BUSM4612 Introduction To Project Management Assessment 1 – Australia

Subject Code & Title :- BUSM4612 Introduction To Project Management
Assessment type :- Written plan and self-reflection
Weighting :- 30%
Word Limit :- 1,800 (+/– 10%) excluding illustrations cover page summary introduction and reference list.
BUSM4612 Introduction To Project Management Assessment 1 – Australia

Overview :
This assessment aims to prepare a project plan for the project general overview scope and time based
on a selected case study. The plan will be written for a senior project manager or client depending on your chosen case. You are also required to reflect on how the group discussion case study activities in Canvas contributed to the development of your project plan.

In industry project plans are often created by multiple members of a team and in response to a variety of in puts and collaborations so to simulate this experience and help strengthen the quality of your plan you will discuss the case with other students who are also working on the same case as you and include a reflection on how this discussion influenced your plan.

Collaborating with your peers via the case study activities will help you refine and strengthen your rationale for decision making, and your reflection on this experience will help you form a better under standing of what is required for managing a project.

Assessment criteria :-
This assessment will measure your ability to:
• Develop a scope statement which sets out how project deliverables will be accomplished including an acceptance criteria using clear language.
• Identify appropriate goals and a well supported decision making process for selecting goals.
• Demonstrate logical sequencing of activities using a WBS and a network diagram and describe activities duration through a clear and readable Gantt chart.
• Use professional language and apply graphics and tables to communicate professionally.
• Reflect on how peer collaboration has influenced your project plan

Course learning outcomes :-
This assessment is relevant to the following course learning outcomes:
CLO1 Scope develop and manage a project utilising appropriate project management techniques
CLO2 Apply best practice project management principles to assess the efficacy of project management practice in a workplace setting
CLO3 Work as team member and leader to produce a project plan
CLO4 Undertake individual research within the field of project management

Assessment details :-
You will choose from a selection of case studies available on the Canvas Assignment page and take on the role of a project manager on a major project where you are required to prepare the relevant docu mentation for the project general over view scope goals and schedule Additional to this documentation you will also write a reflection on how your interactions in the case study activities on Canvas have contributed to the development of your project plan. These case study activities are integrated into the course content in Weeks 1, 2 and 3. For these you will collaborate and discuss your chosen case study with your peers with guided activities designed to refine your project management plan. While you are not graded as a group the discussion is designed to simulate the experience of working in a project team to help strengthen the quality of your plan. The group discussion can be used to raise questions and share possible solutions and work together to explore the best ways to manage your project. Refer to the project case study carefully which you will find in the Assignment page in Canvas.

Plan structure :-
Your project plan should include the following sections in a report format. Please refer to the RMIT Learning Lab to learn what is expected for report writing.

Note: A word count is only recommended for the self-reflection component of the assessment as word count can vary for project plans depending on the type of case study you have chosen.

1.Cover page

2.Summary

3.Introduction

4.Scope: Define project scope.

This section of the plan should include the following:
• A high-level project scope statement.
• Description of the processes and/or methods you used to determine the scope of the project.
• A work breakdown structure (WBS) to show high-level deliverables and state scope exclusions.
• Technical requirements (list key acts, regulations and standards)
• Assumptions and constraints (approach and rationale for planning)
• Acceptance criteria (conditional statements for acceptance of project deliverables)

5.Goals: Develop a set of relevant and achievable goals appropriate for the project described in the case study.

This section of the plan should include the following:
• An overview of the processes, tools and techniques applied to develop the goals.
• A list of project goals. What is the project trying to accomplish, and why?
• Explain how your goals will be measured as the project progresses.

6.Schedule: Prepare a schedule for the case study project.

The schedule should include the following:
• A definition of activities using the WBS. Include details such as duration, predecessor and dependencies (activity relationships).
• Key milestones for the project deliverables.
• An overview of the case study project’s overall success, life cycle or methodology. This should describe the life cycle stages methods and processes used to monitor and control the project successfully through to completion.
• A discussion on how success will be measured. In the discussion, explain the relative merits of the methods tools and techniques used and compare with any that you chose not to use.
• A network activity diagram and Gantt chart. You can use any templates applications and resources that you are familiar with to present the results.

7. Self-reflection: Write a self-reflection on the case study activities
You will participate in case study activities during Week 1, 2 and 3 and use the information shared in these guided activities to work on your assignment. You are required to participate and contribute with your ideas read your peers responses and then reflect on how these activities have contributed to some of the decisions you made in relation to your project plan.

In your reflection you will consider how the case study activities may or may not have influenced your decisions. This can include how your peers may have challenged your initial assumptions for your project plan.

Your plan should conclude with the self-reflection however you may reference the group discussion as an integrated part of your plan if it is helpful for you. You must reference the discussion posts using RMIT Harvard. You may reference your own posts.

Additional information
The plan must include an explanation of the approaches used throughout the project.
Diagrams charts tables and illustrations may be used to communicate or describe an approach. These should be supported by a written discussion and not relied upon to tell the story themselves. Word count excludes illustrations and general sections of the report such as cover page summary introduction and reference list.

Tips on preparing your assessment
• Use evidence to support your analysis and make sure to reference these appropriately using the Harvard referencing style. Most of your evidence will come from examples from similar project plans that you will source yourself.
• Most of your sources should be peer-reviewed journal articles. You may refer to other sources such as internet sites magazines or news papers as long as you include a minimum of 3 peer-reviewed academic resources.
• You are not required to provide definitions of project management terms. For example you are not required to provide a definition for scope etc.
• Communication skills are important so proofread your work carefully before you submit it. The standard of your writing will affect your mark.
• The plan is to be written for a senior project management audience and as such should be written at a suitable professional level, using specialised terms and concepts appropriate to them.

Supporting activities
Weekly content and group discussion boards (‘case study activities’) from Weeks 1, 2 and 3.

Recommended tools
There are no specific project management tools that you are required to use. You may use your chosen preferred tools. For example Microsoft Excel Microsoft Project etc.