
|
6. Closing the Project |
Deliver your final report and reflection, and capture lessons learned |
This structure mirrors professional project workflows—meaning you’re building experience in sequence, with relevance.
Your Journey
By the end of the course, you will have:
- Managed a simulated infrastructure project from initiation to close
- Delivered key documents like a Project Charter, Evaluation Matrix, Cost Model, WBS, and Presentation
- Rotated or specialized in roles like PM, Analyst, Presenter, or Risk Lead
- Learned how to make decisions, communicate under pressure, and reflect meaningfully on your process
You will not just “understand” project management—you will be living it, chapter by chapter.