Signature Assignment: Final Paper part 2

Assignment #4: The Project Plan

CSCU 383 Week 8 Assignment and Rubric

Length: 12 to 20 Pages

Due: Week 8

Value: 200 Points for 20% of the grade

Online: Post in the Week 8 Assignments Folder by Wednesday at Midnight

Purpose of this Assessment:

People have been undertaking projects since the earliest days of organized human activity. The hunting parties of our prehistoric ancestors were projects. Large complex undertakings such as the pyramids and the Great Wall of China are also considered projects. Even something as simple as creating a dinner is considered a project. We use the term “project” frequently in our daily conversations. For this final assessment you are expected to demonstrate knowledge of project management, applications, and tools used by creating a project plan.

Your Project Plan must include:

Introduction: The Introduction provides a high-level overview of the project and what is included in this Project Management Plan. This Should Include a high-level description of the project and describe the project’s deliverables and benefits. Excessive detail is not necessary in this section as the other sections of the project plan will include this information. This section should provide a summarized framework of the project and its purpose. Typically, you would look back at the Project Charter for information to include in this section

Project Management Approach: Explain in general the roles and authorities of project team members. Include information about which departments, etc., will provide the resources and what resource constraints are to be considered. If there are decisions to be taken by specific persons, such information should be included here as well.

Milestone List: Provide a summary list of milestones, including dates for each milestone. Include an introductory paragraph in this section, which provides some insight to the major milestones. This section should also mention or discuss actions taken if any changes to the milestones or delivery dates are required.

Baselines Schedule: The schedule baseline provides a reference point for managing project progress as it pertains to schedule and timeline.

Cost: This section contains the cost baseline for the project upon which cost management will be based. The project will use earned value metrics to track and manage costs while the cost baseline provides the basis for the tracking, reporting, and management of costs.

Project Scope and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): State the scope of the project in this section. The scope statement from the project charter should be used as a starting point;however, the project plan needs to include a much more detailed scope than the charter. This detail should include what the project does and does not include. The more detail included in this section, the better the product. This will help to clarify what is included in the project and help to avoid any confusion from project team members and stakeholders. The WBS provides the work packages to be performed for the completion of the project.

Change Management Plan: This section should describe your change control process. Ideally, this process will be some type of organizational standard, which is repeatable and done on most or all projects when a change is necessary. Changes to any project must be carefully considered and the impact of the change must be clear in order to make any type of approval decisions. Many organizations have change control boards (CCBs), which review proposed changes and either approve or deny them. This is an effective way to provide oversight and to ensure adequate feedback and review of the change is obtained. This section should also identify who has approval authority for changes to the project, who submits the changes, and how they are tracked and monitored.

Communications Management Plan:The purpose of the Communications Management Plan is to define the communication requirements for the project and how information will be distributed to ensure project success. You should give considerable thought to how you want to manage communications on every project. By having a solid communications management approach you’ll find that many project management problems can be avoided. In this section you should provide an overview of your communications management approach. Generally, the Communications Management Plan defines the following:

· Communication requirements based on roles

· What information will be communicated

· How the information will be communicated

· When will information be distributed

· Who does the communication

· Who receives the communication

· Communications conduct

Cost Management Plan:The Cost Management Plan clearly defines how the costs on a project will be managed throughout the project’s lifecycle. It sets the format and standards by which the project costs are measured, reported, and controlled. Working within the cost management guidelines is imperative for all project team members to ensure successful completion of the project. These guidelines may include which level of the WBS cost accounts will be created in, and the establishment of acceptable variances. The Cost Management Plan:

· Identifies who is responsible for managing costs

· Identifies who has the authority to approve changes to the project or its budget

· How cost performance is quantitatively measured and reported upon

· Report formats, frequency, and to whom they are presented

Items Required for Submission

The following is the item required for submission:

Rubric: Evaluation Criteria

Report Elements	EMERGING	DEVELOPING	PROFICIENT	Exemplary
Project Plan	44-0 Contains some required components as indicated in the guidelines with limited descriptions for each.	69-45 Contains most required components as indicated in the guidelines with descriptions for each.	84-70 Contains all required components as indicated in the guidelines with descriptions for each.	90-85 Contains all required components as indicated in the guidelines with clear and complete descriptions for each.
Project Management	20 -0 Demonstrates no greater than surface understanding of project management, applications, and tools.	38-21 Demonstrates partial understanding of project management, applications, and tools.	40-39 Demonstrates adequate understanding of project management, applications, and tools.	50-41 Demonstrates sophisticated understanding of project management, applications, and tools.
Application	9-0 Misunderstands key project management concepts. Significant errors in content or interpretation of the material. May not use or apply project management methodologies.	18-10 Missing the depth and breadth of the subject matter as well as all related concepts as they relate to project management. Several (more than five) errors in content or interpretation of the material. Uses or applies project management methodologies.	24-19 Demonstrates some understanding of the depth and breadth of the subject matter as well as all related concepts as they relate to project management. Fewer than four errors in content or interpretation of the material. Uses or applies project management methodologies.	30-25 Limited explanation of the data analysis methodology that most appropriately connects with the issue being addressed. Fully understands the depth and breadth of the subject matter as well as all related concepts as they relate to project management. No errors in content or interpretation of the material. Uses or applies project management methodologies.
Writing Mechanics	9-0 The project plan lacks clarity and may be confusing; too long or short. Numerous errors in spelling, grammar, and/or punctuation. Limited, if any, adherence to APA standards.	18-10 The project plan is somewhat logical and well written; too long or short. Some errors in spelling, grammar, and/or punctuation. APA standards are somewhat followed but with numerous errors.	24-19 The project plan is logical, well written, and of the required length. There may be one or two minor errors in spelling,grammar, and/or punctuation. APA formatting standards are followed with a few minor errors	30-25 The project plan is logical, well written, and of the required length. Spelling, grammar, and punctuation are accurate.APA formatting standards are followed.

Page of 8/1/20