3.8: Resource Guide for Student Success

Resource Guide for Student Success – Chapter 1

This resource guide provides the practical tools and scaffolds you'll need to complete Milestone 1 effectively. These are not templates to be filled in blindly—they are professional frameworks designed to support your thinking, your deliverables, and your growth as a project leader.

Templates and Foundational Tools

Tool	What It Helps You Do
Project Charter Template	Draft a professional-grade charter that defines the purpose, scope, risks, and success criteria of your infrastructure expansion project. Includes clear prompts for each section and formatting guidance.
Decision Matrix Builder	Compare multiple facility options using evaluation criteria such as cost, capacity, and readiness. Helps you structure complex decisions and justify your recommendation with transparency.
Work Planning Guide	Organize your project into logical tasks, assign roles, and sketch a high-level schedule. Encourages clarity of responsibilities and early collaboration around deadlines.
Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Starter Grid	Begin developing your WBS by grouping work into manageable units. This tool supports milestone mapping and task ownership.
Project Process Planning Sheet	Encourages your team to assign functional leadership (PM, quality, design, etc.) and discuss how process ownership will shape execution. Promotes shared accountability and iterative process design.

Communication and Presentation Support

Tool	What It Helps You Do
Slide Design Playbook	Learn the do’s and don’ts of professional slides: clarity, contrast, type size, and layout principles that help your message land. You'll use this to prepare your first team presentation.
Executive Communication Guide	Helps you translate complex research into simple, powerful presentation language. Emphasizes starting with your recommendation, focusing on key drivers, and anticipating executive-level questions.

Scenario and Planning Framework

Tool	What It Helps You Do
Initiation Brief (presented in Chapter 1)	Your first challenge from the Director of IT at C-Bay. This immersive memo defines the urgency, scope, and expectations for your milestone—and launches your team into action.
Milestone Framing Worksheet	Offers a step-by-step structure to move from confusion to clarity. Helps your team plan, delegate, research, and begin drafting deliverables quickly. Acts as your initial project roadmap.

Learning Design and Pedagogical Context

Tool	What It Helps You Do
Problem-Based Learning Framework	Explains the deeper philosophy behind this course. Helps you understand why you are learning through action, iteration, and simulation rather than lecture. Builds a mindset for ownership, judgment, and agency in your work.

Tools You’ll Use Throughout

Tool	Use Case
Document Editor (Word, Google Docs)	Create your charter and reflection journals
Spreadsheet Tool (Excel, Google Sheets)	Build decision matrices and early cost models
Presentation Tool (PowerPoint, Google Slides)	Create your team’s executive presentation
Naming Convention	Use this format for file submissions:
CBay_<DeliverableName>_TeamX.extension
Example: CBay_ProjectCharter_TeamB.docx

Optional Skill-Builders (Advanced but Encouraged)

Tool	What It Helps You Do
Project Schedule Export Viewer	Explore what a real WBS looks like in a professional schedule format. Great for students who want to practice using MS Project or develop timeline fluency.
Peer Team Process Notes	Review how previous student teams managed roles, meetings, and decision-making. Use this for inspiration, but build your own strategy.

This resource set will expand with each chapter as the project evolves. Don’t feel like you need to master everything at once. Use what you need—when you need it—and come back to these tools as your understanding deepens.