ELECTRONIC ASSIGNMENT COVERSHEET

Course/Unit Information
Course Post Graduate Extended Diploma – UCAM/CIQ
Unit No. 727
Unit Name Information Technology Strategy And Management
Unit code UCAM/CIQ/GM727
Schedule Name ITSMONL2008A

Instructor Information
Name Mohamed Ashmel

Assignment Information
Full/ Part Assignment Full Assignment
Date Assignment Issued 16/08/2020
Date Assignment Due 12/09/2020

Student Information
(To be filled by the student prior submitting the assignment)
Name
Student ID
Email

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 STUDENT DECLARATION

I hereby confirm that this assignment is my own work and not copied or plagiarized. It has

not previously been submitted as part of any assessment for this qualification. All the

sources, from which information has been obtained for this assignment, have been

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 LEARNING OUTCOMES AND ASSESSMENT FEEDBACK

Name of the Assessor Mohamed Ashmel

Module Code & Title UCAM/CIQ/205 Socio-Economic & Legal Environment

Module Learning Outcomes

Understand the concepts of Information Technology and how Information Technology
LO1
can improve Organisational Performance
Understand the skills required to integrate concepts from various disciplines to identify
LO2
and develop business strategies in Information Technology.

Analyze the strategies for effective teamwork and leadership for planning and
LO3
implementing successful IT initiatives

Critically examine the implementation of Project Management in Information

LO4
Technology
Marks
Assessment Types Marks
Achieved
Report on Chosen Organizational Scenario (Task 1A) 50

Presentation (Task 1B) 20

Project Plan for an IT Scenario 30

Overall Score 100

Overall Grade Click or tap to enter a date.

Marks Grade
70 to 100 A - Distinction
60 to 69 B - Merit
50 to 59 Pass
40 to 49 Fail with Resubmit
0 to 39 Fail with Retake
 Summative Feedback:

Overall Feedback on
current work with
emphasis on how the
student can further
improve in future.

GENERAL GUIDELINES
(Please read the instructions carefully)

1. Complete the title page with all necessary student details and ensure that the signature of
the student is marked in the declaration form.

2. All assignments must be submitted as an electronic document in MS Word to the LMS

(Use 12 Times New Roman script).

3. All assignments must be submitted with an accompanying Turnitin report.

4. Assignment that is not submitted to the LMS by the prescribed deadline will be accepted
ONLY under the REDO and RESIT submission policy of Westford.

5. The results are declared only if the student has met the mandatory attendance
requirement of 75% and/or a minimum of 50% under extenuating circumstances
approved and ratified by the Academic Director. The student has to repeat the module
(with additional fees applicable) if the attendance is below 50%.

6. The assignment should not contain any contents including references cited from
websites like www.ukessays.com, www.studymode.com, www.slideshare.net ,
www.scribd.com.

7. Students can refer Wikipedia as a source of information, but the references cited in
Wikipedia has to be mentioned.

8. Submit the assignment in a MS Word document with the file name being:
First Name Last Name_ abbreviation of the subject.

Example: John Smith_SP.

Quick reference Checklist for the Faculty/Instructor to accept/reject the assignment

before evaluation:

□ Adherence to the deadline of submission date.

 □ Original cover sheet and format retained.

□ Student information and signature intact.

□ Font style and size used as instructed.

□ Harvard Referencing Style is strictly followed.

Assignment Task 1A: [50 Marks] – Project Format

Read the following Scenario, and prepare a report with the guidelines provided.

Scenario: The learner is acting as an internal Information Technology (IT) consultant

for a chosen organization (preferably where the learner is currently working or any
other chosen organization in mutual consultation with the instructor). The learner is
required to explore the Information Technology and Information Systems
capabilities, Procurement and Contract strategies, Project Management strategies
and effective team management and leadership skills within the context of global
business operation.

The report should include the following and written in word format:
1. Introduction of the Chosen Organization is required. The student must then
highlight principles of Information Technology and Information System (IT/IS) that
they think are most important to the enterprise. The business strategy of the
organisation must be discussed explaining its alignment with the current IT/IS
strategy of the organization. Clear emphasis on whether IT spending priorities and
technology deployments are well aligned or not with the business strategy must
be presented. [8 Marks]

2. A review of the current Information Technology and Information System (IT/IS)

of the organization, exploring the current and long-term solution required to
address the current and future Information Communication and Technological
(ICT) challenges the firm is experiencing. The proposed ICT solutions must discuss
both the internal and external influences that would have led to the need for such
action. Drawing from your practical experiences here would add value to your
answer. [12 marks]

3. Procurement Managers are responsible for buying goods for your company either
for use or resale. They are responsible for closing the best purchasing deals for
products and services on the market to minimize company procurement costs.
Explore how your organisation’s IT procurement strategy which is likely to
contribute to a successful and or more profitable enterprise. Further, critically
 evaluate a Supplier Evaluation Method (using metric) your organisation uses or
likely to use to determine the ICT procurement needs. Again, we encourage
students to draw from the examples of other firms, sharing their experiences in
relation to the question. [12 marks]

4. Critically evaluate the wider implications of strategic quality on organisational

information system, technology and process. Discuss how the inherent
characteristic of system’ quality ultimately contributes to organisational
excellence specifically within the context of design, development and
implementation of management information systems. Students are
encouraged to draw from the examples of other firms, sharing their
experiences in relation to the question. [10 marks]

5. Discuss how an Artificial Intelligence (big data driven) platform can build
sustainable competitive advantage for overall business operation. You must
also discuss the business scope, market risk, anticipations of consumer
behavior and risk while addressing the impact of AI. Even though you are
writing in the context of the organization, you are encouraged to draw from
the examples of other firms, sharing their experiences in relation to the
question. [8 marks]

6. References and writing style: You must strictly adhere to the Harvard
Referencing System Format and present the report in an Essay type format
where applicable.

The report shall not exceed 4,000 words and should include relevant examples and
illustrations.

Task 1B [20 Marks] – Presentation

Learners must design and present to the Board of Directors, a PowerPoint

presentation, briefly answering the following questions.

● A brief insight on IT strategic leadership of your organizations.

● Articulate three IT objectives of strategic leadership emphasized by
your organisation.
● Highlight how the strategic leadership influences and drive the need for
building advantages for Information Technology unit.
● Discuss two key challenges on IT strategic leadership and how it can be
 addressed from the organisational perspective.
A total of 10 minutes will be assigned for each presentation, with an additional 5
minutes for questions-answers session. Marks are allocated for content, engagement,
delivery and Q & A. [20 Marks]

Assignment Task - 2: [30 Marks] – Project Plan and PERT

Propose a project management plan for implementing artificial intelligence software

in your organisation to bring-in agility in your overall business-IT operation. Discuss
how the project plan will impact the overall strategic business objectives of the
organization.
The project plan must be an active plan where the student is encouraged to make real
life assumptions and not just engage the reader in theory. The plan should define the
following:
● Business objectives
● Project scope
● Project objectives
● Project assumptions
● Project roles and responsibilities
● Timeline with Gantt charts
● Risk management with populated template
● Stakeholder management with populated matrix
● Project funding
● Other areas can be discussed

Assuming that below are the stages for your project plan re the implementation of the
new software, you must design a PERT diagram showing its Critical path. You must
highlight the drawbacks of applying PERT in the project and recommend ways of
mitigating them.

Activity Description Immediate Estimated duration

predecessors
A Stakeholder meeting - 2 weeks
B Training of power users A 4 weeks
C Installation of hardware B 10 weeks
 D Testing of hardware C 6 weeks
E Certification and approvals C 4 weeks
F Installation of software –P1 E 5 weeks
G Installation of software – P2 D 7 weeks
H Software testing E,G 9 weeks
I Software configuration C 7 weeks
J Cloud setup F,I 8 weeks
K Change management exe. J 4 weeks
L SOP changes J 5 weeks
M Going live in stages H 2 weeks
N Post mortem and problem K,L 6 weeks
solving

The report shall not exceed 2,000 words and should include relevant examples and
illustrations.