Syllabus¶

The complete course outline: what each module covers, the outcome you should reach, and how long it typically takes.

Level: Undergraduate · Prerequisites: one software development course Format: 13 modules in five parts, plus an optional advanced-practice extension · 16 weeks · 32 sessions of ~2 hours · self-study Capstone: one end-to-end project

Course description¶

Software project management is the discipline of planning, organising, and controlling the work of building software so that it delivers the value its stakeholders expect, within acceptable constraints of time, cost, scope, and quality. This course develops the knowledge and practical skills to contribute to that work — and to lead small efforts credibly.

It covers predictive (plan-driven) and adaptive (agile) approaches, the standard knowledge areas of planning and control, and the human side of software teams.

Course-level learning outcomes¶

By the end of the course you should be able to:

Explain what a software project is and how projects, programmes, and portfolios relate.
Initiate a project: articulate a business case, write a charter, and analyse stakeholders.
Plan a project across scope, schedule, cost, quality, risk, resources, and communication.
Choose between predictive and adaptive delivery approaches, and justify the choice.
Build the core artefacts (charter, WBS, schedule, budget, risk register, RACI, status report) using the course templates.
Apply measurement to monitor progress and take corrective action.
Work effectively in a team: communicate, negotiate, and manage conflict.
Plan and deliver a small end-to-end software project as a capstone.

Module sequence¶

Study time is an estimate for a student who completes the lesson, the lab, and the quiz.

Part I — Foundations¶

#	Module	Focus	Estimated time
01	Foundations of Software Project Management	Projects, programmes, portfolios; life cycles; roles; success criteria; ethics	~6 h
02	Project Initiation & Stakeholders	Business case; charter; stakeholder analysis; governance	~5 h
03	Integrated Project Planning	The project management plan; baselines; change control; predictive vs. adaptive	~6 h

Part II — Agile & Adaptive Delivery¶

#	Module	Focus	Estimated time
04	Agile, Scrum & Lean Delivery	Agile values and principles; Scrum; Lean and Kanban; choosing an approach	~7 h

Part III — Planning Knowledge Areas¶

#	Module	Focus	Estimated time
05	Scope & Requirements Management	Requirements elicitation; functional vs. non-functional; WBS; scope control	~6 h
06	Schedule Management	Activities and dependencies; critical path; float; compression trade-offs	~6 h
07	Cost & Estimation	Effort, duration, and cost; estimation methods; budget; earned value	~7 h
08	Risk Management	Identification; probability and impact; registers; response strategies	~5 h
09	Quality Management	Quality planning, assurance, control; reviews and testing strategy; technical debt	~5 h
10	Resources, Team & Communication	Team structures; motivation; conflict; communication planning; RACI	~6 h

Part IV — Control & Advanced Practice¶

#	Module	Focus	Estimated time
11	Metrics, Monitoring & Control	Measurement that drives decisions; progress and flow metrics; reporting	~5 h
12	Advanced Project Management	Scaling; distributed teams; procurement; hybrid delivery; portfolios	~6 h

Part V — Capstone¶

#	Module	Focus	Estimated time
13	Capstone Project	Plan and deliver an end-to-end project using the full set of templates	~15–20 h

The per-module estimates above cover sessions and reading, and sum to about 85–90 hours including the capstone. The labs are additional: 25 labs at roughly 60–135 minutes each come to about 36–42 hours. So a realistic total for the whole course is about 125 hours — roughly 64 hours of sessions, about 40 hours of labs, and the rest in reading and capstone work. Budget 7–9 hours a week for a 16-week term.

16-week delivery plan¶

The course runs over 16 weeks with two sessions per week (32 sessions). Sessions are numbered S1–S32 throughout the course material.

Part	Modules	Weeks	Sessions
I — Foundations	01–03	1–4	S1–S7
II — Agile & Adaptive Delivery	04	4–5	S8–S10
III — Planning Knowledge Areas	05–10	6–11	S11–S21 (S17 is a consolidation checkpoint)
IV — Control & Advanced Practice	11–12	11–15	S22–S29
V — Capstone	13	15–16	S30–S32

Session 17 contains no new topic: it consolidates the planning half of the course and reviews capstone progress before the control half begins.

The session-by-session plan — with the objectives, key concepts, practical activity, and self-check for every session — is in the Curriculum Roadmap. To decide what to study first, read the Learning Path.

Prerequisites and dependencies¶

Modules 02–13 assume Module 01.
Modules 05–10 assume Module 03 (planning) and are best read after Module 04 so you can compare predictive and adaptive treatment of each knowledge area.
Module 11 assumes Module 03 and benefits from Module 07.
Module 13 assumes all preceding modules.

flowchart TD
    accTitle: Module dependencies across the thirteen modules
    accDescr {
    Module 01 leads to 02 and then 03. Module 03 leads to 04, 05, 08, 09 and 10. Module 05 leads to
    06, which leads to 07, which leads to 11. Modules 04 and 11 both lead to 12, and Module 12 leads
    to the capstone, Module 13.
    }
    M01[01 Foundations] --> M02[02 Initiation]
    M02 --> M03[03 Planning]
    M03 --> M04[04 Agile & Scrum]
    M03 --> M05[05 Scope]
    M05 --> M06[06 Schedule]
    M06 --> M07[07 Cost & Estimation]
    M07 --> M11[11 Metrics & Control]
    M03 --> M08[08 Risk]
    M03 --> M09[09 Quality]
    M03 --> M10[10 Resources & Communication]
    M04 --> M12[12 Advanced]
    M11 --> M12
    M12 --> M13[13 Capstone]

Assessment¶

This is a self-study course, so assessment is largely self-directed.

Component	How it is assessed	Where
Lesson understanding	Per-module quiz with hidden answers	Self-Assessment
Practical skill	Lab deliverables marked against a rubric	Labs
Analysis	Case-study discussion questions and model answers	Case Studies
Integration	Capstone project against a rubric	Capstone

If you are taking this course for credit, your instructor will set the weighting; the Course Map shows how the modules, labs, and assessments align.