INTERDISCIPLINARY INFORMATION AND MANAGERIAL NATURE OF THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT TEACHING

Nowadays, many organizations are project-oriented. The projects may be investment (strategic) or business (customer-oriented). They can be separate or create so-called portfolio of projects. A key to success is primarily projects manager with relevant competence and efficient, competent team. Information tools play also an important role for efficient project management and communication between stakeholders.

Project Management (PM) requires adequate knowledge and different skills of the project manager. On the one hand these are the basic competencies (cognitive, social, personal), on the other hand executive powers (business, corporate, managerial), and on the third one competences related to the skillful use of ICT and computer tools for project management.

Project Management is the subject included in the majority of programs in Faculty of Management and Computer Science of Polish universities. Also the subject of Project Portfolio Management implemented using a variety of platforms occurs occasionally. Teaching methods used in the teaching of this subject are: a lecture combined with the practical implementation of the project, in which students simulate the work of the project manager, resource manager, portfolio manager or a member of the project team. IT tool used in the classroom is a MS Project or EPM platform.

The subject has interdisciplinary nature - learning outcomes are related to the soft management competences and the hard ones of industry and information technology area. Educational problems relate to the lack of experience of students in the field of PM, lack of knowledge and skills in area of management (IT students) or information science (management students). Challenges facing the lecturer of the course are: learning of teamwork, personalized training (tutoring), implementation of modern methodologies and ICT tools to PM and effective communication in the project team.
The article the following thesis is considered:"The key factor of success in training future staff for project management is the acquisition of knowledge and managerial competence. The information technology competences are secondary, but they significantly improve the process of project or project portfolio management."

For the thesis verification, a survey among students of two courses has been conducted, the results of which were included in the modified programs. The study was conducted for two groups of respondents: students of computer science and management. The results were compared and used to improve the methods of students’ education.