Reference no: EM133960520 , Length: Word Count:3000
Project Management
Assessment 1
Discussion Participation
1. You are expected to participate in at least three (3) different ‘Discussion Participation' forums. You should begin at least one thread and provide at least three posts in response to other participants' threads. Posting should be a minimum of one short paragraph and a maximum of two paragraphs. Word totals for each post should be in the 100-200 words range.
2. Intended outcome of this assignment discussions are to allow students to understand the theories and applications on what they learn in each week basis. Participants will be assessed on their understanding of theory and applications and how they engage in the discussion.
3. During the discussion, be organized in your thoughts and ideas. Incorporate correlations with the assigned readings or topics. Stay on topic.
4. Provide evidence of critical thinking in your responses or interactions. Avoid summarizing.
5. During the discussion, contribute to the learning community by being creative in your approaches to topics, being relevant in the presented viewpoints, and attempting to motivate the discussion.
6. During the discussion, be aware of grammar and sentence mechanics. Use proper etiquette.
7. Remember that being respectful is critical at all times in the classroom, online and during forum chat discussions.
Assessment 2 - Project Management Report
Purpose of the Assessment
Students are required to explain, in report format, with reference to a project of your choice, how any one of the following would be applied:
› Project Scope Management
› Planning Time and Stakeholder Management
› Quality and Risk Management
› Project Cost Management; Estimation and Resources
› Project Communication and Procurement
› Management Project Human Resource Management
The primary aim of this assessment helps you to understand how organisation will approach to project management and classify the tools and techniques related. The secondary aim of this assignment is to enhance your analysis, critical thinking and written com- munication skills; particularly in the areas of argument development, report writing and presentation.
The report must be of 1,500 words in length excluding references. The referencing style must follow the APA referencing style.
Assignment Structure
Reference sources must be cited in the text of the report, and listed appropriately at the end in a reference list, all using APA referencing style.
Required cover page [this is essential and must be completed accurately]
Executive Summary Table of Contents
Body of the report to contain Section Headings - e.g. introduction, brief summary of the project; identification of project issues; relevant theoretical concepts, application of project model, conclusion. Sub-sections are to be numbered. Paragraphing must be used. Page numbers must be used.
Reference List at the end must be in APA format and consist of mainly academic journal articles.
Part B
Introduction: In groups of three to four, students are tasked with conducting a critical analysis of the fundamental principles, theories, and concepts associated with project management. They are expected to present their findings in Part A, referencing a project of their choice.
Task
› Project Scope Management
› Planning Time and Stakeholder Management
› Quality and Risk Management
› Project Cost Management; Estimation and Resources
› Project Communication and Procurement
› Management Project Human Resource Management
Delivery of a 10-minute presentation of their findings in Part A
Students are expected to prepare a professional presentation that is well researched, informative, succinct and engaging. The length for the total presentation is 10 minutes. Each group member to present for an equal length of time. The presentation must deliver using PowerPoint or similar software. Use proper in-text referencing as well as list of references. The referencing style must follow the APA referencing style. Get AI-free online assignment help from experienced academic experts.
Uses logically developed Uses somewhat logical
Poor logic in structure of
Paragraph structure is not
Argument and Report Structure - Based on the selected business
structure matched to the task.
Generates a highly developed, focused, and sustained argument(s) related to the report.
structure matched to the task.
Generates developed and focused argument(s) related to the report.
structure of paragraphs but with errors.
Generates few developed and focused argument(s) related to the report.
paragraphs.
Poor development and focus of argument(s) related to the report.
clear, well ordered, or logical.
Generates a series of statements or claims without connecting these to form a clear, logical argument.
Disciplinary Knowledge on Project Management
Disciplinary knowledge is clearly presented and uses disciplinary language authoritatively.
Shows critical understanding of the issue presented and demonstrates depth and accuracy of understanding.
Disciplinary knowledge is clearly presented and uses disciplinary language competently.
Shows a proficient awareness of the issue presented and demonstrates accuracy of understanding.
Disciplinary knowledge is presented and uses disciplinary language approaching competency.
Shows an awareness of the issue presented and demonstrates limited content understanding.
Disciplinary knowledge lacks clarity and uses disciplinary language tentatively.
Shows an awareness of the issue presented and some evidence of gaining new understanding.
Disciplinary knowledge is unclear and does not use the language of the discipline in a sustained fashion.
Demonstrates no evidence of gaining new understanding.
Presentatio
Informative presentation
Coherently and logically • Logically structures the
Attempts to structure the
Does not present a coherent
n & Engagement
that focuses on supporting its central argument in a
structures the presentation.
Uses clear appropriate
presentation - approaching coherence.
poster and presentation if somewhat incoherently.
and succinct explanation and ideas are not logically
convincing and compelling
language for students,
Uses some appropriate • Uses minimal appropriate
organised nor relevant to topic.
manner. Well-structured
Assessment 3
Critical Evaluation (2000 words) Case Study Analysis
Not-for-Profit Medical Research Center
You are Alexis, the director of external affairs for a national not-for-profit medical research center that does research on diseases related to aging. The center's work depends on funding from multiple sources, including the general public, individual estates, and grants from corporations, foundations, and the federal government.
Your department prepares an annual report of the center's accomplishments and financial status for the board of directors. It is mostly text with a few charts and tables, all black and white, with a simple cover. It is voluminous and pretty dry reading. It is inexpensive to produce other than the effort to pull together the content, which requires time to request and expedite information from the center's other departments.
At the last board meeting, the board members suggested the annual report be "upscaled" into a document that could be used for marketing and promotional purposes. They want you to mail the next annual report to the center's various stakeholders, past donors, and targeted high- potential future donors. The board feels that such a document is needed to get the center "in the same league" with other large not-for-profit organizations with which it feels it competes for donations and funds. The board feels that the annual report could be used to inform these stakeholders about the advances the center is making in its research efforts and its strong fiscal management for effectively using the funding and donations it receives.
You will need to produce a shorter, simpler, easy-to-read annual report that shows the benefits of the center's research and the impact on people's lives. You will include pictures from various hospitals, clinics, and long-term care facilities that are using the results of the center's research. You also will include testimonials from patients and families who have benefited from the center's research. The report must be "eye-catching.'' It needs to be multicolor, contain a lot of pictures and easy-to-understand graphics, and be written in a sude that can be understood by the average adult potential donor.
This is a significant undertaking for your department which includes three other staff members. You will have to contract out some of the activities and may have to travel to several medical facilities around the country to take photos and get testimonials. You will also need to put the design, printing, and distribution out to bid to various contractors to submit proposals and prices to you. You estimate that approximately 5 million copies need to be printed and mailed.
It is now April 1. The board asks you to come to its next meeting on May I5 to present a detailed plan, schedule, and budget for how you will complete the project. The board wants the annual report In the mail" by November I5, so potential donors will receive it around the holiday season when they may be in a ‘giving mood." The center's fiscal year ends September 30, and its financial statements should be available by October 15. However, the nonfinancial information for the report can start to be pulled together right after the May 15 board meeting.
Fortunately, you are taking a project management course in the evenings at the VIT and see this as an opportunity to apply what you have been learning. You know that this is a big project and that the board has high expectations. You want to be sure you meet their expectations and get them to approve the budget that you will need for this project. However, they will only do that if they are confident that you have a detailed plan for how you will get it all done. You and your team have six weeks to prepare a plan to present to the board on May 15. If approved, you will have six months, from May 15 to November 15, to implement the plan and complete the project.
Your team consists of Grace, a marketing specialist; Levi a writer/editor; and Levi, a staff assistant whose hobby is photography (she is going to college part-time in the evenings to earn a degree in photojournalism and has won several local photography contests).
Your Task
As the director of external affairs for a national not-for-profit medical research center you and your team are asked to produce a shorter, simpler, easy-to-read annual report to show the benefits of the center's research and the impact on people's lives in an effort to help raise funds for the center.You and your team need to prepare a plan to present to the board. You must:
Case Questions
Establish the project objective and make a list of your assumptions about the project
Develop a work breakdown structure and prepare a list of the specific activities that need to be performed to accomplish the project objective
For each activity, assign the person who will be responsible and create a network diagram that shows the sequence and dependent relationships of all the activities.
Develop an estimated duration for each activity. Using a project start time of 0 (or May 15) and a required project completion time of 180 days (or November 15), calculate the ES, EF, LS, and LF times and total slack for each activity.
Determine the critical path and identify the activities that make up the critical path and produce a bar chart (Gantt Chart) based on the ES and EF times from the schedule in item 2.
Using the schedule to estimate the cost for each activity and determine the total budgeted cost for the project.
Identify at least four risks that could jeopardize the project and create a risk assessment matrix including a response plan for each of the risks.