Advanced Project Management Assessment

Advanced Project Management Assessment
The purpose of this individual assessment is to highlight both your theortical and practical knowledge of Advanced Project Management. The assignment has six distinctive sections (see Appendix A – Assignment Structure). Moreover, the initial four sections are aligned with the module learning outcomes (see Advanced Project Management handbook). The student is encouraged to undertake a critical literature review through the book chapters and papers that are identified in the workshops. Furthermore, students are expected to employ harvard style referencing. Reading around the topic areas is also encouraged for it demonstates scholarly initiative. Findings and conceptual models from your group project work can be used to further support your views with respect to relevant sections of the assignment. The final two sections requires the student to reflect upon the findings of the practical session findings, and use of methodologies or methods during the group project work. Additionally, the student is expected to generate some lessons leant which may lead to possible future project management learning and development actions. The style guide of the assignment is given in Applendix B, and marking scheme is given in Appendix C.

Some possible areas to consider for each six sections
• The Limitations of the Traditional Approach to Project Management (20 marks)
– Characteristics of traditional project management;
– Identify relevant methods and tools associated with traditional project management;
– Connectivity with technical core (level 1 of Management of Projects);
– Symptoms (factors and measures) of project failure;
– Traditional life-cycle models, product creation, and earned value;
– Factors and measures connected with efficiency;
– Doing the project right (‘the what’, ‘the how’);
– Emerging factors associated with project success;
– Projects as a given, hard systems thinking, analytical thinking;
– Project management success factors;
– Projects as temporary organisations;
– Mechanical metaphor, Taylorism, instrumental lifecycle image of projects;
– Role of the traditional project manager.
• The Broader Factors, Besides the Technical Ones, to Enhance Project Performance (20 marks)
– Characteristics associated with strategic envelope (level 2 of Management of Projects);
– Connectivity of strategic envelope with the technical core;
– Projects as social processes, alternative process models to deal with complex situations;
– Value creation as the prime focus;
– Emerging new relationships with business customer;
– Factors and measures connected with effectiveness;
– Choosing the right project (‘the why’);
– Project front-ending, project strategy and business strategy;
– Project success factors;
– Value and benefits;
– Value creation as a project image;
– Broadening the role of the project manager;
– Systems thinking, soft systems thinking and soft systems methodology;

• The Evolution of a Project Management System within Organisations with the Aim of Improving it (20 marks)
– Characteristics associated with institutional context (level 3 of Management of Projects);
– Institutional context connectivity with strategic envelop and technical core;
– Project Management Office (PMO);
– Project Management Maturity Model;
– Sponsorship and Governance;
– Connectivity between business strategy and PMO;
– Features associated with project management system;
– Consistent project success;
– Learning organisation;
– Strategic resource and procurement.

• The Importance of Context for, and its Effects on, the Management of Projects (20 marks)
– Management of projects characteristics – institutional context is ‘outward looking’;
– Environmental changes, new methodologies, methods and standards for project management;
– Emerging methodologies and methods from different disciplines (e.g. operational research) used in Management of Projects – an emerging interdisciplinary approach to project management;
– Importance of the Project Management office (PMO);
– Evolutions in the Business environmental , awareness of business changes, new innovations e.g. technology, competitive advantage;
– Importance of value creation – working with external customers (and theirs strategies and values);
– business strategy influencing innovative projects and vice-a-versa;
– Images of the Organisation;
– Business organisations influencing the environment through innovative projects.

• Reflections and Lessons Learnt (15 marks)
– Project managers as reflective practitioners;
– Applicability of systems thinking, soft systems methodology for management of projects;
– Applicability of analytical thinking, mind maps and fishbone diagrams for management of projects;
– Highlight appropriate learning models such as the learning cycle of soft systems methodology, Kolb’s experiential learning model, single and double loop learning;
– Learning and development at individual, group, project and organisational levels;
– Lessons learnt with regards findings from practical workshop sessions, and use of methodologies and/or methods.