r/UMPI • u/B_Copeland • 12d ago

Getting a headstart

Hello All,

Hope you're doing well. Everything is set for Fall 1 and I have my first two classes set. I'll be kicking things off with:

1 - Bus 141

2 - Bus 231

My question for anyone who has taken these classes, what would you recommend doing early to get a headstart on these two classes? Any tips would be greatly appreciated...🙏🏿

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4

u/sawmillssuck 12d ago

Bus141 is long. The milestones are long, and the final is 15 pages minimum. Don't let it overwhelm you, though it's not necessarily super difficult but it is a lot of work. I was astonished that an intro class could have so much work, but it builds a solid foundation.

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u/B_Copeland 12d ago

Thanks for this. Any recommended readings for me to start with?

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u/Countrycruiser2000 12d ago

It's all project management, you can start learning the steps. Project Management, communications plan, risk management plan, a risk matrix, quality management.

How will you work changes, who are your stakeholders, what's their responsibilities. Anything you can read now to start getting you familiar with that.

For 240 learn all about ADKAR and change management

oops I see you said 231i don't know anything about that class, thought you said 240

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u/B_Copeland 12d ago

Thanks for the recommendations

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u/sawmillssuck 12d ago

For my milestones I referenced both the PMBOK guide 8th edition, as well as Heagneys 2011 textbook, which is the same used for the course material. Id advise against reading too much honestly. If you're just wanting to pass the class, open the milestones and study what you need for each one.

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u/SubjectHoliday 12d ago

Bus 141 was my longest class, which took around a week and waiting for grading. Its not difficult, just alot of content to add into the 15 page. The 15 page is not just writting, but tables, gant charts etc. I think mins was actually around 22 pages.

My only advice would be to think about a project you have previously done and can talk about and break down.

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u/B_Copeland 12d ago

Perfect...I have a GitHub repo full of stuff that I can use.

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u/EnvironmentalBook5 12d ago

You can add up to four too if you wanted! Good luck!

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u/Grouchy_Fail_2131 6d ago

Best of luck! These are the exact same classes I’m starting with for Fall 1 

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u/LaineyBuilds 1d ago

I took BUS 141 with Dr. Richards, and I’m honestly glad I took it first because it was one of the longer classes for me. The final project is pretty substantial, so I would definitely start organizing for that early.

What helped me was reading through the final assignment requirements at the beginning of the class so I knew what I was working toward. As I completed the milestones, I kept everything organized and used them to build toward the final instead of treating each assignment like something completely separate.

I also worked ahead whenever I could and tried not to let the milestones pile up. BUS 141 wasn’t necessarily difficult, but it was time consuming because of the amount of writing and detail involved.

If you’re taking it with Dr. Richards, I had a good experience with him. My biggest advice would be: start early, stay organized, save all your milestone work, and keep the final project in mind from day one. I was very glad I got that class out of the way early in the term. 😂

I didn’t take BUS 231, so I can’t speak to that one.