Reference no: EM132581704

BSBPMG513 Manage project quality - Australian Vocational Training Institute

Assessment Task 1: Written Questions

Provide answers to all of the questions below:

Question 1. Explain the Total Quality Management theory.

Question 2. Explain the ISO:9001:2008 Standards and why an organisation may choose to adopt these standards.

Question 3. Describe the Six Sigma methodology and its relationship to quality assurance.

Question 4. Describe the cost benefit analysis and its role in quality assurance.

Question 5. Describe the use of cause and effect diagrams for quality control.

Question 6. Describe the purpose of a Quality Management Plan and how it is used as a project tool.

Question 7. Outline the key role and at least four responsibilities of a project manager in relation to quality.

Question 8. Explain the use of the Plan Do Check Act cycle as a continuous improvement method and each of the steps.

Question 9. Explain the concept of benchmarking as a continuous improvement tool.

Question 10. Explain two benefits of brainstorming as a continuous improvement tool.

Assessment Task 2: Project quality management plan project

Task summary
In the role of Project Officer of a fictitious company, Native Bush Spices, you are required to determine the quality requirements for a project to develop a web site.You are then to develop a quality management plan.

Instructions

Carefully read the following:

Native Bush Spices Australia is based in Coffs Harbour, NSW.

The business was established in 2010 to cater for a demand for Australian native food products. The company has organic certification.

The company manufactures and retails a range of organic, Australian native foods including:
• Native herbs and spices
• Native herbal teas
• Native fruit jams and conserves.
Currently the business is selling its products through a number of small supermarkets and health stores throughout Australia. The company also has a very basic website that includes four pages: home, about us, products and contact details.

The company's overall business objectives for the next three years are to increase sales and create brand awareness, develop a broader product range, as well as expand into overseas markets, most likely Hong Kong, Japan and Singapore.

The company's target customers are those that enjoy gourmet foods.
The age range of Australian consumers buying products is between 35 and 65.
Most consumers are health conscious, care about protecting the environment and have an average annual income of $80,000.

The company currently employs the following staff in its head office: CEO, Operations Manager, Marketing Coordinator, Customer Service Officer and two administration staff.
Ten staff are employed in the factory making and distributing the products.

To date the company has been utilising a basic web site, and it has been decided to replace it completely.
As the Project Officer, you have been asked by the Operations Manager to coordinate a project to develop a new website.

As the new website is seen as a critical part of the company's expansion strategy, the CEO has stressed the importance of project quality and has tasked you to manage quality within this project through determining quality requirements and then implementing quality processes.

The CEO has advised of a strict budget of $11,000 for this project, with no variances allowable. The budget is based on estimated costs.
A key aim is that customers are attracted to the web site and find it easy to use.
Timing is also an issue, as the web site should be ready by October to be ready for the Christmas season: assume that it is currently June.

The company has established procedures for project management, and these are documented in the Project Management Policy and Procedures.

Complete the following activities:

1. Determine quality requirements
Review Native Bush Spices Australia Project Management Policy and Procedures, as well as the case study information.

Based on the information provided, and your knowledge of required quality objectives and standards, you are required to develop a short briefing report for the CEO.

Your briefing report should give an outline of the project and your recommendations regarding quality objectives for the projects.
You should identify at least 10 relevant quality standards for this project.

Use the Briefing Report Template to develop your report.

2. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor)
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, and ask for their input.

Attach your briefing report to the email.

The CEO (your assessor) will respond to you with feedback, which you will be expected to incorporate into the project quality management plan you develop as per the next activity.

3. Determine quality requirements
Develop a draft project quality management plan using the Project Quality Management Plan Template.
Use the internet to research project quality plans that could be appropriate for the case study scenario.
You should also use the information in your briefing report and the feedback from your assessor to inform the plan.

The Quality Management Plan you develop for your project should, as a minimum, include:
• Purpose of the quality management plan
• Quality objectives
• Quality standards
• Quality metrics
• Quality assurance and control mechanisms
• Quality roles and responsibilities
• Quality methods, techniques and tools to resolve quality issues
• Plan for reporting quality control and assurance problems to ensure quality issues are resolved.

Print out a copy of this document to take to the project team meeting with you.

4. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, and ask for a meeting to discuss it with the Project Team.

Attach your draft quality management plan to the email.

5. Meet with the project team
Participate in a meeting with the project team to discuss and negotiate the Project Quality Management Plan.

Explain all of the information in the Project Quality Management Plan, providing a clear rationale for each aspect of the to gain support for it from the team members.

During the meeting, you will need to demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm information

Take notes at the meeting, as you will be required to use to include the input from team members.

6. Finalise project quality management plan
Based on your discussion with the project team, finalise your project quality management plan, using any feedback you received during the meeting.

Ensure that all of the agreed quality requirements are included in your Project Management Plan.

7. Maintain a quality management system
As set out in the organisation's Project Management Policy and Procedures, you are required to maintain a quality management system to ensure that quality processes are maintained.

Set up a Folder and filing system so that all the project data can be stored.

8. Take a screen shot of your folder and files.
Ensure that you have an overall folder for your work, as well as sub folders if necessary.
All of the documents that you have submitted for this assessment task should be correctly named and filed.
Folders must be logical and well-organised, and you will be assessed on this.
The screen shot should show all the folders and documents.
9. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor)
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, and ask for their input.

Assessment Task 3:Quality processes project

Task summary

In this assessment task, you will implement quality processes by undertaking a quality assurance audit of project processes. You will also assess the quality control of the project and product output according to the quality standards documented in the quality management plan.

This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.

Instructions
Complete the following activities:

1. Undertake a quality assurance audit
You are required to implement quality process by undertaking a quality assurance audit, and assessing the quality control of the project according to the quality standards in the project quality management plan.

Review the information provided to you including:
• Project Management Plan Summary
• Project Schedule
• Project Finances Report
• Interim Project Status Report
• Web site developer Report

2. Then develop a short report on the implementation of project quality processes that addresses the following:

• Assessment of the extent to which the project processes to date meet the quality management plan developed.
• Assessment of the extent to which the web site is meeting the quality specifications documented in the quality management plan.
• Identify causes of variance to quality metrics and action to be taken to address recommendations.

Use Quality Assurance Audit Report Template to guide your work.
File your report in the relevant sub-folder you created in Assessment Task 2.

3. Send an email to the Project Team
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, and seektheir feedback.

Assessment Task 4: Project quality management evaluation

Task summary
In this assessment task, you will review project outcomes against quality objectives, standards and metrics in order to evaluate and report on the effectiveness ofquality management processes and procedures. You will also write a report to be sent to the company's CEO.

Instructions

Complete the following activities:
1. Write a project quality management evaluation report.
Review the interim and final project status reports for the project and assess the outcomes with regards to quality. Write an evaluation report on the effectiveness of the quality processes and procedures that includes:
• Performance against all agreed quality objectives
• Performance against agreed quality standards

Your report should also outline lessons learned, as well as recommendations for the future.

The report should be about 1 - 2 pages long.

2. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.

It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, pointing out that the report has been written and sent as part of the communication items set out in the Project Management Plan.

BSBPMG514 Manage project cost - Australian Vocational Training Institute

Assessment Task 1:

Task summary
This is an open book test.to be completed in the classroom.
A time limit of 1 hour to answer the questions is provided.
You need to answer all of the written questions correctly.
Your answers must be word processed and sent to the assessor as an email attachment.

Instructions

Provide answers to all of the questions below:

Question 1. Discuss the key purpose and objectives of budgeting in project management.

Question 2. Outline the main steps in the budgeting process for a project.

Question 3. Discuss why key performance indicators are used in budgeting and provide three examples of financial key performance indicators that can be used to determine the effectiveness of a budget.

Question 4. Explain the use of milestones in budgeting.

Question 5. Explain the importance of budgetary control.

Question 6. Explain the purpose of using spreadsheets for developing budgets and two key features of using spreadsheets.

Question 7. Explain two methods for conducting project cost estimating and at least one advantage and disadvantage of each.

Question 8. Explain earned value management and its application in evaluating costs.

Question 9. Explain project cost management and its application in evaluating costs.

Question 10. Explain how a cost plan can assist in managing costs and its use over the project life cycle.

Question 11. Explain the key procedures that should be followed in the event of a cost change process during a project.

Question 12. Explain two processes that can be used to measure costs against project outcomes.

Question 13. Outline the key role and at least four responsibilities of a project manager in relation to cost management.

Assessment Task 2: Project cost management plan project

Task summary
In the role of Project Officer of Manager Networks, you are required to determine project costs by researching and documenting costs included in a Work Breakdown Structure. You will then participate in a meeting with project stakeholders to seek input on costs. You will also be required to develop a project cost management plan that includes a project budget.

Instructions

Carefully read the following:

You are the Administration Manager for Manager Networks, an organisation that provides networking events for business people across Australia.

The company runs regular networking events, but has now decided to start an annual conference event focussing on an area of business considered to be of key importance.

You have been asked to coordinate the conference project as the Project Officer. You have been provided with an initial Conference Plan Brief to assist you in determining the resource requirements. You will use this to develop a preliminary cost estimate, which you will discuss and confirm at a meeting with the project team.

Complete the following activities:

1. Determine project costs
Review the case study information and the Conference Plan Brief.

As set out in the organisation's policy and procedures, you are required to review the work breakdown structure included in the conference plan brief and, for each of the tasks indicated, determine the resource requirements as well as the associated costs. The organisation's policy and procedures also stipulate that you are to provide an estimate of costs using a bottom-up estimating technique.

You will need to use the Internet to research cost of some of the activities included in the work breakdown structure, as well as use the information provided in the conference brief. You must then develop a cost management plan that includes a project budget for discussion at a meeting with the project team (your assessor).

Use the Project Cost Management Plan Template to guide your work.

2. Send an email to the Project Team (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, and ask for an appointment for a meeting to discuss it.

Attach your Project Cost Management Plan to the email.

3. Participate in a meeting with the Project Team
You are required to meet with the Project Team to discuss and confirm the project scope management plan.

At the meeting, you will be required to go through your project cost management plan, carefully explaining each part of the project cost management plan, as well as your proposed project budget. Be prepared to answer questions and to note feedback provided so as to inform the final project cost management plan.

During the meeting, you will need to demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding

4. Finalise project cost management plan
Based on the discussion with the project team, you are now required to finalise your project cost management plan. Use the feedback from the meeting and incorporate this into your project cost management plan.

When you have completed the project cost management plan, send it to the Senior Management team for final approval.

5. Send an email to Senior Management (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, listing the changes that you have made to it.

Assessment Task 3: Cost monitoring and control project

Task summary
In this assessment task, you will need to monitor and control project costs by managing a cost change request and reporting on cost management issues.

Instructions
Carefully review the following information:

The conference project commenced three months ago.

Budgeted costs for the conference were finalised as:
You have just received the following information:
• The first choice of venue is unavailable on the day you require. The second-choice venue will require an additional $5,000.
• One of the speakers has just pulled out. The next best option is another speaker who has advised that his fees will be $3,500 rather than the allocated $2,000 per speaker.

Complete the following activities:

1. Monitor project cost
Review the case study information and analyse the costs to identify current project costs and calculate any cost variations.

As set out in the organisational procedures, you are required to write a short report to your manager on project costs that addresses:
• Project costs to date
• Analysis of variations to projected costs and actions required.

2. Send an email to your assessor.
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
The email text should include your review and analysis of the project costs 

Soon after you sent the email in activity 2, you received the following email:

Dear Project Officer

I recently attended a conference that included a comedian and singer. I found this to make the conference much more interesting and memorable. I would like to incorporate this into our program. I have made some enquiries and identified two suitable candidates. This would involve an additional cost of $4,000 which I am hoping can be accommodated.

Regards

Marketing Manager

3. Develop a project change request and analysis
Prepare a change request and analysis in the format that you identified in your project cost management plan.

4. Develop a conference finances report.
Write a short report for the Senior Management Team about project costs from the completed conference.

Use the Conference Finances Report Template to guide your work.

Assume that the conference is now completed and you have been provided with the final costs. Review the information provided to calculate and report on the success of the conference assuming that a 50% profit was required.

Assume also that Senior Management has identified that, while the conference had a very positive outcome, they would like further recommendations on best practice project cost estimating. Provide at least four recommendations which you consider would improve project estimating for future projects.

5. Send an email to your assessor.
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, and seek their feedback and approval to move forward with the project.

Attachment:- Manage project cost.rar

Attachment:- Manage project quality.rar