CH5011 Managing Business Projects Assessment 1 and 2 Updated

Managing Business Projects Assessment 1 and 2

Component: Assessment 1: Project Initiation Document Assessment 2: Project Evaluation Report

Weighting: Assessment 1 = 30% Assessment 2 = 70%

Academic year: 2021-22 Semester: 1 Module Code: CH5011

Level: 5

Deadline: Assessment 1: Friday 26th November 2021 Assessment 2: Tuesday 4th of January 2021

Time: Assessment 1: 13:00 Assessment 2: 13:00

Introduction

You have been employed by the client as a project management consultant to carry out an initial study of the proposed project. The first task is to provide a Project Initiation Document (PID) which sets out the early stages of your project. The PID discusses the scoping and initial planning and associated challenges involved in delivering this project. The second task is to write a report which provides a more detailed evaluation of the project.

You are required to select one of the following three clients and create a project initiation document. Further information regarding the clients can be found in Appendix 1.

Client Project

1 Ron Craggs New Restaurant Venture

2 Supersonic Music festival logistics

3 Steve’s Graduate Jobs

Job fair Stall

4 Keep on Truckin’ Global Logistics

5 All Natural New Fashion Start Up

Assignment Brief 1 - Project Initiation Document

You are required to provide early definition and high level planning of your chosen project. This includes the initial planning setting out the duration and scope of the project. This will be a key input into your final report. To do this you will need to provide the following:

Task

You must create a Project Initiation Document (PID) (maximum 1000 words). This document utilizes well

researched visuals that aide with the presentation of the document. This document should include the

following:

A. A project brief- statement of the requirements of the project in the early phase. State the purpose and assumptions of the project. What specifically needs to be done?

B. A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for the project including clearly defined descriptions, levels and a numbering system.

C. Project team management structure- who is involved and what are the governance arrangements i.e. roles and responsibilities on the project eg. project manager etc.

D. The basic level Project Plan with the basic time plan of major activities their sequences and duration.

E. The list of internal and external stakeholders i.e. groups and individuals F. Present a table of the risks with the description, likelihood, severity, level (high, medium

or low), mitigation and owner.

All visuals should be labelled, and should include citations in the label where necessary, with a full reference list at the end of the document.

Assignment Brief 2

You are required to write a report (2000 words) covering the following for your chosen project:

The client is asking you to clarify how long it will take to complete this project. You need to clarify project

completion criteria to be able to do this. You will need to develop a timing estimate by using your

previous WBS to come up with a list of tasks, durations, and dependencies which you use to produce a

network diagram. You should outline any assumptions made and discuss possible ways of reducing the

timing estimate.

Additionally, you need to identify and explain any key risks associated with this timing. What other risks

and challenges should your customer expect to encounter if they undertake this project? How should

they be addressed?

Note: You can include aspects of the Assignment 1 submission as Assignment 2 content

The WBS developed for Assignment 1 should be included as an appendix in your Assignment 2 submission

or within the discussion. You may choose to make changes to it, based on the feedback you received on

Assignment 1.

Structure and Presentation

Write clearly and concisely and in a professional tone – keep your writing formal and precise, avoid using

dramatic language or slang.

Think carefully about the structure of your work. Ensure it follows a logical development. You are

required to present your work as a business report. No executive summary is required, but you should

include a contents page. You should include both an introduction and a conclusion. As is usual in a

business report, each section should be numbered and have a heading, and you should ‘nest’ sub-sections

within the overall sections. For example, an overall section on Project Timing might be divided into sub-

sections on estimation approaches, critical path, iron triangle. Below is an example structure:

Cover Sheet

Table of contents (Computer generated)

1. Introduction

2. Project Definition

2.1. Project objective

2.2. Assumptions (Could be added to appendix)

3. Project Planning

3.1. Scope (Including Work Breakdown Structure)

3.2. Time - Project Schedule (Gannt chart and critical path analysis)

3.3 Costs considerations

3.4. Constraints

3.5. Stakeholder management

5. Risks

5.1. Identification

5.2. Assessment

5.3. Response

6. Conclusion

Reference List

Appendix

Costs and Resources

You are required to consider in detail the timing element of the project plan. You are not required to

estimate costs for this report, nor to consider resource availability. You should mention the impact on

costs if, for example, you discuss overtime or other ways of compressing a project timeline, but cost

estimates are not required.

Submission Guidance

All work must be submitted via https://student.zy.cdut.edu.cn/ or https://student.zycdut.net:888/ before

the stated deadline in both a Microsoft Word document, and a pdf. Any document that is unable to be

opened may be marked as 0. Please keep all copies of work in an external cloud (email, Baidu, iCloud etc)

or hard drive as you may be asked to resubmit.

For Exceptional Circumstances please see the academic policy for late submissions at

https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/your-studies/exceptional-circumstances/

Presenting Coursework for Assessment

• Include in-text citations in Harvard format

• Include your student number and the word count on the cover page of your assignment.

• Give the file that you intend to upload a name that begins with your student number. For

example: ‘201607090XXX_assignment name_module code’

• All submissions should be in line with university regulations for line spacing and font size (below)

and you may be required to resubmit your work if it does not.

• It must be word-processed in 11-point Arial font and double-spaced

• All pages must be numbered

• Headings and titles should be bold

• Tables and figures must be labelled and with citation where necessary

• Paragraphs should have a space between them

• Margins must be as follows: Top: 1 inch, Bottom: 1 inch (2.5 cm), Left: 1.25 inches, Right: 1.25

inches (3.2 cm)

• It should not contain your name

• Please review https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/academic-development/online-

resources/essays/ for further academic writing guidance

Feedback Timing

Official marks and feedback for this module will be made available to students following the Subject Exam

Committee. Preliminary feedback and grades may be given at different points throughout the term. You

will receive preliminary feedback and grades for assignment 1 before assignment 2. The preliminary

grades for assessment 1 will be released three working weeks after submission.

Guidance Notes

Marks will be earned for the following criteria. Equal weighting is applied to each of these criteria.

• Reference to project management theories/ concepts/frameworks and tools from the module

and wider reading, sometimes beyond the reading list.

• Appropriate application of those theories/ concepts/frameworks/tools

• A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) is included at an appropriate level of detail.

Note 1: your word limit for this assignment is quite tight, therefore please ensure that you only provide

the information required for each section. Only include the above sections in your report and no other

aspects which could also be included in the PID.

Note 2: your WBS does not need to be too detailed – but should include at least twelve steps – including

the logical grouping of the main activities and their tasks. It is recommended that you do not include too

many steps as this will make your Gantt Chart / network diagram overly complex. This may require you to

restrict your project planning to a very high level.

Note 3: Important - you will be assessed on your knowledge and understanding of project management language, tools and techniques, not on the detailed subject material of the project you have selected. You do NOT need to be an expert on any of the identified areas (restaurants, music festivals, career fairs ).

5

Assignment Length

The length of an assignment is limited to aid the development of concise writing skills and to ensure

all work is assessed equitably. This is why you are required to complete your assignment within the

specified word limit.

You will need to think carefully about how best to explain your case within the permitted number of

words using, for example, an appropriate mix of text, drawings, diagrams and tables, supplemented

if required by information contained in appendices.

Please also remember that a report can be enhanced or damaged through layout. For example,

placing all tables and drawings in appendices can hamper the flow of the discussion. Decisions

therefore need to be made about the most appropriate place to use tables etc, to support your case.

The specified word count refers to the main body of the report and does not include front cover,

title page, contents page, tables, reference list, bibliography or appendices. The word count does

include headings and in-text citations, but not equations or diagrams.

Appendices themselves will not generally be marked unless specified. However, inappropriate use of

appendices will be taken into consideration when awarding the final mark.

Words that exceed the maximum allowed will not be marked. If in doubt, you should discuss this

with the Module Leader before submission.

Authenticating your coursework

After work has been submitted, it may be necessary for you to be able to demonstrate that this work

is your own. You should keep all working documents that you have saved until you have received

your official final mark from Oxford Brookes. These documents could include, notes, interview

schedules, screen shots of arrangements for interviews, completed primary research such as

questionaries, and early copies of drafts. These can be kept as evidence of the originality of your

work. You should save each revision of your assignment file with a different name (E.g. Assignment

name_V1/V2/V3 etc). These can then be shown as evidence of originality. Additionally, submit drafts

when asked to your module tutor.

You may wish to ask a trusted friend, family member or professional service to proofread your work

before submission. You must be careful that this proofreading does not result in you being cited for

academic misconduct for collusion or contract cheating. Proofreading can consider the following:

• Identify spelling and typographical errors

• Identify poor grammar e.g. tense use, verb form, sentence structure, word order

• Highlight formatting errors or inconsistencies

• Identify spelling/grammar/typographical errors in labelling of diagrams, charts or figures

• Identify typographical errors in equations

• Highlight a sentence or paragraph that is overly complex or where the intended meaning is

not clear

• Draw attention to repeated phrases or omitted words

• Identify errors in the referencing system applied

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It is not acceptable for proofreaders to do the following:

• Rewrite passages of text to clarify the meaning

• Change any words or figures, except to correct spelling

• Check or rewrite calculations, formulae, equations or computer code

• Rearrange or reformat passages of text

• Contribute any additional material to the original

• Redraw, alter, or relabel diagrams, charts, or figures

• Alter argument or logic, where faulty.

• Implement or alter a referencing system or add to references

• Check or correct facts, data calculations, formulae or equations

• Correcting errors identified in the reference system applied

• Translate text drafted by students

Oxford Brookes Proofreading Policy available at: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/getmedia/33bacd08-

5c43-4a59-a2ee-647654946e5f/Proofreading-Guidance.pdf

Academic Misconduct

Full policy and guidance available at: https://www.brookes.ac.uk/students/sirt/student-

conduct/academic-misconduct/

Appendix 1 - Additional Scenario Information

Client Project Further information

1 Ron Craggs New Restaurant Venture

Your client has decided to relocate their restaurant,

Slaughters, to a new location around the Gaoxin District of

Chengdu. They are looking to benefit from developments

in this area. This area has been chosen for its close access

to subways stations, and its proximity to multiple office

buildings and financial centers. They have already

procured a location and have hired your consultancy

company to help plan the relocation and give a timeline.

7

2 Supersonic Music festival Supersonic is an event organizing company that is looking

to hold its first music festival in China in the summer. They

have years of expertise in hosting festivals around Europe,

but this is their first experience of coming to China. They

have asked your consultancy company to assist with the

initial planning and steps needed to bring their acts to

China.

3 Steve’s Graduate Jobs

Organise a stall at the largest jobs fair in Chengdu.

Your client is an international graduate recruitment

company who is hoping to have a stall at a recruitment

fair in Chengdu. They have asked you to help them

understand the steps involved in to be able to set up

successfully.

4 Keep on Truckin’

Global Logistics Company

A logistic company has asked you to prepare a plan for a

new docking station in the port of Dandong China. The

require a timeline for completion, a list of potential

stakeholders for the project, a management structure for

this type of project and some of the key tasks required to

build this port.

5 All Natural New Fashion Start Up

A fashion brand is planning a launch by holding a fashion

show in China. They have asked you to assist with the step

needed to make this launch a success. They have all of the

products ready and in China, but they do not have a venue

booked, and want to know who is involved, how to

manage them, and the some of the key steps that need to

happen for this project to be given the go ahead.

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Marking Rubric – Assignment 1

First 70% or above

Second Class – First Division 69 – 60%

Second Class – Second Division

59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Project Brief

(15%)

The brief concisely and accurately describes the project

The brief accurately describes the project.

There are some areas which are illogical or unclear.

The brief clearly attempts to describes the project.

There are some errors with the clarity of the brief.

There is a project brief that minimally describes the project.

Frequent errors cause issues to clarity.

The project brief is not relevant to the scenario.

The project brief is unclear and hard to follow.

Work Breakdown Structure

(WBS)

(15%)

The WBS clearly shows 12 items that are logical and accurate for this form of project.

The visual is clear, accurate and assists with the paper.


The visual is generally clear, accurate and assists with the paper.



There is a visual that is generally clear, with some doubt on the accuracy of the information.

There are several areas which are illogical or unclear.

The WBS has been attempt and has 12 items. There is some doubt in the reliability and logic of the steps put forward.

The visual used is unclear in some places.

The WBS is inaccurate

The WBS does not follow standard practice.

The WBS does not have 12 steps.

The steps are irrelevant for this type of project.

The visual is illegible.

9

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Project Team Management

structure (15%)

Key personnel are identified and presented in a clear visual with a concise and logical way.

Key personnel are identified and presented in a clear visual with a concise and logical way.


Some key personnel are identified and presented

The visual is present but not clear or concise.

There are several areas which are illogical or unclear.

An attempt has been made to put forward some key personnel.

The visual used is difficult to read and understand.

The personnel identified are unrelated to this type of project.

The relationships are unclear.

Project plan (15%)

A project plan has been created and clearly and concisely highlight the key steps for this project.

A project plan has been created and clearly highlights key steps for this project.


A project plan has been created. The key steps have been put forward but not always logically or clearly.

There is a project plan with some key steps identified.

The steps are frequently illogical.

There is no project plan

The project plan put forward does not clearly show the key steps needed for this type of project.

10

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Stakeholders (15%)

Internal and external stakeholders have been identified and categorised accurately using a project management tool/theory.

A clear visual has been used to categorise the stakeholders.

Internal and external stakeholders have been identified and categorised accurately using a project management tool/theory.


A visual has been used to categorise the stakeholders.

Internal and external stakeholders have been identified and categorised using a project management tool/theory.

There are some key stakeholders which have been missed or inaccurate stakeholders identified.

A visual has been used to categorise the stakeholders.

An attempt to identify stakeholders has been made

The paper has not clearly used a taught theory/tool has been used.

Fewer than 10 stakeholders have been identified.

The stakeholders identified have not been clearly categorised

It is difficult to see the relevance of the stakeholders identified.

There is no visual.

Table of Risks (15%)

Key risks have been identified, categorised, and presented accurately.

The visual used is clear and concise.

Key risks have been identified and categorised accurately.


The visual used is clear with minor errors.

Key risks have been identified and categorised with some doubt on the accuracy/relevance.

The visual used is unclear in places.

The visual used has some errors.

The risks identified are not always related to this type if project.

The presentation of the risks is unclear in places.

An attempt to use a visual has been made but it does not assist with the section.

Key risks related to this type of project have not been presented accurately nor clearly.

There is no visual.

11

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Formatting and

Organisation

(10%)

There are no formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing

There are one or two formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing.

There frequent formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing. These do not take away from the overall clarity of the report.

There are multiple formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing. This cause some strain to the reader.

Only a weak attempt at creating an appropriate standard document and following formatting instructions.

There are no clear paragraphs

It does not follow an academic essay structure (Automatic fail).

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Marking Rubric – Assignment 2

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Application of

project management

theory/concept/frameworks/to

ols

(30%)

The report demonstrated excellent knowledge of the course content by integrating major and minor concepts into the response.

The deliverable also demonstrated evidence of extensive research effort and a depth of thinking about the topic.

The report demonstrated knowledge of the course content by integrating major and minor concepts into the response.

The deliverable demonstrated evidence of research effort and a depth of thinking about the topic.

The report demonstrated knowledge of the course content by integrating major concepts into the response but not always consistently.

The deliverable demonstrated evidence of limited research effort and/or initial of thinking about the topic.

The report attempted to demonstrate knowledge of the course content, and concepts.

The deliverable used a limited research effort and/or initial of thinking about the topic.

The deliverable did not demonstrate knowledge of the course content, evidence of the research effort or depth of thinking about the topic.

13

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Diagrams/Tables/Charts

(10%)

All visuals are greatly benefit the report.

Visuals are clear, logical, use suitable colour schemes, and have accurate data/information.

All visuals are labelled with citations where necessary.

The majority of visuals are accurate, clear and add benefit to the report.

There is some doubt on the validity of the information in the visuals.

All visuals are labelled with citations where necessary.

Visuals have been used and are generally logical to the report.

There is some unreliability in the information put forward.

All visuals are labelled with citation where necessary.

An attempt to use visuals has been made but the accuracy and clarity is lacking.

Some key information is missing or unclear.

Some of the visuals are not labelled or cited.

Visuals have not been used.

Visuals used do not show relevant information.

Visuals are difficult to see the relevance.

Visuals used are unclear and poorly formatted.

14

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Risk identification and solutions

(40%)

The report comprehensively identifies risks in a clear, logical, and professional manner.

Realistically assesses all risks, considering the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences

The solutions suggested comprehensively mitigates the risks identified.

The report identifies risks in a clear, logical, and professional manner.

Realistically assesses risks, considering the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences with some error.

The solutions suggested comprehensively mitigates the risks identified, with some error.

The report inconsistently identified the risks in a clear, logical, and professional manner.

Clear attempts have been made to realistically assess risks, consider the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences with some error.

The solutions suggested generally mitigates the risks identified, with some error.

Some risks have been identified, although not always clearly.

The logic of the suggested solutions is lacking in multiple places.

Risks identified are not related to the case study.

The solutions put forward do not logically solve the issues identified.

15

Referencing (5%)

All cited works, both text and visual, are done in the correct format (Harvard) with no errors.

Presents compelling evidence from professionally legitimate sources; attribution is clear and accurate; references are primarily peer-reviewed professional journals or other approved sources

Some cited works, both text and visual, are done in the correct format.

Inconsistencies evident in place

Professionally legitimate references are generally used; clear and fair citations are presented in most cases; most of the information/content/evidence comes from sources that are reliable

Completed in the correct format with some errors.

Professionally legitimate references are mostly used; clear and fair citations are presented in some cases; most of the information/content/evidence comes from sources that are reliable but there is some over reliance one non-academic sources.

Few cited works, both text and visual, are done in the correct format.

There is some uncertainty in the reliability; few if any appropriate citations are provided; reader doubts the validity of much of the material.

Has used websites such as Wikipedia, Coursehero, UKessays or other known plagiarism websites as an academic source (Automatic fail or minimum pass depending on how much they have been used)

Absent or the only sites are internet site

Majority of the cited works are incorrect

Sources which have been used are largely irrelevant and do not add anything to the report.

There are no citations or research

The majority of cited sources (>50%) are non-academic.

16

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Formatting (5%)

There are no formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing

There are one or two formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing.

There frequent formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing. These do not take away from the overall clarity of the report.

There are multiple formatting errors with appropriate headings, font, citations, text size and paragraphing. This cause some strain to the reader.

Only a weak attempt at creating an appropriate standard document and following formatting instructions.

There are no clear paragraphs

It does not follow an academic essay structure (Automatic fail).

17

First 70% or above



59-50

Third 40 – 49%

Fail 0 – 39%

Communication (10%)

The deliverable was well organized and clearly written. The underlying logic was clearly articulated and easy to follow.

Words were chosen that precisely expressed the intended meaning and supported reader comprehension.

Diagrams or analyses enhanced and clarified presentation of ideas.

Sentences were grammatical and free from errors.

There is a clear and concise introduction and conclusion.

The deliverable was well organized and clearly written.

The underlying logic was clearly articulated and easy to follow.

Words were chosen that expressed the intended meaning and supported reader comprehension.

Diagrams or analyses enhanced and clarified presentation of ideas.

There were some sentences with grammatical errors.

There is a clear and concise introduction and conclusion.

The deliverable was organized and clearly written for the most part.

In some areas the logic and/or flow of ideas were difficult to follow. Words were well chosen with some minor expectations.

Diagrams were consistent with the text.

Sentences were mostly grammatical and/or only a few spelling errors were present but they did not hinder the reader.

The introduction and conclusion are generally clear, but with some error.

The deliverable is unclear in places.

The logic and/or flow of ideas were difficult to follow.

Diagrams were inconsistent with the text in places.

Sentences frequently had grammatical and spelling errors.

There is an introduction and conclusion which gives some background and summary.

The deliverable lacked overall organization.

The reader had to make considerable effort to understand the underlying logic and flow of ideas.

Diagrams were absent or inconsistent with the text.

Grammatical and spelling errors made it difficult for the reader to interpret the text in places.

The introduction and conclusion are lacking key information and background.

Documents

CH5011 Managing Business Projects Assessment 1 and 2 Updated