Description
The University of Sydney
PMGT5889 – Integrated Cost and Scheduling Control
ASSESSMENT GUIDE
The assessment scheme for this subject covers the following:
- Assignment 1: Group assignment (10%)
- Assignment 2: Group assignment (30%)
- Mid-semester online quiz (20%)
- Assignment 3: Individual assignment (40%)
- Self-reflection and confidential peer performance feedback
- The individual assignment covers an individual demonstration of learning in this subject, with particular focus on competencies development and overall performance in the subject.
Submission instructions:
Assignment 1
(Group Assignment 10%)
Learning Goals:
In this assignment you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of the following topics:
- Project Charter
- WBS
- Estimating Techniques
In addition to covering the learning topics, you are expected to demonstrate your leadership and effective teamwork skills and to provide self-assessment and peer review.
Each team is expected to choose their own case study – the same case study is to be used for both team assignments, with different level of detail required for each submission. First assignment focuses on high level plan, while second assignment involves detailed application of knowledge into a more detailed project plan. There are also 3 case studies provided at the end of this document for those teams that might find it difficult to define their own.
Length: 3000 words
Tasks: Based on the information presented in the case study, prepare a reposed plan of action which will ultimately result in a full detailed project plan. In this assignment you need to cover the following:
- Project Charter outline:
o Create an outline of the Project Charter for the case project
o Specify the content and brief description of each component
o You do not need to provide a project charter, only a high level structure and description of the document content
- Scope:
o Provide a scope statement for the case project, including objectives, deliverables, milestones, assumptions, limits and exclusions
- Change Management:
o Outline a change management process with regards to scope, time, cost and resources
- Work Breakdown Structure
o Prepare a WBS for the case project, outlining the first two levels of the structure only (maximum 40 components overall)
o For each phase/work package and high level activity provide a brief description
o For each phase/work package and high level activity identify and describe resources
o Create a resource pool for the overall project
- Costs and Estimates
o Identify the type of costs for the case project, the range and coverage
o Outline the direct and indirect project cost
o For each type of cost, identify the appropriate cost estimating methods
o Describe the chosen estimating method and justify their use for each type of identified costs
o Provide the output format for your estimates
Assignment 2 (Group Assignment 30%)
Students are expected to work in the same teams as Assignment 1
Learning Goals:
In this assignment you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of the following:
- Ability to perform a literature review/research
- Detailed WBS
- Project schedule development
- Time control processes
- Estimating
- Budgeting and cost baseline
- Earned value setup
- Integrated cost and schedule control
In addition to covering the learning topics, you are expected to demonstrate your leadership and effective teamwork skills and to provide self-assessment and peer review.
Length: 7500 words (you can expand on your work in Assignment 1)
Tasks:
Based on your plan and structure outlined in the Assignment 1, you need to develop a more detailed project plan, covering the following elements:
- Project scope
- Detailed WBS
- Project Schedule, reflecting proper sequencing and dependencies
- Time control processes
o Schedule monitoring, tools and systems
o Schedule change management
o Milestones control
o Critical review of the proposed processes
- Costs and Estimates
o Direct and indirect detailed costs estimates
o Draft budget o Cost baseline
o Cumulative cash flow (table and charts)
- Earned value analysis setup:
o Plan on how to utilise EVA
o Method for data collection, protocols, formats etc.
o Expected output and formats (sample)
o Process and methods for variance control
o Critical review of the proposed control processes
Team Presentation (5%)
You will need to prepare a brief presentation that covers the main points of the project, the way the team would present it to the client.
It is a requirement that all team members participate in the presentation. The available time (including setup and questions) is 15 minutes per team.
Good preparation and practice is the key to delivering a convincing presentation.
Important:
Each team will decide how to determine individual contribution to their team assignment. Individual marks for group assignment will be calculated based on team decision on how to allocate their assignment mark.
Mid-Semester Online Quiz (20%)
Mid-Semester Online Quiz with focus on questions related to theoretical components of the unit, as well as questions related to application of theory in practice.
The Knowledge Test is conducted in class (Week 9) for students enrolled in block mode, while online students will have the choice to either attend this test with the weekly class or to conduct the test via Skype.
A practice test will be provided to assist students with preparation and technical settings.
Detailed instructions on how to attempt the test and access the practice material will be advised closer to the test date.
Assignment 3
(Individual Assignment 35%)
Learning Goals:
In this assignment you are expected to demonstrate the knowledge you acquired in this subject by analysing a specific project of your interest and answering a set of applied theory questions related to the covered topics. You are expected to reflect on your competencies before/after, development approach, you team experience and future development plans.
Length: 12 pages
The assignment consists of three parts:
- Project analysis
- Applied theory questions
- Self-reflection
Detailed structure of the marking criteria is presented at the end of this document. This assignment will use a predefined template for submission.
Tasks:
- Project analysis
- Select a project of interest either from your past experience or something you read about, provide description and identify the issues you would like to address using your improved competencies in the areas of scope, cost and time management.
- Outline the solutions for the identified issues, as well as associated benefits and challenges.
- Applied theory questions
- Using the learnings from this subject, answer the following questions (preferably using your project of interest as an example):
- You noticed that your new employer does not have an effective process in place that ensures effective management of changes to project scope, cost or schedule. You volunteered to create one. Which steps will you take and how will you present your proposed change management process to your stakeholders?
- Your team is expected to provide an estimate for your project of interest. Which estimating technique(s) will you choose for this project and why?
- You are newly appointed project manager and have access to sufficient data to conduct the earned value analysis. Using the provided information in the assignment template, describe high level situation of the project, perform necessary calculations and provide recommendation for the next steps.
- Self-reflection report:
- Identify your starting and target competencies at the start of this subject
- Describe your approach to development
- Reflect on the outcome
- Link your learning lessons and progress with the project and cost management knowledge areas
- Perform self-reflection on your work in this subject, particularly your group participation, literature review, real life situations
- Reflect on subject relevance to your development and career plans
- Provide your views on team performance, what went well/wrong and your recommendations for future improvements
- Outline your future development goals and the methods to achieve it.
Case Study Option 1: Tutoring/Coaching School Start-Up
Situation:
You have been hired by an education consulting company that aims to establish a tutoring/coaching school for primary and high school children, with the focus on selective schools placement, private school scholarships and HSC success. Your job is to establish the project and prepare the overall plan. The company wants to start on a very small scale, with minimal investment and then expand the level of services in line with the customer base growth. The company does not have an established project management office, the employees work on individual consulting assignments and share administrative, technical and financial infrastructure. You need to prepare a proposal and plan for this project and establish necessary structures and processes to support project execution. Your only company contacts are the company directors, who both work on consulting assignments and do not have specific requirements nor scope. Their focus is on low cost start up and they have full trust in your ability to provide them with the guidance and options, rather than wait for them to outline any specific requirements. The directors are hoping that, if this model works successfully, they might look into strong expansion and even franchising opportunity. You are free to come up with the project proposal based on your own understanding of the business opportunity and options that will result in successful project implementation.
Company size: 30 employees
Management: two partners (co-owners)
Primary activity: education consulting
Educational/tutoring model ideas, initial requirements: small-class tutoring model, after-class and weekends sessions, guaranteed success or money back, web presence, online tutoring and homework, low cost start and later expansion into a large company with franchising option.
Cost: budget is not set, but low-cost option is preferred Timeline: no set timeline, open to suggestions from the project manager Resources: limited internal resources availability for project participation Project scope:
- Business idea development
- School establishment
- Full operational setup
Case Study Option 2: Family Home Construction
The same case study is to be used for both group assignments.
Situation:
You have been hired by a family looking to build their new home. Instead of going to one of the known builders for an outsourced solution, they are exploring an option to reduce costs by hiring a project manager who will coordinate all components of the project directly. Their expectations is that with this option all materials and resources will be acquired/engaged at lower costs than with outsourcing, eliminating the middleman overhead, while still delivering to expected quality standards. The family has already purchased an old house, so the project will involve the removal of the old structure, site clean-up, council approvals and subsequent construction. Your job is to establish the project and prepare the overall plan. Your main customers are the parents of the family and from time to time their teenage children (two boys and a girl) are also involved in discussions.
The family is looking at building the following on their site:
- A 2-storey 5-bedroom brick home with 2 garages and 3 parking spots
- An in ground pool (medium size)
- A separate 2-bedroom guest/pool house
- Basic paving around the structures and green surfaces
- Style: non-luxurious, but functional and modern design
Cost: budget is not set, but a low-cost option is preferred
Timeline: no set timeline, open to suggestions from the project manager
Resources: none reserved, open for project manager to decide
Project scope:
- Site clean-up
- Council approvals
- Full design
- Full construction
- Final approvals
Case Study Option 3: Conference Organisation
Situation:
You have been hired by a large consulting company to plan their next international conference. The conference is to be held in 10 months from now and will include attendees and presenters from around the world, with focus on IT software solutions and global technology integration. The organisers expect that the costs will be covered through sponsorships and that the conference will not only result in new leads and business connections, but also return a healthy profit. Previous conferences were managed by a prominent marketing company, which heavily reduced the profits proceeding from the conference for the organisers.
Last year’s conference was very successful. It was held over 5 full days, had over 3,000 attendees and over 80 different presenters across 3 different streams, covering workshops, academic and industry presentations and discussions. The sponsors included software vendors, consulting companies, as well as government organisations and academic institutions. The organisers have now decided to hire a project management team that will take responsibility for the conference. Your job is to establish the project and prepare the overall plan. Your main customer contact is the sales director of the consulting company, together with two marketing managers.
Your scope covers:
- Full organisation of conference, including venue, timing, promotion and management
- Invitations, accommodation, security for attendees and presenters
- Invitation, acceptance and communication with presenters
- Arrangements for review and publishing of chosen papers for associated industry journal
- Sponsorship arrangements
- Agenda
- Awards ceremony and gala dinner
- Refreshments and entertainment
Cost: budget is not set, self-funding and profit margin is the key for budget approval
Timeline: the conference is in 10 months from the assignment submission date.
Resources: none reserved, open for project manager to decide.
ASSESSMENT GUIDE
The assessment scheme for this subject covers the following:
- Assignment 1: Group assignment (10%)
- Assignment 2: Group assignment (30%)
- Mid-semester online quiz (20%)
- Assignment 3: Individual assignment (40%)
- Self-reflection and confidential peer performance feedback
- The individual assignment covers an individual demonstration of learning in this subject, with particular focus on competencies development and overall performance in the subject.
Submission instructions:
Assignment 1
(Group Assignment 10%)
Learning Goals:
In this assignment you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of the following topics:
- Project Charter
- WBS
- Estimating Techniques
In addition to covering the learning topics, you are expected to demonstrate your leadership and effective teamwork skills and to provide self-assessment and peer review.
Each team is expected to choose their own case study – the same case study is to be used for both team assignments, with different level of detail required for each submission. First assignment focuses on high level plan, while second assignment involves detailed application of knowledge into a more detailed project plan. There are also 3 case studies provided at the end of this document for those teams that might find it difficult to define their own.
Length: 3000 words
Tasks: Based on the information presented in the case study, prepare a reposed plan of action which will ultimately result in a full detailed project plan. In this assignment you need to cover the following:
- Project Charter outline:
o Create an outline of the Project Charter for the case project
o Specify the content and brief description of each component
o You do not need to provide a project charter, only a high level structure and description of the document content
- Scope:
o Provide a scope statement for the case project, including objectives, deliverables, milestones, assumptions, limits and exclusions
- Change Management:
o Outline a change management process with regards to scope, time, cost and resources
- Work Breakdown Structure
o Prepare a WBS for the case project, outlining the first two levels of the structure only (maximum 40 components overall)
o For each phase/work package and high level activity provide a brief description
o For each phase/work package and high level activity identify and describe resources
o Create a resource pool for the overall project
- Costs and Estimates
o Identify the type of costs for the case project, the range and coverage
o Outline the direct and indirect project cost
o For each type of cost, identify the appropriate cost estimating methods
o Describe the chosen estimating method and justify their use for each type of identified costs
o Provide the output format for your estimates
Assignment 2 (Group Assignment 30%)
Students are expected to work in the same teams as Assignment 1
Learning Goals:
In this assignment you are expected to demonstrate your understanding of the following:
- Ability to perform a literature review/research
- Detailed WBS
- Project schedule development
- Time control processes
- Estimating
- Budgeting and cost baseline
- Earned value setup
- Integrated cost and schedule control
In addition to covering the learning topics, you are expected to demonstrate your leadership and effective teamwork skills and to provide self-assessment and peer review.
Length: 7500 words (you can expand on your work in Assignment 1)
Tasks:
Based on your plan and structure outlined in the Assignment 1, you need to develop a more detailed project plan, covering the following elements:
- Project scope
- Detailed WBS
- Project Schedule, reflecting proper sequencing and dependencies
- Time control processes
o Schedule monitoring, tools and systems
o Schedule change management
o Milestones control
o Critical review of the proposed processes
- Costs and Estimates
o Direct and indirect detailed costs estimates
o Draft budget o Cost baseline
o Cumulative cash flow (table and charts)
- Earned value analysis setup:
o Plan on how to utilise EVA
o Method for data collection, protocols, formats etc.
o Expected output and formats (sample)
o Process and methods for variance control
o Critical review of the proposed control processes
Team Presentation (5%)
You will need to prepare a brief presentation that covers the main points of the project, the way the team would present it to the client.
It is a requirement that all team members participate in the presentation. The available time (including setup and questions) is 15 minutes per team.
Good preparation and practice is the key to delivering a convincing presentation.
Important:
Each team will decide how to determine individual contribution to their team assignment. Individual marks for group assignment will be calculated based on team decision on how to allocate their assignment mark.
Mid-Semester Online Quiz (20%)
Mid-Semester Online Quiz with focus on questions related to theoretical components of the unit, as well as questions related to application of theory in practice.
The Knowledge Test is conducted in class (Week 9) for students enrolled in block mode, while online students will have the choice to either attend this test with the weekly class or to conduct the test via Skype.
A practice test will be provided to assist students with preparation and technical settings.
Detailed instructions on how to attempt the test and access the practice material will be advised closer to the test date.
Assignment 3
(Individual Assignment 35%)
Learning Goals:
In this assignment you are expected to demonstrate the knowledge you acquired in this subject by analysing a specific project of your interest and answering a set of applied theory questions related to the covered topics. You are expected to reflect on your competencies before/after, development approach, you team experience and future development plans.
Length: 12 pages
The assignment consists of three parts:
- Project analysis
- Applied theory questions
- Self-reflection
Detailed structure of the marking criteria is presented at the end of this document. This assignment will use a predefined template for submission.
Tasks:
- Project analysis
- Select a project of interest either from your past experience or something you read about, provide description and identify the issues you would like to address using your improved competencies in the areas of scope, cost and time management.
- Outline the solutions for the identified issues, as well as associated benefits and challenges.
- Applied theory questions
- Using the learnings from this subject, answer the following questions (preferably using your project of interest as an example):
- You noticed that your new employer does not have an effective process in place that ensures effective management of changes to project scope, cost or schedule. You volunteered to create one. Which steps will you take and how will you present your proposed change management process to your stakeholders?
- Your team is expected to provide an estimate for your project of interest. Which estimating technique(s) will you choose for this project and why?
- You are newly appointed project manager and have access to sufficient data to conduct the earned value analysis. Using the provided information in the assignment template, describe high level situation of the project, perform necessary calculations and provide recommendation for the next steps.
- Self-reflection report:
- Identify your starting and target competencies at the start of this subject
- Describe your approach to development
- Reflect on the outcome
- Link your learning lessons and progress with the project and cost management knowledge areas
- Perform self-reflection on your work in this subject, particularly your group participation, literature review, real life situations
- Reflect on subject relevance to your development and career plans
- Provide your views on team performance, what went well/wrong and your recommendations for future improvements
- Outline your future development goals and the methods to achieve it.
Case Study Option 1: Tutoring/Coaching School Start-Up
Situation:
You have been hired by an education consulting company that aims to establish a tutoring/coaching school for primary and high school children, with the focus on selective schools placement, private school scholarships and HSC success. Your job is to establish the project and prepare the overall plan. The company wants to start on a very small scale, with minimal investment and then expand the level of services in line with the customer base growth. The company does not have an established project management office, the employees work on individual consulting assignments and share administrative, technical and financial infrastructure. You need to prepare a proposal and plan for this project and establish necessary structures and processes to support project execution. Your only company contacts are the company directors, who both work on consulting assignments and do not have specific requirements nor scope. Their focus is on low cost start up and they have full trust in your ability to provide them with the guidance and options, rather than wait for them to outline any specific requirements. The directors are hoping that, if this model works successfully, they might look into strong expansion and even franchising opportunity. You are free to come up with the project proposal based on your own understanding of the business opportunity and options that will result in successful project implementation.
Company size: 30 employees
Management: two partners (co-owners)
Primary activity: education consulting
Educational/tutoring model ideas, initial requirements: small-class tutoring model, after-class and weekends sessions, guaranteed success or money back, web presence, online tutoring and homework, low cost start and later expansion into a large company with franchising option.
Cost: budget is not set, but low-cost option is preferred Timeline: no set timeline, open to suggestions from the project manager Resources: limited internal resources availability for project participation Project scope:
- Business idea development
- School establishment
- Full operational setup
Case Study Option 2: Family Home Construction
The same case study is to be used for both group assignments.
Situation:
You have been hired by a family looking to build their new home. Instead of going to one of the known builders for an outsourced solution, they are exploring an option to reduce costs by hiring a project manager who will coordinate all components of the project directly. Their expectations is that with this option all materials and resources will be acquired/engaged at lower costs than with outsourcing, eliminating the middleman overhead, while still delivering to expected quality standards. The family has already purchased an old house, so the project will involve the removal of the old structure, site clean-up, council approvals and subsequent construction. Your job is to establish the project and prepare the overall plan. Your main customers are the parents of the family and from time to time their teenage children (two boys and a girl) are also involved in discussions.
The family is looking at building the following on their site:
- A 2-storey 5-bedroom brick home with 2 garages and 3 parking spots
- An in ground pool (medium size)
- A separate 2-bedroom guest/pool house
- Basic paving around the structures and green surfaces
- Style: non-luxurious, but functional and modern design
Cost: budget is not set, but a low-cost option is preferred
Timeline: no set timeline, open to suggestions from the project manager
Resources: none reserved, open for project manager to decide
Project scope:
- Site clean-up
- Council approvals
- Full design
- Full construction
- Final approvals
Case Study Option 3: Conference Organisation
Situation:
You have been hired by a large consulting company to plan their next international conference. The conference is to be held in 10 months from now and will include attendees and presenters from around the world, with focus on IT software solutions and global technology integration. The organisers expect that the costs will be covered through sponsorships and that the conference will not only result in new leads and business connections, but also return a healthy profit. Previous conferences were managed by a prominent marketing company, which heavily reduced the profits proceeding from the conference for the organisers.
Last year’s conference was very successful. It was held over 5 full days, had over 3,000 attendees and over 80 different presenters across 3 different streams, covering workshops, academic and industry presentations and discussions. The sponsors included software vendors, consulting companies, as well as government organisations and academic institutions. The organisers have now decided to hire a project management team that will take responsibility for the conference. Your job is to establish the project and prepare the overall plan. Your main customer contact is the sales director of the consulting company, together with two marketing managers.
Your scope covers:
- Full organisation of conference, including venue, timing, promotion and management
- Invitations, accommodation, security for attendees and presenters
- Invitation, acceptance and communication with presenters
- Arrangements for review and publishing of chosen papers for associated industry journal
- Sponsorship arrangements
- Agenda
- Awards ceremony and gala dinner
- Refreshments and entertainment
Cost: budget is not set, self-funding and profit margin is the key for budget approval
Timeline: the conference is in 10 months from the assignment submission date.
Resources: none reserved, open for project manager to decide.
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