Reference no: EM133950220 , Length: Word Count:4500

Managing Project Resources

Level 7, MSc Project Management

Part 1: Project Management Simulation Game-Individual Critical Reflection Report

Part 2: Individual Project Portfolio

Learning Outcome 1: Critical understanding of project management methodologies and techniques.

Learning Outcome 2: Develop, evaluate and assess the feasibility of project proposals, utilising appropriate tools, techniques and methods.

Learning Outcome 3: Experience of the iterative process of project planning and control by use of case study material.

Learning Outcome 4: Select and apply appropriate methods of planning, monitoring, control and change to the various aspect of a project.

Learning Outcome 5: Employ knowledge and skills to evaluate project success factors and key performance indicators to measure project outcomes, enabling continuous improvement and enhancement of future project management practices in complex contexts.

Project Brief

This project brief applies knowledge from "Managing Project Resources" to a practical real-world scenario. Throughout this project, you will have the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of project management theories and concepts, tools and techniques apply them to a hypothetical case simulated real-time project environment and develop essential professional skills in creating project portfolios and delivering engaging presentations. Industry based project management software MS project.
The assessment consists of two parts.

Part 1- Individual Critical reflection report: Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) project simulation game
Part one of the assignment is based on the Sea Port Oil Terminal (SPOT) simulation project game. The SPOT game uses MS project software with a project team of 5-6 students. This is a reflective assignment based on your experience working within a project team in developing the large and complex Sea Port Oil Terminal from project design to close out (initiation, planning, execution and handover).
Note: a) The assignment case study and 6 project sessions task files for SPOT project will be provided in a separate handout from Week 4. The project simulation business game will be a teamwork, but the reflective report will be individual based on your personal reflections and learning for SPOT project experiences.

b) Team members contributions form is required after the final SPOT project session to showcase the actual shares of the workload in this group assignment. Final marks for the individual reflective report will be weighted according to the actual contribution an individual made to the work of the group.

The Critical Reflection Report (3000 words +/- 10%, excluding references and appendix)

The assignment report should have the following sections, plus an introduction and a conclusion.

1. Introduction
Objectives/Goals of the report:
- Purpose of the report (e.g. the problem to be solved, what is to be gained)
- Provide brief context of the report and address problem
- Identify solutions and any limitations/issues towards a given project topic
- Intended results at the end of this report (e.g. contribution to practice and theory)
Approximately 100 to 150 words.

2. SPOT Project Organisation
A critical review of how your group organised the project management of the Sea Port Oil Terminal project. Approximately 700 to 800 words.

3. SPOT Project Appraisal and Evaluation
A critical appraisal and discussion evaluating your team's project from the start to project close out and how your group worked as a project team during this period. Further the way various project management techniques were utilised should be discussed (this is how your team used the techniques with evidence from the SPOT project itself and not a description of the technique).
Appropriate academic references (i.e. academic literature) and real-life examples from bona fide (i.e. official, government and major agencies) sources must be cited to back up the discussion in this section. Case studies must not be used or included.
Approximately 1800 to 2100 words.

4. Conclusion
Summarise your study and results of section 2 & 3 in brief (e.g., highlight the main findings)
- Practical implications and limitations of the SPOT project in practice
-Managerial recommendations and suggestions to improve SPOT applicability in practice and any future suggestions for future research topics in the SPOT project.
Approximately 150 to 200 words.

References (see next section below)
You will use appropriate academic literature (journals articles and conference papers and bona fide sources, government, official agency and major organisation/news reports) to support your findings.
All data sources used will be Harvard Referenced.
Assignments should have around one reference per one hundred words and include a range of sources, as described above. Non-academic sources are not appropriate in a post-graduate report.

Appendices: A detailed outline of the Appendix section is provided in the critical reflection report guidelines document to add relevant SPOT Project documentation.
Appendix will be in landscape.
Please do not attach object files in the submission report, just add images/screenshots.

Further Information:
The report must be typed and printed in 'Times New Roman', the body of the report being font size 12pt.
The report should have 1.5 line spacing.
All figures and diagrams must be appropriately numbered, referenced and with a text call out.

2. Part 2- Individual Project portfolio
In part two of the assessment, you are a project manager overseeing the development of a new project's creative product/service (you can choose a project of your own choice) or a SPOT project. Through the four stages of project delivery, initiation, planning, execution and closure, you will produce a bottom-up estimate of project costs in Excel for a range of scenarios (according to selected project case study data developed). This will include tangible and intangible assets, direct costs (variable costs) and indirect costs (fixed costs), Earned Value Analysis (EVA) and other appropriate variables of your choosing.
Project portfolio (1500 words +/- 10%, excluding references and appendix)
Your project portfolio should include:
Introduction
Explain the tangible and intangible project objectives and other key factors with evidence.
Approximately 150 words
Project Stages, Resource and Tasks:
Describe how resource managing changes through the project stages and the assumptions that underpin them
Explain normal, optimistic, pessimistic scenarios, contingency and remedial action (according to selected project case study data)
Monitor different types of resources (land, labour, capital, technology)
Direct costs and indirect costs
Earned value analysis (planned costs, actual costs, earned value)
Approximately 1300 words
Conclusion
Summarise the key problems and lessons learned
Approximately 100 words
References:
You will use appropriate academic literature (journals articles and conference papers and bona fide sources, government, official agency and major organisation/news reports) to support your findings.
All data sources used will be Harvard Referenced.
Assignments should have around one reference per one hundred words and include a range of sources, as described above. Non-academic sources are not appropriate in a post-graduate report.

Appendices:
In addition to the project portfolio, you are required to produce an Excel Spreadsheet or MS Project software analysis (according to the selected project case study data developed) that shows the financial monitoring of the project through its four phases and operation as described above. The assignment must be submitted in MS Word with pre-scan for plagiarism via Turnitin software. Please do not attach object file in the submission report, just add images.

Further Information:
The report must be typed and printed in 'Times New Roman', the body of the report being font size 12pt.
The report should have 1.5 line spacing.
All figures and diagrams must be appropriately numbered, referenced and with a text call out.

Conclusion:
These two assignments parts will enable you to apply a range of established project management techniques throughout its four core activities (initiating, planning, executing and close). To display mastery in undertaking detailed, well-evidenced and integrated practice in operations management and to critically evaluate the impact of operations management in complex contexts and in the wider global environment, also considering the impacts on sustainable resourcing. Get expert-level assignment help in any subject.

Assignment Part 1:

Individual Critical Reflection Report (3000 words +/- 10%, excluding references and appendix)

This is your individual reflective report.
The objectives of this reflective report are to help you:
(1) to be mindful for a particular practical experience;
(2) make a connection between what you are taught in theory and practices; and
(3) learn from that particular experience.
Reflect back to your group project journey, think of particular circumstances you would like to reflect on and write a complete reflective report including the following sections. Detailed requirements of each section are provided below.

1. Introduction (100-150 words)
Objectives/Goals of the report:
- Purpose of the report (e.g. the problem to be solved, what is to be gained)
- Provide brief context of the report and address problem
- Identify solutions and any limitations/issues towards a given project topic
- What is hoped to be achieved at the end of this report (e.g. contribution to practice and
theory)

2. A Critical Review of how the group organised the project management of the SPOT Oil Terminal Project (700-800 words)
Description of Team formation process, Team structure- Roles and Responsibilities, Team communication style, Team commitment, Team performance criteria (e.g. KPI's), Project location and Time management
You are free to draw a Team Organisational Chart and attach it in Appendix section

3. Critical appraisal and evaluation of the SPOT Oil Terminal Project Implementation (1700 - 2000 words)
Please refer the "PRM22105_Assignment 1_Sessions Outline" file on Canvas to organise this section
- Firstly, mention the general description of SPOT Oil Project implementation process and its overview
-Also, mention about the Project Management methodology, PM standards, Project Governance Model (PGM), etc. for SPOT project

Project Initiation
In this subsection, write about-
-Project Scope definition/ Project Scope Statement for SPOT project
- Project Business Case for SPOT project
Any Outputs/ deliverables of project
Outcomes of project
NPV estimation
Project Planning
In this subsection, describe about-
Project Session 1a (WBS)
- Reflect upon what your group did together for this project session 1a task, write about activities (e.g., Our Group did......), what went wrong, what was right, any issues your group faced to achieve session 1a goals.
-Reflect upon your individual experience while working at Group level (Follow the reflection principle given below)-
For Selected Circumstance or Circumstances:

1. Description of a particular circumstance (i.e., what happened)

2. Connection to theory and evaluation (i.e., what it should be done according to what you have learned in class lecture/workshop; what went right or wrong)

3. Cause analysis (i.e., what caused the results)

4. Future improvement plan (i.e., what you would do in the future to improve the circumstance)

Project Session 1b (Baseline Plan)
- Repeat the same format as above for session 1a
Project Session 2 (Vendor selection process and selection criteria)
- Repeat the same format as above for session 1a
Project Session 3a (Purchasing strategy)
- Repeat the same format as above for session 1a
Project Session 3b (EIA statement-Risk assessment)
- Repeat the same format as above for session 1a
Project Execution-
Project Session 4 (Project Tracking Task 1)
- Repeat the same format as above for session 1a
Project Session 5 (Project Tracking Task 2)
- Repeat the same format as above for session 1a
Project Closeout-
Project Session 6 (Project Closeout Plan)
- Repeat the same format as above for session 1a

4. Conclusion (150-200 words)
- Summarise your study and results of section 2 & 3 in brief (e.g., highlight the main findings)
- Practical implications (limitations) while working on SPOT project in practice
-Managerial recommendations (suggestions) to improve SPOT applicability in practice and any future suggestions for future research topics in the area of SPOT project
ALL above claims must be supported by Literature.

References
- Referencing style and correct citations
References should be in alphabetical order, No Wikipedia reference and General project management textbooks.
- Report presentation and writing style
- Grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure
- Follow the General Principles detailed below to refer

Appendices
Add any appendix sections you are willing to add at your side (e.g., Critical Path Method Diagram (Microsoft Project -Network Diagram))
Appendix 1: Microsoft Project Baseline Plan (Session 1b plan, Gantt Chart and Resource sheet)
-Your Session1b plan sheet must have Task Name, Duration, Start, Finish, Predecessor, Resources, Cost, Fixed cost columns
- Gantt Chart representation
- Resource sheet with Work, Material and Cost resources

Appendix 2: Project Closeout Plan (Session 6 plan, Gantt Chart and Resource Sheet)
-Your Session 6 plan sheet must have Task Name, Duration, Baseline Start, Baseline Finish, Actual Start, Actual Finish, % Complete, Predecessor, Resources, Cost, Fixed Cost columns.
- Gantt Chart representation
- Resource sheet with Work, Material and Cost resource
Appendix 3: Meeting Templates of all sessions

Appendix 4: Vendor Selection Criteria / Documents/ Calculations

Appendix 5: Add the following pages referring the SPOT session 3b brief information
1. EIA statement sheets
2. EIA statement Presentation Slides screenshots

Appendix 6: Session 4 Tracking plan and Gantt Chart
-Your Session 4 plan sheet must have Task Name, Duration, Baseline Start, Baseline Finish, Actual Start, Actual Finish, % Complete, Predecessor, Resources, Cost, Fixed Cost columns.
- Gantt Chart representation
- Any calculations

Appendix 7: Session 5 Tracking plan and Gantt Chart
-Your Session 5 plan sheet must have Task Name, Duration, Baseline Start, Baseline Finish, Actual Start, Actual Finish, % Complete, Predecessor, Resources, Cost, Fixed Cost columns.
- Gantt Chart representation
- Any calculations

Appendix 8: For any other additional information
SPOT Oil Project WBS, SPOT Group organisational chart, etc

Assignment Part 2:

Individual Project portfolio (1500 words, excluding references and appendix)

Your project portfolio should include:

1.Introduction (150 words)
Explain the tangible and intangible project objectives and other key factors with evidence
Approximately 150 words

2. Project Stages, Resource and Tasks (1300 words)
Describe how resource managing changes through the project stages and the assumptions that underpin them
Explain normal, optimistic, pessimistic scenarios, contingency and remedial action (according to case study data)
Monitor different types of resources (land, labour, capital, technology)
Direct and indirect costs
Earned value analysis (planned costs, actual costs, earned value)
Approximately 1300 words

3. Conclusion (100 words)
Summarise the key problems and lessons learned
Approximately 100 words

References
You will use appropriate academic literature (journals articles and conference papers and bona fide sources, government, official agency and major organisation/news reports) to support your weekly unit resources cost.
All data sources used will be Harvard Referenced.

Assignments should have around one reference per one hundred words and include a range of sources, as described above. Non-academic sources are not appropriate in a post-graduate report.

Appendices
In addition to the project portfolio, you are required to produce an MS Project software analysis or Excel Spreadsheet (according to case study data developed for EVA) that shows the financial monitoring of the project through its four phases and operation as described above.