7P13SR- TWO- SHEET3＆4

6. Assessment

A portfolio made up of the following three components:

Component 1, AS1 - Business Insights Project Report (80% of module grade)

This report should take the style of a consultancy report, rather than an academic article, making extensive use of infographics and other visuals.

1. Definition of the problem (5%, 400 words):

· Describe the client for whom you are solving a problem, locating them within their industry. Identify the decision-maker within the client organisation who is the primary audience for your project report.

· A short description of the situation that prevails for your client at the outset of problem solving (i.e., the state of affairs that sets up the problem).

· A set of observations or complications around the situation that creates the tension or dynamic that captures the problem (i.e., what changed or what went wrong that created the problem), which should be fully evidenced via data from your client.

· In the form of an objective (e.g., to reclaim market share), define a specific and actionable problem (i.e., what are we trying to solve?).

· Identify any boundaries and constraints of the project, considering the key forces (e.g., values) acting on decision-makers.

· Identify the criteria against which successful resolution to the problem can be measured and judged.

NB: You should use your problem definition worksheet as a basis for this section, but should not present your problem definition worksheet.

2. Disaggregation of problem structure and solution drivers (25%, 2000 words):

· Use an initial logic tree (i.e., factor/lever/component) to break the problem into component parts or issues to illustrate and define the basic structure of the problem (e.g., causes of the problem).

· This should be evidence-based, using a combination of credible industry and academic literature, evidence and theory, covering the problem generally and the problem in the context of your client.

· Provide a fully-referenced commentary of the logic tree, concluding with a summary of the insights gained. It is expected that this logic tree will have three layers.

· Using the basic problem structure logic tree as a guide to locate further industry and academic literature, evidence and theory on the problem component parts of issues, produce a more complete logic tree (i.e., deductive logic or hypothesis) of the drivers of the problem solution, which help us to see potential pathways to solve the problem (e.g., hypothesised solutions).

· Provide a fully-referenced commentary of the logic tree, concluding with a summary of the insights gained. It is expected that this logic tree will have four layers.

3. Prioritisation of solution pathways (10%, 800 words):

· Using a prioritisation matrix, identify the potential pathways to solve the problem (e.g., hypothesised solutions).

· From the more complete logic tree, prioritise the ‘leaves’ that have the biggest impact on the project and which you can most affect to find the critical path to solving your problem, pruning the tree to remove the ‘leaves’ that are not on the critical path to solving the problem.

· Provide a fully-referenced commentary of the prioritisation matrix, concluding with a summary of the solution pathways (e.g., hypothesised solutions) that will be taken forward to be tested via analyses.

4. Workplan (10%, 800 words):

· Starting from the prioritised solution pathways (e.g., hypothesised solutions) of the more complete logic tree, describe the workplan by which you tested your solution pathways (e.g., hypothesised solutions) via analyses, so to be able to reach a conclusion on the solution to the problem.

· For each solution pathway identify the research questions that guided the testing of each solution pathway and, in a chunky workplan table, identify your hypothesised answers to your research questions, the data you used, how accessed or collected your data and the data analysis techniques you used.

5. Analysis and findings (30%, 2,400 words):

· Commence by presenting your ‘one day solution’ on the basis of your understanding ahead of your analysis, summarising the situation that prevails at the start of your project, the complication (i.e., what changed or what went wrong) and your current understanding of a resolution.

· The situation and complication may have evolved from original definition of the problem.

· Summarise what insights are still required to reach a solution, so to justify the forthcoming analysis.

· Sequentially working through each of your research questions, present the analysis you undertook and the findings. Wherever possible, visually present your findings (e.g., graphs, infographics).

· For each research question, clearly state the insights that have been gained.

NB: It is not required that you will need to undertake primary data collection (e.g., surveys, interviews, focus groups) or highly sophisticated analysis (e.g., regression modelling, thematic analysis), but you may feel these methods are critical to solve your problem. If so, discuss with your supervisor ahead of commencing such work.

6. Synthesised conclusions (20%, 1,600 words):

· Draw together the individual findings and insights of your problem-solving work into an overall picture.

· Using a pyramid structure, present your conclusions (i.e., governing thought) as an engaging story supported with arguments, findings, insights and facts to convince your audience of the merits of your recommended solution.

· Provide a commentary of your pyramid structure.

Word count: 8,000 words (excluding contents, figures, references and appendices).

Component 2, AS2 - Reflective Practice Report (10% of portfolio grade)

A report that reflects upon your learning journey in undertaking your business insights project covering the following:

1. The challenges you faced during the development of your Business Insights project

2. How you sought to overcome these challenges.

3. What you learned and how what you learned would manifest in doing something differently if faced with similar challenges again in the future.

Word count: 1,000 words (excluding references)

Component 3, AS3 - Reflective Practice video presentation (10% of portfolio grade)

A recorded video using slides that reflects upon your accomplishments and future needs covering the following:

1. How the submitted elements of the portfolio meet the module learning outcomes.

2. The relevance of the experience gained within this module to your future career aspirations.

3. Development needs to meet your future career aspirations that were not met on this module.

You should submit your slides along with a YouTube link to your video to the Turnitin folder.

Time limit: 10 minutes recorded

A step by step on how to create an Unlisted Video

UNLISTED VIDEO:

Private videos will not come up  in Google results,  YouTube results or your channel. 

Unlisted means your  video will not show  in any search results or your channel. Only those who know the link can watch the  video. You can share the link with anybody including those who are not  YouTube registered users.

YouTube, a social networking website, gives every Web surfer the opportunity to share their videos with a wide audience. If you run a small business, you can use YouTube to share product information, promotional videos and even training videos with anyone, anywhere in the world. In some cases, you might not want your videos to be quite so accessible, and you may decide to limit certain videos to a few employees or other users.

By default, YouTube makes every video you upload public; however, you can make a video unlisted and share it only with specific people who have the link to the video.

You can make a video unlisted when you upload it, or you can change a previously uploaded video to unlisted.

Make a Video Unlisted When Uploading

1. Navigate to the YouTube website and sign in to your account.

2. Click "Upload" at the top of the screen.

3. Click "Select Files From Your Computer" and select the video you want to upload. The video begins uploading automatically and the Video Options screen appears.

4. Click "Unlisted" and your choice will be applied to the video as it uploads. Give the YouTube link for the video (on the left side of the screen) to the people who are authorized to view the video.

Make a Video Unlisted After Uploading

1. Navigate to YouTube and sign in to your account.

2. Click your screen name in the upper right corner of the browser window. Click "Video Manager" from the drop-down menu.

3. Click "Edit" under the video that you want to make unlisted.

4. Click "Unlisted" and then click "Save Changes." Give the YouTube video link, which is located directly under the "Unlisted" button, to the people who are authorized to view the video.

All three components must be submitted.

Component 1, AS1 due on 30 September 2024

Component 2, AS2 due on 30 October 2024

Component 3, AS3 due on 30 November 2024

Supervision

You are expected to attend one-to-one meetings with your supervisor throughout the duration of the module, at the following points:

1. Start of the project: To review your submission from MN7027 Business Problem Solving and the feedback received and to agree initial work to be undertaken.

2. Definition of the problem: To review your completed draft of your definition of the problem section, identify required changes and agree next steps to be taken.

3. Disaggregation of problem structure and solution drivers: To review your completed draft of your disaggregation of problem structure and solution drivers section, identify required changes and agree next steps to be taken.

4. Prioritisation of solution pathways: To review your completed draft of your prioritisation of solution pathways section, identify required changes and agree next steps to be taken.

5. Workplan: To review your completed draft of your workplan section, identify required changes and agree next steps to be taken.

6. Analysis and findings: To review your completed draft of your analysis and findings section, identify required changes and agree next steps to be taken.

7. Synthesised conclusions: To review your completed draft of your synthesised conclusions section, identify required changes and agree next steps to be taken.

NB: It is the responsibility of the student to initiate each of these supervisory meetings. The student needs to send the supervisor a completed draft of each section, from which the supervisor will respond with a proposed meeting time to be agreed with the student.

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Business Insights Report Grading Rubric

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