Organizations continue to struggle with successful project
implementations that support business goals. Strides in project management have
been achieved
through a consistent approach to project management as
defined by the Project Management Institute (PMI)®A
Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge, (PMBOK®Guide), Fifth Edition, 2013. Specifically,
the five phases of project management—consisting of initiating, planning,
executing, controlling,
and closing—provide a framework for achieving business
goals through successful project implementations. At the completion of the
course, you will
understand the key deliverables and activities within each
phase of this framework in order to achieve business goals.
Your final project will be a complete project management
plan. The plan will be comprised of standard templates used by organizations
across all industries. For
milestones one and two, you will use two different case
studies from your Mindedge resource. For your final project, you will be using
a third case study from
Mindedge, the HighTower Global Solutions case study, as
the foundation for your plan. Each week you will move through the phases of the
project management
life cycle and develop components of the project
management plan to address the organizational need within each of these
different case studies. You will
consider stakeholder perspectives and communication needs
as well as typical project risks and issues. At the end of the course, you will
have a complete project
management plan that supports a typical project for an
organization.
The project is divided intotwo milestones,
which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold
learning and ensure quality final
submissions. Please note that you will use different case
studies for each Milestone and for your final project in this course, all of
which can be found in your
Mindedge resource.
?Milestone Oneutilizes the Fabricant Manufacturing
Project case study and will be submitted inModule Three.
?Milestone Twoutilizes the ECO-Trans case study and
will be submitted inModule Six.
?The
final projectutilizes the HighTower Global
Solutions case study and will be submitted inModule Nine.
In your final project, you will demonstrate your mastery
of the following course outcomes:
?Develop
project charters that illustrate the high-level scope of the project as it
aligns to organizational strategic needs
?Analyze
internal and external stakeholder needs for efficiently navigating
organizational structures
?Determine
proper approaches to defining business requirements for aligning with business
strategies
?Utilize
project management software for effectively developing project management plans
?Develop
key project management control documents for ensuring effective management plan
scope descriptions
?Evaluate
agile and waterfall methods for successful project execution
?Determine
approaches for project closure that inform ongoing best practices in project
management planning
Prompt
Throughout the course, you have been working through the
phases of the project management life cycle to develop components for a project
management plan
that addresses the organizational needs of the
organization highlighted in two case studies: the Fabricant Manufacturing
Project (Milestone One) and the ECOTrans
case study (Milestone Two). Your instructor and peers have
provided feedback for you to consider along the way. Now, you have the
background
knowledge and the information necessary to complete your
project management plan, which utilizes the HighTower Global Solutions case
study, available in
MindEdge.
Specifically, the followingcritical elementsmust
be addressed:
I.Project Initiation
A. Identify the economic, technical, and organizationalfeasibilityof the project. For instance, how is the project a viable
fit within the organization?
B. Explain how the project aligns to the organization’sstrategic goals.
C. Develop aproject
charterthat
includes a high-level scope of what is to be accomplished.
D. Create ahigh-level
timelineand
cost estimate to complete the project.
E. Identify the concerns of the internal and externalkey project stakeholders.
F. Compare the level ofsupportfrom
all key project stakeholders to inform the course of action resulting in
success of the project.
G. Complete thestakeholder analysis template.
II.Project Planning
A. Determine thebusiness requirementsfor the successful development of the project. Justify
your choices.
B. Establish who will provide the business requirements.
What approach will be used to solicit the requirements from thesubject matter experts?
C. Categorize and organize the business requirements in astandard requirements template.
D. Explain why theformatfor
capturing requirements is important to the overall success of the project. Why
would we consider requirements’
traceability?
E. Leveraging the business requirements, translate these
requirements into aproject scheduleusing project management software
through the
provided template.
F.Estimatethe duration of project tasks using
common business knowledge, and assign resources to complete each task.
G.Refineyourestimateof
the project cost based on the duration of tasks and resources needed.
III.Project Execution
A. Determine the bestimplementation approach—agile or waterfall project—for the organization based on
its organizational structure. Provide
examples to support your rationale.
B. Explain how theproject schedulecan
be resource leveled, fast-tracked, or crashed if needed based upon execution
results.
C. Propose communication approaches and the frequency that
should be used tokeep leadership apprisedof the project execution. Include
examples to support your claims.
IV.Project Control
A. Describe how you will handle changes in scope to your
project management plan. Whatchange
managementprocess
will be used? What key
information will be required for change requests?
B. Describe therisk managementprocess
that is the best fit for effective project control over your plan.
C. Explain how you will documentissuesand
what process will be used to manage the issue to completion. Include examples
to support your
claims.
V.Project Closeout
A. Identify what needs to be done tocloseyour
project management plan. Include examples supporting how you will minimize the
chances of
overlooking a step in the project process.
B. Justify the need for awarranty periodand
how the project will transition to business
C. Complete alessons-learned
templatefor the
case study project.
Milestones
Milestone One:Project Initiation
InModule Three, you will submit the Project
Initiation portion of your final project. Milestone One utilizes the Fabricant
Manufacturing Project case study.This
milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two:Project Planning and Project Execution
InModule Six, you will submit the Project
Planning and Project Execution portions of your final project. Milestone Two
utilizes the ECO-Trans case study.This
milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission:Project Management Plan
InModule Nine, you will submit your final project,
which utilizes the HighTower Global Solutions case study. It should be a
complete, polished artifact containing
allof the
critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of
feedback gained throughout the course.This submission will be graded with
the Final Project Rubric.
Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission:Your project management plan should be between 10 and 12
pages, double-spaced, have one-inch margins, and use 12-point Times
New Roman font and the most recent version of APA format.
Instructor Feedback:
This activity uses an integrated rubric in Blackboard. Students can view
instructor feedback in the Grade Center. For more information,
reviewthese
instructions.
Critical Elements Exemplary(100%) Proficient (90%) Needs Improvement(70%) Not Evident(0%) Value
Project Initiation:
Feasibility
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates nuanced
understanding of the specific
organizational parameters of
feasibility
Identifies the economic,
technical, and organizational
feasibility of the project
and
how the project is a viable
fit
within the organization
Identifies the economic,
technical, and organizational
feasibility of the project,
but
does not discuss how the
project is a viable fit
within the
organization or is inaccurate
or
cursory
Does not identify the
economic, technical, and
organizational feasibility of
the
project
3.46
Project Initiation:
Strategic Goals
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into
project alignment with
strategic goals
Explains how the project
aligns
to the organization’s
strategic
goals
Explains how the project
aligns
to the organization’s
strategic
goals, but explanation is
inaccurate or cursory
Does not describe how the
project aligns to the
organization’s strategic
goals
4.62
Project Initiation:
Project Charter
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates nuanced
understanding of what is to
be
accomplished
Develops a project charter
that
includes a high-level scope
of
what is to be accomplished
and
is detailed appropriately
Develops a project charter,
but
does not include a high-level
scope of what is to be
accomplished
Does not develop a project
charter
4.62
Project Initiation:
High-Level Timeline
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into the
complexity of project
Creates a high-level timeline
and estimate of cost to
complete the project
Creates a high-level timeline
and estimate of cost to
complete the project, but
response contains inaccuracies
Does not create a high-level
timeline or estimate of cost
to
complete the project
4.62
Project Initiation: Key
Project Stakeholders
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into the
different stakeholder
concerns
Identifies the concerns of
key
project internal and external
stakeholders
Identifies the concerns of
key
project internal and external
stakeholders, but response
either contains inaccuracies
or
is overgeneralized
Does not identify the
concerns
of key project stakeholders
3.46
Project Initiation:
Support
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
shows a deep understanding of
how to leverage stakeholders
for the success of a project
Compares the level of support
from all key stakeholders to
inform the course of action
of
the project
Compares the level of support
from all key stakeholders,
but
discussion contains gaps or
inaccuracies
Does not compare the level of
support from all key
stakeholders
3.46
Project Initiation:
Stakeholder Analysis
Template
Meets “Proficient” criteria,
and
level of detail shows keen
insight into the scope and
scale
of the project
Completes the stakeholder
analysis template
Completes the stakeholder
analysis template, but
template
contains inaccuracies
Does not complete the
stakeholder analysis template
3.46
Project Planning:
Business
Requirements
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into the
business requirements
necessary for the successful
development of a project
Determines the business
requirements for the
successful
development of the case study
project and justifies choices
Determines the business
requirements for the
successful
development of the case study
project, but does not justify
choices, or determination
contains inaccuracies
Does not determine the
business requirements for the
successful development of the
case study project
3.46
Project Planning:
Subject Matter
Experts
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into
solicitation approaches for
subject matter experts
Establishes who will provide
the requirements and what
approach will be used to
solicit
the requirements from the
subject matter experts
Establishes who will provide
the requirements, but does
not
establish what approach will
be
used or selection is
illogical
Does not establish who will
provide the requirements
3.46
Project Planning:
Standard
Requirements
Template
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
provides level of detail and
organization that streamlines
project development
Categorizes and organizes the
business requirements in a
standard requirements
template
Categorizes and organizes the
business requirements in a
standard requirements
template, but approach is
illogical or lacks detail
Does not categorize and
organize the business
requirements in a standard
requirements template
3.46
Project Planning:
Format
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into the
connection of traceability
throughout project
development
Explains why the format for
capturing requirements is
important to the overall
success of the project,
including traceability
Explains why the format for
capturing requirements is
important to the overall
success of the project, but
response lacks traceability,
contains inaccuracies, or is
cursory
Does not explain why the
format for capturing
requirements is important to
the overall success of the
project
3.46
Project Planning:
Project Schedule
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates a complex grasp
of predecessor relationships
Translates the requirements
into a project schedule that
contains appropriate and
logical predecessor
relationships using project
management software through
the provided template
Translates the requirements
into a project schedule using
project management software
through the provided
template,
but relationships are
inappropriate or illogical
Does not translate the
requirements into a project
schedule using project
management software through
the provided template
4.62
Project Planning:
Estimate
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates nuanced
understanding of business
knowledge and resources in
project management
Estimates the duration of the
project tasks using common
business knowledge and
assigns resources to complete
each task
Estimates the duration of the
project tasks using common
business knowledge and
assigns resources to complete
each task, but estimation is
inaccurate or overgeneralized
Does not estimate the
duration
of the project tasks
4.62
Project Planning:
Refine Estimate
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates deep
understanding of project
costs
Refines estimate of the project
based on the duration of the
tasks and resources needed
Refines estimate of the
project,
but estimate is inaccurate
Does not refine estimate of
the
project
4.62
Project Execution:
Implementation
Approach
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates deep
understanding of how the
selected implementation
approach supports
organizational structure
Determines which
implementation approach is
the best for the
organization,
using examples to support
rationale
Determines an implementation
approach for the
organization,
but response lacks examples
that support rationale or is
cursory
Does not determine an
implementation approach
4.62
Project Execution:
Project Schedule
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates deep
understanding of relationship
between schedule techniques
and project execution
Explains how the project
schedule can be resource
leveled, fast-tracked, or
crashed if needed based upon
execution results
Explains how the project
schedule can be resource
leveled, fast-tracked, or
crashed, but response is
inaccurate or overgeneralized
Does not explain how the
project schedule can be
resource leveled,
fast-tracked,
or crashed
4.62
Project Execution:
Keep Leadership
Apprised
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into the
appropriate communication
needed to keep leadership
apprised
Proposes communication
approaches and frequency to
keep leadership apprised of
the
project execution, using
examples to support claims
Proposes communication
approaches and frequency to
keep leadership apprised of
the
project execution, but
response lacks examples that
support claims or is
inappropriate
Does not propose
communication approaches
and frequency to keep
leadership apprised
4.62
Project Control:
Change Management
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates nuanced
understanding of the change
management process
Describes a change
management process that is
the best fit for the project,
including key information
required
Describes a change
management process that is
the best fit for the project,
but
response lacks key
information
or process contains
inaccuracies or gaps
Does not describe a change
management process that is
the best fit for the project
4.62
Project Control: Risk
Management
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates insight into how
risk management positively
impacts project control
Describes the risk management
process that is the best fit
for
effective project control
over
the plan
Describes the risk management
plan, but description has
gaps
or inaccuracies
Does not describe the risk
management plan
4.62
Project Control:
Issues
Meets “Proficient” criteria,
and
process is exceptionally
detailed
Explains how issues will be
documented and what process
will be used to manage the
issue to completion,
including
examples that support claims
Explains how issues will be
documented and the process
to manage the issue, but
response contains
inaccuracies
or is cursory
Does not explain how issues
will be documented and the
process to manage the issue
4.62
Project Closeout:
Close
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates a deep
understanding of project plan
closure
Identifies what needs to be
done to close the project
plan,
including examples to support
how to minimize the chances
of overlooking steps
Identifies what needs to be
done to close the project
plan,
but response contains
inaccuracies, is cursory, or
does
not include examples
Does not identify what needs
to be done to close the
project
plan
4.62
Project Closeout:
Warranty Period
Meets “Proficient” criteria,
and
discussion demonstrates
nuanced understanding of the
project transition
Justifies the need for a
warranty period and process
for transitioning project to
business
Justifies the need for a
warranty period and process
for transitioning project to
business, but response
contains inaccuracies or is
cursory
Does not justify the need for
a
warranty period and process
for transitioning project to
business as usual
4.62
Project Closeout:
Lessons-Learned
Template
Meets “Proficient” criteria
and
demonstrates nuanced
understanding of using a
lessons-learned template for
continuous improvement
Completes a lessons-learned
template for the project plan
Completes a lessons-learned
template for the project
plan,
but template contains
inaccuracies
Does not complete a lessonslearned
template
4.62
Articulation of
Response
Submission is free of errors
related to citations,
grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented
in a professional and
easy-toread
format
Submission has no major
errors
related to citations,
grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization
Submission has major errors
related to citations,
grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization
that negatively impact
readability and articulation
of
main ideas
Submission has critical
errors
related to citations,
grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas
3.02
Total 100%
