The importance of project management documentation in computing students' capstone projects
Kathleen Keogh, Anne Therese Venables · Victoria University Research Repository (Victoria University) · 2009
In attempting to integrate classroom studies with professional work practice, many universities include a capstone team project in the final year of their undergraduate computing degrees; the experience is designed to improve upon students' essential technical skills and to help prepare students to become work ready by developing communication and team building skills.The quality of such a learning experience is influenced by the subtle interplays of three key elements: the curriculum, practice and industry standards.At the University of Ballarat the curriculum endorses the practice whereby students adapt industry standard documentation, in particular, the Software Project Management Plan (SPMP), as a mechanism to manage teamwork and organizational processes.Over recent years at the University final year computing students have been surveyed about their project experiences -feedback indicates that the task of preparing and using these management documents has had a positive impact on students' readiness for the workplace.(Asia-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 2009, 10(3), 151-162).