My Project

It is imperative that within the first two weeks of the session, students form teams of 3 students. Each member of the team will put forth suggestions for a suitable project and the team will make a selection from these proposed projects.

There is only one major focus for this unit, which is a progressive compilation of a project report for a project that the team has agreed upon. This project is referred to as My Project in the unit but you are encouraged to give it a suitable name that describes your project.

Purpose of the assignment

The purpose of the assignment is to meet the following objectives of this unit:

  • demonstrate a critical understanding of the principles of project management
  • identify, interpret and apply the principles of project management to effectively manage My Project
  • critically analyse, interpret and apply the project management knowledge areas to the various phases of My Project as appropriate
  • identify, assess and evaluate all the phases associated with a project life cycle and demonstrate an understanding of the activities and interrelationships critical to the successful completion of My Project.

The My Project assignment will be submitted in two parts.

Assignment 1: Project Charter, Communication plan and WBS

Due:Wednesday 10 November 2014 (Week 4)

Length:2,000 words excluding appendix

Weighting:20%

Project Charter

The Project Charter should explain the background of the organisation where this project will be carried out, the objectives of the project and the importance of this project to the organisation. The project team should also include a Business Case, Milestone Schedule, as well as any major problems or anticipated Risks with this project if they are known at this stage. The textbook provides detailed examples of what needs to be included in the Project Charter. These examples will assist the project team in the development of the Project Charter for My Project.

The project that your team uses could be from one of the following categories depending on the type of business a student is involved in:

  • an organisational project that a student is involved in as the organisation’s main line of business – to manage projects for your organisation or on behalf of others
  • an activity that a student is convinced would benefit from being handled as a project
  • an activity in which a student was involved in the past that was not carried out as a project, but one which you believe would have been managed better as a project. If you use this option you should describe how you would execute this activity now using the knowledge gained through this unit.

Note: Students will get maximum benefit from doing this assignment if it is based on a real project. It is also suggested that you do not use an IT project. If you are unable to work on a real project please discuss with your tutor for suggestions.

Communication Plan

This will include the who, what, why and when of project communications. It can be documented in a communications matrix. A meeting management process needs to be described, and both agenda and minutes need to be documented from team formation to Assignment 1 upload. Issues raised in your meetings are to be recorded and assigned to a team member or closed out when settled. Communications improve with a system for knowledge management with meetings evaluated. These documents will be similar to Exhibits 5.11 through 5.16 in the text.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

All project deliverables should have been identified and should clearly conform to the Scope Overview in the Project Charter. A structured numbering system should be developed to identify all project deliverables. The level of detail makes sense. One of the three logical formats of indented outline, org chart, or free form is used.

The maximum word length for this part is 2,000 words excluding words used in any charts, templates, forms or diagrams that you have used to apply the knowledge areas.

The key criteria to consider in choosing the project is not ‘what the project is’ but rather, is there sufficient scope to allow the project team to demonstrate the application of the wide range of tools and techniques introduced throughout each topic area. Project concepts with too narrow a Scope are difficult to expand upon in demonstrating a full range of tools and techniques. However, projects that are initially perceived as being too large or broad in Scope can typically be broken down to produce more than adequate scope for the purposes of this assignment.

The purpose of this Project Charter, and the Project Report to follow in the second assignment, is to demonstrate your understanding of how, why and where Project Knowledge Areas, Processes, Phases and Principles facilitate effective and successful Project Management within the context of the chosen project.

Format for Assignment 1

The format of the formal assignment will be:

  • SCU Cover Sheet
  • Title page
  • Letter to Sponsor
  • Table of contents
  • Introduction (use an Appendix for background if necessary - see below)
  • Project Charter
  • Communication Plan
  • Work Breakdown Structure
  • Reference list (Harvard referencing style is required)
  • Appendix will only include a background of the organisation for your unit assessor. All forms, charts, tables and diagrams should be included under the relevant sections of the assignment.

References: Harvard Referencing Style is required in this subject. Please visit SCU library website for information. Students should consult their local tutor or contact SCU librarians for assistance.

Plagiarism

As part of a University initiative to support the development of academic integrity, assessments may be checked for plagiarism, including through an electronic system, either internally or by plagiarism checking service, and be held for future checking and matching purposes.

Marking criteria

The following marking criteria will be used for Assignment 1:

Category / Specific criteria / Maximum marks
MC 1: Project Charter
(14 Marks) / Clear Scope overview / 2
Compelling Business case / 2
Clearly achievable milestone schedule / 2
Initial Risk identification and mitigation / 3
Stakeholder identification and management / 3
Quality of other remaining aspects of the Charter (identified resources, lessons learned, and sign-off) / 2
MC 2: Communication Plan
(3 Marks) / Suitable Communication Plan developed including matrix, agenda, issues log and other elements / 3
MC 3: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
(3 Marks) / Identification of all deliverables, structured WBS, and logical format / 3
Total marks / 20