AUGUST 2020 SUPPLEMENTARY/AEGROTAT EXAMINATION

TAKE HOME ASSESSMENT QUESTION & ANSWER BOOKLET

PROGRAMME POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

MODULE PROJECT INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT

STUDENT NUMBER

IDENTITY NUMBER

SURNAME

FIRST NAME

EMAIL

CELL

INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES:
1. This is an official assessment of REGENT Business School and only bona-fide students are entitled to write
the assessment for the modules they are registered for.
2. Students are required to type in the answers in the question & answer booklet below each question.
3. No handwritten submissions will be processed.
4. The completed assessment must be submitted within the stipulated timeframe.
5. Students are reminded to submit their work as their own – no group work is permitted.
6. Students are reminded to convert their completed assessment to PDF before uploading onto the student portal.
7. Candidates are required to answer ALL questions.
8. This is an open book examination.

DATE: 04 August 2020 TIME: 13h30 – 18h30

DURATION: 5 hours MARKS: 100

EXAMINER: C Langley MODERATOR: M A Kisten

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

QUESTIONS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
EXAMINER
MODERATOR
QA

This question paper consists of two (2) typed pages excluding the cover page
QUESTION ONE [35]

Read the following case study and answer the questions that follow:

AstraZeneca Creates a Culture of Agility and Innovation

A cultural transformation is helping us push the boundaries of science to make a difference for
millions of patients across the globe. In 2013, the first foundational step was taken to help
AstraZeneca (AZ), a global, science-led biopharmaceutical business employing 59,700 employees
worldwide, become a leader in our core disease areas. This transformation is allowing us to respond
to new challenges and opportunities and increase the levels of scientific innovation. In short, we are
becoming a more agile organization. Project management methodologies are tools to assist in
delivering projects.

Our journey is a substantial break with traditional corporate culture. To achieve our goal, we defined
five key AstraZeneca project management values:
1. Customer Focus 2. Technical Leadership 3. Operational Excellence 4. Collaboration 5. Simplicity.

Roadmap to Agility
These key organizational values drove our work and, in 2013, we launched our efforts. We began by
creating a centralized project management organization (PMO) to build project management
capabilities; identifying key business process, which includes baselining; and establishing reporting.
In 2015, we expanded the scope to include culture of global working, enterprise project management
tools, automated portfolio views, capacity management revamp, decision making framework, option
planning capabilities, leadership, portfolio management, project and portfolio risk management, and
sharpened communication. The journey brings us to our current state of establishing project
management excellence, including:
• Project naming conventions
• Project plan visualization
• Reporting platforms and quality
• Facilitation and collaboration
• Framework prioritization
• Portfolio and information management demand responsiveness.

Reference:
Adapted from: Mazzetti, M., Hedwall, M., Crowther, M., Lennard, S., Richardson, M. and Taylor, L.
(2018). AstraZeneca Creates a Culture of Agility and Innovation (2018). Available online from:

1
https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/case-study/case-study-astrazeneca-
agile.pdf?v=d73135a1-ca97-4177-90d1-34ee953572c5 [Accessed 1 February 2020].

1.1 Project management methodologies are tools to assist in delivering projects.

With reference to the above statement assess the effectiveness of agile methodology. (15)
1.2 Elaborate between projects, programmes and portfolios (20)

QUESTION TWO [20]

Project Management Institute (PMI) has defined a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct that all
members of PMI are expected to adhere to when managing projects.
Critically evaluate the above statement.

QUESTION THREE [25]

The change control process helps avoid unnecessary changes during a project.
Examine the inputs, tools and techniques, and outputs of the integrated change control process.

QUESTION FOUR [20]

4.1 Determine the importance of project management as it relates to strategic alignment and
leadership. (10)
4.2 Elaborate on the best practices related to closing a project. (10)

END OF QUESTION PAPER