Required reading materialProject Management 10TH 18
Author:Meredith, Jack R.ISBN-13: | | ISBN-10: | | Edition/Copyright:10TH 18Publisher:Vitalsource Rentals |
Assignment 1 Due FEB 13M1 A3 Select a Track and Project – Individual Track InstructionsIn this assignment you will write a memo to your instructor that explains:Determine the track your project will be inIdentify the project/setting you will useYou must get approval for the selection — your instructor will notify you if your selection is not approved. If you do not provide all the necessary information, you will be asked to resubmit the assignment.Project OptionsIn order to practice the application of the material you are learning and demonstrate your abilities, the project you select must be sufficiently complex and set within an organization of sufficient depth. It should go without saying that the work you submit must be your own and you should avoid the appearance of impropriety. It is best if you pick a project in an area in which you are familiar. For example, an information technology hardware project is best for someone who works in networking and/or has taken a Data Communication and Networks course. A structural engineer might select a construction project. A person working for the government might select a state government project.As indicated elsewhere, you do not have to select a project within the tracks supplied in this course. If you wish to choose, for example, a community development project, that is entirely acceptable. BUT you will have to find your own resources to assist you in developing your project, AND those resources have to be made available to the instructor for approval and reference.FormatFormat: This submission should be in the form of a memo to your instructor.Length: It will probably take approximately 2-3 pages (single spaced).Read the Guidelines for Memos page in the Course Information documents for information on how you will be assessed on writing your memo.ExpectationsYour memo will be reviewed to make sure it provides the following necessary information:Introduction – identification of project and organization within which the project is setOverview of context – what is the state of the current business, technology, or other relevant organizational features? What are the relationships among the various departments that have to work together to complete this project or who will be impacted during work on this project?Overview of the organization and departments involved in the project: what it does, what its goals are, how big it isBrief statement of your background with this organization and trackBrief description of project – goals of the project, current status of the project within the organizationIdentification of resources – identify each of the individuals who will be assigned as resources during the scheduling assignment, you may use initial instead of names, but you must describe their capabilities (see the project cases provided for sample information)If you are following your own track, please include a description of where you expect to find the additional resources you will needThe memo must satisfactorily provide the necessary information, which must meet with the expectations for the project, in order for your selection to be approved.If you are concerned that your organization or project might not be appropriate for this assignment, please contact the course instructor early in the process to address this concern. The project must be of sufficient complexity and rigor to fulfill the requirements of this course.Memos GuidanceYou will be writing memos in several modules. These assignments are designed to help you think through the topic and then demonstrate your understanding. These assignments also allow you to work on a vital skill in business – written communication. Sub-documents associated with this document describe the appropriate format and content for a memo.Format for MemosAll memos must have a header at the beginning, consisting of the following fields:To: Instructor NameFrom: Your NameSubject: Assignment Name/DescriptionDate:CC: The CC field is optional.
Formatting features of Memos are as follows:Single spacedUsually with block formatted paragraphs (that is, no indentation for paragraphs; just skip a line between paragraphs).For memos in paper form, the second and subsequent pages should have a header containing: the name of the addressee, date, and page number.Memos do not have a salutation (“Dear”) nor do they have a closing (“Sincerely”).If a paper copy of the memo is being distributed, the sender often initials the memo (after his/her name in the From field).It is expected that all written assignment submissions be spell checked and reviewed for grammar prior to submission to the instructor.
Memo ContentEven more so than any other form of writing, it is important to stay focused and make your points clearly in a memo.The first paragraph must let your reader know why they are reading the memo, so it has to be written carefully.The remainder of the text of the memo should be concise and to the point.Bulleted lists are frequently useful. However, do not sacrifice clarity for brevity.You must use prose to explain the purpose of any list you use.
Memos are frequently written using a write-through technique. That is, the memo is written in a manner that allows the recipient to extract sections and forward them on to others. An example of the usefulness of this technique is when a manager writes a memo to their director requesting funding for an additional staffer, and the director includes part of the memo’s text in their budget.While real-world business memos are admittedly frequently not properly cited, you must be careful to give credit to your information sources. This allows your reader to locate the original source (and avoids the question of plagiarism). Also, if you use a person’s name in your memo, make sure you CC the person referenced so they are aware of the topic addressed in the memo.You can find more information about many topics in writing, including proper citations, using the Research and Library Tips page located in the course information module.As mentioned in the course and Module 1 introductory material, an important part of this course is the selection of a “track” to focus your studies on project management in a specific field. You do not have to choose the field or sector in which you currently work, but you do need to choose one. You might want to use a case from a sector that’s not represented here—transportation or energy, for example—and that’s fine. However, you must contact your instructor for permission and must demonstrate that you will be able to find additional readings.Each track has associated with it three case studies, as indicated below. Note that some cases are applicable to more than one track. See Case Readings for Project Tracks in Module 2 for more details. If you choose to create a track of your own, you must locate and use material that is the equivalent to three case studies. This means material that clearly presents one or more project management problems, along with sufficient detail about the project to allow readers to come to some conclusions about the problem(s).M1 Project Management TracksConstructionScottish ParliamentAmerican ConstructorsCleveland Fitness Center
Health CarePeachtreeGlobalMedVista View
GovernmentMeals for FreeeNaTISScottish Parliament
IS/ITMeals for FreePeachtreeGlobal Med
ManufacturingVista ViewLFC EngineeringKodak
Non-ProfitEast Coast TrailIHOSuccess in nonprofits
MultinationalVista ViewIHOGlobalMed
Assignment 2 Due FEB 13M2 A1 Formal Project Proposal – Individual Track (due week 4)InstructionsIn this assignment you will formally propose your project. Keep in mind all of the problems and challenges discussed in this module’s discussion area and the track readings as they pertain to your project.You have two distinct deliverables for this assignment: a cover memo and a project proposal.Write a memo to act as a cover memo for your project proposal and to:explain why this project is important. Use one of the non-numeric project selection models described in Meredith et al. (sacred cow, operating necessity, competitive necessity, product line extension, comparative benefit, sustainability).Be sure to make it specific to your selected organization and project.Write a brief project proposal in-house – your instructor is your project sponsor, be sure to include the sections described in your textbook:The General Approach to executing the projectIdentify your sponsor and stakeholders, explaining when and how you will communicate with themIdentify the high-level scope of the project and what problems and challenges need to be addressed as part of the projectIdentify key risks and opportunitiesInclude a the draft of the Implementation Plan a.k.a. the Project Schedule – (this section will be brief for now; you’ll do the Gantt later in the project) – include:major milestonespersonnel useestimates of time required for major stepsany external dependencies that may impact this planThe Plan for Logistic Support and AdministrationPast ExperienceFormatYour formal project proposal involves two components:Cover Memoexplain importance and address risks1-3 pages in lengthread the Guidelines for memos page in the Course Information documents for information on how you will be assessed on writing your memo.Project Proposalbriefly identifying technical approach, implementation plan, plan for logistic support and administration, past experience3-5 pages, single spaceduse a write-through technique (see the Guidelines for Memos page for an explanation of this technique)As you review the expectations for each of these documents (as described in the assignment and evaluation documents), you will notice that some information will appear in more than one document. For example, you will be addressing risks in the cover memo and the project plan. This redundancy is important. Each document would not be complete without the information and you must include it as appropriate. You might find that you will be able to use virtually the same text in more than one document, but be sure to review the text and tailor it as appropriate for the document and audience.Please submit this assignment using just one submission. This can be done in a number of means, the easiest beingseparate attachments for the cover memo and project proposala zip file containing the two files (use a .zip; self-executing .exe files will not be accepted)ExpectationsIndividually, each document will be evaluated for the following:Cover Memodemonstrate needidentify risksbe focused on the organization you identified in the earlier stageProject Proposaltechnical approachimplementation plan—brief identification of time and personnel needsplan for logistic support and administrationpast experienceOverall, your submission must demonstrate:that you understand what is involved in the project you are proposingneed for projectrisks/potential problemsapproachplan (schedule, needs, etc.)resources (monetary and personnel)evaluation methodsthat you can effectively communicate your information in the formal structure requiredAssignment 3 Due FEB 19M3 A1 Project Charter – Individual Track InstructionsThe project charter or scope is a brief document formalizing the purpose and structure of a project. Its approval gives the project manager the authority to move ahead with the project. The project charter is similar to the project proposal, but it typically is more specific when it comes to expected project structure and deliverables. Your project charter should have most or all of the components listed below. Note that this is not the only way to organize a charter or scope—each organization will have its own preferred format.ExpectationsIdentification of PM and sponsor(s), as well as program, product and/or senior project manager, if the project is actually a component of a larger coordinated effort.Identification of:Goal(s) – ideally a one sentence statement of the business purpose of the project; it should state the future condition that will be brought about via completion of the project.Objectives – the steps necessary to reach the goal; they should be measurable and quantifiable if at all possible; also referred to as general objectives.Deliverables – well-defined work packages used to meet the objectives; also referred to as specific objectives.Assumptions, both organizational and technical, that are expected to be in place before or at specific points during the progress. These are not under control of project personnel.Constraints on delivery of the project that are not under the control of project personnel.Risks and how they might be addressed (you’ll elaborate on this later in the course).Identification of project personnel and/or roles and what they will be responsible for.Identification of stakeholders.Description of how information will be communicated up and down the chain of command (you’ll also elaborate on this more later in the course).Estimated cost by category (staff, consultants/contractors, physical equipment or material, licenses, etc.).Preliminary schedule with start and end dates and major milestones (when key parts of the project are expected to be finished).Assignment 4 Due Feb 29M3 A3 Project WBS – Individual Track (due week 7)Assignment Completion checkbox for M3 A3 Project WBS – Individual Track (due week 7)Using the guidance in Meredith, et al. and any additional research you might do, create the WBS for your individual project. Submit it as an attachment to a memo. Your submission should have a Word document (the memo), as well as a document for the WBS). The WBS can be any format that shows the breakdown of the work in a clear manner.ExpectationsThe top level category must be well definedIt must have multiple second-level categories that are easily identifiableEach second-level category must have multiple third-level categories (you can go below the third level if you like)Assignment 5 Due Feb 29M3 A4 Project RACI – Individual Track (due week 7)Assignment Completion checkbox for M3 A4 Project RACI – Individual Track (due week 7)Using the guidance in Meredith, et al. and any additional research you might do, create a RACI chart for your individual project using real or imagined people for the various roles. Submit it as an attachment to a memo. Your submission should have a Word document (the memo), as well as a Word or Excel table for the RACI chart).ExpectationsIdentify major activities (WBS level three would be appropriate, but not the only way to do this) that require management or business unit involvement.Identify managers and business units with Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed roles for each of the major activities.Clearly represent the activities and responsibilities in a RACI-type grid.HintsFocus on deliverables; don’t dive too deeply into the activity list. The expectation is not that you will look at every task in the Gantt or WBS, but that you’ll be looking at the major activities. It is recommended that you consider three levels—project, phase such as planning, and task.Assignment 6 Mar 14M4 A1 Gantt Chart – Individual Track (due week 9)
Assignment Completion checkbox for M4 A1 Gantt Chart – Individual Track (due week 9)As with the group project, use the guidance in Meredith, et al., Microsoft Project 2016 Step-by-Step, and any other resources you find useful, to create a Gantt chart for your individual project. Be sure to include predecessor relationships. It should be submitted as an attachment to a memo. The Gantt chart must be created using MS Project or ProjectLibre and submitted as an MS Project or ProjectLibre file.Expectations:Overall, this assignment will be evaluated on your:breaking down tasks into subtasksidentifying tasks and dependenciesidentifying useful milestonesscheduling of tasks and resourcesdeveloping critical pathexplaining the work
The WBS should be used as input to your project schedule. Any project tasks or deliverables not accounted for in the WBS are not part of the project. Use automatic scheduling when you build your Gantt charts and let the tool set the duration of your summary tasks and their precedence relationships.Assignment 7 Due Mar 21M4 A2 Draft Project Plan – Individual Track (
Assignment Completion checkbox for M4 A2 Draft Project Plan – Individual Track (due week 11)Develop the Project PlanNote: the project plan is not the project schedule!)ExpectationsInclude the necessary elements (overview, objectives, general approach, contractual aspects, schedules, resources, personnel, evaluation methods, potential problems)The General Approach to executing the project; if your company employs a formal project management methodology, what components will you include and which will you exclude… and why? if your company employs a formal project life cycle, what components will you include and which will you exclude… and why?Identify your sponsor and stakeholders, explaining when and how you will communicate with themIdentify the high-level scope of the project and what problems and challenges need to be addressed as part of the projectExplain what quality means in the context of this project and how you will ensure that qualityDiscuss the draft of the resources you will need to complete the project, remembering that resources are not just people—they can be equipment, office space, special software packages, etc.Discuss how you plan to manage issues and requested changes to the project’s scopeIf your project will need to engage vendors, explain your process for vendor selection and managementThe Plan for Logistic Support and AdministrationDiscuss any training requirementsBased on Past Experience and documented ‘Lessons Learned’, what problems do you foresee arising and how do you plan to deal with them if they do arise?
Project Sub-PlansIn many cases a project plan includes a number of sub-plans that address key components of project activity. For your project, you’ll need to draft two sub-plans and include them as appendixes:Risk PlanThe purpose of the risk plan is to identify the key risk that can threaten your project and present your approach to addressing these risks. For this assignment you should identify 5-10 risks and include the following for each:what the risk ishow likely it is to occurwhat would be the severity of consequences if it did occurhow the project team will monitor for the riskthe mitigation plan and its cost if the risk were to become a reality
Communication PlanThe project communication sub-plan is a description of the routine and emergency communication procedures that will be used during the project. You should include the type and frequency of all the following that apply:full project team meetingsproject technical team meetings with team leadsstatus checksupdates of project documentationupdates to management and/or executivesreports from project technical leads to the project manager
Also include how emergencies are to be communicated both up and down the project hierarchy.Project BudgetInclude as an appendix your project budget. The budget should be an Excel spreadsheet, where you will document all of the costs associated with your project—people costs, vendor costs, costs of supplies, etc., as well as 25% of the total mitigation costs of your risks which should be noted as a “contingency fund” Provide some detail as to how you came up with your figures, but for the purposes of this course, not too much detail. One page should suffice unless you feel you need more space. Be clear that a four-line budget encompassing the items mentioned above in this paragraph is not sufficient.Assignment 8 Due Mar 31M5 A1 Memo: Managing the Unexpected
Assignment Completion checkbox for M5 A1 Memo: Managing the Unexpected (due week 12)InstructionsAssignment: memo on managing the unexpected—your change control recommendationIt is often the case that once the project is in the implementation phase, missed, misunderstood or new requirements rear their heads and threaten to derail the project. Key project personnel could leave the project or the company. Your project’s budget could be slashed by 35%. The possibilities are nearly endless. Your job as the project manager is to control these interruptions, assess the impact to the project and forward your analysis and recommendation(s) to your project sponsor and the other stakeholders for their feedback and the sponsor’s decision on how to proceed. This is called ‘change control’.For this assignment you get to decide what has occurred that requires your ‘change control’. Feel free to be imaginative. The impact to your project must be at least one calendar month or larger if you feel it appropriate. In an appropriate memo you will:summarize the item requiring the change controlpresent the possible options you have considered to address the challenge (this could include canceling the project)present your analysis of each option proposedpresent your recommendation and why you chose itrequest your sponsor’s feedback and/or approval of your recommendation
Expectations and FormatYou are expected todemonstrate an understanding of the significance of the project to the organization and the problem to the projectcreate a realistic recommendationcommunicate your information effectively
Format: This submission should be in the form of a memo to your instructor. Read the Guidelines for Memos page in the Course Information documents for information on how you will be assessed on writing your memo.Length: It will probably take approximately 2-3 pages (single spaced).Assignment 9 Due Apr 6M5 A2 Closeout Report – Individual Track (
Assignment Completion checkbox for M5 A2 Closeout Report – Individual Track (due week 13)Project Close ReportWrite a final report closing out the project. Since you did not experience this project, you will not be able to do the usual project closeout report. However, you must demonstrate that you understand the expected components (project performance, administrative performance, organizational structure, project and administrative teams, techniques of project management).FormatThis submission should be in the form of a formal report.Length: It will probably take approximately 2-4 pages (single spaced).Use the write-through technique – See the Guidelines for Memos page in the Course Information documents for information on this technique.ExpectationsOverall, your submission must demonstratethat you understand all of the components that must be reviewed in a project closethat you can effectively communicate your information in the formal structure required
HintsSince you did not experience this project, you will not be able to do the usual project close-out report explaining the actual activities. So, in order to demonstrate that you understand what is involved in a project close-out, you will have to be creative. It is expected that your report will not be entirely fact-based, nor will it be extensive. It must, however, be realistic. Please use resources from this course to provide sufficient content to include in this document.Assignment 10 Due Apr 14M6 A1 Project Plan Final Submission – Individual Track (due end of term)
Assignment Completion checkbox for M6 A1 Project Plan Final Submission – Individual Track (due end of term)Review Your Project and Make RevisionsThis is your opportunity to revise your project plan in response to comments from your instructor or for any other reason, such as your having learned new information since your original submission. The submission should have a cover memo identifying the changes you made and the reasons.See M4 Draft Project Plan – Individual Track (due week 11) for information on writing your memo.Assignment 11 Due APR 14M6 A2 Individual Assessment and Reflection
Assignment Completion checkbox for M6 A2 Individual Assessment and ReflectionAssess your learningLearning ObjectiveThink about what you’ve learned and how you learn.FormatYou must write a summary and reflection of your learning and participation in this course of study. The submissions for this assignment are expected to be approximately two to three pages in length:Part 1 should address what you learned during the course.Part 2 should address your approach to learning in the course (how did you approach learning the material).Part 3 should identify what you think you haven’t fully understood, or any areas you would like to explore further.Part 4 should address your recommendations for future students in the course (how they might approach learning the material, doing the assignments, etc.).