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Information Technology Project Management

Information Technology Project Management (abbreviated ITPM) is one of the 3 specializations in Master of Computing (abbreviated MComp) program, offered by NUS School of Computing (SoC), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore. SoC has two departments, Department of Computer Science(CS) and Department of Information Systems(IS).

This is a graduate program that requires candidates possess good related computing bachelor degree as the admission criteria [1]. The candidates of MComp ITPM specialization are required to have gained at least 2 years of relevant industry experience in Project Management. However, it is not a very strict criterion. This program is targeting fresh graduates as well as working professionals who intend to seek, update & upgarde their career in project management field in the IT industry.



Introduction
The Master of Computing programme (MComp) is a comprehensive and challenging graduate programme with area specialisations. It encompasses the latest research findings, both applied and fundamental. The programme also provides advanced and in-depth knowledge of IT to prepare the students for challenges in IT career.

MComp programme is useful for both working people who prefer to reinforce their knowledge in Information Technology. Not just that, MComp programme is an important study that students who want to do further study like PhD are encouraged to take.

However people who did not have fundamental knowledge in IT would find modules in MComp programme quite challenging and difficult to digest.

Structure
As of 2008, the MComp programme provides students with 3 choices of specialization:


 * Computer Science : which concentrates on computing algorithm and finding resolution for complex or unresolved problems in computing
 * Infocomm Security: which concentrates on technologies in managing and securing Information and communication such as databases and database security
 * Information Technology Project Management: which concentrates on technologies and methodologies in managing IT projects

Students are required to pass 10 modules, with at least 5 modules selected from the above specialisations. Each module are graded based on a scale of 5 points. Maximum point is equivalent to A or A+ grades.

Grading Scheme for Examinations

To graduate successfully, students have to get the CAP points (which is averaged over 10 modules) of at least 3.0 (or B- grade)

Evolution & History
3 1/2 years back MComp was a very straight forward degree course with the option to select any of the 10 available courses to attain the degree.

There were various feedbacks from the students and the industry to bring concentration and focus to the course. Based on the feedback Graduate Office committe discussed and listed number of concetrations & specialisations to better manage the interest. Finally, the Graduate Committee finalised the following specialisations:


 * Computer Science (CS)
 * Infocomm Security(IS)
 * Information Technology Project Management (ITPM)

Before year 2007, Computer Science (CS) department has offered 3 specializations:


 * Computer Science (CS)
 * Digital Media(DM)
 * Infocomm Security(IS)

Information Systems (IS) department has offered 3 specializations as well:


 * Management of Information Systems(MIS)
 * Information Technology Project Management (ITPM)
 * E-Business(e-BIZ)

However, due to other constraints, since January 2007, the following 3 specializations were suspended:


 * Digital Media(DM)
 * Management of Information Systems(MIS)
 * E-Business(e-BIZ)

ITPM overview


ITPM focuses on information system planning, project management, consulting and most importantly, relationship with business. Most of the modules are prepared carefully for the purpose to raise the awareness of students on business perspectives of IT technology. These include budgeting, scheduling, human management, strategy, policy and many others. The modules encompass latest cases happen in the world or in Singapore and also, most updated research findings and technology.

The background of this degree is to serve the community, facilitate people who are out of school for a while either to update or upgrade. Most actually pursue this course for update.

Structure
As ITPM is one of the specializations in MComp programe, the structure of the program is the same as that set up by Mcomp.


 * the program may be taken full-time or part-time
 * the minimum and maximum tenure for full-time students are 1 and 3 years
 * the minimum and maximum tenure for part-time students 2 and 3 years

On an average based on the past records student generally take minimum of 1 1/2 Years to maximum of 3 years to complete.

Each student is required to pass ten modules in order to graduate. 7 out of these 10 modules must be modules categorized under ITPM. 8 out of 10 modules must be modules level 5000 and above. However, the rules are relaxed and modified in such a way the instead of 7 modules taken from the specialization, only 5 are needed. This is applicable for student admitted from Semester 1, AY2008/09 onwards (July 2008 onwards).

Program fee
Like most other graduate programmes in NUS, MComp programme is heavily subsidized by Singapore Ministry of Education. MComp students will surprisingly find that they have to pay a much lesser amount compared to undergraduates who their course are not subsidized do. Course fee is different for International students who do not own a permanent resident pass, Permanent Resident (PR) pass holders and Singapore citizens. Although the fee is not much different for PR holders and Singapore citizens, it is a few hundreds to few thousands different for International students and PR holders.

Course fee is also different for full-time and part-time students in which the formers have to pay more for usage of the School facilities and participating in School activities such as seminars and workshops which part-time students are usually not able to participate. Course fee is paid on semester basis regardless of how many modules the students take in a semester. However, there is a limit of 5 modules for full-time students and 3 modules for part-time students to take in a semester above which students have to pay extra fee. As of now, part-time MComp students who are also PR holders have to pay around S$1,800 in the first semester (which includes examination fee) and around S$1,400 for subsequent semesters.

More details about course fee can be found at: GOVERNMENT-SUBSIDISED GRADUATE PROGRAMMES

Comparison to other PM courses
ITPM is a master’s degree designed for students willing to pursue in-depth academic knowledge in Project Management.

ITPM specialization, a Masters Degree in Project Management, found to be an attractive course to help the successful students to seek their next employer or climb up in the corporate ladder.

The successful students will receive the Transcript that mention "Master Of Computing - ITPM Specialization".

PM Certification Courses
 * Certification courses focus to provide considerable Project Management concepts and understanding but very less on the ability to conduct project management.

PM Polytechnic Diploma Courses
 * Polytechnic Diploma courses focus to provide practical exercises so that the students are geared to handle hands on activities immediately after the completion.

ITPM Masters Degree Course
 * ITPM being a Masters Level covers some of the most advanced topics in Project Management and other related subjects.
 * Offered by NUS, a more academic oriented educational institution interested in educating students with the latest research outcome and also involves students in some of the relevant research exercises.
 * NUS as a University, on top of providing the relevant knowledge and practical hands on exercises, helps its students to think and perform research on their own, which will help to handle the real time problems faced in actual day to day Project Management activities.
 * Thought by lecturers and professors who were involved in extensive research in the specific area.

If the motive is to get employed in to organisations that require more hands on then Certificate courses would be more appropriate then ITM Masters.

Students choose ITPM for their own self satisfaction, MASTERS and not for certificate.

ITPM Modules


There are 12 modules categorized under ITPM specialization in total. Each one has a module code which can be of level 4000, 5000 or 6000. However, not all the modules are offered for each semester. Usually, there will be around 4 to 5 modules are offered for each semester.

All the modules categorized under ITPM are using identifiable by a module code started by CS followed by a 4-digit number. CS stands for computer of science. The number can be 4000 plus, 5000 plus or 6000 plus. Most level 5000 and 6000 modules are conducted in the evenings.

Generally, level 4000 modules are for undergraduate students, level 5000 is for Master student and level 6000 is for PhD students although Master students are allowed to take some modules which are not level 5000.

ITPM Module List:


 * CS4251: Strategic IS Planning
 * CS4253: Information Systems Consulting
 * CS4254: IS Project Management
 * CS5212: Software Project Management
 * CS5251: Integration of IS and Business
 * CS5254: Information Technology Policies
 * CS5257: Case Studies in Enterprise Systems
 * CS5259: Information Technology Outsourcing*
 * CS5261: Telecoms and International Network
 * CS5268: Electronic Government
 * CS5350: System Dynamics
 * CS6301: Case Study Research

CS4251: Strategic IS Planning
This module covers strategic planning to link information needs and technology support to organisational objectives. The module content includes: IT effects on industries, markets, and organisations; how organisations can use IT to gain competitive advantage; evaluation of business strategy (plans) and IS strategy (plans); and management of aligning business strategy (plans) and IS strategy (plans). The module will focus on organisational performance (efficiency, effectiveness, and competitiveness), the use of IT as a means to enhance organisational performance (not an end in itself) and creative and analytical frameworks and methodologies.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * No information


 * Workload: 
 * No information
 * Assessment: 
 * No information
 * Project: 
 * No information

CS4251: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS4251: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * Role of IS in organizations
 * Business planning issues
 * IS planning issues
 * Determining current IS needs
 * Determining future IS potential
 * Determining IS strategy
 * Managing applications portfolio
 * Managing human resources
 * Managing financial resources
 * Managing information resources
 * Managing applications development
 * Trends affecting IS planning


 * 1) Learn how IT can drastically change industries and markets (by enabling high value-added services)
 * 2) Learn how organizations can use IT to attain and sustain competitive advantage (by providing high value-added services)
 * 3) Learn how planning tools can be used to facilitate identification of strategic IS
 * 4) Learn how resources can be managed to facilitate delivery of strategic IS

CS4251: Workload

CS4251: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS4251: Assessment
 * Project 1 - 15% of course grade
 * Project 2 - 45% of course grade
 * Examination - 40% of course grade

CS4251: About the Lecturer Bernard TAN Cheng Yian, Ph.D  Professor  Department of Information Systems  Tel: (65) 6516-4717  Fax: (65) 6779-7365 E-mail: [btan@comp.nus.edu.sg]  Website: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/is/bio/btan.html  Dr. Bernard Tan served as Professor and Head (2002-2008) of the Department of Information Systems at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Assistant Dean (2000 - 2002) in the School of Computing at NUS. Dr. Tan received his Ph.D. degree (1995) in information systems from NUS. He has been a Visiting Scholar in the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University (1996-1997) and the Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia (1992).

Teaching Mode
 * 1) Content-based learning
 * 2) Focuses on knowledge about strategic IS planning
 * 3) Covers contemporary planning tools and practices
 * 4) Assessed mainly through examination
 * 5) Process-based learning
 * 6) Focuses on processes for strategic IS planning
 * 7) Covers fundamental planning processes and skills
 * 8) Assessed mainly through group projects

CS4251: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1) No Information

General Project Topics
 * 1) No Information

CS4253: Information Systems Consulting
This course is designed to initially overview the general consulting profession with a subsequent emphasis on information systems consulting issues. Effort will be placed on developing proficiencies in a range of skills required to practice consulting. The course is relevant to those who are specifically interested in consulting careers and/or whose current or future jobs involve staff consulting or line management using consultants. The aims and objectives are:
 * 1) to provide an overview of Information Systems (IS) consulting and to develop a more specific understanding of the practice;
 * 2) to provide students with the knowledge of management and IS consulting practices; and
 * 3) to give students the opportunity to be involved in a field consulting project.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * Some students have given feedback that the knowledge of this course is more suitable for working professionals than for fresh undergraduates.


 * Workload: 
 * No information
 * Assessment: 
 * No information
 * Project: 
 * No information

CS4253: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS4253: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * To overview the ‘universe’ of general consulting and to develop a basic understanding of that universe, and, subsequently, the ‘world’ of strategic, innovation and IS consulting more specifically.
 * To improve your knowledge of management consulting practices.
 * To improve your ability to define key factors and issues relevant to a consulting engagement and to examine their inter-relationships.
 * To allow for practice in conducting a field consulting project.
 * To improve your ability to present analyses of issues in a concise, accurate, clear and interesting manner from the perspective of a consultant.
 * To gain exposure to a variety of processes and interventions involved in the management consulting arena.
 * To learn how to match one’s individual strengths, weakness, likes, dislikes, personality and goals with consulting opportunities, demands and behaviour to enhance one’s placement process and career progression

CS4253: Workload

CS4253: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS4253: About the Lecturer Hee-Wong KIM, Ph.D  Assistant Professor  Department of Information Systems  Tel: (65) 6874 4867  Fax: (65) 6779 4580  Email: kimhw@comp.nus.edu.sg  Website: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~kimhw

Dr. Hee-Wong KIM is an assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems at the National University of Singapore. He received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Pohang Institute of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Korea. He received his Ph.D. degree in Management Information Systems from the Graduate School of Management of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Seoul, Korea.

Teaching Mode
 * Lectures

Two or three guest lectures by practicing consultants will be invited to provide information relevant to strategy and IS development as well as the consulting profession.
 * Consulting field project by student teams

The purpose is to improve your consulting skills through the actual performance of a consulting assignment.
 * Examination

CS4253: Assessment

Final Exam: 40%

Project: 50%
 * Weekly status report: 5%
 * Project proposal: 10%
 * Proposal presentation: 5%
 * Project report: 25%
 * Project presentation: 5%

Assignment: 5%

Class contribution: 5%

CS4253: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1)         This major field project requires that you develop a client engagement and perform consulting services for that client. Its purpose is to improve our consulting skills through the actual performance of a consulting assignment.
 * 2)         You are asked to work in a minimum of three and a maximum of five person teams (depending on the class size).
 * 3)         When you form your team, you have to start work on weekly status report.
 * 4)         Your team will identify a potential project, negotiate a defined assignment, enter the client organization, gain access to needed data and employees, identify and diagnose issues / problems, and deliver a report with recommendations intended to result in positive and lasting changes.
 * 5)         You should have your team formed and hold sufficient meetings to discuss and decide on a potential client by the end of the second class session.
 * 6)         The client should be secured through a written proposal, a copy of which is due in class as noted in the syllabus.
 * 7)          Each team is expected to present project proposal and get comments from other teams.  The proposal presentation should be approximately 10 minutes in length, and it should be performed as if the client was the primary audience.
 * 8)         Work for the client should begin no later than mid semester.
 * 9)         Your client contact must be a responsible individual in an organization that has a problem / opportunity / issue in need of study.
 * 10)         Such study areas can range from strategy, management, innovation and information system issues.
 * 11)          The project should be sufficiently focused so as to be completed within the limited time of the course.
 * 12)         A professional oral presentation (with printed copies of overheads or power point slides) will provide the basis for evaluation and feedback.
 * 13)         The oral presentations will be made on the last class session (This session could be longer than an ordinary 2 hour session).
 * 14)         An audience of student colleagues will criticize your presentation.
 * 15)          The oral report should be approximately 10-20 minutes in length, and it should be performed as if the client was the primary audience.
 * 16)         Additionally, you can be asked to describe issues/problems that arose during your engagement.
 * 17)         You also are required to make this same presentation to your client.
 * 18)         Your client will be asked to evaluate your project. The evaluation results should be emailed to the lecturer by your client.
 * 19)         Your report should include a description of (1) the client organization, (2) how you entered and what you contracted to do, (3) objective of your project, (4) your methodology, (5) your analysis, and (6) your solutions or recommendations.
 * 20)         In the report provided to the lecturer, you need to include an extra section describing what you have learned about consulting from doing this project.
 * 21)         Your grade on the team project is a ‘team grade’ that will be assigned equally to all members of the team unless otherwise determined by differences in evaluations by team members.
 * 22)         Weekly project status report summarizes (1) weekly progress (accomplishments in last week), (2) plan in this week, (3) problems and issues, and (4) people and task assignment. It summarizes the activities, analysis, observations and experiences that occur as the project unfolds. You have to submit weekly status report to your client and the lecturer every Monday by noon through email during the project. It will account for 5% of total grade.
 * 23)         The project proposal will account for 10 % of your total grade. Proposal presentation will account for 5% of total grade.
 * 24)          The final report will account for 30% of your total grade: 10% from the client, 15% from the lecturer on the final report. The remaining 5% will come from the final presentation.
 * 25)         The overheads (or power point slides) for your presentation should be prepared in line with materials for professional presentations.
 * 26)         The total number of overheads is limited to 25.
 * 27)         It is recommended for each project team to have consultation with the lecturer every other week regarding the project progress. Each project team may need to bring the project plan and status report for the consultation.
 * 28)         You will have peer evaluation among your team members in the last week. This will be considered in moderating project score of each team member.
 * 29) One team will be selected and be asked to present the project progress for about 10 minutes in each week during the class. Based on the presentation, we will discuss how to manage and handle project issues every week.

General Project Topics
 * No Information

CS4254: IS Project Management
This module focuses on the management of IS projects. Various managerial issues pertaining to the evaluation and selection of information systems projects, choice of project organization, planning, scheduling and budgeting of project activities and basic principles in control and project auditing will be covered. The students will also learn how to use practical techniques and tools, such as network models (PERT/CPM), simulation, and state-of-the-art project management software, in scheduling project activities. This module serves as a good introduction to information systems project management for students who may participate in coordinating and managing large-scale information systems projects.

Students are not required but encouraged to take CS3214 (Information Systems Development Project) or CS3215 (Software Engineering Project) before this course.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * No information


 * Workload: 
 * No information
 * Assessment: 
 * No information
 * Project: 
 * No information

CS4254: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS4254: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * Evaluation and selection of information systems projects
 * Choice of project organization, planning, scheduling and budgeting of project activities
 * Basic principles in control and project auditing
 * Techniques and tools, such as network models (PERT/CPM)

CS4254: Workload

CS4254: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS4254: Assessment
 * Tutorial Assignment 10%
 * Project 40%
 * Final Examination 50%

CS4254: About the Lecturer Dr. Yunjie Xu (Calvin)

Assistant Professor  Department of Information Systems,  Tel: (65)6516-6562  Fax: (65)6779-4580  Email: xuyj@comp.nus.edu.sg <BR/> Website: http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~xuyj <BR/> Office location: SoC1 Room #5-22

Dr. Yunjie Xu is an assistant professor at the Department of Information Systems, School of Computing, National University of Singapore. He got his B.Sc. from Harbin Institute of Technology in China, M.S. from Fudan University in China, and Ph.D. from Syracuse University in New York USA. His major research interests include knowledge management and e-commerce, but he is also interested in exploring other related areas.

Teaching Mode
 * 1) No Information

CS4254: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1) Students will form teams to manage a hypothetical web-based IS project. Team members should work together to go through the whole project life cycle which includes tasks like:
 * 2) Initiate and justify the project
 * 3) Define project scope, conduct cost estimation, schedule tasks, plan quality control
 * 4) Implement some static web pages to illustrate the project deliverables
 * 5) Conduct monitoring and control
 * 6) Produce a final report

General Project Topics
 * 1) No Information

CS5212: Software Project Management
This module examines the managerial aspects of the software production process: from its initial feasibility phase to its maintenance phase. It covers topics such as feasibility studies, cost estimation and control, quality and operational integrity reviews, project scheduling and control techniques and methods, and productivity and quality metrics. Of particular interest will be the management of cross-cultural and cross-border software teams. Students who are certified IT Project Managers will be given credit for this module.

Although there are currently, no pre-requisites for the course, the course is designed with students who have some software project management experience in mind. Each student is encouraged to prepare slides about their experienced IT project and present in front of class in knowledge sharing session. This activity contributes 5% of total grade of this course.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * Some students have given feedback that they got very low marks for their critique submission.


 * Workload: 
 * No information
 * Assessment: 
 * No information
 * Project: 
 * No information

CS5212: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5212: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * This module examines the managerial aspects of the software production process. You will be required to read about 20 papers from various journals which cover topics such as quality management, managing outsourcing and global teams. Students who are certified IT Project Managers will be given credit for this module.


 * This course is designed with students who have some practical software project management experience in mind. This course will NOT cover the principles and fundamentals of software project management. Students may be interested to know that there is a module that covers these principles and fundamentals - CS4254 Information Systems Project Management.

CS5212: Workload

CS5212: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS5212: Assessment
 * Continual Assessment (CA): 50%
 * Group Presentation 20%
 * Group Critique Submission 20%
 * Individual Class Participation 10%
 * Exams (open book): 50%

CS5212: About the Lecturer Dr. Irene Woon <BR/> Senior Lecturer <BR/> Email: iwoon@comp.nus.edu.sg

Teaching Mode
 * 1) Discussion and Presentation Based.

CS5212: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1) The class will be divided into small groups (<= 5). Groups will be assigned articles to read, present and summarize and criticize on selected papers. Each team select 4 topics out of 20 research papers provided to do critique and the topic for presentation will be selected by balloting.

General Project Topics
 * 1) No Information

CS5251: Integration of IS and Business
This module examines the high level CEO/CIO perspectives of information systems within the wider scopes of the corporations. It covers introduction to information systems in organisations from the general manager's perspective, organisational strategies, finance, operational and other functional objectives, managerial and strategic uses of information systems, overview of enabling technologies, how information systems are developed and managed, long-range planning for information systems investment and employment, study of information technology in Singapore's business environment, and individual and team projects.

Student Remarks about the Module
 * This module will help to easily achieve a minimum of B- grade. Generally there are less or no failures


 * Workload:
 * Assessment:
 * Project: Project topic is preferable to be a real world case.

CS5251: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5251: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * Information Systems in the Enterprise
 * Information Systems, Organizations, Management and Strategy
 * Electronic Business and E-commerce
 * IT Infrastructure and Platforms
 * Managing Data Resources
 * The Wireless Revolution
 * Security and Control
 * Enterprise Applications and Business Process Integration
 * Managing Knowledge
 * Enhancing Decision Making
 * Redesigning the Organization
 * The Business Value of Systems

Other Topics


 * IT Leadership
 * Strategic and Scenario Planning

CS5251: Workload

CS5251: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS5251: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1) Team Size: 5 to 6 Member
 * 2) Appoint a Group Leader, who will be responsible for all communications with the lecturer. The leader will inform the lecturer the topic by the given target date.
 * 3) Each group will produce a Project Report of not less than 5000 words, excluding annexes and appendices (where necessary). All reference materials used in the research must be listed at the end of the report. References used should be from reputable sources including books, professional magazines, media reports and research papers. An executive summary should be included and will be excluded from the word count.
 * 4) Each group will also produce a Powerpoint presentation of the project. The presentation should not exceed 30 slides.
 * 5) The completed Project Report should be submitted in hardcopy to the lecturer. A softcopy of the Report, as well as the Powerpoint Presentation, should also be uploaded into IVLE under “Student Submission” on the same day. Late submissions will be penalized.
 * 6) The Project will be evaluated on the following:
 * 7) Originality and quality of research
 * 8) Relevance to topic
 * 9) Quality of case study
 * 10) The Project must include a case study of a company to illustrate the research topic. The company can be local or foreign. Extra marks will be given for efforts to produce an original case study of a local company.
 * 11) The Group Project will constitute 40% of the course assessment.

General Project Topics
 * 1) What is an Internet Strategy? How does the Internet play a role in changing the competitive landscape in many industries?
 * 2) The customers always demand better service. How does an organization ensure that their IT systems are implemented with good quality control so as to meet such customer demands?
 * 3) A company proposed to provide mobility for its work force. What are the technologies and controls an organization need to put in place so as to successfully launch such a programme?
 * 4) Consider a small business unit you may be familiar. Describe the telecommunications employed by the business. In what ways might telecommunications and networking be used to improve the profitability of the business?
 * 5) Research an IT project that has gone awry. Present your views on why the project failed. Describe how a good project management may have turned the project into a success story.
 * 6) For a mid-sized retail company (e.g. a departmental store) in Singapore, explain how it can increase its business with the use of Information Systems and some software tools. Give examples on how information can be mined and used for expanding the company’s business.
 * 7) As IT continues to advance, is it reasonable to assert that in many instances the strategic IS Plan will drive the Business Strategy? Illustrate with examples and give your views on why it has benefited the organization.
 * 8) Should organizations use application service providers (ASPs) and storage service providers (SSPs) for all their software and storage needs? Evaluate the pros and cons of using these providers.
 * 9) Supply chain management is less about managing the physical movement of goods and more about managing information. Present your arguments.
 * 10) Adopting an enterprise system is a key business decision as well as a technology decision. Illustrate with an example of how enterprise systems have helped a business to gain competitive advantage.
 * 11) Describe various ways that knowledge management systems could help firms with sales and marketing or with manufacturing and production.
 * 12) If businesses used DSS, GDSS and ESS more widely, would they make better decisions?

CS5254: Information Technology Policies
This course covers policy making and evaluation for information technology. Students will learn about policy making in organisations as well as at the national level. Topics range from the policy control of information technology within organisations in various industries, the policies peculiar to the IT industry, and the social, educational and economic uses of IT, such as the Internet and E-commerce. Students will learn how policies are made and implemented. They will also learn how to evaluate the long-term impact of these policies.

CS5257: Case Studies in Enterprise Systems
This module examines some of the recent enterprise system management implementation issues taking place in most business organisations. It covers a range of system implementation issues from an information system perspective. Using actual cases, the data collection and analysis methods employed in which these enterprise systems are examined are also discussed. This module is especially useful for research students (M.Sc. and Ph.D.) and part-time students (M.Comp.) who have prior IT industry experience.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * Module is very helpful to understand Enterprise Systems Issues and Management Strategies. Case Study and project is very userful


 * Workload: 
 * Very important to attend lectures. Inclass discussions and interactions does count.
 * Assessment: 
 * Mid-term exam held quite early so that we can apply the knowledge immediately after the lectures and dedicate time for project after the exam
 * Project: 
 * Very interesting topics, involves detailed case study, survey, interviews and documentation.

CS5257: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5257: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * Introduction to Case Study: Research-based Case Study and Teaching-based Case Study
 * Introduction to Enterprise Systems for Management
 * Enterprise Systems Integration
 * Enterprise Systems Development Life Cycle
 * Enterprise Systems and Project Management
 * Organization Change and Business Process Reengineering (BPR)

Others


 * Web 2.0 in Enterprises

Objective


 * Enterprise Systems Implementation and Management
 * What are ES?
 * How are ES implemented (multiple perspectives)?
 * How are ES managed?
 * Teaching-based Case Study (TBC) V.S. Research-based Case Study (RBC)
 * How to conduct a case study?
 * How to write a case study?

CS5257: Workload

CS5261: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS5261: Assessment
 * Exam: 40% (mid-term)
 * Group Project: 40%
 * Group Project Presentation: 15%
 * Class and Forum Participation: 5%

CS5261: About the Lecturer Dr. Pan Shan Ling

E-mail: [Pansl@comp.nus.edu.sg] <BR/> Website: www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~pansl


 * Research Interests
 * Enterprise Systems
 * E-Government
 * Knowledge Management
 * eBusiness in China

Teaching Mode
 * 1) Class Lecture
 * 2) Guest Lecture
 * 3) Case Study discussions

CS5261: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1) 3-4 people per group
 * 2) In-depth case study: one phenomenon and NOT multiple phenomena
 * 3) Must pick from the topic list, unless you propose an alternative with the lecturer approval
 * 4) Written Group Report (40%)
 * 5) Teaching Case (not more than 7000 words)
 * 6) Teaching Note (not more than 3000 words)
 * 7) Powerpoint Slides (not more than 25 slides)
 * 8) Presentation (15%)

General Project Topics
 * 1) IT Entrepreneurship: How does Jack Ma (Alibaba.com) build his empire?
 * 2) Alibaba.com: Towards building an on-line business ecosystem (1999-2008)
 * 3) Taobao.com: How did it beat eBay in China?
 * 4) China Earthquake 2008: How does information flow in crisis response management?
 * 5) What are some of the different types of on-line merchants on Alibaba.com and stories of their success?
 * 6) India: The use of IT in bridging the digital divide
 * 7) India: Healthcare information systems in remote villages
 * 8) India: Interesting outsourcing practice (that we don’t already know)
 * 9) Infosys Technologies (or similar companies): After global outsourcing, what is the next # business model?
 * 10) India: e-Health Information Systems Project
 * 11) India: Outsourcing Healthcare record/data
 * 12) Set up a comprehensive Wikipedia site for SoC-Mcomp Program
 * 13) Your team in Second Life: Describe the life there, what did you do there and what can other students learn from life there?
 * 14) On-line gaming: Why do people join on-line gaming? Describe to us life as on-line gamers and talk to other gamers to get their perspective.
 * 15) ES in your organization: describe an interesting implementation and post-implementation experience

CS5257: WIKI Contributions... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5259: Information Technology Outsourcing
IT outsourcing has a great impact on today's information technology industry. This course will provide an overview of IT outsourcing concepts and practices and discuss new directions of outsourcing in the context of Internet information management. Topics covered include: vendor management; global outsourcing; outsourcing project management and cross-border knowledge management.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * The content of this course is very useful as IT project outsourcing is getting more and more popular.


 * Workload: 
 * As of Semester 2 academic year 2007/2008, this module has been mapped to module CS4255 (IT Outsourcing and Offshoring Management). As a result, it isn't difficult for graduates to study this module.
 * Assessment: 
 * No information
 * Project: 
 * No information

CS5259: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5259: Topics Covered/Syllabus Part I
 * What is outsourcing?
 * Models of outsourcing
 * Business drivers and strategic advantages
 * Issues and challenges
 * Singapore's BPO industry

Part II
 * Outsourcing planning and selection of service providers
 * Contract and service levels management
 * Cost and risk Management
 * Change and communication management
 * Human resources management and soft skills

CS5259: Workload

CS5259: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS5259: Assessment

Final Exam: 60%

Project: 40%

CS5259: About the Lecturer Mdm KWONG Yuk Wah 

Email: diskyw@nus.edu.sg

Before semester 2, 2007/2008 : Dr Heng Cheng Suang

Teaching Mode
 * No information

CS5259: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * Team Size Exactly 5
 * Guide for final report:
 * 1 Paper (=< 40 pages)
 * Times New Roman
 * Font 12
 * Double spacing
 * MISQ format
 * All Dataset
 * Interview Questions + Transcripts
 * Survey Instruments + SPSS data
 * Archival Records + SPSS data
 * Experiment Packets + SPSS data
 * Presentation (10 min)
 * Creative, Concise, Critical

General Project Topics
 * No Information

CS5261: Telecoms and International Network
Students will gain an understanding of how telecommunications can affect organisations and industries. Rapid advancements in telecommunications technology and the convergence of computing and telecommunications have created unique opportunities for organisations to derive competitive advantage. This module will provide students with a broad and in-depth understanding of the impact of telecommunications technology on organisations. The topics covered include: adoption and diffusion of telecommunications technology, telecommunications technology strategy, telecommunications applications in supply chain management, manufacturing, sales and marketing, inter-organisational networking, convergence, and national or international telecommunications policies.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * This module attracts students mainly for the following two reasons:


 * 1) It covers quite a wide range of new technology and new products that are interesting to students. Some brands discussed in this modules are such as iPod, iPhone, iTune, (VoIP) Skype, WiMax, Palm, Blackberry, PDA, Smartphone, Nokia, IBM, Singtel, M1, StarHub, NTT Docomo, Dell, Huawei, 3com, 3G, etc.
 * 2) It also introduces software marketing and strategies, and telecom business strategies and overview of information economics. Some common buzzwords used in this module includes Porter’s Five Forces, SWOT Analysis, vertical/horizontal integration, economics of scale, profitability, first/second/late mover advantage, sustainable/competitive advantage, cost leadership, differentiation leadership, economic lock-in, network effect, group pricing, etc.


 * Workload: 
 * Normal workload
 * Assessment: 
 * The grading policy is very transparent to students but some students find the policy is not well designed as the weightage on the project is too much.
 * Project: 
 * Effort spent on the project is very useful for the exam

CS5261: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5261: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * Telecoms and International Network
 * Mobile Telecommunication, Business Strategy and Industrial Competitiveness
 * Porters 5 Forces
 * Economics of Lock-in
 * Network Effect and Strategy in Network Industries
 * Cooperation, Compatibility and Standard Wars
 * Economics of Digital Goods
 * Economics of Pricing Digital Goods
 * SWOT Analysis and the ISP industry
 * VoIP and Skype
 * iPhone and WiMax
 * Digital Convergence

CS5261: Workload

CS5261: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS5261: Assessment
 * 2 Assignments, 10% each, total 20%
 * Class and online Participation: 10%
 * Final Group Project (Term paper 25%, Presentation 15%), total 40%
 * Final Examination (Open Book 2 hrs) 30%

CS5261: About the Lecturer Name: Huang Ke Wei

Dr. Ke-Wei Huang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems and the Department of Economics at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Dr. Huang joined NUS in July 2007. He received his Ph.D. (2007), M.Phil. (2005), and M.Sc. (2002) degrees in Information Systems from the Stern School of Business at New York University, and his M.B.A. in Finance (1997) and B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (1995) from National Taiwan University. Prior to joining NUS, Dr. Huang has worked as a software developer at Computer Associates (Taiwan) and a research assistant at the economics institute of Academia Sinica. Dr. Huang's research studies the economics of information technology and industrial organization theories. Currently, he focuses on various topics of pricing digital goods, including optimal selection of pricing variables for price digital goods, personalized pricing and product-line design based on customer or product characteristics, pricing on-demand services, and how the fixed cost of digital goods affects optimal pricing. http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~huangkw/CV.pdf http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/is/bio/huangkw.html

From survey
 * It is easy to contact the lecturer and he will answer your questions and accept your opinion.
 * Most of the students are satisfied with the teaching material and the lecturer.

Teaching Mode
 * 1) Lecturer presentations
 * 2) Discussion on Current news headlines
 * 3) Lecturers past experiences

CS5261: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1) Team Size : 5 to 6 Member
 * 2) Team paper should be no more than 60 pages of main text. No more than 100 pages including appendices, tables, figures, and references…etc. Please list the references including the web addresses where you cite or download data.
 * 3) The term paper should cover but not limit to the following information:
 * 4) Introduction: briefly introduce the relevant background of the country and the target industry. An overview and short summary of your interesting findings. For example, what is unique about the competition of this country and the target industry, what is unique about the pricing structures of those companies…etc.
 * 5) Industry:
 * 6) The number of competing firms in that industry and their relative market sizes (in terms of subscribers or sales, depending on which one you can obtain).
 * 7) Briefly describe relevant background information of the major vendors in that industry. I expect to see 2 to 6 companies in this section. If there is a monopoly, then this is not an appropriate target for the term paper. Don’t spend too many pages on this part (especially by copying and pasting references). You only need to provide background and relevant information for your further discussions of the competitiveness and pricing plans.
 * 8) Provide an analysis of the target industry’s profitability by Porter’s Five Forces model.
 * 9) In the past, who are the leading firms and who the losing firms. (If possible, what are the historical stock price performances?)
 * 10) Pick ONE leading and ONE losing firm. Apply SWOT analysis on these two firms.
 * 11) Provide several strategic suggestions for these two companies. (The more CORRECT suggestions, the higher your grades will be.)
 * 12) Pricing strategies:
 * 13) Current pricing plans of major vendors. Provide the pricing plans in the appendix and briefly summarize or explain the properties of these pricing plans. Preferably, this matches the companies discussed in the industry section.
 * 14) Briefly explain why certain firms can charge higher prices than the other firms. (This reinforces your discussions of SWOT.) Do they have significantly different pricing plans? If yes, what are your explanations?
 * 15) Based on the price plans, what are the price discrimination strategies used by these companies?
 * 16) Do they have any promotional pricing plan? If so, could you categorize them by first-degree, second-degree, third-degree, or bundling pricing strategy?
 * 17) Based on the concepts you learned from this module, could you come up at least one (different) pricing strategy for each company you’ve discussed? (Feel free to provide more than one strategies. But, for the additional strategies, ONLY those creative enough or with good explanations will improve your grades. In other words, simply stating senior citizens discount, student discount, or NUS discounts are correct but not good answers that I am expecting for.)
 * 18) Conclusion:
 * 19) What are your major findings and conclusions about the current status of this industry?
 * 20) Can you make some predictions about the future evolution of this industry? (e.g., Will those firms perform better or worse in the 3G or 4G era, WiMax era, or facing trend of digital convergence?)
 * 21) If you were an IT mutual fund manager or you were making investment decisions for your company (e.g., SingTel), do you recommend investing in this industry or do you recommend investing ONLY in a particular company in this industry? Why?

General Project Topics
 * 1) Target Country:
 * 2) All developed and developing countries are acceptable. However, I believe both your group and the rest of class will benefit more if you pick a target country that may be related to your future career: typical examples include Singapore, China, India, Japan, USA, Canada, Europe…etc.
 * 3) When you pick your target country, make sure you can obtain sufficient information and data to answer ALL of the required project questions. Be careful NOT to pick a country that is too simple or too complicated for your analysis.
 * 4) Target Industry:
 * 5) Mobile phone service provider.
 * 6) Fixed-line local phone service provider, including VoIP/Internet phone service providers. For example, in Singapore, SingTel, M1, and Starhub all fall into this category.
 * 7) Internet connection service provider. For groups interested in this industry, all vendors of dialup, ADSL, and cable TV (only about Internet connection) should be covered. As a result, this topic potentially suits smaller countries better.

Presentation
 * 1) Each team should target at 15 minutes.
 * 2) 1 or 2 questions from your classmates after each presentation.
 * 3) Only ONE presenter.
 * 4) Preferably less than 15 slides. The maximum is 20 slides for the submission. Your grades will depend more on the quality but not the quantity of the submission.
 * 5) Due to the limitation of time, I suggest the following time allocation: (1) 4 minutes on the background and introduction of the country and target industry. (2) 4 minutes on the SWOT analysis of the winning firm and your recommended strategy. (3) 4 minutes on that company’s pricing plan and what is unique about its pricing or promotional strategy. (4) 3 minutes on the final remarks.

CS5268: Electronic Government
This course provides current and future public managers with the requisite background to successfully manage e-government projects and government information. The use of information and communication technologies is becoming an indispensable part of government. The goal of the course is to enhance a broad understanding of e-government and information policy. These issues include e-citizenry, e-governance, strategic planning, change management, business process reengineering, design and implementation of information systems, relevant technologies, accessibility, information assurance, and knowledge management with respect to government organizations. Both external applications such as citizen services and internal processes such as automating document-processing and hiring procedure will be covered.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * The feedback for this module diversifies a lot. Some students find it very difficult but some easy; some find the lecturer excellent but some poor; some find the teaching material very good but some find it poor. There are not much common opinion.


 * Students generally take this module due to the non-availability of other modules.


 * Workload: 
 * Mild difficult
 * Assessment: 
 * The grading policy is quite vague. Most of the students cannot understand why they get low marks ?
 * Project: 
 * Effort spent on the project is very useful for the exam.

CS5268: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5268: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * Introduction to eGovernment -- Definition, Stages, Benefits, Challenges
 * EGovernment policy and strategy
 * Evaluation of EGovernment
 * EGovernment Technology
 * Payment, Pricing and Procurement in E-Government
 * Security, Legal, and Privacy Issues
 * Singapore EGovernment Efforts
 * Worldwide EGovernment Efforts
 * Digital Democracy
 * Digital Divide and Future of EGovernment

CS5268: Workload

CS5268: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS5268: Assessment
 * Participation (Class Debate and Forum Participation): 10%
 * Assignment 1: 15%
 * Assignment 2: 35%
 * Final Examination (Open Book ) 40%


 * 4 discussion questions to be discussed on the forum

CS5268: About the Lecturer Name: Dr. Atreyi Kankanhalli <BR/> Dr. Atreyi Kankanhalli is Assistant Professor in the Department of Information Systems at the National University of Singapore (NUS). She obtained her B. Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, her M.S. from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York, and her Ph.D. from NUS. She had visiting stints at the Haas Business School, University of California Berkeley and the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. Prior to joining NUS, she has considerable experience in industrial R & D. She has consulted for several organizations including World Bank. Her research interests include knowledge management, IT-enabled organizational forms, and IT in public sector.

Dr. Kankanhalli's work has appeared in premium journals such as the MIS Quarterly, Journal of Management Information Systems, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, International Journal of Human computer Studies, Journal of Strategic Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems, Communications of the ACM, and Decision Support Systems. Her research has been presented at leading conferences including the ICIS, Academy of Management Meeting, HICSS, and WITS. She has served or is serving on several conference committees such as ICIS, PACIS, GDW, and ICKM and serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Knowledge Management and Journal of Global Information Management.

Dr. Kankanhalli was awarded the President's Graduate Fellowship, Dean's Graduate Award, and Infocomm Development Authority Gold Medal at NUS. She is also the winner of the ACM-SIGMIS ICIS 2003 Best Doctoral Dissertation award and runner-up for the MISQ Reviewer of the Year award.

http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/~atreyi/cv.pdf <BR/> http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/is/bio/atreyi.html

Teaching Mode
 * 1) Lecturer presentations/ Guest lecturer
 * 2) Debate
 * 3) Discuss of related e-government service

Student Remarks Lecturer is contactable and she answer your questions and accept your viewpoint.

CS5268: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines

Assignment 1
 * 1) Team Size : 3 Member
 * 2) Write a report of 10 pages (11pt, 1.5 spaced, 1" margin all around) that documents your findings from this study. The report should compare:
 * 3) What are the key features of the websites?
 * 4) What works and what doesn’t?
 * 5) Do the websites meet the needs of local citizens, businesses, tourists, overseas investors and other parties?
 * 6) Is there any evidence of strategic planning?
 * 7) You should identify good practices and innovations.
 * 8) Do these eGovernment services make an attempt to transform Government, or are they simply automating traditional government processes?

The report should include a complete list of references (books, urls, articles, etc.) from where you have obtained information for your report. The page limit excludes cover page, contents page, references, and Appendix.

Assignment 2
 * 1) Team Size : 3 Member
 * 2) You are required to produce a project report in the format of Times New Roman, font size 11, 1.5 spacing, of maximum 20 pages. Reference materials used for your research should be listed at the end of your report.
 * 3) You are required to do a PowerPoint presentation of maximum 15 minutes duration on your report.

General Project Topics

Assignment 1 Topics
 * 1) To conduct a comparative evaluation of two national eGovernment portals. Each group will study one developing and one developed country.

Assignment 2 Topics
 * 1) Perform a case study of a specific Egovernment initiative. The case study should involve data collection (e.g., interview, documents) from relevant stakeholders in the initiative. The case study report should include: introduction (describe importance of the initiative), conceptual background (theories and concepts to be applied), setting (describe case background, participants), methodology (data collected and analysis), findings (results of analysis), and conclusion (implications and contribution).

CS5350: System Dynamics
This course aims to introduce a methodology, System Dynamics, and its application for IT strategy analysis and development in the context of IT-driven organizational change. System Dynamics facilitates analyzing IT relevant business cases and problems from the systems thinking perspective, formulating and testing IT problems with simulation technique, and supporting decision making.


 * Student Remarks about the Module
 * This module is considered by students a difficult modules and very heavy workload. You need to submit assignment almost every week. However, the assignment is like a tutorial questions which may guide you along the learning. It is very useful to complete the assignment to keep up with the lecture.

Generally the motivation for most of the studentst to take this modules is due to no more available modules.


 * Workload: 
 * Very heavy
 * Assessment: 
 * No information
 * Project: 
 * There are 5 assignments and 1 final project. Project topic is preferable to be a real world case.

CS5350: More info... Click "show"/"hide"...

CS5350: Topics Covered/Syllabus
 * Complex System and the Modeling Process
 * Causal Loop Diagrams
 * Structure and Behavior of System
 * Formulation: Stock Flow Diagram
 * Dynamics of Stocks and Flows
 * Table Function and Delay Function
 * Supply Chain Management
 * Modeling Human Behavior and Decision Making
 * Validation and Policy Design
 * Project Management and Principles for the use of System Dynamics

CS5350: Workload

CS5350: Text Book & Recommended Reading

CS5350: Assessment
 * Class Participation and Contribution: 5%
 * 5 Assignment: 4% each, total 20%
 * Term Project: 20%
 * Mid-term Exam: 15%
 * Final Examination (Open Book ) 40%

CS5350: About the Lecturer Name: Dr. KIM Hee-Woong <BR/> Dr. Hee-Woong KIM is an assistant professor in the Department of Information Systems at the National University of Singapore. He received his B.A. (1992) and M.S. (1994) degrees in Industrial Engineering from Pohang Institute of Science and Technology (POSTECH) in Korea. He received his Ph.D. (1998) in Management Information Systems from the Graduate School of Management of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Seoul, Korea. He was an ICIS doctoral consortium fellow in 1997.

Dr. Kim worked as a post-doctoral fellow at the Sloan School of Management, MIT, between 1998 and 1999. Then he worked as a consultant at EDS for about three years. He has conducted several IS consulting projects such as Information Systems Planning, Business Process Reengineering, IS architecture development, Customer relationship management systems, and post-merger integration in banking industry.

http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/is/bio/cv/kim.pdf <BR/> http://www.comp.nus.edu.sg/is/bio/kimhw.html

Teaching Mode
 * 1) Lecturer presentations
 * 2) Case Study Discussions (Text Book Cases)
 * 3) Assignment Answer discussion

Student Feedback It is easy to contact the lecturer and will answer your questions and accept your viewpoint

CS5350: Project Guidelines & Topics Guidelines
 * 1) Team Size : 3 Member
 * 2) Each group will produce a Project Report of maximum 40 pages

General Project Topics
 * 1) Process model of organizational change, IS project management, or IS implementation
 * 2) Application of Systems Thinking for business case analysis or management support
 * 3) Application of System Dynamics for management support

CS6301: Case Study Research
This is a practical course in applying the theories of case study research methodology. Lectures will cover in-depth the advantages and pitfalls of conducting research with the case study approach. Along with theoretical discussions, students have to put theory to practice by conducting a sizable case study research project, with intensive work over a 3-month period, in groups of 3 to 4 members. Each team will have a chance to present the research questions, to revise these questions and present a research plan of how evidence will be collected and analysed, and to prepare the final report.