Students will select a specific human services organization and prepare a report on the overall management and administrative function including philosophy, structure, programs, etc.  The focus should be how human resources functions and how human resources should be a strategic player in the human services agency.  (If you work for a human services organization, you may select your current organization, but a formal letter of permission should be acquired). 

Research should be gathered from meetings with managers at the selected human services organization, podcasts, organizational publications, and/or other published material.  The project is to be individually completed.  This is a policy analysis paper and not an employee analysis paper. 

Since no surveys or individual interviews are required, nor will be conducted with employees, the Saint Leo Institutional Review Board (IRB) process will not be necessary.  However, if any human subjects are involved in the analysis of the program, then a proposal will be sent to the IRB at Saint Leo University for approval before any research is conducted using human subjects. 

One or two pages that summarize the topic selected by the student.  The Topic Memo has three purposes.  (1) The Topic Memo helps the student begin planning for data needs, sources of information, and structure of the Final Report.  (2) The Topic Memo encourages the student to identify a human services organization that they will study.  (3) The Topic Memo provides an opportunity for the instructor to review and approve the students topic.

REQUIRED TEXT
Pynes, J.E. (2013). Human Resources Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations. 4th Ed. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. ISBN-13: 978-1118398623 (paperback).  ISBN-10: 1118398629.  ISBN 978-1-118-46032-0 (SPDF).  ISBN 978-1-118-46034-4 (ePub). 

This activity will enable you to apply what you will learn during this course. You will complete a term project that requires you to define the scope of a project, project charter, project plan, budget, and project schedule. You will also undertake a risk analysis for this project. You should use the models in the textbook as examples to complete a detailed document for each assignment.
This term project is broken down into various parts, which are due throughout the course. You will use all comments provided from the instructor, as well as feedback and learning from the discussion board, to complete a final integrated project plan, which includes the individual assignments. The final product is due in Module 7.
You may construct the elements of your project using Microsoft Word and Excel, or you may use Microsoft Project. You will be able to download the full version of Microsoft Project as part of the MSDN Academic Alliance (also known as Microsoft Azure, formerly Imagine). Go to the Start-Here Course Information module for details about this website and registration information. It is also possible to complete the project for this course using the Microsoft Office suite or the Apache Open Office Suite. Students who desire to use Microsoft Project will find instructions within the course to assist them in learning this optional tool.
For now, you are required to choose a suitable topic for your project. You can choose your topic from real events or situations at your current workplace. You can even use an imaginary situation. There are often examples of projects in the news that may be appropriate for this project.
Some examples of projects are:
Business projects such as incorporating a company or running a marketing campaign.
Construction projects such as buildings, roads, or mobile towers.
Manufacturing projects such as setting up new production capabilities.
IT projects such as upgrading hardware or software, or installing an office network with access controls.
Organizational projects such as implementing a quality management program or continuous process improvement program.
Once you have selected a topic, you need to inform your instructor about your choice before you start working on the proposal.
The following items will help you identify a project with a sufficient scope to use throughout this course. Assuming you are the project manager:
Describe the topic of your project briefly, along with the goals or deliverables of the project.
Explain why the project is being undertaken, what it intends to achieve, and the human and physical resources at your disposal to complete the project.
The project needs a timeframe of at least six months to allow for suitable material to complete the project. Please specify all dates in complete format using month, day, year or month/day/year format.
Your project should include at least four team members in addition to you acting as project manager.

Your project will need a budget. Even if all members assigned to the project are salaried employees, there is a cost associated with their work and that needs to be specified. All amounts should be in US dollars.

In preparing your project proposal, you should:
Create a Project Proposal Form similar to the form in the Larson and Gray text displayed in Figure 2.4A. (Note: Your form may be a Word document with the topics noted in the form. It may be a plain document without floor or bubbles or check boxes.) Consult the form to ensure that all areas are addressed in your submission.
Please use dollar signs ($) to denote monetary values and format all dates in Month, Day, Year or mm/dd/yyyy format for ease of understanding. These are a deviation from normal APA formatting, but are standard practice in project management for quick reference and readability.
Submit the Word document to the appropriate dropbox. See the Course Calendar for due dates.
Write a 35 page paper in Word format. Use the American Psychological Association (APA) style (6th edition) for writing your assignment.