Reference no: EM134042408

Project Management

Assessment 1 - Project Initiation, Life Cycle & Stakeholder Management

Purpose

This lab introduces the first stage of the project management workflow. Students will select or be assigned a project scenario and develop key project initiation and stakeholder management artefacts.

The purpose of this lab is to apply the Week 1 concepts of project initiation, project life cycle, development approach, Project Charter and stakeholder management. Students will also develop critical evaluation and application skills. Further guidance on Project Management And Planning can support these project-management concepts.

Required Tools

Students will use:

Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets - Stakeholder Register
Miro or diagramming software - Stakeholder Power-Interest Matrix
One approved generative AI tool - for the purpose/evaluation activity only

Part A - Project Context and Development Approach

Select an approved project scenario.

Provide:

Project title
Project description/context
Business problem or opportunity
Project team/stakeholders
Project scope
Project assumptions
Main risks/dependencies
Proposed development approach:
Predictive/waterfall
Agile
Hybrid
Brief justification for the selected development approach

Your selected project will be used throughout the remaining parts of the lab.

Part B - Project Life Cycle

Explain how your selected project will move through the project management life cycle stages:

Initiating → Planning → Execution → Monitoring and Controlling → Closing

For each stage, describe what would happen in the context of your selected project.

The purpose is to demonstrate that you understand how the project life cycle applies to a real project rather than simply repeating stage definitions.

Part C - Project Charter

Develop a professional Project Charter containing:

Project title
Background/business need
Project purpose
3-4 measurable project objectives
Major deliverables
Project scope
Out-of-scope items
Key assumptions
Key constraints
High-level schedule
Major milestones
High-level budget
Project success criteria
Project manager

The document must be specific to your selected project.

Part D - Stakeholder Register

Using Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, identify approximately 10-15 important stakeholders or stakeholder groups.

Your register should include appropriate stakeholder information and use the Stakeholder Management Approach covered in class.

Part E - Stakeholder Power-Interest Matrix

Using the stakeholder information from Part D, place the stakeholders into the appropriate categories:

Manage Closely
Keep Satisfied
Keep Informed
Monitor

The positioning of stakeholders must be consistent with their power and interest.

Include a brief commentary/report explaining the completed matrix in your report.

Part F - Critical and Ethical Use of Generative AI

After completing the project artefacts, you are required to critically evaluate the use of Generative AI.

For example, you may use AI to:

review whether your project objectives are measurable
critique your project charter
evaluate your stakeholder approach
identify gaps in your stakeholder register
improve your project documentation
challenge your assumptions
provide alternative development approaches

Important

You must critically evaluate any AI output rather than accepting it automatically.

For each recommendation, classify your decision as:

Accept
Modify
Reject

You must justify your decision.

Where applicable, identify whether the AI recommendation is:

correct
incorrect
incomplete
useful
unsupported
inappropriate

Written Explanation

Explain the appropriate written content.

A suggested maximum is approximately 500-700 words, excluding:

Tables
Project Charter
Stakeholder Register
Stakeholder Matrix
AI Evaluation Table
References

The written explanation should clearly explain and justify your project-management decisions.

Part A - Project Context & Life Cycle

Explain the project problem/opportunity and business value.
Select and justify a predictive, agile, or hybrid development approach.
Identify the main project life-cycle stages and decision points.

For additional guidance on Project Management And Planning, consider how the chosen approach supports the project context and life cycle.

Part B - Project Charter

Include:

Project purpose/background and business need
3-5 measurable objectives
Major deliverables
In-scope and out-of-scope items
Key assumptions and constraints
Success criteria
Project sponsor
Project manager

The project charter should establish clear Project Planning And Control considerations for the project's objectives, scope, deliverables and success criteria.

Part C - Stakeholder Register & Power-Interest Analysis

Identify 8-10 stakeholders/stakeholder groups
Record their role, interest, power/influence, expectations and engagement approach.
Create a Power-Interest Matrix using Miro or diagrams.net.
Explain the engagement strategy for priority stakeholders.

The written explanatory component has a maximum of 600-700 words, excluding tables, figures, screenshots, references and AI disclosure.

Important

The biggest thing we need now is the project scenario. If you haven't chosen one yet, I can create a strong, realistic scenario that works across all four labs-for example:

University Student Management System
Online Food Delivery Platform
Hospital Patient Appointment System
E-commerce Website Development
Small Business CRM Implementation
EV Charging Station Project
Digital Banking/Loan Management System