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PPMP20018 - Project Management Practicum Assignment - Reflective Practice Report, 2019, T2 - CQ University, Australia
Reflecting on Performance -
1. Defining success and failure
a) What does success mean to you personally? [Note this is not project success - when answering consider what would have to occur for you to say you were personally successful.]
b) How did your project perform in relation to Cost, Time, Scope and Quality?
c) What can you learn from failures and can they ever be a positive thing?
d) How successful was your project in terms of how you define success for you?
2. What I achieved in PPMP20018
a) What did you hope to achieve (skills/knowledge/personal insights/ contacts etc.) during your time in this unit?
b) What did you achieveby participating in this unit?
c) Reflecting on your answers above fill in the following table
3. Your skills and abilities
a) What do you believe are your major strengths?
b) Discuss whether you able to utilise your strengths in the project. Include an explanation of how you were OR why you were not able to demonstrate them during your project.
Experiencing challenges in projects -
This unit was designed so you will experienceseveralchallengesthat project managers face. These include tight timeframes, diverse teams and requirements that are not necessarily well defined. Being challenged places us under stress, to a certain point this increases performance. However,as stress increases it will start to diminish our performance. The challenging nature of the unit may have raised differing emotions, you may have felt overwhelmed, excited, frustrated, or a sense of achievement. You may have felt different emotionsat different stages of the unit, this is perfectly normal when managing projects.
Reflecting on how we each react to stress is important. It enables us to recognise when we are under stress and how we can manage our reactions effectively. Experiencing challenges of project management in the university context, although uncomfortable enables us to be better prepared for the realities of industry. For example, this unit allows you to make mistakes that are better experienced for first time at university than in industry. Can you think of something you wish you handled better this term? However, we only gain value if we reflect on our experiences and understand how we can utilise these learnings in future work environments.
In the following section, you are required to assess five challenging situations and write detailed responses in terms of the:
Situation
Describe your experience of the following concepts in the context of the unit, including whether you found this challenging or not.
Your Reaction
How did you react (note both feelings and actions) to the challenges?
Industry readiness
How does having this experience better prepare you for working in industry?
The five challenges are:
1. Dealing with the pressures of extremely tight timeframes and limited resources.
2. Dealing with team dynamics when team members may be diverse, have differing expectations and commitment.
3. Defining an innovative solution for a social issue that is not your primary area of expertise.
4. Achieving project delivery for a social issue that is not your primary area of expertise.
5. Engaging with and eliciting feedback from stakeholders.
Reflective practice for job applications -
Use the table below and the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) form of addressing Selection Criteria to describe your application of one hard skill (technical project management) and one soft (leadership/interpersonal) skill during the project.
Action and Next Steps -
1. Action
During the unit you were asked to embrace an action mindset. We are challenging you to do the same. You must complete the actions and submissions for one of the options. Some options will provide a choice of actions to complete. Submission act both as evidence of completion of a task and need sufficient details to enable them to be checked, e.g. if you speak to someone provide their details including name, organisation and contact details.
It is better to act in a small way that takes you one step further long your career path than have big plans that are never actioned. Do not submit an extravagant plan or fictionalised exaggeration, as it will waste your time and marks. Choose the option that you can gain value from and is achievable.
Choose one of the following options:
Option 1. Apply for a job
Option 2. Build your profile
Option 3. Improve your industry exposure and networks
2. Next Steps
Use the table to identify two actions you will complete in the next six months.
Only include actions that you have not yet done. For example, is there another skill that you want to put on your CV that you have not had the opportunity to demonstrate - then note the skill and describe how you plan to get an opportunity to demonstrate it in the next six months.
These should be specific - do not say 'travel Australia' - tell us where you want to go, what you want to see etc.
a) Building your CV
Work / career related action to add to yourCurriculum Vitae (CV).
b) Finding Balance
Fun / exciting activity that you have never done before (does not need to be work related).
OPTIONAL - email contact
Provide an email address that will be active in six months if you wish to receive a follow-up email (note if this is your last unit the CQU email may not still be active).
Attachment:- Report Template.rar