EBUS308: Project Management
Coursework Assignment
Please read this entire document in full before beginning your report
Instructions
Weighting:
This assignment counts for 100% of the final module mark.
Word limit:
Maximum 3,000 words.
Presentation of your work:
- In order to avoid Academic Integrity (plagiarism) issues, please ensure you use
an appropriate referencing method when citing material from other sources to
support your points. The Management School usually recommends the Harvard
Referencing Style; more information on referencing can be found on the Library
webpages (http://libguides.liverpool.ac.uk/) - This assignment must be word-processed. Please use the Tahoma font and a
minimum size of 12 - Please use double-line spacing
Online Submission procedure:
You must submit your assignment to Turnitin (a plagiarism and collusion detection
system) via Canvas. If you do not submit to Turnitin your work will not be marked.
To submit via TurnItIn, log-in to Canvas and upload your Word-processed coursework using the TurnItIn link in the Assessment folder. Note that Turnitin does not permit multiple submission attempts – your submission is accepted as first and final.
Cheating:
You are permitted to discuss your general understanding of the assignment with peers
on the course but you must write up your assignment alone. University regulations
about cheating – especially Academic Integrity issues such as COLLUSION and
PLAGIARISM (copying from sources without sufficient acknowledgement) – apply.
Legitimate Late Submission:
If your work is likely to be late for medical or other unforeseen causes, please contact
the student support office (in particular the Learning and Teaching Support Officers –
ulmsltso@liverpool.ac.uk) for guidance and support.
Frequently Asked Questions
Please view a list of frequently asked questions about this assignment in Appendix B at the end of this document.
Coursework Requirements
In the following pages you will be given details of a case study. You must use the
information given within the case study to produce a report that would be delivered to your line-manager. The report must include the following elements.
NOTE: The suggested wordcount for each section is only a suggestion; you do not have to stick to these wordcounts.
-
Introduction
Suggested wordcount: approximately 500 words
Write a short review on the importance of using project management to manage this particular project. You should cite academic literature to support your points.
-
Project Plan
Suggested wordcount: approximately 500 words
Use details from Appendix A below to create a project plan for the project. Your plan should include the following elements:
- a) The completed Work Breakdown Structure
▪ i.e. you should reproduce the entire table shown in Appendix A and fill in
all of the blank fields
- b) The Network Diagram
▪ To draw the Network Diagram you can either:
1) Use a computer application such as Microsoft Word / PowerPoint /
Excel, or
2) Manually draw the network on a piece of paper, take a
photograph of this and then place this photograph in your
assignment. If you use this method, please ensure that your writing is legible (i.e. clear and easy to read)
- c) The Critical Path
▪ i.e. Explain which tasks are / are not on the Critical Path
-
Cause and Effect Diagram
Suggested wordcount: approximately 750 words
As the project progresses, you begin to realise that key milestones are being missed (i.e. important deliverables that are crucial to the overall success of the project are not being delivered on time). You approach the project sponsor for advice, and they suggest
investigating why this particular issue is occurring.
Using a cause and effect diagram, identify a number of potential causes for this issue; discuss why you believe these causes could be the root of the problem. Use citations to academic literature to support your points.
You can draw the cause and effect diagram by using either of the following methods:
1) Use a computer application such as Microsoft Word / PowerPoint / Excel, or
2) Manually draw the diagram on a piece of paper, take a photograph of this and
then place this photograph in your assignment. If you use this method, please
ensure that your writing is legible (i.e. clear and easy to read)
-
Personal Reflection
Suggested wordcount: approximately 1,250 words
Using what you have learned from the module’s Workshops, write a personal reflection on
why you feel you would make a good project manager. You can write this section in the first person, but remember to cite academic literature here to support your points.
Word Limit: Maximum 3,000 words
Grading
Your report will be marked based on the 4 sections given above, together with your use of academic literature throughout your report.
Therefore, the weighting for each section is as follows:
- Introduction – 20%
- Project Plan – 20%
- Cause and Effect Diagram – 20%
- Personal Reflection – 20%
- Use of Academic Literature (i.e. the quality of your Reading and Referencing
throughout your report) – 20%
More information is contained within the Marking Criteria section located in Appendix C of this document.
Case Study: EZ Systems
Background:
EZ Systems are a medium-sized organisation based in Liverpool. The company
specialises in creating new websites, mobile applications, and other computer systems for organisations in the local area.
EZ Systems has recently been approached by a small start-up business consisting of graduates from a local university; the graduates have asked EZ Systems to produce a mobile application for their new business idea.
A new project has been created with the goal being to develop this new mobile
application; details of the tasks required to complete this project are given in Appendix
A.
Your Role:
You have recently been employed as a project manager by EZ Systems to plan and manage this project to build the new mobile application. Your line-manager has asked you to produce a report for the project. Use the information given in Appendix A below to produce the report with all the requirements listed on page 2 above.
Appendix A: Work Breakdown Structure
| Activity | Optimistic
Estimate |
Most
Likely Estimate |
Pessimistic
Estimate |
Expected
Time * |
Earliest Start
Time * |
Latest Start
Time * |
Slack * | Predecessors |
| A | 4 | 5 | 12 | |||||
| B | 2 | 3 | 4 | A | ||||
| C | 6 | 8 | 22 | B | ||||
| D | 4 | 6 | 8 | C | ||||
| E | 3 | 4 | 5 | C | ||||
| F | 2 | 4 | 6 | E | ||||
| G | 2 | 3 | 4 | D and F | ||||
| H | 5 | 7 | 15 | C |
* Note: Expected Time, Earliest Start Time, Latest Start Time, and Slack are deliberately left blank – you must calculate these using guidance from the recorded lectures and Workshop sessions. You should fill in the blank fields and reproduce this entire table in your report
Appendix B: Frequently Asked Questions
- What are the marking criteria for this assignment?
The marking criteria are shown in Appendix C below.
- What is included in the word count?
The Module Handbook for this module clearly states the following regarding word count:
The word count given to students is the absolute upper limit. There is no leeway
over this, i.e., students will be penalised if they submit work that exceeds the
word limit (the suggestion that you may exceed the word count by 10% is a
myth!).
The following are not included in word counts:
- Reference lists/Bibliographies and Question Titles
- Appendices/Footnotes – provided these have been used only when
necessary. If appendices or footnotes are used excessively, or contain
material which should clearly be included in the main body of the
essay/report, it is at the markers’ discretion to include these in the word
count.
- Tables/Graphs – provided these have been imported from elsewhere
(correctly referenced) and not produced by the student. Therefore, the table that you produce based on the one in Appendix A will not count towards your word count.
- Contents Pages and Front Pages of Reports
As well as the essay/report itself, the following are included in word counts:
- Citations/quotations – this includes the material paraphrased/quoted itself
as well as the name, date and page information. - Tables and graphs – if they have been produced (from scratch) by the
student. - Executive Summaries in Reports – unless otherwise stated.
- How should I structure my assignment? What headings / sections
should I use?
You should use the sections from the Coursework Requirements section of the
assignment brief (i.e. 1. Introduction, 2. Project Plan etc.) as section headings in your
assignment. If you want to include additional sections then you can of course do this
(e.g. a cover page, a contents page etc.) but you must ensure that you include all of
the sections under the Coursework Requirements section, as well as a list of references.
- How many references should I include?
This is up to you to decide; I cannot tell you how many references you should include in
your report, although a minimum of 10 is usually advisable. You should ensure that you
use enough references to support the points you are making throughout the report.
Remember that peer-reviewed academic sources (such as journal articles and
conference papers) are far more credible and reliable than web sources (such
as websites). Consult the Marking Criteria (in Appendix C below) for more information,
as this gives an indication of what is required in order to obtain each of the grade
categories.
- Should I make reference to academic literature throughout my report
or only in certain sections?
You should try to make reference to literature throughout your report; again, please consult the Marking Criteria in Appendix C below, as this gives an indication of what is required in order to obtain each of the grade categories.
- Can I show you my work before I submit it?
No. I cannot look at any aspect of your work before you submit it. I am also not allowed to tell you / comment on what you should include / not include in your assignment; the University has very strict policies on this.
- Can I conduct some primary research by talking to people involved in project management and including this in my assignment?
Please do not conduct primary research for any aspect of your assignment; the university has strict regulations and policies with regard to primary research. If you wanted to conduct primary research and include the findings in your submission you would first need to fill out a lengthy Ethical Approval form, which would then need to be approved by the University’s Ethics Committee (it can take several weeks to obtain
Ethical Approval). Therefore, this approach is not feasible for this assignment.
- Can I write in first person for some parts of the assignment?
Yes – some parts of the assignment may require you to write in the first person, this is
fine.
- What sort of thing should I write in my personal reflection?
This is obviously personal to you, but you can use ideas from the Workshop sessions (exercises, questionnaires and case studies), recorded lectures, online resources (i.e.videos and LinkedIn Learning courses), and recommended readings here. You can also use ideas from other modules and / or experience you have gained from university (or
other outside activities you have been involved in). You could focus on the tasks / characteristics / demands of the project manager and how you feel you would cope with these given your unique skillset and background. You could even talk about which industries you would like to work in as a project manager, or discuss why you feel you
have what it takes to manage a project such as the one detailed in this assignment. These are just some ideas (and you don’t have to use any of them). However, remember that you must cite academic literature here to support your points.
Appendix C: Marking Criteria
-
Introduction (20%)
| Category | Feedback | Score |
| Perfect
Answer |
Perfect Introduction – your Introduction was absolutely perfect; it
included all of the necessary elements and was written in a manner that could be publishable in academic journal articles. Please note: it is incredibly rare to obtain 100% in any university assignment. |
90% –
100% |
| Excellent | Excellent Introduction – you gave a very strong background to
project management and a strong rationale for why you felt it was an appropriate management methodology for managing a project such as the one detailed in the case study. Your use of academic citations was very impressive and you used them to extensively support all of the points you made. You should be proud of what you produced for this section. |
80-
89% |
| Very Good | Very Good Introduction – you set the scene well and made some
strong arguments around the importance of using project management for a project like this. Your use of academic citations was also strong, as you used them to support most (if not all) of the points you made. Well done. |
70-
79% |
| Good | Good Introduction – you made some good points with regards to
the use of project management for this project and you also used some academic citations to support these points. You could perhaps have included a few more academic citations here to show that you had extensively read around the topic and that you can integrate the theoretical aspects of the literature with the practical aspects of the case study, but overall this was a good attempt. |
60-
69% |
| Ok | OK Introduction – you gave a background to project management
but you needed to go into a little more depth in terms of the points you made. The main area for improvement here would be to include more academic citations to support your points, as this would show that you have read around the topic and that you can integrate the theoretical aspects of the literature with the practical aspects of the case study. |
50-
59% |
| Poor | Poor Introduction – your Introduction was too descriptive in nature
and showed only a limited understanding of the importance of project management. You needed to explicitly state why project management would be important for managing this particular project and use citations to academic literature to support the points you made. You should always try to ensure that you read more academic literature and make citations based on your reading in your assignments. |
40-
49% |
| Very Poor | Very Poor Introduction – your Introduction did not answer the brief
sufficiently. You did not discuss why project management was important nor did you use citations to academic sources to support the points you made. At this level, you need to show that you have read around the subject, and you do this by using citations to academic sources. |
30-
39% |
| No
Introduction |
You did not include an Introduction in your report. The assignment
brief specifically asked for this – please ensure that you read the assignment brief more carefully in future. |
0% |
-
Project Plan (20%)
| Category | Feedback | Score |
| Perfect
Answer |
Perfect Project Plan – your Project Plan was absolutely perfect; you
included all of the elements required and this section was written in a manner similar to that which would be used by practicing project managers. Please note: it is incredibly rare to obtain 100% in any university assignment. |
90% –
100% |
| Excellent | Excellent Project Plan – your plan was incredibly well presented and
explained throughout, with the completed WBS, Network Diagram and Critical Path explained in exemplary detail. You clearly have a very strong understanding of how these tools can be used to successfully manage projects. Well done. |
80-89% |
| Very Good | Very Good Project Plan – your plan was detailed, clear and very well
presented. You completed the Work Breakdown Structure table well, and both your Network Diagram and Critical Path Analysis were very clear and easy to follow. Well done. |
70-79% |
| Good | Good Project Plan – your plan made sense and you completed all of
the elements well. You explained each of the WBS, Network Diagram and Critical path well too. |
60-69% |
| Ok | OK Project Plan – your plan was sufficient but there were elements
that could have been presented a little clearer. You could perhaps have also given a little more explanation for some of the elements. However, you included all of the required elements (the WBS, Network Diagram and Critical Path) and your final plan made sense. |
50-59% |
| Poor | Poor Project Plan – while you included all of the required elements,
some aspects of your plan were incorrect and / or missing; please refer back to the Recorded Lectures as well as the exercises we conducted in class in order to obtain a better understanding of where you went wrong here. |
40-49% |
| Very Poor | Very Poor Project Plan – almost every aspect of your project plan
was incorrect and / or missing, leading to it being incomplete / inaccurate. Please refer back to the Recorded Lectures as well as the exercises we conducted in class in order to obtain a better understanding of where you went wrong here. |
30-39% |
| No Project
Plan |
You did not include a Project Plan in your report. The assignment
brief specifically asked for this – please ensure that you read the assignment brief more carefully in future. |
0% |
-
Cause and Effect Diagram (20%)
| Category | Feedback | Score |
| Perfect
Answer |
Perfect Cause and Effect Diagram – your Cause and Effect Diagram
was absolutely perfect; you included all of the elements required and this section was written in a manner similar to that which would be used by practicing project managers. Please note: it is incredibly rare to obtain 100% in any university assignment. |
90% –
100% |
| Excellent | Excellent Cause and Effect Diagram – your Cause and Effect
Diagram was exemplary in terms of presentation and explanation. You identified a great number of potential causes (across multiple categories), all of which were insightful and very well thought out. It is clear that you have spent a lot of time researching the various causes for the issue that has arisen. You also used an extensive amount of academic citations to support the points you made, showing that you have a strong understanding of the relationship between theory and practice. Well done here. |
80-89% |
| Very Good | Very Good Cause and Effect Diagram – your Cause and Effect
Diagram was very well presented and explained. You identified a large number of potential causes and used a number of strong citations to academic literature when explaining each of them, showing that you have spent time researching the various potential causes of the problems identified. |
70-79% |
| Good | Good Cause and Effect Diagram – your Cause and Effect Diagram
was presented clearly. You identified a good number of potential causes and used citations to academic literature to explain a good number of the points raised. |
60-69% |
| Ok | OK Cause and Effect Diagram – your Cause and Effect Diagram
could have been presented clearer and you could have included a little more detail when explaining your identified causes. For example, you could have included a greater number of potential causes or simply included a more detailed explanation of the causes. Similarly, you could have utilised academic citations a little more to support (and justify) the points you made here. |
50-59% |
| Poor | Poor Cause and Effect Diagram – your Cause and Effect Diagram
was poorly presented or explained. You could have included a more detailed explanation of the causes you identified (or perhaps simply identified more causes), and you did not utilise citations to academic literature sufficiently here to support the points you made. Please return to the Recorded Lectures and the exercise we conducted in class for more detail on how to produce a detailed Cause and Effect Diagram. |
40-49% |
| Very Poor | Very Poor Cause and Effect Diagram – your Cause and Effect
Diagram was incorrectly presented. The potential causes you have identified are not relevant to the issue and / or you have not used any citations to academic literature to support them. Please return to the Recorded Lectures and the exercise we conducted in class for more detail on how to produce a correct Cause and Effect Diagram. |
30-39% |
| No Cause
and Effect Diagram |
You did not include a Cause and Effect Diagram in your report. The
assignment brief specifically asked for this – please ensure that you read the assignment brief more carefully in future. |
0% |
-
Personal Reflection (20%)
| Category | Feedback | Score |
| Perfect
Answer |
Perfect Personal Reflection – your Personal Reflection was
absolutely perfect; it included all of the necessary elements and was written in a manner that could be publishable in academic journal articles. Please note: it is incredibly rare to obtain 100% in any university assignment. |
90% –
100% |
| Excellent | Excellent Personal Reflection – it is great to see how much you have
learned from the Workshops. You touched on a large number of topics that we discussed over the 10 weeks of teaching in a well- written, easy-to-read manner; you also cleverly integrated your reflection with numerous academic citations extremely well, showing that you know how to link theory with practice. It is clear that you have developed a number of skills that will help you to become a successful project manager. Well done here. |
80-89% |
| Very Good | Very Good Personal Reflection – you have clearly learned a lot from
the Workshops. You did well to integrate a good number of the topics discussed throughout the 10 weeks into your personal reflection and it is clear that you have developed a number of skills that will help you to become a successful project manager. Importantly, you were able to skilfully link academic literature to what you have learned through the Workshops. Well done. |
70-79% |
| Good | Good Personal Reflection – you did well to discuss some of the
topics raised in the Workshops and use them to argue whether you would make a good project manager. You also cited academic literature to support your rationale for why you would make a good project manager. If anything, you could perhaps have included a few more citations here – the more academic sources you cite, the stronger your argument is, so please keep this in mind. |
60-69% |
| Ok | OK Personal Reflection – you touched on some of the topics
discussed in the Workshops and you also included a few citations to support your reasoning as to whether you would make a good project manager. However, you could have included a little more detail both in terms of the topics you have learned in the Workshops and the citations that you used – the more academic sources you cite, the stronger your argument is. |
50-59% |
| Poor | Poor Personal Reflection – your reflection was rather descriptive and
did not give much detail on the things that you have learned from the Workshops (it also lacked the academic citations that support their importance). You needed to include more detail here in terms of exactly how the tools and techniques you learned in the Workshops have enabled you to feel like you could now become a successful project manager. You should have also linked this to theory from academic literature via citations to academic sources. |
40-49% |
| Very Poor | Very Poor Personal Reflection – your Personal Reflection was not a
reflection on what you have learned from the Workshops. A lot of the content you have produced was irrelevant to what was asked for in the assignment brief. Please ensure that you read the assignment brief more carefully in future. |
30-39% |
| No
Personal Reflection |
You did not include a Personal Reflection in your report. The
assignment brief specifically asked for this – please ensure that you read the assignment brief more carefully in future. |
0% |
-
Use of Academic Literature (20%)
| Category | Feedback | Score |
| Perfect
Answer |
Perfect Use of Academic Literature – your use of citations was
absolutely perfect; your writing and citation style was equivalent to that which could be publishable in academic journal articles. Please note: it is incredibly rare to obtain 100% in any university assignment. |
90% –
100% |
| Excellent | Excellent Use of Academic Literature – you utilised an impressive
number of academic citations throughout your work. In some instances you used multiple citations to support a single point, showing that you have an excellent understanding of how academic literature can support the arguments you are making. This shows a very strong critical thinking ability, highlighting that you understand where multiple sources agree on the same issue. You also cited some very strong academic citations (from high ranking academic sources). This skill will really help you if you decide to carry on to study a Masters in the future – this is something that you should seriously consider. |
80-89% |
| Very Good | Very Good Use of Academic Literature – you have cited a strong
number of academic sources throughout your report and you used them well to support the points you made. This shows that you have a strong understanding of how academic literature can support the arguments you are making and how theory and practice relate. Well done. |
70-79% |
| Good | Good Use of Academic Literature – you have cited some academic
sources in your report and you used them to support the points you made. You could have also considered using multiple citations to support a single point; this would have allowed you to show an ability to think even more critically by highlighting where multiple sources agreed on the same issue. |
60-69% |
| Ok | OK Use of Academic Literature – you have used some citations to
support the points you were making, although you could have used more. There were a few places where you made some good points but you did not include a citation; these points would have been strengthened by a citation or two. Remember that citations to academic literature (e.g. journal articles, conference articles, textbooks etc.) are far more reliable than websites as these academic sources are peer reviewed by experts in the field. Therefore, always try to cite as many academic sources as you can and refrain from using websites wherever possible. |
50-59% |
| Poor | Poor Use of Academic Literature – you have used very few citations
in your work (or you have relied too heavily on non-academic sources such as lecture slides and websites). The assignment brief clearly stated that citations to academic literature were required throughout the report to support the points you were making. At this level you need to ensure that you are using citations to academic literature in order to show that you have a strong theoretical understanding of the topic. Remember that citations to academic literature (e.g. journal articles, conference articles, textbooks etc.) are far more reliable than websites as they are peer reviewed. Therefore, always try to cite as many academic sources as you can and refrain from using websites wherever possible. |
40-49% |
| Very Poor | Very Poor Use of Academic Literature – you have not used enough
citations in your work. The assignment brief clearly stated that citations to academic sources were required throughout the report to support the points you were making. At this level you need to ensure that you are using citations to academic literature in order to show that you have a strong theoretical understanding of the topic. |
30-39% |
| No
references |
You did not include any citations in your report. The assignment
brief specifically asked for you to use citations to academic literature throughout your report – please ensure that you read the assignment brief more carefully in future. |
0% |
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