Written by Valarie Merced, PMP, AVP of Communications
The first year of PMI Atlanta’s Education /Academic Program at Kennesaw State culminated with great success. The Kennesaw State Program was initially championed by PMI Atlanta board member Cathy Luby who reached out to Richard L. Teters, Jr., Professor at Kennesaw’s Michael J Coles College of Business to develop a partnering relationship.
Initially the Chapter provided speakers who presented core areas of project management drawn from the class syllabus and incorporated with real life project management experiences. The student’s understanding of project management was amplified by the application of real world knowledge to written concepts and the opportunity to participate in discussion with industry professionals. Professor Teters and his students were Cathy’s guests during its Project of the Year (POY) Award dinner where they were able to network with the PMI community and Cathy connected them with SITA, one of the POY winners. The connection between Professor Teters and Bruce Weaver of SITA sparked an innovative idea that would immerse the students in the Project Management profession with exceptional results.
The standard reference materials used in class are purchased case studies. While the purchased materials are beneficial they can be out of date; particularly in light of the pace of technological change. Professor Teters proposed that the students write a case study about one of SITA’s projects to be used in addition to the purchased material. This would be an opportunity for the students to be involved in real world work with the added benefit of producing valuable output based on their experience. Bruce agreed that the experience would be beneficial for both SITA and the students and engaged colleague Terry Higgins to work with the students during the case study development.
SITA was just beginning to work on the next phase of the effort for which it won project of the year providing the perfect opportunity to develop a case study. The project was to translate SITA’s reservation desktop (SRDT) graphical user interface into Russian for the use of a large Russian airline (LRA). The students met with Terry Higgins on a scheduled basis at SITA’s offices in Atlanta and were introduced to leadership as well as staff; providing them the experience of working in a corporate setting. They received an overview of the projects background; witnessed the ebb and flow of a real world project life cycle; and participated in discussions about issue resolution and risk mitigation.
The experience was positive for SITA, Kennesaw State, the students and PMI Atlanta. SITA formed a lasting relationship with Kennesaw State and ways able give back to the community by investing in its students. Professor Teters’ vision was realized when his students produced an exceptional case study applicable to today’s world that will be used in future coursework. In addition a new method to help students understand business and project management was established. The students gained real world experience, made industry connections and produced a document that is evidence of their hard work and proficiency.
Kennesaw State and SITA are looking forward to teaching, mentoring and supporting students through their continue partnership. PMI Atlanta is excited to have laid the foundation for this successful collaboration and pledges its ongoing support for the program.