Pmp Critique Paper
Task
PMP Critique
Due Date
Week 7 – Fri Jan 10, 2014, 5:00 pm
Worth
20% (50 marks)
Course Objectives
This assessment task relates to the following course objectives:
• identify and understand the critical roles and phases in IT projects
• understand the basic components of project management and its importance in improving the success of IT projects
• understand how to create an IT project plan
• apply the project management knowledge areas to IT projects
• demonstrate knowledge of project management principles and techniques
• discuss current issues in IT project management
• understand and appreciate the importance of project management within a business environment
• value the significance of software quality in IT projects
Background
A critique or critical …show more content…
analysis is a review or appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation. Writing a critical analysis requires you to read the selected text in detail and to also read other related texts so that you can present a fair and reasonable evaluation of the selected text.
In this assignment, you are required to undertake a critical analysis of a Project Management Plan (PMP). Critical thinking is an important component of being a professional. Without thinking critically you are only looking at the surface of things. To be a successful project manager you need to sort out what 's accurate and what 's not, and identify a solid, factual base for solving problems and addressing issues on your project.
An electronic copy of a PMP for you to evaluate will be available from your tutor or course lecturer. See PMP for Critique. For assistance in critical writing techniques, see: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers/ld/resources/writing/writing-resources/critical-writing/
Requirements
Your critical analysis will summarise and evaluate key aspects of the assigned PMP. You should adopt Schwalbe (2010, pp.151-154; 2014, pp.161-164) and the PMI’s (2013, p.77) PMBOK Guide as frameworks for comparison and evaluation. Also see Appendix I, PMP Critique Guide document prepared by the course coordinator.
An electronic copy of these documents is available in Moodle (partner students please see your tutor or course lecturer).
When reviewing the PMP think about the following:
• what planning tools the authors have used
• any additional content that has been included
• any content that has been omitted
• the language used
• the layout and usability of the PMP
• the overall quality of the PMP
Your report should be presented in a business or management style and structured as follows:
• title page
• executive summary
• table of contents
• introduction
• analysis of PMP o introduction o organisation o management and technical approach o work to perform o schedule o budget
• conclusion and recommendations
• references
• appendices (if needed)
Support your analysis with concepts and quotations from other people’s work. Gather these references from various sources such as the Internet, assigned text book and readings etc.
Submission
Please submit an electronic copy only via Moodle. Please refer to the Course Description for information regarding late assignments, extensions, special consideration, and plagiarism. A reminder all academic regulations can be accessed via the university’s website, see: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/handbook
Assessment Criteria
Your work will be assessed upon:
• a report of a minimum of 2500 words which provides evidence of critical analysis of the PMP including a written summary of key components, an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses identified, an understanding of its purpose, and useability to guide the project
• the quality of the discussion which shows identification and analysis of key issues synthesised with content of the various theoretical frameworks such as Schwalbe (2010; 2014), the PMI (2008) PMBOK guide, and the student’s own ideas
• presented as a business or management style report which adheres to academic writing presentation standards and evidence of quality written expression as outlined in the university style guide, see: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/library/assignment-and-research-help/?a=42848
• formatted bibliography, and in-text references which comply with the APA style guide, a quality piece of work will provide a wide range of references for example, books, journals, reputable websites, etc, in-text references should be used in such a way as to provide support and validation for the work
• a quality conclusion, which draws together all the ideas that have been presented and validated. The detail should arise clearly from the data given in the body of the report, and explain why one conclusion is preferred to another, and a set of recommendations for improvement
Assessment Feedback
Student
Elements Marking Scale Poor Excellent 1 5
PMP analysis – introduction 0
– organisation 0
– management & technical approach 0
– work to be done 0
– schedule 0
– budget 0
Quality of discussion 0
Academic writing standards 0
Bibliography and in-text referencing 0
Conclusion and recommendations 0
Total Mark [50 marks] 0.0
Total Worth [20%] 0.0
Comments
Marked by
Date
PMP Critique Guide
This document is designed to assist ITECH 5213 Introduction to ITPM students to identify and evaluate content and quality aspects of Project Management Plans (PMP) as outlined by Schwalbe (2010, pp.151-154; 2014, pp.161-164).
PMP Introduction Section The introduction should indicate the scope of the report, set aims/objectives and present and overview of what is to follow.
Name This section should provide a discussion about the project name. Is it meaningful? Does it reflect the nature of project? etc.
Description This section should provide a discussion of the details of the project description. Does it include information about goals and the reason for project? Is it written in simple language? Does it include a time and cost estimate?
Sponsor’s details This section should provide a discussion of the sponsors details supplied. Do they include the name, title, and contact information? Is there a back-up contact person supplied?
Project manager and team details This section should contain the names and contact details of the PM and team members.
Deliverables This section should provide a discussion on the deliverables of the project. Do the authors provide a list and description of each product created? Are these separated into product and PM related categories? etc
Reference details This section should reference plans from all other knowledge areas, for example; quality management plan, procurement management plan etc. It should also include a list of any resources consulted (in APA format).
Definitions This section should evaluate terminology unique to the particular industry or technology. Terms included should help to avoid confusion.
Organisation Section Organisational charts This section should provide an evaluation of any organisational charts provided, including both the organisation and the project charts. Are both roles and names clearly visible? Are the lines of authority clear?
Project responsibilities This section should evaluate descriptions of all roles and responsibilities in the project, including a review of the responsibility assignment matrix (RAM). The RAM should include all activities/tasks to at least level 3 and should be accompanied by an explanatory key indicating who is responsible and who will carry out the duties.
Management and Technical Approach Section Management objectives This section should provide an analysis of the managerial objectives of the project.
Are they realistic, achievable etc.? Is a list of priorities presented? Are any assumptions or constraints as outlined by management provided?
Project controls This section should provide an evaluation of the project monitoring strategies and change control procedures. Including; monthly or quarterly status reviews etc
Risk management This section should provide a critical review of how the project team will identify, manage and control risks. Including risk register, risk probability/impact matrix.
Project staffing This section should provide an appraisal of the staffing plan. Are the number and types of people required indicated? Are the roles clearly articulated? Including resource histogram etc.
Technical processes This section should provide an evaluation of the documentation standards described. Are they clear and usable etc? It should also provide a discussion of the system development life cycle approach selected. Was there justification? Is it the appropriate technique for the type of
project?
Work to Perform Section Major work packages This section should provide an evaluation of the organisation of the project into work packages. Including work breakdown structure, scope statement etc.
Key deliverables This section should critique the list and description of key products produced. (This section may provide a link back to the introduction section)
Other This section should review the description information related to performing work on the project. Including hardware/software required, list of assumptions etc.
Schedule Summary This section should provide and evaluation of the overall project schedule, including the Gantt chart, and milestone report.
Detailed This section should include a judgement on the detailed information provided in the schedule, including dependencies between project activities and the network diagram.
Other This section should evaluate any assumptions related to the project schedule.
Budget Summary This section should review the total estimate of the overall project’s budget. Is it present? Does it contain totals for all budget line items? etc.
Detailed This section should review the summary of the project cost management plan, including the project budget.
Other This section should evaluate information related to financial aspects of the project, including assumptions etc.
PMP Critique
Due Date
Week 7 – Fri Jan 10, 2014, 5:00 pm
Worth
20% (50 marks)
Course Objectives
This assessment task relates to the following course objectives:
• identify and understand the critical roles and phases in IT projects
• understand the basic components of project management and its importance in improving the success of IT projects
• understand how to create an IT project plan
• apply the project management knowledge areas to IT projects
• demonstrate knowledge of project management principles and techniques
• discuss current issues in IT project management
• understand and appreciate the importance of project management within a business environment
• value the significance of software quality in IT projects
Background
A critique or critical …show more content…
analysis is a review or appraisal based on careful analytical evaluation. Writing a critical analysis requires you to read the selected text in detail and to also read other related texts so that you can present a fair and reasonable evaluation of the selected text.
In this assignment, you are required to undertake a critical analysis of a Project Management Plan (PMP). Critical thinking is an important component of being a professional. Without thinking critically you are only looking at the surface of things. To be a successful project manager you need to sort out what 's accurate and what 's not, and identify a solid, factual base for solving problems and addressing issues on your project.
An electronic copy of a PMP for you to evaluate will be available from your tutor or course lecturer. See PMP for Critique. For assistance in critical writing techniques, see: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/careers/ld/resources/writing/writing-resources/critical-writing/
Requirements
Your critical analysis will summarise and evaluate key aspects of the assigned PMP. You should adopt Schwalbe (2010, pp.151-154; 2014, pp.161-164) and the PMI’s (2013, p.77) PMBOK Guide as frameworks for comparison and evaluation. Also see Appendix I, PMP Critique Guide document prepared by the course coordinator.
An electronic copy of these documents is available in Moodle (partner students please see your tutor or course lecturer).
When reviewing the PMP think about the following:
• what planning tools the authors have used
• any additional content that has been included
• any content that has been omitted
• the language used
• the layout and usability of the PMP
• the overall quality of the PMP
Your report should be presented in a business or management style and structured as follows:
• title page
• executive summary
• table of contents
• introduction
• analysis of PMP o introduction o organisation o management and technical approach o work to perform o schedule o budget
• conclusion and recommendations
• references
• appendices (if needed)
Support your analysis with concepts and quotations from other people’s work. Gather these references from various sources such as the Internet, assigned text book and readings etc.
Submission
Please submit an electronic copy only via Moodle. Please refer to the Course Description for information regarding late assignments, extensions, special consideration, and plagiarism. A reminder all academic regulations can be accessed via the university’s website, see: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/handbook
Assessment Criteria
Your work will be assessed upon:
• a report of a minimum of 2500 words which provides evidence of critical analysis of the PMP including a written summary of key components, an evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses identified, an understanding of its purpose, and useability to guide the project
• the quality of the discussion which shows identification and analysis of key issues synthesised with content of the various theoretical frameworks such as Schwalbe (2010; 2014), the PMI (2008) PMBOK guide, and the student’s own ideas
• presented as a business or management style report which adheres to academic writing presentation standards and evidence of quality written expression as outlined in the university style guide, see: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/library/assignment-and-research-help/?a=42848
• formatted bibliography, and in-text references which comply with the APA style guide, a quality piece of work will provide a wide range of references for example, books, journals, reputable websites, etc, in-text references should be used in such a way as to provide support and validation for the work
• a quality conclusion, which draws together all the ideas that have been presented and validated. The detail should arise clearly from the data given in the body of the report, and explain why one conclusion is preferred to another, and a set of recommendations for improvement
Assessment Feedback
Student
Elements Marking Scale Poor Excellent 1 5
PMP analysis – introduction 0
– organisation 0
– management & technical approach 0
– work to be done 0
– schedule 0
– budget 0
Quality of discussion 0
Academic writing standards 0
Bibliography and in-text referencing 0
Conclusion and recommendations 0
Total Mark [50 marks] 0.0
Total Worth [20%] 0.0
Comments
Marked by
Date
PMP Critique Guide
This document is designed to assist ITECH 5213 Introduction to ITPM students to identify and evaluate content and quality aspects of Project Management Plans (PMP) as outlined by Schwalbe (2010, pp.151-154; 2014, pp.161-164).
PMP Introduction Section The introduction should indicate the scope of the report, set aims/objectives and present and overview of what is to follow.
Name This section should provide a discussion about the project name. Is it meaningful? Does it reflect the nature of project? etc.
Description This section should provide a discussion of the details of the project description. Does it include information about goals and the reason for project? Is it written in simple language? Does it include a time and cost estimate?
Sponsor’s details This section should provide a discussion of the sponsors details supplied. Do they include the name, title, and contact information? Is there a back-up contact person supplied?
Project manager and team details This section should contain the names and contact details of the PM and team members.
Deliverables This section should provide a discussion on the deliverables of the project. Do the authors provide a list and description of each product created? Are these separated into product and PM related categories? etc
Reference details This section should reference plans from all other knowledge areas, for example; quality management plan, procurement management plan etc. It should also include a list of any resources consulted (in APA format).
Definitions This section should evaluate terminology unique to the particular industry or technology. Terms included should help to avoid confusion.
Organisation Section Organisational charts This section should provide an evaluation of any organisational charts provided, including both the organisation and the project charts. Are both roles and names clearly visible? Are the lines of authority clear?
Project responsibilities This section should evaluate descriptions of all roles and responsibilities in the project, including a review of the responsibility assignment matrix (RAM). The RAM should include all activities/tasks to at least level 3 and should be accompanied by an explanatory key indicating who is responsible and who will carry out the duties.
Management and Technical Approach Section Management objectives This section should provide an analysis of the managerial objectives of the project.
Are they realistic, achievable etc.? Is a list of priorities presented? Are any assumptions or constraints as outlined by management provided?
Project controls This section should provide an evaluation of the project monitoring strategies and change control procedures. Including; monthly or quarterly status reviews etc
Risk management This section should provide a critical review of how the project team will identify, manage and control risks. Including risk register, risk probability/impact matrix.
Project staffing This section should provide an appraisal of the staffing plan. Are the number and types of people required indicated? Are the roles clearly articulated? Including resource histogram etc.
Technical processes This section should provide an evaluation of the documentation standards described. Are they clear and usable etc? It should also provide a discussion of the system development life cycle approach selected. Was there justification? Is it the appropriate technique for the type of
project?
Work to Perform Section Major work packages This section should provide an evaluation of the organisation of the project into work packages. Including work breakdown structure, scope statement etc.
Key deliverables This section should critique the list and description of key products produced. (This section may provide a link back to the introduction section)
Other This section should review the description information related to performing work on the project. Including hardware/software required, list of assumptions etc.
Schedule Summary This section should provide and evaluation of the overall project schedule, including the Gantt chart, and milestone report.
Detailed This section should include a judgement on the detailed information provided in the schedule, including dependencies between project activities and the network diagram.
Other This section should evaluate any assumptions related to the project schedule.
Budget Summary This section should review the total estimate of the overall project’s budget. Is it present? Does it contain totals for all budget line items? etc.
Detailed This section should review the summary of the project cost management plan, including the project budget.
Other This section should evaluate information related to financial aspects of the project, including assumptions etc.