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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Initiating and Planning Projects by University of California, Irvine

4.7
stars
22,675 ratings

About the Course

The courses in the Introduction to Project Management Principles and Practices Specialization are a recommended precursor to UCI's Applied Project Management Certificate. Successful projects require careful upfront planning. In this course, you’ll learn the key roles and responsibilities of the project manager and project team. You’ll also learn to answer some key questions upfront to help you meet project objectives: What will this project accomplish? Why is this project important? Who benefits from this project? How will we plan for successful outcomes? Upon completing this course, you will be able to: 1. Identify the key characteristics of a project 2. Identify primary project constraints 3. Define the role and responsibilities of the project manager 4. Identify Project Organizational Structures 5. Understand the definition of a Project Stakeholder 6. Identify project stakeholders 7. Identify information needs of the project stakeholders 8. Define responsibility for managing stakeholder and controlling stakeholder engagement 9. Define the purpose of using a project charter 10. Summarize the key elements of a project plan 11. Identify common sources of conflict within a project environment 12. Describe the difference between authority and influence...
Highlights
foundational knowledge

(842 Reviews)

introductory course

(675 Reviews)

Top reviews

MH

Jun 24, 2020

This course provides some practical situation which enriches my acknowledgment about being a responsible in any project and it also helps me to understand the planning process management proficiently!

DS

Nov 19, 2017

It was very helpful for me to understand what the project management is. I am just thinking about starting this new career path and i was feeling comfortable in this field during the learning process.

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26 - 50 of 4,239 Reviews for Initiating and Planning Projects

By Yu X

Jul 13, 2019

I hope there can be more examples and practise in real cases we can do so that use all these theories.

By Stephen O Y

Aug 31, 2020

The course is a very great asset to any aspiring project manager. You get to understand the fundamentals and essentials in any given project and the means to ameliorate conflicts amongst stakeholders.

By Ketaki S

Jul 7, 2019

Comprehensive start to understand PM concepts

By Naomi M

Jan 30, 2016

This is purely subjective, but I could not keep myself awake and sustain interest long enough to finish the one section I paid for. I guess I should have tried one for free first...

I tried to tell the Coursera staff to remove the course from my list and that I did not need my refund, but sadly, it sits on my 'enrolled courses' list, perhaps permanently until I cancel my account. Luckily, I did figure out how to turn off the almost twice daily notifications.

By Rachel M

Feb 9, 2019

I really enjoyed this class because it is truly SELF paced. Yes there are deadlines for submitting the quizzes but I feel those are just to keep me on track. I got to go as fast as I needed, still received feedback from the quizzes that I was learning what she set out to teach me. I enjoyed watching her videos. They were engaging, short enough to keep my attention and long enough to really present the material for me to understand. Plus I liked that there was optional reading that was really optional. I would recommend this class to others. I put in the amount of time she has listed on her time suggestions at the minimum so this was a great course that worked well in my personal and work life.

By Kayla T

Jan 1, 2021

I can't say that I learned nothing, but I was greatly disappointed with the organization & presentation of the course. In addition, I noticed a number of errors in grammar which made me question the value & validity of the information being relayed. Lastly, The video presentations showed a clear lack of preparation, which I found interesting for a course predominantly touting the importance of planning & organization. I will not let this experience stop me from trying another course but I should hope for a better experience when I do so. If you are intent upon this particular certification I would suggest that you take notes & reorganize them in a way that makes sense to you, as well as looking for extended resources online. Good luck!

By JINA-LUZ Z A

Jul 7, 2020

My sincerest gratitude to the University of Nueva Caceres,Naga City Philippines and University of California, Irvine for my successful On-line Free Course Completion on Initiating and Planning Projects as I worked hard to get the course completed amidst the challenges I confronted like time constraints, pressure of daily field and office works and especially the stress of the deadly COVID19 Pandemic which caused so much thinking and abiding of the strict implementation of health protocols to keep safe and well and cramming due to poor and fluctuating internet connection. These opportunity keep us active on line putting considerable measure of finishing the course whatever it takes and the outcomes was truly satisfying. A debt of gratitude is in order for everything.

By Sachin S

Jun 11, 2020

It was a very good course to get the basic knowledge regarding role of the project manager during the initiating and planning of a project. Since the actions of a project manager during this part will be impacted throughout the project, this phase is very critical. In this lesson series that importance and risks were well delivered. Videos were short and sweet which makes them very interesting to watch. Reading contents are also very briefly presented. The interview session with the expertise in the field which is presented in the final week is very valuable and also the additional videos which were provided after completing the quiz every week.

By P�rez F F I

Nov 25, 2020

Por error en la encuesta presione very dissatisfied, pero en realidad estoy muy satisfecho y contento con el curso, aprendí bastante aunque me tomó un poco más de tiempo por cuestiones externas, 10/10

By Brenda R S

Jul 5, 2020

Excelent course! It gives you the principles of project management for the early phases, initianing and planning, it has very good dynamic and share examples, it's a good option if you're newbie in PM

By Milos M

Apr 15, 2021

I have expected much more from the course. It involves a lot of reading, which can be done without the course. LIstening to teachers how they present brings much mroe value. In this course even lectures don't have the names.

There are no case studies provided, or interesting research. Compared to some coursed like Leading People and Teams specialization from Michigan University, this one is really poor.

Regards,

Milos

By Muxtar K

Jun 6, 2020

In addition to luck, the most important factor that determines the success of man is his perspective on life. Carol Dweck of Stanford University says that the common feature of successful people is their perspective on life. These people are focused on continually improving the opportunities and abilities given to them. They see life as a journey of "learning", "growth", "development", "maturation". For this reason, they are always focused on development and self-renewal (Growth Mindset) Others think that the opportunities and abilities given to them in life are fixed. These people with a fixed mentality think that they will complete life with the innate opportunities and abilities given to them. Therefore, they believe that it is not necessary to strive to learn and progress (Fixed Mindset). However, life proves the opposite. The reason for the failures of the very talented, well educated children of the wealthy families is the “fixed mentality” they have. This mindset prevents them from learning, developing, growing, maturing and being successful.

I learned a lot thanks to coursera, thank you to everyone who contributed

By Carmen

Nov 21, 2020

This basically taught me the baseline of project management. As a project manager, myself, I know I needed to take a step back and get back to the basics in order to prove my worth in my position and in the field I am taking. The information I got from this course made me realize a lot of the lacking things I have as a project manager such as in the initiation and planning phases. Taking this course as part of one of the Project Management specializations that UCI's offering, I really learned a lot from this course. Ms. Meloni was able to incorporate the "by the book knowledge" from PMBOK and her personal experiences (positive and negative) in every module. Each module was concise and straightforward, but there were bonus videos wherein Ms. Meloni gave her practical insights from her experiences as a project manager. To UCI and Ms. Meloni, thank you very much!

By Abdulai K

Oct 9, 2020

Thanks to everyone who in diverse ways support me through the course in this online platform, it help me greatly in improving my knowledge. I understand all the Videos Lectured from MARGARET MELONI and also the Discussions from the panelist MARTY WARTENBERG,NEIL SAHOLA, KAREN NGUYEN.

I remain grateful to Coursera team and also Directorate of Sciences and Technology(DSTI) for the initiative. I also thank my course directors and tutors for their insight in impacting knowledge in me, I learnt a lot from this course and that is already an addendum in my experience.

Special thanks to MARGARET MELONI for her patience and presentation of valuable materials and video lectures through out the course.

I finally appreciate all useful website and references of reading materials in this course.

Best regards

Abdulai Kamara

Freetown

Sierra Leone

West Africa.

By Braves A G

Sep 24, 2020

Initiating and Planning Projects by University of California, Irvine taught me a new skill set of knowledge applicable to my overall career and self-development. The topics are all relevant and delivered professionally by the subject matter experts. The discussions and activities are well organized for learners to gain a better understanding of the course.

I really appreciate University of California, Irvine and Coursera for granting me financial aid in completing this course. This opportunity gave me a life-changing learning experience.

Completing the course is worth the time and effort. Highly recommended to all learners to take this course.

Thank you Initiating and Planning Projects team! Thank you University of California, Irvine!

Thank you Coursera!

By Charlene G

Dec 16, 2016

This course was very informative and new to me. At first I thought it was going to be a great challenge because it was different, but after reading the PMBOK and doing the required quizzes I got a better understanding of what I was doing. I was able to mirror what I was learning to things I encountered daily while working at the construction company and this provided a great point of reference and made it all seem real. I will definately be completing the full course available. Happy that I attempted this and enjoyed doing it..

By Serafina Z

Jul 20, 2023

I truly enjoyed this course for several reasons. Firstly, the course material was presented in a way that made it easily understandable and accessible. The clarity and organization of the content allowed me to grasp the key points effortlessly. Additionally, the highlighting of essential concepts was immensely helpful in focusing on the most important aspects of each lesson. This feature ensured that I never missed crucial information and helped reinforce my understanding throughout the course.

By Kristine R

Sep 23, 2020

High level of video and reading material. One of the best courses I’ve taken on Coursera. Be advised through, the time reference for the reading material is rather misleading; due to the volume of information in each reading module, reading through it all and taking notes (which you will need in order to pass the module and final exam) will definitely take you longer than the stated 10 mins. Overall, a great course that’ll definitely be useful in my pursuit of a career as Project Manager.

By G V

May 11, 2020

This course is unique way to improve professional skills to imbibe the basic contents of project management for professional development of Young project managers. Especially I would like to thank Margaret Maloney ,Course instructor for her patience and simple language to explain and make understand each and every phase in project planning and also thanks for the panellist interview with

Marty Wartenberg ,Neil Sahota ,Karen Nguyen for sharing their experiences.

By Maureen T

Feb 11, 2022

Great course if you need an introduction into the art and science of project management! Course material is engaging, interesting, and comprehensive with mediums ranging from presentation slides, to animated case study videos, and lecture videos. This course teaches the foundations of project management, and even sprinkles interviews at the end (week 6) with active project managers from varying fields to talk about their experiences of managing projects plus tips and tricks.

By Fadrigalan, G E L

Oct 11, 2020

The instructor had a clear and energetic delivery which allowed for people with short attention spans such as I to remain focused on the topic. The arrangement of the module also provided a step-by-step learning process that makes the technical terms easier to understand as you go through the course. Overall I'm very thankful that this is my first experience in an official online class as it has given me hope that future online classes would be as high quality as this one.

By Minna T

Jun 5, 2020

It was an exciting opportunity to follow an online course such as this one. This was my first online course experience. It worked so well. It has been planned and organised very effectively conducted by the course instructors, especially Ms Margaret Meloni. Her vedios and the introduction to PMBOK were informative. Doubly contended about having put my COVID-19 lockdown days to achieve something useful from home. A big THANK YOU. Wish to follow more courses soon.

By Susan H

Sep 4, 2020

I really had no clue how much I had to learn about Project Management. I thought because I'd spent a number of years doing project management on the job, I'd be flying through the courses easily. What I discovered was basically a new language with practicable and meaningful applications that deepened my appreciation for the materials and courses. I have so much to learn (hope this is always the case anyway) and look forward to future courses in this arena.

By Steven G

Jan 9, 2017

Excellent course! Very well organized and great integration with the reading material. In particular I found the workload and learning material easily digestible as a full-time working professional. Ms. Meloni is fantastic at communicating the critical elements of project management academic material while simultaneously integrating the curriculum with 'real-world' situations. Well worth the money and the brainpower!

By Julia J

Apr 18, 2021

Excellent delivery by lecturer. Lecturer is excellent communicator who uses practical examples to explain concepts. Course utilises the PMI's Project Management Body of Knowledge, which adds to its credibility and relevance of skills learnt. Highly recommended for persons who want to get a good understanding of the scope of Project Management or persons who want to gain cross-functional planning skills.