MGMT404 Week 1- 8 Course Projects Latest 2017
November
Objectives
The objective of the Course Project is to give you an
opportunity to practice the skills learned in class regarding the planning
methodologies of a project. These skills are directly applicable toward your
senior project.
Guidelines
For this project, you are going to be working in groups. Please
make sure you have a group composed of team members that you have picked or who
have picked you.
For the project itself, your group may choose one that is of
interest to group, or your group may choose to begin planning for your group
senior project. When selecting a project, avoid picking one that is either too
big or too small. For example, do not decide to build a new stadium for your
local sports team (too big) or to plant your summer garden (too small). Here
are some successful past project ideas.
·
The opening of a
coffee shop
·
A charity event for a
local social service agency
·
A meditation pool and
platform in the center of town
·
A redevelopment of a
local playground
·
Design and
installation of a computer network for a small business
·
Software development
project
A project to build a house or create a website is NOT
acceptable.
You are not limited to the list of projects above. Please refer
all questions concerning what is acceptable as a class project to your
instructor.
Milestones
Milestones:
·
Due Week 1: Project
Outline Proposal/Approval
·
Due Week 2: Project
Charter
·
Due Week 3: Scope
Statement. Class presentation on Project Charter and
Scope Statement
·
Due Week 4: Work
Breakdown Structure/Gantt Chart
·
Due Week 5: Risk
Management Plan and Project Schedule and Budget
·
Due Week 6: Project
Simulation
·
Due Week 7:
Communication Plan.
·
Due Week 8: Final
Project Package due, project presentation and simulation evaluation
Week
1
Due Week 1: Project Proposal/Approval
The course group project is a team effort assignment. In week 1,
your professor will define the modality of these team formation. Your Week 1
assignment will be to:
Provide an outline of your proposed group project to your
instructor for approval. The project your group selects will be the same
project your group will plan for the 8-week course.
Remember that your team will work together to complete the
entire Statement of Participation template located in the doc sharing area. All
sections for the entire 8 weeks must be completed.
Deliverables for Week 1:
·
Teams need to complete
the entire Statement of Participation with the team and team leader assignments
for Weeks 2–8. Lastly, teams need to update the status of participation for
Week 1.
Week
2
Due Week 2: Project
Charter
Provide a project charter of your selected project in accordance
with the charter template found in Doc Sharing.
Please put this in proper business writing format. Consider me
to be your boss. If working in a group, include the updated Statement of
Participation for Week 2, describing how each person contributed to this
project deliverable. Please place the updated Statement of Participation in your
teams’ Doc Sharing area for review. A charter should be a minimum of 3–5 pages
long.
Deliverables for Week 2:
·
Completed Project
Charter (in MS Word)
·
Statement of
Participation and status update
Week
3
Due Week 3: Scope
Statement
Prepare a scope statement using the template in Doc Sharing.
Remember to be tangible, measurable, and specific. Be sure to include all
sections required in the Week 2 Lecture. A scope should be a minimum of 3 pages
long.
Deliverables for Week 3:
·
Project Scope
Statement (in MS Word)
·
Statement of
Participation and status update
This week you also have a class presentation on the importance
of Project Charter and Scope statement (50 points) what their impact on project
planning and execution are.
Week
4
Due Week 4: Work
Breakdown Structure
According to the PMBOK® Guide, “the WBS is a
deliverable-oriented hierarchical decomposition of the work to be executed by
the project team, to accomplish the project objectives and create the required
deliverables.” In other words, it lists the project’s deliverables and
work packages. For this week, you will create a work breakdown structure (WBS)
for the project you selected during Week 1.
Remember that the WBS starts with your major deliverables (that
you stated in your scope management plan) at the highest level. The lower
levels have the work package required to complete those deliverables. Review
the textbook (and the PMBOK® Guide, if you have it) for some suggestions on how
to create a WBS. From your work breakdown structure, develop a project task
list with dependencies and add durations, using MS Project.
Develop the Work Breakdown Structure
·
Your WBS should have a
minimum of 100–150 line items in MS Project and be three levels deep.
·
Make sure to use
verb-object task names (for example, “Develop software”).
·
Enter tasks in MS
Project.
·
Create the predecessor
relationships.
·
DO NOT LINK SUMMARY
TASKS OR ASSIGN RESOURCES!
Deliverables for Week 4:
·
Statement of
Participation and status update
·
The MS Project file
(.mpp) saved from the Tracking Gantt chart screen
Week
5
Due Week 5: Risk
Management Plan
1.
Remember, risk is an
uncertain event or condition that can have a positive or negative impact on the
project. This week, you will be identifying and analyzing your project risks
and developing a risk management plan to monitor and track your project. You
will evaluate each task in your project schedule to identify any risk factors
associated with the execution of the deliverable. You will then add your list
of risk to the risk register template in Doc Sharing. The number of risks will
depend on the project deliverables in your schedule; however, 20–25 positive
and 20–25 negative risks would be considered the minimum. Review the
instructions on the first sheet of the template and complete your risk register
in its entirety.
Deliverables for Week 5-a:
·
Use the Risk ter
Template spreadsheet found in Doc Sharing (there is a separate tab for each
portion of the risk management plan).
·
Statement of
Participation and status update
2.
A project plan cannot
be considered complete until the resources have been assigned (including budget
and cost estimate). This week, you will assign the resources required to work
on your project to your scheduled tasks. In addition, you will add the cost of
the resources per hour and any direct or indirect cost required for project
contracts, materials, or supplies.
You will submit a two-part summary report (business professional
format) of your project budget and resources, which includes the following:
Part 1: Project Budget (Cost Management)
1.
Explain your approach
to estimating the project cost (e.g., top down, bottom up, etc.) and why that
method was chosen.
2.
Create a table that
shows the original budgeted cost (from the charter) and the actual budgeted
cost (side by side). Include line items for labor, materials, contract,
equipment, travel cost, and so on.
3.
Compare the budget
from the charter to the final budget and explain any variances that occurred
from your original budgeted cost in the project charter and the current project
cost (include your original estimated cost for the project).
4.
Explain your budget
contingency plan and how much is budgeted for contingency.
Part 2: Resource Management
1.
Explain the results of
your resource assignments. Did you assign enough people to the project? Were
there any resources over-allocated? What approach will you take to fix any
allocation problems?
2.
Develop a plan to
manage your project team and define how you will motivate your team and how you
will handle team conflicts.
3.
What structure would
you select for your project: functional, weak matrix, balanced matrix, strong
matrix, or pure project? Why?
Deliverables for Week 5-b:
1.
MS project file (.mpp)
updated with resource assignments and cost
2.
MS Word file with
report of project budget and resource management
3.
Statement of
Participation and status update
Week
6
Due Week 6: Project
Schedule and Budget
You will watch a simulation video on project planning either
using traditional planning methodology or using agile methodology. The goal is
to give you an excellent view as to how these planning take place in real
world. Within your groups, you will discuss this simulation and compare to what
you have been working on as course group project. The final report of your
discussion will be submitted with your final project in week 8. You are also
expected to include your assessment of the simulation within your final project
presentation in week 8. This assignment is valued for 50 points in week 8.
Week
7
Due Week 7:
Communication Plan
According to the PMBOK® Guide, “the Communications Planning
process determines the information and communications needs of the stakeholders;
for example, who needs what information, when they will need it, how it will be
given to them, and by whom.” In other words, it lists the general
communication requirements for the project. This week, you will create a simple
communication plan for the execution of your project. Each team will need to
complete the Communications Plan found in the Files section.
Deliverables for Week 7:
·
Communication Plan
·
Statement of
Participation and status update
Week
8
Due Week 8: Final
Project Package
You will need to create a project plan. This plan should be
completely integrated and presented in a logical order. It should be written
professionally and should be mistake-free in terms of spelling and grammar. The
final project plan should incorporate any changes that occurred along the way,
including corrections and advice given by colleagues or your professor. Any
tables or graphs should be labeled correctly.
You are also expected to make a class presentation using
PowerPoint. Your presentation will have two parts: (1). Your final course group
project, (2) your assessment of the simulation as you compare to your project.
Deliverables for Week 8:
1.
Statement of
Participation and status update
2.
Your final project
plan should consist of the following items.
·
Executive Summary
·
Project Charter
·
Scope Statement
·
Work Breakdown
Structure
·
Budget and Resource
Management Reports
·
Risk Management Plan
·
Communication
Management Plan
3.
PowerPoint
presentation of your course group project including your assessment of the
simulation
