End of Term

1. Given your knowledge and experience at the end of these courses, which course objectives did you master? 
• I feel that I have mastered understanding the importance of risk management.  The fact that it is not something to leave until the end and that a large amount of time and resources are necessary to do the job effectively was key for me.  
2. Given your knowledge and experience at the end of these courses, which course objectives still look troublesome to you?
• I feel like I risk analysis is a subject that I could use a bit more work in.  What I have learned has been purely academic, which is a great foundation, but I have not had the opportunity to use these techniques in a real world scenario.  
3. What obstacles did you run into during the course? How did you try to overcome them?
• The obstacles that I encountered were purely personal in nature.  I didn't attack the discussion board assignments early enough in the week as as such was left with the tail end of the weekend to complete course work.  This schedule conflicted with the schedule outlined by the professor. I recognized the scheduling issues and made attempts to correct the issues, but work and family took its toll.  It's not an excuse by any means, but it's what I battled week to week.
4. How do you feel here at the end of a term as you look at your efforts and accomplishments? 
• I am a bit disappointed in myself as I know that I understood the material and was able to produce quality work when I gave it my attention.  I know that I could have contributed better quality work and responses to the class discussions.
5. What did you learn this semester and how will you use that in your current or future work?
• I have learned that while risk management is talked about it still remains a big reason why projects fail.  The lack of proper risk management can bring a project to its knees.  Early identification of risks and a well documented plan of addressing these issues will help to keep things going in the right direction.

Mid Term Entry

1. Given your knowledge/skills/experience/confidence at the start of these courses, what have you learned so far?
• So far, I have learned of the significance of risk management in IT. I have also learned of several tools and techniques that one can use in exposing potential risks long before they become a problem.  Once again, communication seems to be a huge factor in the success or failure of a project. 
2. Looking at the course objectives, which ones do you feel you have achieved and which ones still look difficult or completely unfamiliar to you?
• Objectives 4-6 seem to be ones that we have not covered or are not completely comfortable for me yet.  The first 3 do feel familiar, but I feel that I will gain a bit more familiarity with them over the remainder of the course.
3. How has the information you learned so far changed the way you approach projects or think about projects in your everyday life?
• I think that risk management has been explained in such a way that although we do it everyday, I am taking the time to analyze situations instead of simply going by gut.  As a parent, a lot of decisions are made by the guy, but taking some time in looking at the risks and sharing the thought process with my kids is sort of new to me.  Would it have happened without this class?  Perhaps, but it's something that I am aware of and the significance of it.
4. Are there any topics that have been discussed that still seem unclear? What are your thoughts as you get ready to start the second half of the course?
• Luckily, all topics discussed so far have made sense, and if any were unclear the text and discussion groups clarified those for me relatively quickly.  My thoughts as we head into the second half of the course are with staying on task and making sure that I stay on top of regular tasks.