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The spotlight is Dr. Dinar Mutiara and Beta Noranita, Universitas Diponegoro, Indonesia.

Universitas Diponegoro, abbreviated to UNDIP, is a public university located in Semarang, the capital city of Central Java, Indonesia. It has 11 areas of study and a vocational and postgraduate school, as well as research centers across eight campuses, and bears the subtitle ‘The Excellent Research University.’ UNDIP is the first and oldest education organization in Central Java. The name “Diponegoro” is taken from the Indonesian patriot who fought against Dutch colonialism in the early 19th century.

Department of Informatics faculty teach computer science under the Faculty of Science and Mathematics. UNDIP projects that by 2025, the informatics study program will become ‘a research-based study program with excellent and international reputation in the fields of algorithms, intelligent computing, and data analytics.’ Dinar Mutiara and Beta Noranita are senior Informatics lecturers at UNDIP. They are also leaders of the Information Systems and Technology Laboratory, which conducts research into areas such as gamification, big data in education, information system audits, Internet of Things, e-Government and other fields combining research with hands-on practical teaching.

Noranita holds a master’s degree in Computer Science from Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. Mutiara holds both a master’s degree in Information Technology and a PhD in Computer Science from Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia. She is also an Oracle Java certified associate.

Both Noranita and Mutiara use Oracle Primavera to teach how to budget and schedule the development of software used in educational information systems. They use the Oracle Primavera P6 Professional Project Management Fundamentals curriculum, offered by Oracle Academy, in their project management courses.

Oracle Academy: How did you come to be using Oracle Primavera in your project management classes?

Dinar Mutiara: UNDIP has been an Oracle Academy member for some time, with database and Java courses taught in the Informatic and other departments. We in Informatics learned about Oracle Primavera through a colleague teaching data science.

In January 2022, we participated in professional development conducted by Oracle Academy and began teaching Oracle Academy Primavera P6 Professional Project Management Fundamentals in March 2022. Today we use this resource in project management classes for about 160 students, four hours per week.

Beta Noranita: May I add that we got up to speed very fast during the Fresh Graduate Academy-Digital Talent Scholarship program sponsored by the Indonesia Ministry of Informatics & Technology in July 2022. We provided Primavera training for this program and, at the request of the FGA/DTS curriculum team, helped to create a bank of Primavera P6 exam questions. The goal of this ministerial initiative was to offer data science scholarships to 1,000 out-of-work graduates requiring additional professional competencies.

Oracle Academy: Impressive! You were really thrown into the deep end! What is the main reason for using Primavera in the Science and Math faculty?

Dinar Mutiara: Our aim at UNDIP is to ensure students are well prepared for the world of work. Therefore, our learning and teaching content should be based on the latest material and match the needs of industry. Since Oracle is one of the leaders in its field, we have adapted our Project Management curriculum to align with Primavera resources. As a lecturer, I find that Primavera P6 gives our students the essentials to solve real-life project management challenges.

Oracle Academy: Is there anything that stands out in Primavera P6 in that respect?

Dinar Mutiara: In the Department of Informatics, we are focused on project management in building information systems that support education. We are concerned with human resources, money and, above all, time. One of the most valuable parts of Primavera is the application of Critical Path Method (CPM). CPM activities are project tasks that must start and finish on time to ensure that a project ends on schedule.

We also like the risk analysis functions of Primavera P6 and use Primavera Schedule Check to evaluate schedule maturity and risk readiness, comparing planned against real projects.

Beta Noranita: The Information System Audit course we teach is all about assessing whether business critical information systems are available, protected, and correctly authorized, and that the information be accurate, reliable, and timely. People are key to successful audits, and P6 critical path and risk analysis is invaluable for ensuring top-down buy-in, assigning the right resources, and keeping the process on track.

Oracle Academy: Fascinating. And what type of case studies do you assign your students?

Dinar Mutiara: We use some of the materials available from Oracle Academy and also create specific topics. For example, we develop educational games as learning tools. In the software creation cycle, we use Primavera P6 for controlling the phases of the projects and the human resources required for designing and deploying the game: how many, how much, how long and so on…

Oracle Academy: You’ve been using Primavera for only one year, but may we know what plans you have going forward?

Dinar Mutiara: Our objective is to have the Primavera P6 curriculum seamlessly integrated into the Science and Mathematics faculty's offerings. We see project management skills as integral to courses in Civil Engineering, Urban and Regional Planning, Industrial Engineering, and other disciplines. In fact, anything you make or build, whether a product or a Smart City, needs project management. And Primavera is the ideal resource for students and lecturers alike.

Beta Noranita: We are also hoping that our graduates will enter the exams for Oracle Primavera P6 EPPM certification. Certification will definitely strengthen their resumés when entering the job market.

Oracle Academy: Any parting comments?

Dinar Mutiara: Incorporating Primavera P6 through Oracle Academy has been a gift. It’s excellent, both as a teaching resource and clearly for what the students learn about resource planning, risk management, critical path methodology, and project management in all its aspects.

Primavera may be mature in some countries, but for us in Central Java, the experience of having free access to this powerful application has been wonderful and has given us a new learning platform to share with our students.

Oracle Academy: Can you tell us, what are your interests outside of the university?

Beta Noranita: In my spare time, I like cooking — love cooking, in fact. For me, cooking can relieve stress, and it picks me up after a tiring day. My favorite recipes are banana bread, marble cake, and pineapple tart. Sometimes I sell homemade bread, cakes, and cookies to my friends, especially on the Muslim day of Eid. It makes me proud and very happy that so many of them like what I produce. Maybe the next step is to use Primavera in my cooking projects!

Dinar Mutiara: As for me, I love traveling, the experience of new places, different sights and tastes. I take part in culinary tours and also love the beautiful scenery one finds on a visit to an orchid farm, a coffee ranch, or a tea plantation. As for other hobbies, cycling is one of my passions for getting fit and healthy. I go cycling on the weekend and am currently exploring the old town of Semarang, where I live.

Thank you, Dr. Dinar Mutiara and Beta Noranita, for your passion for Oracle Academy and for preparing your students to make a positive impact.