Managing Machine Learning Projects (Coursera)

Offered by Duke University,
Managing Machine Learning Projects (Coursera)

This second course of the AI Product Management Specialization by Duke University's Pratt School of Engineering focuses on the practical aspects of managing machine learning projects. The course walks through the keys steps of a ML project from how to identify good opportunities for ML through data collection, model building, deployment, and monitoring and maintenance of production systems. Participants will learn about the data science process and how to apply the process to organize ML efforts, as well as the key considerations and decisions in designing ML systems.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

At the conclusion of this course, you should be able to:
1) Identify opportunities to apply ML to solve problems for users
2) Apply the data science process to organize ML projects
3) Evaluate the key technology decisions to make in ML system design
4) Lead ML projects from ideation through production using best practices
Course 2 of 3 in the AI Product Management Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Identifying Opportunities for Machine Learning
In this module we will discuss how to identify problems worth solving, how to determine whether ML is a good fit as part of the solution, and how to validate solution concepts. We will also learn why heuristics are useful in modeling projects and the advantages and disadvantages of ML relative to heuristics.

WEEK 2
Organizing ML Projects
In this module we will focus on the CRISP-DM data science process and how it can be used to organize ML projects. We will begin by understanding what is unique about ML project relative to normal software projects, and then discuss approaches to manage the inherent risks of ML projects. We will also walk through the key roles on a ML project team and how to organize work.

WEEK 3
Data Considerations
In this module we will explore the key data-related issues that arise in ML projects. Data is the foundation of successful machine learning, and gathering data of sufficient quantity and quality with the right set of attributes is the key to a successful project. We will discuss the key considerations in sourcing data, cleaning data, and developing and selecting a feature set to use in modeling. The module will conclude with a discussion on best practices to ensure reproducibility of your data pipeline.

WEEK 4
ML System Design & Technology Selection
In this module we will discuss the key decisions to make in designing ML systems, such as cloud vs. edge and online vs. batch, and compare the benefits of each type of system. We will then discuss the primary technology decisions to make in a ML project and introduce the common tools and technologies used to build ML models.

WEEK 5
Model Lifecycle Management
The final module in the course focuses on identifying and mitigating the key issues which ML models experience once they are in production. We will discuss how to set up a robust ML system monitoring capability and define a model maintenance plan to maintain high performance of a production model. We will conclude with a discussion on the importance of versioning in ML systems to facilitate continued rapid iteration even after deployment.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Practical Predictive Analytics: Models and Methods (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Practical Predictive Analytics: Models and Methods (Coursera)

Statistical experiment design and analytics are at the heart of data science. In this course you will design statistical experiments and analyze the results using modern methods. You will also explore the common pitfalls in interpreting statistical arguments, especially those associated with big data. Collectively, this course will help you internalize a core set of practical and effective machine learning methods and concepts, and apply them to solve some real world problems.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Text Retrieval and Search Engines (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Text Retrieval and Search Engines (Coursera)

Recent years have seen a dramatic growth of natural language text data, including web pages, news articles, scientific literature, emails, enterprise documents, and social media such as blog articles, forum posts, product reviews, and tweets. Text data are unique in that they are usually generated directly by humans rather than a computer system or sensors, and are thus especially valuable for discovering knowledge about people’s opinions and preferences, in addition to many other kinds of knowledge that we encode in text.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Advanced Algorithms and Complexity (Coursera) Coursera
University of California, San Diego,Higher School of Economics - HSE University

Advanced Algorithms and Complexity (Coursera)

You've learned the basic algorithms now and are ready to step into the area of more complex problems and algorithms to solve them. Advanced algorithms build upon basic ones and use new ideas. We will start with networks flows which are used in more typical applications such as optimal matchings, finding disjoint paths and flight scheduling as well as more surprising ones like image segmentation in computer vision.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Data Scientist's Toolbox (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

The Data Scientist's Toolbox (Coursera)

In this course you will get an introduction to the main tools and ideas in the data scientist's toolbox. The course gives an overview of the data, questions, and tools that data analysts and data scientists work with. There are two components to this course. The first is a conceptual introduction to the ideas behind turning data into actionable knowledge. The second is a practical introduction to the tools that will be used in the program like version control, markdown, git, GitHub, R, and RStudio.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Experimentation for Improvement (Coursera) Coursera
McMaster University

Experimentation for Improvement (Coursera)

We are always using experiments to improve our lives, our community, and our work. Are you doing it efficiently? Or are you (incorrectly) changing one thing at a time and hoping for the best? In this course, you will learn how to plan efficient experiments - testing with many variables. Our goal is to find the best results using only a few experiments. A key part of the course is how to optimize a system.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Exploratory Data Analysis (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Exploratory Data Analysis (Coursera)

This course covers the essential exploratory techniques for summarizing data. These techniques are typically applied before formal modeling commences and can help inform the development of more complex statistical models. Exploratory techniques are also important for eliminating or sharpening potential hypotheses about the world that can be addressed by the data.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks
Statistical Inference (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Statistical Inference (Coursera)

Statistical inference is the process of drawing conclusions about populations or scientific truths from data. There are many modes of performing inference including statistical modeling, data oriented strategies and explicit use of designs and randomization in analyses. Furthermore, there are broad theories (frequentists, Bayesian, likelihood, design based, …) and numerous complexities (missing data, observed and unobserved confounding, biases) for performing inference.

Jun 22nd 2026
4 Weeks