Executive Education

Management Issues and Technical Solutions for Remote Workers

Instructor:  Dr. Scott A. Bernard, Senior Lecturer, School of Computer Science.  sbernard@andrew.cmu.edu

Couse Description:  This online executive education course examines how organizations can create and maintain a robust set of integrated business and technology platforms and management processes that support work from remote locations away from primary operating sites.  The global increase in mobile work using advanced digital capabilities is a phenomenon that paralleled the expansion of broadband connectivity, sophisticated software suites, and workers who performed most of their work at home and/or while traveling.  Further drivers of change in telework included industry competition strategies that stressed agility and availability, as well as natural and man-made circumstances that required workers to shift operating locations or telework.  Students will participate in weekly online discussion with guest speakers, review assigned readings, prepare a short ( 5-page) mid-course paper on “Barriers to Adopting Telework”, and a final course paper (5-pages) on a related topic that the student selects.  Students receive a course completion certificate from Carnegie Mellon University.  The course is appropriate for executives, managers, staff, and external providers who are implementing and managing large-scale and targeted remote work processes and technology platforms.

 Learning Objectives:  upon completing the course students should be able to:

 Identify and understand factors that drive organizations to adopt telework

• Understand management concerns about maintaining worker productivity.
• Understand changes to workflows needed to support mobile workers and teleworkers.
• Understand changes to human capital management processes to support remote workers.
• Understand the type of information technology systems needed to support remote workers.
• Understand how to create an integrated business/technology architecture for remote work.
• Be familiar with Case Studies that exemplify successes and failures of approaches to remote work.

 Course Materials:  Text:  An Introduction to Holistic Enterprise Architecture (4^th Ed.)  ISBN 13-978-1728358055

                                   Additional Readings:  Files available in the course website content area.