PPMP20010 Executing and Closing Projects - Assignment 3

Assessment 3                                                               

• Weight: 40%
  • Report: 30%, Presentation: 10%

•        Report length:

• 4000 words (+/- 5%) excluding references
• 2500-3000 words (+/- 5%) for individuals (DST students only)

•        Submission deadline:

• Week 12

•        Submission:

• Only one member of the group should upload, check Turnitin ratio and then submit the assignment files on Moodle

Assessment 3

Alignment with Unit Learning Outcomes (LOs)

LO 1:

• Examine the knowledge areas and processes applied in the execution and closing stages of the project management life cycle

LO 2:

• Critically analyze how the needs of stakeholders might change the priority of outputs from the execution and closing stages of the project management life cycle

Assessment 3

•        Assessment status:

• Group submission for on-campus students
• Group size: 3 students in a group
• Group or individual submission for DST (distance) learning students

•        Report length:

• 4,000 words (+/- 5%) excluding references for group submissions
• 2,500-3,000 words excluding references for individual submissions (distance learning students only)

Assessment 3 - Submission

•       Submission files:

• Written report in Word format
• Presentation slides in PowerPoint format

•       Submission:

• Only one member of the group is to upload the assignment
• Check Turnitin well in advance to make changes if necessary

Assessment 3 - Purpose

• The primary purpose of this assignment:
  • Help you develop and demonstrate your skills in the use of project management concepts, principles, theories and arguments during project management execution, monitoring, controlling and closing
  • Demonstrate your understanding of the real application of control
  • Analyse and argue what type of control systems will enable better or worse project

Assessment 3 - Scope

• Research and choose a real-life failed project g. that failed to meet the deadline, exceeded the allocated budget etc.
  • Ideally, you or someone you know should have worked on the failed project for direct reference
  • Otherwise search for a project in the industry of your interest or
  • Discuss and finalise your choice of the (failed) project with your tutor in week 5
• Choose a project with plenty of information publicly available.

Assessment 3 - Scope

• Based on your research,
  • Analyse the project context, issues and control systems applied during the execution
  • Find out the causes of its failures and analyse the control systems
  • Critically evaluate the effectiveness of applied

control systems and stakeholder’s management.

• Make recommendations for how its failure could have been

Critical Analysis Report - Format

• Snapshot of the project you have
• Introduction to the project you have
• Major reasons for the failure of the
• Control Systems: explanation of the range of control systems used for cost, schedule, scope and
• Analysis of the reasons for cost and/or time overruns and other problems
• Analysis of the extent to which the project execution team could be held responsible for the incurred problems

Critical Analysis Report – Format

• Analysis of the relationship between the problems you identified in cost and/or time overruns and the stakeholders’ needs and
• Analysis of the project management actions that could have been taken to better control the project and stakeholders in order to increase the chance for successful
• Conclusion which identifies the key lessons that project management can learn from the experience of the

Presentation

• Presentation is worth 10% of the unit total
• Presentations will be held during Week 12 tutorial
• Separate Zoom session for distance learning
• Presentation should follow a similar structure as your report
• Presentation must be shared equally among team members
• Time allowed 14 - 16 mins. per group and 10-15 minutes for distance learning

Marking Criteria – Written Report

• Familiarity with the project context, issues and control systems:
  • Project snapshot (02%)
  • Introduction (05%)
  • Major issues (08%)
  • Control systems (15%)

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Marking Criteria – Written Report

• Critical evaluation of the effectiveness of control systems, stakeholder influence and stakeholder management
• Analysis of cost and/or schedule overruns (10%)
• Analysis of the project execution team actions (10%)
• Analysis of relationship between problems/overruns and the stakeholders (10%)
• Analysis of possible actions for success (10%)
• Conclusion (10%)
• Appropriate, well structured, concise and clear understanding of project management arguments (10%)
• Clarity of expression, language, format, references and presentation of the written report (10%)

Marking Criteria - Presentation

• Students will be marked individually for:
  • Preparation and consistency of presentation (10%)
  • Understanding and relevance of the presentation content (50%)
  • Response to questions during Q&A (30%)
  • Timing including Q&A (05%)

Presentation manner