Got an A in my last class. So this quarter, this is officially my last class before my Thesis Seminar (argh).
Set in the context of today’s convergence from the traditional telco/telephony world to next generation all-IP networks brought about by the Internet revolution, the course addresses managing across borders, cultures, time zones, and continents. In addition, the course explores managing conflicts of interest between carriers and over-the-top (OTT) players such as Apple, Google/Android and Skype. Related topics include the challenges and opportunities in vendor management between the old telco vendors of the West and their new competitors from the East. Finally, the course analyzes stakeholder management at the C- and SVP-level of the organization.
A variety of assignments create opportunities for students to work in teams, and at other times to work individually on a set of real-world case studies derived from typical projects at leading global network operators and telecom vendors. This course applies project management best practices to the typical challenges faced by project managers in today’s fast-paced, complex and highly competitive global telecom industry. Case studies are used to exemplify core project management challenges at an advanced level.
Course Prerequisites:
Two courses in any of these areas – Project Management, Technology Management, Telecommunications Technologies.
Course Overview/Purpose:
There are, of course, many industries (clothing, logistics, finance, etc.) that are global and rely on projects across continents. In this class, and in particular through our main textbook, we will explore and discuss a number of project management approaches that are applicable to many industries.
Three facts, however, make telecommunications a particularly meaningful industry to study with respect to global projects:
- The complexity of ICT make globally agreed standards a necessity because only these technical standards (LTE, UMTS, CDMA, GSM, SIM cards, etc.) make it possible for manufacturers to produce at a scale that is economically feasible for them.
- Almost all leading ICT suppliers are globally active organizations (Ericsson, Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Juniper, Huawei, …)
- The leading network operators are facilities-based carriers that are tied to a specific, but often very large, geography that can stretch continents and across borders.
Course Outcomes:
At the end of this course, students will be able to:
A. Compare and contrast approaches used by senior project managers to successfully deliver projects
B. Explain the attributes and interdependencies in the complex value network of the network operators and their Internet competitors and partners
C. Analyze the vendor management challenges and specific approaches for working with the telecoms vendors of America and Europe, and their Asian competitors
D. Describe the fundamental challenges and approaches to managing across borders, cultures, time zones, and continents
E. Analyze the key management challenges presented by today’s transition from the traditional PSTN telecom world to next generation all-IP networks
F. Identify best practices for the project management of change projects in mixed circuit-switched legacy and all-IP environments
G. Examine conflicts of interest between telecom carriers and over-the-top (OTT) players in the Internet ecosystem
H. Describe stakeholder management best practices at the executive level of the organization.