This assignment, submitted in three parts, requires you to develop a full project plan. The submitted plan would allow the project to be implemented at some future point. The project topic may be any idea that you considered suited for project management. The project reports are expected to be completed in a professional and business-like manner (i.e., what you’d be expected to do in the workplace). THIS ASSIGNMENT IS NOT AN ACADEMIC ESSAY. The learning program and unit/course coordinator announcements will assist you to develop a suitable topic.

The assignment consists of three parts:

1. Project proposal
2. Project interim report
3. Project final report  

 

1.     Project proposal

The project proposal presents your idea for a project in straight forward terms.

Length: 500 words maximum

Format:  Open

Value: 0% – But this proposal be approved before interim and final reports may be submitted.

Specifically, in no more than 500 words state:

1. The title, nature and scope of the project to be undertaken
2. A brief summary of the resources and personnel required for the project, were it implemented
3. The relationship of the project to you (e.g., whether it is connected with your work, leisure activities, community interests and so on)
4. The general project aims
5. One example of a project objective and a method used to support project selection (preliminary at this stage)
6. The benefits that you expect to receive from undertaking the report and the stakeholders who would benefit, were the project implemented.

The proposal development is not intended to be an onerous task. You should nevertheless spend time thinking about a suitable idea. Words underlined above are key elements.

2. Interim report

The interim report provides the essential information for project planning. Quality interim reports result normally in quality final reports. Information in the final report is contingent upon elements included in the interim report.

Length: 2000 words maximum (no minimum) – excluding appendices and reference lists (if any)

Format: Professional business style report

Value: 20% towards final assessment

You are required to create and plan a suitable project for potential implementation (e.g., following the completion of this unit/course). The project may be connected to your workplace, leisure activities, community interests and so on. Where possible, the project should focus on a real world problem that you wish to address. The project scope must be large enough to require a project team of at least one full time person for a minimum of three months (or equivalent part time). The budget for the project should exceed $3000.

Note that the project presented must not be one that is already in existence or that has been planned fully – the assignment requires you to devise, plan and assess a potential project, rather than report a project already planned, assessed, approved and perhaps even implemented.

You may use any project management methods that you consider suitable (within the plan). At the minimum, the interim should include the following elements:

1. A project title and brief description and rationale for the project, in plain English;
2. Application of a project selection model (updated from the proposal) justifying the project’s implementation (i.e., preliminary feasibility study);
3. Preliminary risk assessment;
4. The project scope including project objectives and detailed work breakdown structure;
5. Costs estimates for project resources. These estimates should be used to present a project budget;
6. A time schedule for project activities within a network. This should include all major activities and identify the critical path and any slack. Project resources may be allocated within this schedule. Note that you may wish to use a Project Management Information System (PMIS) system to assist here;

The interim report should be submitted in a report format including table of contents, section headings, and an acceptable standard of presentation. Remember, this is an applied business style report – the focus is on planning. This assignment is not an academically orientated critique of information. Therefore, academic references may not be required nor necessarily expected. 

Assessment basis: The interim report requires that you demonstrate the ability to apply and/ or make use of project management principles, concepts, techniques and tools in planning a project. This forms the basis of assessment rather than the utility, value, feasibility, or validity of the actual project.

3. Final report

The final report builds on the interim report to provide the essential information for project implementation. An updated interim report should be submitted as the first section of the final report. Elements in the interim report should be distinguished clearly from elements required for the final report.

Length: Excluding elements from the interim report: 2000 words maximum (no minimum) excluding appendices and reference lists (where provided)

Format: Professional business style report

Value: 20% towards final assessment

Note: Together with the updated interim report, the final report provides a complete project proposal.

In addition to the six elements in the interim report, the final report must provide:

A costed strategy and rationale to shorten the required project time by 20 percent;

1. A quality management system and a quality control system (separate or combined);
2. The steps or activities undertaken to ensure superior project team performance;
3. A monitoring and evaluation system linked to the project schedule;
4. Expected closure conditions and steps required to close the project;
5. A full risk management plan acknowledging potential obstacles to project success linked to the project lifecycle (note: This may be combined with element 3 above) 13. Clear and succinct recommendations for the project – to guide project implementation – linked explicitly or implicitly to previous information contained in the report.
6.