managing a project based organization

Assessment Task 1: Virtual Project Teams Assessment Format Due: Week 4 Word Length: 1500 words Value: 20% of overall grade (for both modes) Format: Report Learnin" rel="nofollow">ing Outcomes: 3, 4 & 5 Task Description Read the Directed Readin" rel="nofollow">ing ‘The Virtual Project: Managin" rel="nofollow">ing Tomorrow’s Team Today’, Chapter 5 of Meredith, Mantel & Shafer (2014). This min" rel="nofollow">ini case study describes the challenges of operatin" rel="nofollow">ing a project with geographically distributed teams. In the readin" rel="nofollow">ing a range of communications technologies are discussed as they assist to bridge the tyranny of distance where distributed teams tend to operate. No doubt that technology does help improve project communications but it isn’t the complete answer. Question 1: Knowin" rel="nofollow">ing the need to be in" rel="nofollow">inclusive in" rel="nofollow">in brin" rel="nofollow">ingin" rel="nofollow">ing the remote workin" rel="nofollow">ing team members together as one project team, what types of activities might you suggest to the Project Manager to make this happen? How would you then go about developin" rel="nofollow">ing, documentin" rel="nofollow">ing and implementin" rel="nofollow">ing the communications and team-buildin" rel="nofollow">ing strategy? What activities would you have the PM be responsible for? What aspects are better leveraged from the main" rel="nofollow">in organisation? (500 Words) Question 2: Projects distributed or otherwise are hosted through an organisation and must report their delivery status and performance to the parent busin" rel="nofollow">iness. In contrast to a ‘local’ project team what reportin" rel="nofollow">ing aspects are unique to a geographically distributed project? What role will technology play in" rel="nofollow">in in" rel="nofollow">information collection and report generation? (500 Words) Question 3: Select any two issues from those listed in" rel="nofollow">in the “Virtual Project Management Suggestions” section in" rel="nofollow">in Chapter 5 of Meredith, Mantel & Shafer (2014) and describe a personal ‘project management’ experience dealin" rel="nofollow">ing with each. (500 words) Assessment Criteria: Academic Gradin" rel="nofollow">ing Criteria Format (30%) Presentation and report format to prescribed AIM standard. Demonstration of wide readin" rel="nofollow">ing and in" rel="nofollow">inclusion of requisite references in" rel="nofollow">in Harvard reference style. Academic writin" rel="nofollow">ing appropriate to postgraduate level of study. Clearly articulated. Within" rel="nofollow">in required word count. Well structured, logical flow to argument Concepts (20%) Demonstration of knowledge of concepts. Concepts support the argument or recommendations bein" rel="nofollow">ing made. Practical Application (20%) Demonstrates practical application of concepts Workplace-related examples support the argument or recommendations made. Analytic Thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing (20%) Demonstration of analytical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in relation to concepts. Demonstration of analytical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in relation to workplace examples Reccomendatio ns (10%) Recommendations well articulated and clearly drawn from analysis. Total Assessment Task 2: Project Crisis Management Assessment Format Due: Week 8 Word Length: 2500 words Value: 35% of overall grade (for both modes) Format: Report Learnin" rel="nofollow">ing Outcomes: 3, 6 & 7 Task Description Read the Directed Readin" rel="nofollow">ing at the end of Chapter 6 titled ‘Plannin" rel="nofollow">ing for Crises in" rel="nofollow">in Project Management’, in" rel="nofollow">in Meredith, Mantel & Shafer (2014). On occasion we view a crisis unfoldin" rel="nofollow">ing on the worlds stage and you may have noted how the media pumps it up to further engage the TV news and current affairs audience. For those who have the hapless task of managin" rel="nofollow">ing the crisis this media attention often adds to their stress and ultimately in" rel="nofollow">increases the public driven pressure upon their decision makin" rel="nofollow">ing process. The BP Deepwater Horizon oil platform disaster (discussed earlier in" rel="nofollow">in Chapter 6 of the text) was a good example of how this happens. Reflect on the importance of makin" rel="nofollow">ing key decisions in" rel="nofollow">in times of crisis and what the critical success factors are in" rel="nofollow">in framin" rel="nofollow">ing well-reasoned, timely and effective decisions to brin" rel="nofollow">ing thin" rel="nofollow">ings under control. What support might the manager of a ‘crisis event’ project be able to draw from their host organisation; i.e. provide resources (tools, modellin" rel="nofollow">ing, meetin" rel="nofollow">ings etc.) to assist the PM. Provide a brief list of the project artefacts that might be made available to sort the crisis. What busin" rel="nofollow">iness rules might you frame to handle the communications in" rel="nofollow">involvin" rel="nofollow">ing the key stakeholders, government parties and the media? (1500 words). Describe a crisis you experienced or observed in" rel="nofollow">in the workplace where the Project Manager was required to resolve the conflict. What were the lessons learned from it? Would you have done it any differently at the time i.e. your thoughts as it was happenin" rel="nofollow">ing rather than your thoughts with the benefit of hin" rel="nofollow">indsight? (Total 500 words). Assessment Criteria: Academic Gradin" rel="nofollow">ing Criteria Format (30%) Presentation and report format to prescribed AIM standard. Demonstration of wide readin" rel="nofollow">ing and in" rel="nofollow">inclusion of requisite references in" rel="nofollow">in Harvard reference style. Academic writin" rel="nofollow">ing appropriate to postgraduate level of study. Clearly articulated. Within" rel="nofollow">in required word count. Well structured, logical flow to argument Concepts (20%) Demonstration of knowledge of concepts. Concepts support the argument or recommendations bein" rel="nofollow">ing made. Practical Application (20%) Demonstrates practical application of concepts Workplace-related examples support the argument or recommendations made. Analytic Thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing (20%) Demonstration of analytical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in relation to concepts. Demonstration of analytical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in relation to workplace examples Reccomendatio ns (10%) Recommendations well articulated and clearly drawn from analysis. Total Assessment Task 3: PMO Implementation Assessment Format: Due: Week 11 Word Length: 3000 words Value: 40% of overall grade (35% onlin" rel="nofollow">ine mode) Format: Group Presentation and Report Learnin" rel="nofollow">ing Outcomes: 1, 2 & 7 Task Description You are required to prepare a feasibility study/report for the Executive Leadership Group of your organisation addressin" rel="nofollow">ing the factors that must be considered and likely impacts to in" rel="nofollow">introduce a Project Management Organisation (PMO) in" rel="nofollow">into the operation. For the purposes of this exercise, you will need to name your organisation and state what it does. You can assume that your organisation does have experience in" rel="nofollow">in usin" rel="nofollow">ing project managers to deliver in" rel="nofollow">internal and/or external projects and are now contemplatin" rel="nofollow">ing the next maturity step. Your brief and report are to be the catalyst to this change. Conditions for Face-To-Face Mode: As a syndicate your team has been asked by the Executive to prepare and deliver a group oral presentation, complemented by a group report, on the results of your study in" rel="nofollow">into what it would take to implement a PMO. At the conclusion of the activity your group will deliver the brief (in" rel="nofollow">involvin" rel="nofollow">ing each member in" rel="nofollow">in the presentation) as well as submit the report. 1) Each team participant will contribute approximately equal share toward the complete assignment; ordin" rel="nofollow">inarily, the fin" rel="nofollow">inal grade will apply to each participant; 2) Each team is to prepare and deliver a 30-min" rel="nofollow">inute oral presentation to ‘the Executive’. Presentations will be defended (by questionin" rel="nofollow">ing) and not to exceed 35 min" rel="nofollow">inutes. 3) Each team is to prepare a complementary 2000-word report 4) Process and presentation content must, wherever practicable, focus upon project management model/s and approaches in" rel="nofollow">in accordance with in" rel="nofollow">information contain" rel="nofollow">ined within" rel="nofollow">in Meredith, Mantel & Schafer (2014) and or other credible reference/s. Conditions for Onlin" rel="nofollow">ine Mode: As you are workin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in isolation, draft a dot-poin" rel="nofollow">int briefin" rel="nofollow">ing document that would then be handed to the PM who would in" rel="nofollow">in turn engage the Executive. (500 words) Also write a more detailed report (2500 words) that address the 10 key areas of the Project Management process e.g. scope, schedule, risk, quality… Without limitin" rel="nofollow">ing content, it is expected the presentation and report will: a) Discuss the prin" rel="nofollow">inciples, skills and techniques required for the management of projects and the in" rel="nofollow">integration of a project management model within" rel="nofollow">in an organisational environment; b) Discuss quality prin" rel="nofollow">inciples and how they relate to the management of projects; c) Analyse the risk associated with projects and the development of contin" rel="nofollow">ingency plans; d) Evaluate the importance of teamwork, leadership and the practical application of skills in" rel="nofollow">in managin" rel="nofollow">ing human resources within" rel="nofollow">in a project environment; e) Evaluate and discuss conceptual and philosophical basis of design of emergin" rel="nofollow">ing project based organisations; and f) Address role of management and leadership in" rel="nofollow">in changin" rel="nofollow">ing organisational model. Assessment Criteria: Academic Gradin" rel="nofollow">ing Criteria Format (30%) Presentation and report format to prescribed AIM standard. Demonstration of wide readin" rel="nofollow">ing and in" rel="nofollow">inclusion of requisite references in" rel="nofollow">in Harvard reference style. Academic writin" rel="nofollow">ing appropriate to postgraduate level of study. Clearly articulated. Within" rel="nofollow">in required word count. Well structured, logical flow to argument Concepts (20%) Demonstration of knowledge of concepts. Concepts support the argument or recommendations bein" rel="nofollow">ing made. Practical Application (20%) Demonstrates practical application of concepts Workplace-related examples support the argument or recommendations made. Analytic Thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing (20%) Demonstration of analytical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in relation to concepts. Demonstration of analytical thin" rel="nofollow">inkin" rel="nofollow">ing in" rel="nofollow">in relation to workplace examples Reccomendatio ns (10%) Recommendations well articulated and clearly drawn from analysis. Total