Posted: April 2nd, 2015

Critical analysis of the use of project breakdown structures

Critical analysis of the use of project breakdown structures

Order Description

“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”.

TOPIC: Critical analysis of the use of project breakdown structures
Assignment 1 should be 2000 words approximately, exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, etc.
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.
Critical analysis of the use of breakdown structures in a project case study chosen by you (around 2000 words)
•         Use one and a half line spacing with 12-point font, and pages must be numbered.
? Do not use ‘I, we, you, our’ etc. Reports and assignments should not be written in the ‘first person’.
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”.
Think about your chosen project for analysis. Write a critical analysis of the use of breakdown structures in your chosen project in the form of an essay, considering the topics raised in the statement above. Your discussion may differ depending on whether your project is completed, is under way or is yet to start. The focus of this essay is the ‘use of breakdown structures’. Make sure you clearly understand what a breakdown structure is before you try to complete this assignment. You may wish to include a table or a diagram in the essay – that is permissible.
IMP NOTE:
THIS IS A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES IN THIS PROJECT AND NOT ANALYSIS OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT.
It is expected that you would provide an introduction, the body of your essay, a conclusion and recommendations, and a list of references. You may use headings for major sections if you wish.
As part of your analysis, ensure that you make reference to the relevant theory (or theories) covered in the study materials, text, selected readings and other relevant sources. Use any figures or tables clearly and concisely to support your analysis where you feel this is appropriate.
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 at least 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).
You can also explore all of the professional journals to which the USQ library subscribes through
http://site.ebrary.com.ezproxy.usq.edu.au/lib/unisouthernqld/home.action

Assignment 1 Description Marks out of Wtg(%) Due date Assignment 1 – Essay 100 30 13 April 2015 Word count: 2000 approximately 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
Word length Assignment 1 should be 2000 words approximately, exclusive of tables, figures, appendices, etc. Software requirement to complete assignment There are no specific software requirements for this assignment, apart from word processing. You may wish to use software to create diagrams where they are of value. 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. MGT8022 – Project-based management (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 breakdown structures in your chosen project in the form of an essay, considering the topics raised in the statement above. Your discussion may differ depending on whether your project is completed, is under way or is yet to start. The focus of this essay is the ‘use of breakdown structures’. Make sure you clearly understand what a breakdown structure is before you try to complete this assignment. You may wish to include a table or a diagram in the essay – that is permissible. Important note THIS IS A CRITICAL ANALYSIS OF THE USE OF BREAKDOWN STRUCTURES IN THIS PROJECT AND NOT ANALYSIS OF THE ENTIRE PROJECT. Refer to the recommended Communication skills handbook to understand how to structure and write an essay. It is expected that you would provide an introduction, the body of your essay, a conclusion and recommendations, and a list of references. You may use headings for major sections if you wish. Guidelines for essay writing are provided on the study desk. This assignment is deliberately open-ended to give you an opportunity to do some research about breakdown structures in the context of project management. There are no right or wrong answers. This assignment will allow you to explore the text books, journal articles and other sources on the importance or otherwise of breakdown structures. This may require you to access the e-Books and e-Journals in the USQ Library website and develop some research skills. See http://library.usq.edu.au/. As part of your analysis, ensure that you make reference to the relevant theory (or theories) covered in the study materials, text, selected readings and other relevant sources. Use any figures or tables clearly and concisely to support your analysis where you feel this is appropriate. 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 at least 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.

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
1. Burke, R 2006, Project management: planning and control techniques, 5th edn, Burke Publishing.

2. Cleland, DI (ed) 2004, Field guide to project management, 2nd edn, Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey.
3. Kerzner, H 2009, Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling, 10th edn, Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey.
4. Larson, EW & Gray, CF 2010, Project management: the managerial process, 5th edn, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, New York.
5. Meredith, JR & Mantel, SJ 2009, Project management: a managerial approach, 7th edn, John Wiley, Hoboken, New Jersey.
6. Summers, J & Smith, B 2010, Communication skills handbook, 3rd edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton, Queensland.
7. PMI 2013, A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 5th edn, Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, Pennsylvania (Note: this publication is available electronically through e-Books on the USQ Library website).

Professional organisation
Many countries have developed, or are developing, professional organisations to cater for the needs of people with a serious interest in the discipline of project management. In this country, the Australian Institute of Project Management (AIPM) has been established. It provides for professional certification and accreditation as a qualified project manager and sets up conferences and other professional activities.
The Project Management Institute (PMI) is US-based and it is probably the largest in the world. It has been spreading internationally over recent years and there are now chapters in Australia. The PMI is a particularly good source of project management information.
Other sites worth visiting are the Association of Project Managers (APM) in the United Kingdom and the International Project Management Association (IPMA), an overarching organisation for European project management bodies. See the list of websites below.
References – Journals
Papers and articles on project management appear in a wide range of journals so comprehensive research can be difficult. (This is the downside of projects being multi- disciplinary.) For example, cost related aspects of project management can be found in accounting journals and project risk related articles can be found in risk management journals. The following journals, however, are three that concentrate on the discipline area:
• The Australian Project Manager, Banksia Media Group P/L, Suite 2, 776 Pacific Highway, Gordon, NSW 2072.
• Project Management Journal, Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, PA, USA.
• International Journal of Project Management, Butterworth-Heinemann Ltd, Oxford, UK.

Reference – Web sites
The following web sites can be sources of useful material for assignments:
? Australian Institute of Project Management http://www.aipm.com.au/html/default.cfm
? International Project Management Association (IPMA) http://www.ipma.ch/
? Project Management Institute (PMI) – USA http://www.pmi.org/
? WWW Project Management Forum http://www.pmforum.org/
6. Library
Supplementary material to assist in your study of this course is available through the USQ Library. The Library contact details are:
Website: http://library.usq.edu.au/
7. Useful links
Locating resources quickly and efficiently is critical for the writing of assignments, and the following link will assist:
My Business Study and Research <http://usqstudydesk.usq.edu.au/course/view.php?
id=6383>.