Project Plan

Assessment 1: Project Plan

Task

Develop a project plan for your Project.

Submission details

· Due date: Monday, Week 3

· Length: Approx. 5 pages; word document

· Value: 10% of the total marks for this unit

· Submit: Project Docs in Learnline

Overview

A Project Plan is an essential document for a successful project. Your project plan should define the aims and expected progress of the project. The draft plan must be completed by Week, 2 discussed with your supervisor (and or client) and submitted MONDAY Week 3.

Your plan should be developed in consultation with your Supervisor. Ensure that your supervisor has read your plan before you submit.

Where appropriate, clarify what is required in your project with your project supervisor (and stakeholders) and develop your project plan. Ensure you discuss your plan with your supervisor/s to make sure they think it is reasonable.

The project plan should provide evidence that you have begun to investigate the background of the project enough to be able to plan a series of activities that will enable you to develop the plan.

Industry/client-based projects

If you have an industry project:

· Consultation regarding the project requirements must occur with your industry sponsor prior to the plan being submitted.

· Your sponsor will need to approve your plan.

Project Plan Structure

What goes in the plan?

Details of your plan’s content are outlined following. Broadly, your plan needs to include:

Title pages

· This should include project title; your name; client name /and or supervisor.

· Page 2 should be your project topic – downloaded from Learnline.

Project definition & scope

1. Introduction

2. Background/description of context/need/benefits

· Explain the context of the project, why it’s needed, where appropriate, the intended audience for the final project product and project stakeholders

· Include some initial research as appropriate.

· Outline the project benefits for you personally, your client where relevant and in the broader IT context.

3. Aim/s & objectives

4. Scope

· Include what’s in scope; out of scope; assumptions, constraints

· Describe the boundaries of your project and any assumptions you are making regarding your project

Project activities, deliverables & risk

5. Project timeline, deliverables

· outline the work activities, milestones & deliverables associated with your project, demonstrating the project management skills used in your studies:

· identify the specific work activities associated with your doing your project

· identify the assessment milestones that are part of the unit.

· do NOT use the Assessment overview page as your project timeline!

· estimate how long each activity is anticipated to take as part of the planning

· include a table (required) showing timelines, project milestones, deliverables and assessment deliverables in this part of your plan. You may use a GANT chart instead of a table here.

· PROJECT ACTIVITIES ARE NOT THE ASSESSMENT TASKS – these are simply a summary of what you have been doing

6. Stakeholders:

· Where there is a third party that is likely to use your project or you have an external client, outline the roles & responsibilities of the various parties involved in your project.

· This is not necessary if you only have a single academic supervisor.

7. Risk

· Outline the risks and the associated risk prevention strategies applicable to your project.

Resources

8. Materials & Budget:

· Outline the materials required to complete your project and where appropriate, include a budget for equipment that may be necessary for the project.

9. References: reference any sources used in the plan. There should be at least 3 appropriate resources

10. Appendix: include any document that are appropriate for a document appendix

Presentation

The plan should follow the general presentation guidelines outlined in Section 1.8.

· Ensure your plan is a single document

· Ensure your plan uses appropriate referencing

· Ensure your plan follows the required formatting guidelines

· Ensure that your plan has the appropriate identification in headers and footers

Failing the project plan

· If a student fails the Project Plan, a fail is the mark recorded for the final assessment.

· A student cannot continue until a satisfactory plan has been submitted.

· Contact the unit co-ordinator if your plan has not been deemed satisfactory by Week 4.

Preparation

MEETING With Supervisors

To help prepare for your project research, you need to have a clear understanding of what your supervisor requires you to do in the project. At your initial meeting with your supervisor you should discuss the outline of your project plan & any literature he/she advises need to be central to the project

Milestones for success: Milestone 1-Topic Keywords

Using the correct keywords will help you find a wider range of resources that will be helpful to you project. Keyword terms can be helpful searching professional and academic searches.

· To begin your research, develop a list of keywords that will help you find appropriate sources.

· SUBMIT: Learnline, Friday week2

Presenting your work

Milestones for success: Milestone 2-presentation Checklist

All documentation for this unit requires observation of standard formatting guidelines, a professional and academic requirement in a range of work contexts.

· Develop your skills in this unit.

· Develop your project plan template and apply the presentation guidelines

· Complete the checklist (see Appendix 1) to evaluate your own project plan.

· SUBMIT: Learnline, Monday week3

Marking Criteria

The project plan will be assessed by your project supervisor and unit co-ordinator.

· Your project supervisor will assess your project plan for quality content and presentation of ideas. (75% of your final grade)

· Your unit co-ordinator will assess aspects of your plan relating to timely submission, milestone completion: initial resource scan and the formatting checklist. (25% of your final grade)

Both sets of criteria are listed following.

Project Plan Criteria: Supervisor

Student Name:	TOTAL
Criteria	Comments to students	Marks
Project Definition and Scope · outlines the context of /for the project · introduces basic purpose of the project · includes clear background for the project. · stakeholders/audience discussed as appropriate · describes projects clearly & succinctly · aim & objectives related to the overall context. · project scope outlined: includes activities that are in and out of scope, assumptions, & constraints.		/30
Project Planning · project activities, milestones and deliverables of the project are listed (These should not JUST BE the assessment tasks) · includes tables, Gantt, Milestone, and/or PERT charts as necessary (MS Project). · sensible risks considered: with appropriate strategies for mitigation) · details of stakeholder’s roles & responsibilities included (where appropriate)		/20
Resources: materials & costs · outline any materials required to complete the project · include a realistic estimate of project costs (where appropriate)		/05
Writing style: references; organisation, mechanics, · references and citations included and used appropriately · referencing style is appropriate for a 3rd year student · document looks professional. · ideas follow in a logical manner. · correct English: spelling, grammar, and punctuation. · clear, concise, and coherent presentation of ideas · writing style is appropriate for a 3rd year student		/10
Overall quality of planning · Plan shows quality preparation and a thorough understanding of what is required in the project		/10
TOTAL		/75