Paul Callaghan

Paul Callaghan has been a member of the faculty in the FC Manning School of Business at Acadia for the past 10 years. In addition to his teaching and research activities, he serves as the Program and Administrative Coordinator for the School. He has taught project management within Operations Management and MIS courses at both the undergraduate and graduate (MBA) level. During a professional career spanning 25 years, he has been actively engaged in all aspects of project management. As a professional engineer his experiences spanned the full range of project planning and implementation for large scale industrial projects, including: developing project proposals, cost estimates, preparation of tender documents, contract negotiations, project scheduling, and construction management. He also has experience in managing projects in the fields of new product development, information technology, management consulting and educational program development.

The Project Management Process: Planning and Control

The purpose of this session is twofold: (1) to develop an understanding of the nature and challenges of managing projects; and (2) to introduce participants to a variety of techniques used to plan and control project work. Topics covered in this session include; socio-cultural and technical dimensions of project management, the project life cycle, work breakdown structure, responsibility matrices, Gantt charts, critical path method analysis, contingency planning, and performance measurement. Collectively these topics focus on planning the level and timing of resources needed to meet project objectives, to monitor progress, and to communicate progress to project stakeholders more effectively.

Terrance Weatherbee

Dr. Terrance Weatherbee brings 30 years of work experience as a manager, in both the private and public sectors, to the classroom. He has held positions as Line Manager, Chief Operations Officer, Corporate Training Staff, and Chief Executive Officer in various organizations, and has a wealth of direct experience at performance management and personnel systems. After a long and distinguished career, he turned to academia with the aim of bringing practical understanding of real-life challenges in organizational settings to the classroom. His research centers on the effects of the introduction of technology on work practices, with a specific focus on information and communication technology. His work has been published internationally in several books, numerous journal articles, and various conferences. He has taught at both Saint Mary’s an d Acadia University, and currently holds a position within the FC Manning School of Business in the management group.

Project Organization and Leadership

There is tremendous variety in the types of projects, and in the structural and cultural characteristics of the organizations that projects must be planned and implemented within. Given this variety, this session examines the leadership challenge of aligning projects with an organization's strategic priorities and cultural norms, and different approaches to structure project work. Topics covered in the session include; project management structures, primary characteristics of organizational culture, managing project stakeholders, sources of influence, social capital and network building, negotiation, developing trust and top management support, managing interorganizational relationships, and the attributes of effective project managers.

Kelly Dye

Kelly Dye (PhD) brings with her more than twelve years of industry experience in sales and marketing, corporate training, small business ownership, and business consulting. She began her career in sales and marketing, and received several sales awards. Her sales career led her to sales training. Kelly enjoyed training so much that she set her sights on a career in academia. Along the way, she opened her own successful small business, sold two franchises, and began consulting. She has been teaching in the field of business management since 1998, in various capacities, including one-day seminars, customized training, and master’s level management courses. She holds a diploma in adult education. She currently teaches Organizational Behaviour, Gender and Diversity in Organizations, and Change Management at the F.C. Manning School of Business, covering topics such as leadership, conflict management, team dynamics, and stress management. Key areas of her research include organization change management, gender and diversity in organizations, and stress management. Kelly’s work has been published in various books and scholarly journals, and has been presented internationally at conferences in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Poland. Her most recent projects include a presentation of her work at Keele University in the U.K., an organization change textbook (to be published by Routledge), and an encyclopedia entry for the International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences. She also serves on the editorial boards of the Workplace Review and the Journal of Workplace Rights.

Developing High-Performance Teams

Recruiting and developing an effective project team is arguably the most critical task for project managers. This session investigates the dynamics of teamwork, giving participants the knowledge and skills needed to build strong, motivated teams capable of meeting project objectives. Topics covered in the session include; characteristics of high performance teams, team development strategies, planning team meetings, reward systems that encourage teamwork, recognizing and mitigating dysfunctional behaviour in teams, facilitating group decision making, conflict resolution, managing virtual project teams, and evaluating team performance.

Iona Green

Iona Green has been a faculty member at the FC Manning School of Business at Acadia for the last 3 years. Ms. Green is a Certified Management Accountant and has experience in budgeting, financial planning, financial analysis and business development. She has taught finance and accounting courses at the undergraduate level and is actively involved with the CMA strategic leadership program, at both the provincial and national level. Ms. Green's professional career included project work in both private and public sector organizations, including work in the petroleum industry, environmental engineering, and professional services.

Project Budgeting, Cost Control and Audits

It is vital to have an accurate account of expected and actual costs at all stages of a project's life cycle. Participants will develop an understanding of the techniques used to develop effective cost estimates, to control costs while project work proceeds, and to perform audits of costs and other dimensions of project performance. Project audits provide a mechanism to control project implementation, and insights for managing future projects. Topics include methods for estimating costs, cost risk assessment, contingency allowances, developing a time-phased cost baseline for projects, controlling cost changes, variance analysis, status reports, and project closure.