Project-Based Management
Note:
Assignment 1 is a major project-based essay and requires students to obtain sufficient information on a project of their choice to carry out a critical analysis of nominated aspects of that project. Students should choose a project as
early as possible after reading the requirements of assignment 1.
Assignment 1
TOPIC: Critical analysis of the use of project breakdown structures
Reminder:
- Please do not be tempted to submit material obtained from an assignment from a previous offering of MGT8022 as it will be detected by plagiarism software (even if it is modified), and the consequences are severe.
- Assignments should be attached to the specific electronic mark sheet for this assignment.
- All assignments are to be submitted through the Electronic Assignment Submission facility.
- Check the file types and maximum file sizes that can be submitted via the website.
- Assignment 1 submissions that do not include an Originality Report generated by Turnitin will not be marked (refer previous instructions).
Word length
Assignment 1 should be 2000 words approximately, exclusive of tables,
figures, appendices, etc.
Assignment requirements
Refer to the Assignment Guidelines for assistance in completing this assignment. Remember to integrate academic theory into your assignment to support your arguments and proposals.
Guidelines for preparation of assignments are provided on the StudyDesk for the course. These are in the form of short videos which explain how to carry out critical analysis of your selected project in relation to the topics for each
assignment. You are strongly advised to watch these videos multiple times during the semester to ensure you have an understanding of the expectations of the course examiner.
Provide the following:
Assignment 1 mark sheet: Download the MGT8022 electronic submission mark sheet from the StudyDesk. Electronic assignments should follow the correct file-naming guidelines and use the electronic submission mark sheet.
Title page: Ensure that your essay includes a normal cover sheet or title page that would be expected of a professional document to provide details of essay title, author, date, student number, etc. (this is in addition to the electronic mark sheet discussed above). This assignment is a professional academic paper so should be presented as one.
(Note: No executive summary is required for this assignment as it essay style). (Note: No table of contents is required as it is essay style).
Critical analysis of the use of breakdown structures in a project case study chosen by you (around 2000 words)
Consider the following statement:
“Scope definition may be expressed by designated, clearly defined boundaries, such as:
? product breakdown structure (a cascade of products, sub-products, assemblies and components)
? organisation breakdown structure (a cascade of resource types, skill types or activities
? work breakdown structure (a cascade of the products and work activities),and/or
? some other form which comprehensively defines products and activities”.
(Australian Institute of Project Management 2010, AIPM Professional
Competency Standards for Project Management, Unit 1 – Plan, Manage and Review Scope, Australian Institute of Project Management, Canberra, p. 6)
Think about your chosen project for analysis.
Write a critical analysis of the use of all types of breakdown structures in your chosen project in the form of an essay. Your discussion may differ depending on whether your project is completed, is under way or is yet to start. You must
do some research to understand what sort of breakdown structures are used to manage projects? How are they used? Then you can examine the project of your choice and analyse whether breakdown structures are used or not, and if so, are they used effectively?
The focus of this essay is the ‘use of breakdown structures’. Make sure you clearly understand and define what a breakdown structure is for this assignment. You may wish to include a table or a diagram in the essay – that is permissible.
List of references – (using the Harvard AGPS system): Provide a complete list of references providing full details of all citations used in the body of the essay. For a postgraduate assignment, if you have done sufficient research, there should be atleast 15 references, many of which will be cited more than once. Remember to use the e-Journals and e-Books available from the
Library website to research the literature on the topic (especially Books 24×7 and eBrary). Contact the Library staff if you need assistance to find these databases.
Appendices: There should not be any appendices for this essay.
Turnitin Originality Report: Remember to submit a version of your assignment (without the mark sheet and appendices) to Turnitin for checking and to submit a copy of the Turnitin Originality Report with your assignment. See ‘Course assessment’ above for more detailed instructions.
Marking criteria for assignment 1
Marking criteria is included in the electronic mark sheet. Use only the
MGT8022 mark sheet provided for assignment 1 for this course.
