Udaya Gamage 15 th November 2012 Project Based Management

DescriptionMarks out of Weighted average Due Date Assignment Nov Assignment Dec Assignment Feb. 2012

Assignment 1  Provide the following (no mark sheet is required)  Cover sheet (showing student details, etc)  Title or name of project  Brief background of the project (100 words approximately)  Explanation of the project status. Is the project completed? Is it under way? Or is it yet to start?

 This is important in terms of your critical analysis in assignments 2 and 3 (50 words)  Justification of why the selected project is suitable for analysis of the topics in assignments 2 and 3 (50 words approximately)  Confirmation that you have a PMP available for analysis in assignment 3.

Assignment 2  Topic: The Project Business Case  Word Length – 2500 approximately  The cover or title page should have the following Title  author  date  student number  Executive summary  words (does not form the part of assignment count)  Why the report was prepared  How it is structured  what are the important findings  conclusions and recommendations

Assignment 2  Table of contents (respective page numbers of)  executive summary  Introduction  Main sections  References  Individual appendices  Figures and tables  Introduction  100 Words  Why the report has been prepared  What project is being analyzed  How the report is structured

Assignment 2  Project Background  100 words approximately  Brief background of the project context  Business case (should provide)  Justification for undertaking a project  Evaluating the benefits, cost and risk of alternative options and the rationale for the preferred solution

 Provide a critical analysis of the business case for your chosen project to cover the points below. In what ways does your project conform (or not) to the definition of a project in the literature?  Who (or what) is the ‘sponsor’ of your project?  To what extent was a ‘business case’ created for this project (or should have been)?  In what ways are the benefits, cost and risk evaluated as part of the business case (or should have been)?  In what way/s is the preferred solution justified (or should have been)?  In what way is management commitment and approval for the investment obtained (or should have been)?

Assignment 2  Conclusions  150 words approximately  Lessons learned  What findings are important for the management in future projects  What represent a threat to project success  Recommendations  150 words approximately  How your project (or similar future projects) should be managed in light of what you have learned from your analysis.

Assignment 2  List of references – (using the Harvard AGPS system)  There should be at least 15 references  Use the e-Journals and eBooks available from the library website  Appendices  Turnitin Originality Report

Assignment 3  Topic: The Project Management Plan  Word Length 3000 – 4000 approximately  Consists of two parts  body of the assignment and is a critical analysis of the chosen PMP  Appendix 1 which should be a practical Project Management Plan  The cover or title page should have the following Title  author  date  student number

Assignment 3  Part 1: Critical Analysis of the Project Management Plan  Executive summary  words (does not form the part of assignment count)  Why the report was prepared  How it is structured  what are the important findings  conclusions and recommendations

 Assignment 3  Table of contents (respective page numbers of)  executive summary  Introduction  Main sections  References  Individual appendices  Figures and tables  Introduction  250 Words  Why the report has been prepared  What project is being analyzed  How the report is structured

Assignment 3  Project Background  250 words approximately  Brief background of the project context  Structure and the contents of the PMP  1000 – 1500 approximately  Provide a critical analysis of who is intended to be the main audience of the PM plan?  What do they need to know?  How will they use the plan?  What information needs to be provided?  How should that information be provided?  In what sequence?  What does the theory say?  What alternatives exist for the structure of a PM plan (examine and compare a range of theories and opinions here)?

Assignment 3  Provide a critical analysis of how the PM plan has been structured relative to what theory suggests  Justify why the respective components have been included or explain why it should have been structured differently.  Contents of the PMP  1000 – 1500 words  Why has a project schedule been included?  Is it a meaningful document  Was it prepared by the right people, does it contain the right information, etc.?

Assignment 3  Conclusions  250 words approximately  Summarize your findings from the analysis of your project management plan  What did you find out about the project plan?  Does it conform to the recognized theory?  What aspects are important and are of significance to project outcomes?  What are its strengths and its weaknesses?

Assignment 3  Recommendations  250 words approximately  What are your recommendations flowing from this analysis with regard to the PMP?  What changes should be made to the PMP for this project (or similar future projects)?  Address the shortcomings identified in the conclusions  focus on recommendations related to the PMP and not on the project itself.  List of references  Appendices

Assignment 3  Part 2: Appendix 1 – The PMP  Should include the following  project background, including an overview, brief description and a statement of objectives of the project  a summary of the management approach to be taken, who will manage the project, to whom do they report, how will project governance be achieved, etc.  detailed sections on the various aspects of the project that need to be managed (scope, time, cost, etc.)  additional information or documents to support the above Turnitin Originality Report

What is a project?  Unique  Novel  Transient  How do you differentiate this with normal business?  delivering objectives with constraints of time, cost, and quality  What is a temporary organization in PM? Ex. of supertanker and flotilla of Yachts  How can we categorize projects? Runners, Repeaters, Strangers, and aliens

 What is the difference between the outcome/output of a project and the desired performance improvement? Ex, of A bridge across the Yangtze river  What do you think about the owner contractor model in a project?

 Core functions of PM (+ 2, risk and commitment of stakeholders need to be managed)

 Study table 1.2 of turner for tools and techniques of PM  Scope managed thro’ product breakdown structure  Organization managed thro’ organization breakdown structure  Quality managed thro’ control techniques  Cost is managed thro’ cost breakdown structure  Time managed thro, networks and bar charts (CPA, CPM, and PERT)

 Management of the project  second dimension of the structured approach  The project life cycle (stages thro’ vision to reality))  The management process (management of stages  Five steps of the cycle  Concept  Feasibility  Design  Execution  Close-out  Management process is derived from the ten step problem solving cycle (refer table 1.4 and figure 1.6)

 The management process (each stage of the PM to be executed) 

 Project Management is Fractal management, Discuss?  The levels, third and final dimension  the integrative level, (project definition report, functional design, and flow chart)  The strategic and administrative level (milestones, responsibilities, and the system design)  The tactical or operational level ( activity schedule, responsibility chart, and detailed design)  Read on project management as sailing a Yacht  Micro-level  Macro-level

 Objectives  Define the steps and processes necessary to move the project forward from a conceptual idea to a meaningful change management project  Develop an initial project charter for sponsor decision- making so that more detailed investigations can be undertaken  Develop business cases necessary to ensure the project is consistent with the sponsor’s objectives and goals  Define the scope and nature of the proposed project to allow more detailed planning to take place for sponsor commitment.

Figure 3.1: Project management process interactions (Source: PMI 2008, p. 42)

The project charter  The three Ws – why, what and when  The three Hs – how much, hazards and how  The four Cs – critical success factors, communication plan, collection of knowledge and commitment.

The business case  What the project is  Why it should be done  What options have been considered?  How much will it cost?  How will it be done?  What are the risks?

Gambles (2009) provides some clear guidelines on the purpose of a business case and how to go about it.  Confirm that the business case is robust – that is, in principle it meets business need, is affordable, achievable, with appropriate options explored and likely to achieve value for money.  Establish that the feasibility study has been completed satisfactorily and that there is a preferred way forward  Ensure that there is internal and external authority, if required, and support for the project.

 Establish that quality plans for the project and its products are in place

 Ensure that the major risks have been identified and outline risk management plans have been developed.  Establish that the project is likely to deliver its business goals and that it supports wider business change, where applicable.  Confirm that the scope and requirements specifications are realistic, clear and unambiguous.  Ensure that the full scale, intended outcomes, timescales and impact of relevant external issues have been considered. Ensure that there are plans for the next stage.  Confirm planning assumptions and that the project team can deliver the next stage.  Confirm that overarching and internal business and technical strategies have been taken into account.

 Stephen Wearne’s life cycle for industrial projects  Several versions of the project life cycle set the project within the life cycle of the product  Refer fig and table 11.1 project life cycle used by the World Bank  Harold Kerzner  Proposes a model addressing the life cycle of the product produced by the new asset – classical marketing view  Refer fig. 11.2