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Business Project Management (600542)

2019-20 Assignment Guidance

Gavin Betts [email protected]

Purpose and Content

This presentation offers useful guidance on completing your assignment for Business Project Management.

It includes the following –

Overview of assignment challenge

The importance of reading

The assignment question

Marking guidance sheets

Overview of the assignment challenge

The Business Project Management assignment is accompanied by two scenarios, 'A' and 'B'. The module teaching covers two different approaches for undertaking a project, a 'systems' and a 'traditional' approach. The systems approach is well suited to one scenario and the traditional approach is well suited to the other... but not the other way around. You need to work out which approach is suited to which scenario, then pick one of these pairs of approach and scenario and work to complete the assignment. (The material covered during the first teaching session provided information about the background of each approach, what kinds of task they have been developed for etc. This is helpful in deciding which one suits which scenario task). Once you have made your selection of scenario and approach, use the relevant marking guidance sheet to guide you in completing the 4500 word report. These sheets can be found at the back of our Module Handbook.

Reading is Important

To succeed in this module, you need to understand the question – so reading it and looking at the two associated marking guidance sheets in the module handbook is an important starting point. You also need to read the two scenarios.

Reading widely about the subject matter, (the two approaches to project management covered in the module), will help you to better understand what you are required to write about in the assignment. It will help you to put forward better informed arguments too.

The core text covers the ‘traditional’ approach to project management. (In case you need a reminder, the details are as follows: Maylor, H. (2010) Project Management. 4th Edition. Prentice Hall.)

For anyone using the systems approach, a good place to start your reading is Appendix 1 of the ODPM Report. It was written by Professor Mike Jackson and is available in ‘Learning Resources 1#’ on Canvas.

Structuring your Assignment

This assignment requires you to produce a 4500 word report

What you submit must therefore clearly look like a report, not an essay. To help you do this –

Make your first page a title page

Page 2 should be a contents page, detailing all of the other sections that make up your report

Page 3 is where the main body of your report begins.

The main body of your report should be divided by headings. Each heading should align with requirements set in the question. For example, your first heading should be ‘Introduction’ and within this section you write your response to the first requirement set in the question: “introduce the report content and describe the organisational scenario that was tackled by the project”

Refer to the question bullet points and relevant marking guidance sheet to guide you in identifying what other sections your report needs and what headings to use.

After all sections making up the main body of the report are completed, your next heading will be ‘References’. (If you include an appendix, it comes after your list of reference sources).

There is more on these coming up later in these slides

Marking Guidance Sheets

To help you understand better what each bullet point is requiring, refer to the relevant marking guidance sheet – there is one for ‘systems’ and one for ‘traditional’. They are at the back of our module handbook.

You should be guided by the left hand column as it describes what a strong response would be to the various requirements set in the question

Here are images from our module handbook of the marking guidance sheets for both approaches

Marking Guidance Sheets (2) ‘Systems’ approach

Systems Project Management Approach (4500 words)

Report is clearly introduced, with the organisational scenario to be addressed set out for readers

Choice of lean systems project management approach clearly presented

Strong evaluation and critical discussion clearly demonstrating why the choice of approach is suited to the organisational scenario and preferred to the other approach.

Findings from the 'check' phase clearly and accurately presented in relation to: - demand - flow - capability - system conditions - current purpose

Clear suggestions about the thinking that seems to have shaped the current system are offered – these follow logically from the other findings.

Your introduction should tell readers what to expect from the remainder of your report; what is to come. It also needs to set out some information on the scenario, including what needed to be addressed.

The next section of your report sets out which project management approach you have chosen to use. It also needs to provide a strong justification for this choice. Here you can write something about each of the ‘systems’ & ‘traditional’ approaches, setting out what they were first developed to do, comparing them to one another and showing how one is clearly better suited to the challenge set out in your chosen scenario. In doing this, make sure to draw upon a range of relevant academic literature sources to help support the lines of argument that you put forward e.g. does the scenario fit the definition of a system suggested by Jackson (2003) (which is presented within our lecture slides) & if it does, perhaps using a methodology to analyse it as a system makes sense. By the time you finish this section, it should be really obvious to readers why your approach is much better suited than the alternative.

The section on ‘Findings’ is where you demonstrate to readers the results of your use of the ‘check’ phase of Seddon’s methodology. It is likely to be the longest in your report. You need to ensure that you have some findings material about each of the 6 elements which make up ‘check’. (And, if you think these seem to interrelate, make this apparent to readers). For each element, there is information contained within the relevant scenario for you to use. In presenting some of your findings, you will need to include both text and various charts or illustrations. For example, once you have identified and studied the demand information within the scenario, you can include some wording setting out why studying demand is important, citing relevant literature which covers this i.e. by Seddon himself. Then, you can include a table or chart to illustrate to readers the volume of demands in your sample and the split between ‘value’ and ‘failure’ demand. For ‘flow’ you need an image illustrating the work flow plus accompanying text. For ‘capability’ you need to produce a process behaviour chart drawing upon the data in the scenario about start to finish dates for providing the service from which you can work out how many days it took. Again, this will be supported by accompanying text which helps convey your findings to readers.

Marking Guidance Sheets (3) systems approach

Systems Project Management Approach (4500 words)

Recommendations for improving the system are well stated and justified in terms of evidence from 'check' and with reference to appropriate theory. Include consideration of what ‘purpose’ the system should have.

Proposals for how to implement each recommendation are clearly detailed and follow clearly from earlier work.

Insightful and detailed conclusions on benefits and challenges facing those using the lean systems approach are offered, reinforced with reference to the traditional approach. Thoughts on learning for the future are included here.

Effective use is made of a wide range of relevant academic literature

After your ‘findings’ section, move onto ‘recommendations’. Based upon earlier evidence, (set out in detail in your Findings section), recommend how this operational system could be improved. For example, if you found that use of a target was causing problems, you could recommend that, to address the issue(s) identified, (refer back to relevant evidence here), the organisation takes a different approach – saying something about what. All this needs to be clearly evidence based. You can also draw upon relevant literature to help support what recommendations you put forward. So, building on the earlier example, some literature on use of targets having unintended consequences would be relevant here.

For each recommendation, include practical suggestions about how to implement it. For instance, do you think it would be sensible to trial what you are recommending on a small scale and learn what happens first, making adjustments as required, before rolling more widely? If so, make sure you write this down so readers are clear.

This is the final section of the main body of your report. Within it you need to write in some depth about the benefits and challenges faced when applying the systems approach to the scenario challenge. For instance, did ‘check’ help you unearth some / many interesting insights, things that should be valuable for senior management to understand if they are serious about wanting to improve the operation in question? If so, here is where you can write about it. Remember to reinforce what you write by also referring to the traditional approach – would it have been as able to unearth such insights as you found from using ‘check’ for instance?

There are many opportunities to do this within your report - make sure that you do! When doing so, ensure that you cite sources within your writing and list them in full at the end using the required format. (If you are in any doubt about this, refer to the relevant chapter in our HUBS Study Skills Handbook).

Many of our lecture slides on the systems approach point towards useful sources of literature and a number of articles have been posted onto Canvas in Learning Resources #1

Marking Guidance Sheets (4) ‘Traditional’ approach

Traditional project management approach (4500 words)

Report is clearly introduced, with the organisational scenario to be addressed set out for readers

Choice of traditional project management approach clearly presented

Strong evaluation and critical discussion clearly demonstrating why the choice of approach is suited to the organisational scenario and preferred to the other approach.

Thorough detailing of the needs addressed by the project based on stakeholders and/or some market research.

Objectives & benefits are clearly defined and related to stakeholders and / or market research.

Main stages of the project well described.

Project options clearly identified and each is well analysed and evaluated.

Cash flow for each option is provided and considered.

The next section of your report sets out which project management approach you have chosen to use. It also needs to provide a strong justification for this choice. Here you can write something about each of the ‘systems’ & ‘traditional’ approaches, setting out what they were first developed to do, comparing them to one another and showing how one is clearly better suited to the challenge set out in your chosen scenario. In doing this, make sure to draw upon a range of relevant academic literature sources to help support the lines of argument that you put forward e.g. does the scenario challenge fit with definitions of what is a project and what is project management that we covered in class (see relevant slides)? If it does, perhaps the ‘traditional’ approach is well suited to this particular challenge. By the time you finish this section, it should be really obvious to readers why your approach is much better suited than the alternative.

Look at the scenario information provided & identify what the needs are, what is required. Also identify who has a stake in this project – the stakeholders. Include both in response to this requirement.

Based on the scenario information, come up with a short series, 3 or 4, of objectives which, if completed will enable you to demonstrate that the needs of stakeholders have been met.

This is again, heavily influenced by what the scenario suggests… for example, if you think this seems like a project with two main stages – planning and execution – then this is what should be set out here for readers.

Does the scenario specifically ask you to consider more than one option for this project? (Hint – it does!) Set out what they are here. This section relates closely to the one on project costing as different options will be likely to come at different prices. Go online and use the internet to identify actual costs for what the scenario asks for, then set out a detailed breakdown for the two options requested.

Marking Guidance Sheets (5) ‘Traditional’ approach

Traditional project management approach (4500 words)

Well-argued justification for the chosen project option

Well defined and discussed work breakdown structure (WBS) for the preferred project option is included

Clear and critical consideration of the appropriate resources needed to implement the preferred option, including their potential to impact the phasing of the project

Thorough analysis of risks and appropriate strategies identified to manage them.

A well-structured Gantt diagram is present that clearly derives from the earlier analyses.

Demonstration of a good understanding of the people side of project management applied appropriately to the chosen project.

Insightful and detailed conclusions on benefits and challenges facing those using the traditional approach are offered, reinforced with reference to the lean systems approach. Thoughts on learning for the future are included here.

Effective use is made of a wide range of relevant academic literature

You have just detailed two different options, and included detailed costings for each. Here, spend a paragraph or two recommending one of them and justifying your choice.

This is a requirement that needs both text and an illustration within your report. You need to start at the top level, with the overall aim for the project. Then, break it down (as covered in class and in our core text) until you get to a low level of tasks – you’ll need these for your Gantt chart.

You will have already identified costing. Other resources in your scenario might just be that all of the relevant people need to be available during the period of time that this project will be happening.

Think about the ‘what ifs’, the uncertainties that could have a negative impact on the smooth running of your project if they become a reality. In this section of your report, alongside accompanying text, a table listing relevant risks, analysing them (as covered in the lectures), and suggesting any ways to mitigate them is expected.

Here you need to use the bottom level tasks from your WBS and present them in a Gantt chart to show the phasing of work. There is no need for lots of accompanying text here, but you should at least introduce your Gantt to readers, telling them what it shows.

You should find that this project does not have a whole team of people working on it, so that reduces the complexity involved. However, think about who needs what information from within your scenario to help everything run smoothly

This is the final section of the main body of your report. Within it you need to write in some depth about the benefits and challenges faced when applying the traditional approach to the scenario challenge. For instance, did any of the tools / techniques seem particularly helpful at tackling the challenge and, if so, why? Remember to reinforce what you write by also referring to the systems approach – would it have been as useful in helping to plan this project and, if not, why?

The core text by Maylor is one good source on the ‘traditional’ approach and many of our lecture slides point towards useful sources of literature. When comparing the with the systems approach, look at the articles about it posted on Canvas in Learning Resources #1

Thank you for reading

We hope this proves helpful for you