SIM335 Managing Projects

Word Length: 3,000 words +/- 10%

Please  refer  to  AQH-F15  Guidance  for  Students  on the Penalty for Exceeding the Limit for Assessed Work.

Weighting within Module    : 100%

Assignment Submission

Students are required to submit their coursework through JIRA. Only assessments submitted through JIRA will be marked. Any other submission including submission to your study centre in hard copy will be treated as a non-submission.

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PLAGIARISM/INFRINGEMENT STATEMENT

All Assessments are subject to the University’s  Policy on  ‘Cheating, Collusion and

Plagiarism’. Students found guilty of this are subject to severe penalties.

This is an INDIVIDUAL piece of work – If there is evidence that the work is not wholly  attributable  to  you,  the  University’s  policy  on  ‘Cheating,  Collusion  and Plagiarism’ will be applied

Link to University Academic Integrity and Misconduct Policy

  https://docushare.sunderland.ac.uk/docushare/dsweb/View/Collection-8155

This is an individual assignment – complete both tasks 1 and 2

Background:  The  assignment  is  intended  to  bring  out  the  benefits  and  limitations  of different  approaches  to  project  management  (throughout  the  project  life  cycle)   by relating  these  to  the  circumstances  listed.  It  is  also  intended  to  allow  students  to demonstrate   their   learning   and   competence   in   respect   of   the   effective   project management with focus on resources, trade-offs among scope, cost and time, as well as key elements of the project life cycle.

Task  1  (40  marks)  700  words  (+/-  10%)  each  short  answer  question  requires  a response in a few sentences for the questions awarded up to 4 – 6 marks and a paragraph for questions awarded up to 8 – 10 marks. Citation(s) is/are essential for each question to demonstrate students’ ability to fulfill academic  writing style in accordance to Harvard referencing.

A minimum of 5 references is required. References to be listed at the end of Task 1.

1)  Identify  and  discuss  any  FOUR  (4)  types  of  risk  response,  and  the  importance  of contingency planning.

(8 marks)

2)  Keep Safe Security Pte Ltd – a well-established market leader in the area of information systems  security  in  Singapore  has  a  core  business  in  cyber  security  protection  for corporate clients. As part of the company’s strategic direction, the top management is planning to set up a branch office in Malaysia and another branch office in Indonesia over the next 12 months. Which project structure would you recommend? Write short notes  to  describe  the  proposed  structure  and  provide  appropriate  justifications  to support your recommendation.

(6 marks)

3)  Identify and briefly discuss the FOUR (4) determinants of project success.

(6 marks)

4)  Briefly discuss the approach of Project Control Process towards ensuring the quality of project outcomes.

(4 marks)

5)  What is the role of a Project Sponsor? In what ways can the Project Sponsor support your role as a Project Manager?

(6 marks)

6)  Your  organisation  intends  to  participate  in  an  upcoming  exhibition  with  the  aim  to create brand awareness. As the project manager, you have been tasked to take charge of this exhibition. You have mapped out the activities and durations in the table below:

Activity ID                        Description                         Preceding Activity          Activity Duration

A                Booth Confirmation                                           None                                         3

B                Design & Concept                                                   A                                             3

C                Printing of Posters                                                 A                                             2

D               Booth Construction                                           B & C                                         7

E                Invitation                                                                  B                                             5

F                Staff Training                                                          D                                             4

G                Product Setup                                                         C                                             4

H               Branding Session                                             E, F & G                                       2

i.       What is the purpose of establishing a Project Network Diagram?

ii.        Based on the data provided, develop an AON project network (with calculations of forward pass, backward pass and slack).

iii.       How many days will the project take to complete?

iv.       Identify the critical path of this project. v.        Draw the Gantt chart of this project.

(10 marks)

Task 2: (60 marks)

Case Study:   Your University’s faculty will be hosting a group of student delegates from overseas for a 2-Day 1-Night exchange program. During the visit, there will be a series of activities/programs  from  your  faculty  to  engage  the  delegates.  As  the  Project  Manager appointed  by  your  faculty,  you are  in-charge of  planning and organizing  the  2-Day 1- Night event.

As the project is currently at the feasibility stage, you are required to  draft a plan for the  exchange  program  along  with  suggested  activities/programs  and  to  prepare  a project  proposal  report  (2,300  words)  for  Faculty  Dean’s  approval.  From  a  project management  perspective,  outline  the  key  areas  required  to  successfully  manage  this project – e.g. Project Scope Statement, Project Priorities  (with a balanced trade-off and justification), Work Breakdown Structure (with brief details of work packages) and Cost Estimation (with time-phase budget).

The  report  should  demonstrate  the  skills  and  competencies  required  by  the  Project

Manager, along with relevant project management perspectives.

A minimum of 5 references is required. References to be listed at the end of Task 2.

Assignment presentation and assessment:

The answers to both tasks are independent and should be addressed separately.

Task 1 answer to six questions (700 words) – completed as an individual task

References for Task 1 to be listed after last question.

Task 2 presented in a report (2,300 words) – completed as an individual task

References for Task 2 to be listed after last section of task.

For your convenience, both tasks should be submitted as one document, which contains both individual tasks.

The criteria for assessing Task 2 will be: Use of relevant theory (40%) (24 marks)

Has the right theoretical content been chosen as the basis for answering the questions? Is there  evidence  on  the  use  of  course  notes  and  books?  Is  the  theory  that  is  selected

significant to the questions?

Analysis (40%) (24 marks)

This measures the extent to which students develop a structured argument for the points they make, by combining relevant key concepts in project management with the context of

the project.

Report presentation (20%)  (12 marks)

The extent to which the assignment represents an effective report. This will be judged on:

Appearance: Is a word count included at the end of the report? Is it within the specified amount? Is the text double spaced?

Structure: Does the report follow the conventions of the format required? Does it have a clear introduction, providing an overview to the project? Does each section have a clear structure   using  sub-headings  (where  appropriate)?   Do  the  sections  of  the  report develop ideas in a logical sequence? Are diagrams or other subsidiary information shown in appendices?

Spelling  and  grammar:  Are  all  words  spelled  correctly  and  is  the  meaning  of  sentences clear?

Referencing: Have appropriate references (minimum of 5) been included in the report? Has a recognized referencing system been used for notation?

Any work submitted is subject to the University’s rules and procedures governing infringement of assessment regulations.

Grading Criteria SIM335 Managing Projects Individual Assignment

First Class (70 – 100%)

A  creative  and  original  response  to  the  question.  Critically  reflecting  on  perceived theory and experiences. Wide and appropriate use of sources  (theory and practice) based on reading and experiences. Answer written fluently, with evidence of a highly developed capacity to structure work systematically and argue logically.

Upper Second Class (60 – 69%)

Comprehensive knowledge of concepts and theories. Appropriate application of theory and experience to the question answered. Ability to  inter-relate concepts and ideas.

Some   originality   in   approach   and   awareness   of   scope   and   limitations.   Answer

systematically structured and coherent.

Lower Second Class (50-59%)

Evidence of knowledge of concepts and theories. Attempts to relate and balance theory and  practice.  Main  issues  addressed  appropriately.  Mainstream  texts  and  lecture

notes used. Work presented in a structured form but arguments weak in places.

Third Class (40-49%)

Evidence of uncritical knowledge of main concepts and theories. Limited attempts to relate   theory   and   practice   relaying   on   personal  opinion   or   assertions.   Limited evidence of reading. Presentation and structure weak in several places.

Fail (0 – 39%)

Some  knowledge  of  main  concepts  and  theory  but  major  omissions  and  /  or misunderstandings. Style and structure weak and overly descriptive. Considerable limitations in the ability to perceive the relationship between theory and practice. Limited reading.

Task 2

SIM335: Management of Projects (Academic Year 2018)

Criteria                    70% +                                                                 60-69%                                                               50-59%                                                              40-49%                                                              <40%

Use of relevant theory

Indicative weighting =

40% of 60

mark

(24 marks)

Analysis

Indicative weighting =

40% of 60 mark

(24 marks)

The report identifies all the relevant theories to answer to complete the task. The theories used are described in detail. There is clear evidence that course notes, books and other sources are used. Theories used are significant in listing the activities required to successfully plan and manage a major project.

There is evidence of extensive research from a variety of sources to provide better understanding to the background of the task. A structured argument is taken for the points made by combining relevant theories   with information researched or provided in the task. The conclusions are clear and link into the requirements of the task.

The report identifies most of the relevant theories to answer to complete the task. On the whole, the theories used are described in detail. There is clear evidence that course notes and books are used. Theories used are largely significant in listing the activities required to successfully plan and manage a major project.

There is evidence of some extensive research from a variety of sources to provide better understanding to the background of the task. A structured argument is taken for the points made, often by combining relevant theories with information researched or provided in the task. The conclusions on the whole are clear and link into the requirements of the task.

On the whole, the report identifies the relevant theories required to answer to complete the task. The theories used are sometimes described in detail. Overall, there is clear

evidence that course notes and books are used. Theories used are significant in listing the activities required to successfully plan and manage a major project.

There is evidence of some research to

provide better understanding to the background of the task but sources are not extensive. There is some

structured argument taken for the points made. The relevant theories are not always combined with information researched or provided in the task. The conclusions are not clear and have only limited linkages into the requirements of the task.

The report identifies some of the relevant theories to answer to complete the task. The theories used are partly described. There is some evidence that course notes, and books are used. Theories used are sometimes significant in listing the activities required to successfully plan and manage a major project.

There is evidence of limited research being conducted to provide better understanding to the background of the task but sources are not extensive. There is limited structured argument taken for the points made. There are only limited combinations of the relevant theories with information

researched or provided in the task. The conclusions are descriptive and do not link into the requirements of the task.

The report fails to identify the relevant theories to answer to complete the task. The theories used are not described. There is no evidence that course notes, books or other sources are used. Theories used are not significant in listing the activities required to successfully plan and manage a major project.

There is no evidence of research from a variety of sources to provide better understanding to the background of the task. There is no structured argument taken for the points made. The relevant theories are not combined with information researched or provided in the task. The conclusions are unclear and only descriptive. Conclusions also do not link into the requirements of the

task.

Presentation and

Structure

Indicative weighting =

20% of 60

mark

(12 marks)

The presentation is clear.  There are no or few spelling or grammatical errors. The report has been referenced correctly, using the Harvard style of referencing. A word count is provided at the end of the report and is within the limit of 2000 words. The report is text double- spaced.

The presentation is on the whole clear, there are no or few spelling or grammatical errors. The project has been referenced correctly, using the Harvard style of referencing. A word count is provided at the end of the report and is within the limit of 2000 words. The report is text double- spaced.

The presentation is partially clear. There are occasional spelling and or grammatical errors. The project has not always been referenced correctly, using the Harvard style of

referencing. A word count is provided at the end of the report but is not within the limit of 2000 words. The

report is text double-spaced.

The clarity of the presentation of the project is limited. There are spelling and or grammatical errors. The project has not been referenced correctly, using the Harvard style of referencing. The layout is loose and was difficult to follow.

The structure of the project is not clear, cohesive or logical. Each section

The presentation is unclear. There numerous spelling or grammatical errors. The report has not been referenced correctly,  using the Harvard style of referencing. A word count is not provided at the end of the report and is not within the limit of

2000 words. The report is not text

double-spaced.

The structure of the project is clear,

The structure of the  project is on

The structure of the project is not

has been limited structured using some   The structure of the project is unclear,

cohesive and logical. Each section has been clearly structured using sub- headings (signposts) and these follow a logical order. Additional diagrams and other subsidiary information are shown in the appendices and

properly referenced. Appendices are relevant and are able to provide a

better understanding to the report.

the whole clear, cohesive and logical. Each section has been clearly structured using sub-headings (signposts) and these on the whole follow a logical order.  Additional diagrams and other subsidiary information are shown in the appendices and properly referenced. Appendices are mostly relevant and are able to provide a better understanding to the report.

entirely clear, cohesive or logical. Each section has partially been clearly structured using some sub- headings (signposts) but it is difficult to follow. Additional diagrams and other subsidiary information are sometimes shown in the appendices but not always properly referenced. Appendices are occasionally relevant and are at times able to provide a better understanding to the report.

or no sub-headings (signposts), which made it very difficult to follow. Additional diagrams and other subsidiary information are not shown in the appendices and not properly referenced. Appendices are irrelevant and are not able to provide a better understanding to the report.

inconsistent and illogical. Sections are not clearly structured using sub- headings (signposts) and do not follow a logical order. Additional diagrams and other subsidiary information are not shown in the appendices and not properly referenced.  Appendices are

irrelevant and are not able to provide a better understanding to the report.

Total: 60 marks

 

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