Lawrence Tech

Lawrence Technological University

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MBA 7063: Project Management

Spring 2014

Date: May 4, 2014

Reflection Paper

Student:

Professor:

Table of Contents

Topic                                                                                                    Page

Introduction        

Why and how does Project Management Support my current employment responsibilities?        

Why and how does Project Management Support my Career Goals?        

Conclusion        

References        

Introduction

I am a Mechanical Engineer as formation, working in Automotive Engineering and Design for the past 20 years. I’ve decided to pursue Lawrence Technological University’s Master of Science in Information Technology (MSIT) degree because for the past 10 years I have been more and more involved in IT related projects within Engineering. Improving my knowledge in the IT subject matter can potentially boost my professional growth and provide me with a wider range of career possibilities.

I have participated in several projects during my career at different capacities, either in the Automotive Engineering or Information Systems area, functioning as the bridge between Engineers and IT when it comes to Engineering Management systems.

I have taken Project Management classes during my undergrad period around 20 years ago; therefore my original expectations from the Project Management class were to refresh my knowledge of the more academic side of this topic and the latest research and developments on this subject matter, with hopes to add substantial value to my current and future professional endeavors.

Why and how does Project Management Support my current employment responsibilities?

Although I’m officially a Functional Manager within my organization, I actively participate in several projects either by providing/ managing resources to the project team or by being an actual member of the project team. I'm currently spearheading a global PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) system development across our major Business Units and regions, not officially as the program/ project manager but playing a major role in the architectural design of processes and system solutions across the several organizations involved.