Project Management Fundamentals

Coursework Assignment

Submission Deadline: Please Refer to Moodle

The coursework is intended to give you an opportunity to discuss and apply some of
the techniques covered on the course in small groups.
To get things started, everyone should prepare a project definition document, also
called a project overview statement, for a prospective project.
This project should have a definite beginning and end point and must involve the
coordination of a number of people and resources. The project may be derived from
work life, personal experience or leisure interests. It may be a fictional project or part
of a real project (preferably completed).
Pre-existing groups should review and select the most suitable project definition to
develop and take forward as the basis of their group project. If you are not in a group,
you might like to post some project ideas on the module forum to generate interest.
Bear in mind that this coursework is primarily concerned with project planning. If your
project is about, say, installing a network, then don’t spend all of your time finding out
every detail about installing networks. Likewise, if your project is based on a live
project, don’t waste time struggling to get access to live data. Concentrate on the
high-level planning of the project, not the minutiae. If in doubt, make reasonable
assumptions – I’m unlikely to know if you are right or wrong anyway!
Do not choose a project that is overly simplistic or complex. Ideally the lowest level in
the project’s Work Breakdown Structure should have about 15–25 tasks and the
project should use 2–4 resources.

Marking Scheme

The group submission will take the form of a project planning report.
1. The report should begin with the group’s project overview statement. This should
be no longer than 1–2 pages (500–700 words) and include the project
background, purpose, scope, objectives and assumptions. It will be marked in
accordance with the guidelines given in the lecture on project definition. (25)
2. The body of the report should comprise a detailed plan (1500–1800 words
excluding diagrams) comprising:
1. A Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The indented list technique is probably
most practical. Give deliverables for at least 5 of the tasks. Effort estimates
should be included with the WBS and picked up in the project schedule. (15)
2. A tabular Risk Register including key information fields and containment /
contingency plans. Higher marks will be given for risks that are project specific
and actionable events as opposed to risk conditions or effects. (15)

Page 1 of 2
 3. A Project Schedule in the form of a Gantt chart showing resources and
milestones. This must be accompanied by a .mpp file with supporting resource
sheet, network diagram and costs (labour and fixed). The schedule must
match up with WBS codes, and effort estimates. No resources (typically staff)
should be over-allocated. (20)
4. A Project Monitoring Plan for the selected project. At a minimum this should
include a schedule of milestones and a cumulative PV curve (performance
measurement baseline) for the project as a whole. Ideally it should also include
specimen document templates (e.g. issue log, progress report) and/or
specimen graphical tools (e.g. RACI chart, slippage chart, etc.). (15)
3. Some marks will be awarded for the professional appearance and presentation of
the report including layout, illustrations, style, spelling and grammar. The
document should be presented primarily in A4 portrait format and should have a
cover-page (with a word count), table of contents and page numbers. (10)

By all means have a lead author for each part of the report, but to get the most from
this exercise you must review and finalise each part as a group. If you do otherwise,
you will be missing out on the chance to gain familiarity with each planning activity
and may end up with a document that is disjointed and potentially weak in places.

Submission Guidelines
The assignment is to be submitted electronically and will comprise 50% of the marks
for the module. Submission will be via e-mail and Turnitin (accessed on Moodle).
The submission should be a self-contained 15–25 page document, formatted such
that all figures and diagrams would be readable if printed out. The total word count
for the report should be between 2000 and 2500 words. Submissions out with this
range may be penalised. In addition to the report (in WORD or PDF format) you must
also submit a supporting Microsoft Project (MPP) file. As previously stated, the
formatting (printed appearance) of the report will be taken in to account during
marking and the MPP file will be inspected to clarify the schedule.
Heed the words of Blaise Pascal: ‘I have made this letter longer than usual, because
I lack the time to make it short’!
You are cautioned that the University has a strict policy covering late submission of
coursework that applies to all modules. In essence, this stipulates a 10% penalty for
coursework submitted up to one week after the due date, or any extension.
If, for any reason you find that you are unable to continue with this module, please
inform the other members of your group in good time.

Page 2 of 2