Week 14 — Project Management

Unit 3: Lead Teams & Projects • Domain III
Essential Question: How do we actually deliver — on time, together?
Key Performance: Capstone Work-Breakdown Structure (WBS) + Gantt chart.

Day 1 — From Goal to Tasks

Objective: SWBAT decompose a SMART goal into tasks and sub-tasks (WBS).
Do-Now (5): "Pick a personal goal. List every task to get there." • Circle (5): Single word. • Mini-Lesson (10): WBS = goal → deliverable → task → sub-task; rule of "1 task = 1 person, 1 day." • Practice (25): Teams build WBS for their capstone on sticky notes. • Close (5): Photo to portfolio.

Day 2 — Sequence & Dependencies

Objective: SWBAT identify which tasks must precede others.
Do-Now (5): "What can't start until something else finishes?" (Use a cooking example.) • Circle (5): Roses/thorns. • Mini-Lesson (10): Dependency arrows; critical path concept (in plain English). • Practice (25): Teams arrange WBS into sequence; mark dependencies. • Close (5): Identify critical path.

Day 3 — Build the Gantt

Objective: SWBAT translate sequence into a calendar with owners and dates.
Do-Now (5): "Pick the latest date this can ship. Work backwards from there." • Circle (5): Check-in. • Mini-Lesson (10): Gantt mechanics (rows = tasks, columns = weeks, bars = duration, owner = name). • Practice (25): Teams build Gantt on paper or in Sheets/Trello. • Close (5): Send to teacher.

Day 4 — Risks, RACI, and Communication Plan

Objective: SWBAT assign roles using RACI and set a communication cadence.
Do-Now (5): "On a past group project, who actually did the work? Why?" • Circle (5): Check-in. • Mini-Lesson (10): RACI mini-frame (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) + comm cadence (daily 2-min standup? weekly 15-min?). • Practice (25): Teams fill RACI + agree on cadence + identify top 3 risks. • Close (5): Add to portfolio.

Day 5 — Friday Circle: Stand-Up

Do-Now (5): Prepare your 30-sec standup (Did / Doing / Blocked). • Circle (15): Friday Circle — but today every student does a 30-sec standup with their team in the circle. • Practice (25): Teams adjust WBS based on first standup; weekend assignments. • Close (5): Leader of the Week + capstone proposal due next Monday.

Assessment

4-pt rubric: WBS completeness • Sequence/dependencies • Gantt feasibility • RACI + comm plan clarity.

Differentiation

Foundational — provide WBS template with first row filled. Stretch — students use a real PM tool (Trello, Asana, Notion) and teach the class.

Sub Plan

Day 1 sticky-note WBS works as a sub day.

Stretch & Swap

Pair with a local project manager (parent network!) who reviews 1 team's plan and gives 5-min feedback.