Project Initiation Document PID

Project Initiation Document PID

Sample Project Initiation Document (PID) including simple budgetary information (max 10 line items), timescales, objectives, approach, key staff and additional stakeholder analysis (approx. 750 words plus diagrams, etc. – NOTE: refer to additional ‘Assignment Guide for Students’ for more info on word count for this assignment). Please note that a full, detailed breakdown of how the budget may be used is not required, although you are free to put such information in an appendix if you feel it will help explain your summary position. Refer to the lecture slides for a typical example of a PID and approach to stakeholder analysis.
Work breakdown Structure containing at least 20 items in the WBS. The WBS should be presented in a suitable manner, either in the form of a suitably referenced diagram that must include dependencies, milestones and a hierarchy of tasks or as a bulleted list with sub tasks etc. in which case dependencies will need to be shown separately. You are free to deliver this as a Gantt chart (use MS Project to develop this) but it is not required. All diagrams should be embedded into your report as images. In addition include with this table two further referenced paragraphs, each typically 10-15 lines:
explaining how a WBS can be used to help manage the tasks on a project, and;
a further paragraph briefly explaining the importance of critical path analysis.

1. Sample Project Initiation Document (PID) including simple budgetary information (max 10 line items), timescales, objectives, approach, key staff and additional stakeholder analysis (approx. 750 words plus diagrams, etc. – NOTE: refer to additional ‘Assignment Guide for Students’ for more info on word count for this assignment). Please note that a full, detailed breakdown of how the budget may be used is not required, although you are free to put such information in an appendix if you feel it will help explain your summary position. Refer to the lecture slides for a typical example of a PID and approach to stakeholder analysis.
2. Work breakdown Structure containing at least 20 items in the WBS. The WBS should be presented in a suitable manner, either in the form of a suitably referenced diagram that must include dependencies, milestones and a hierarchy of tasks or as a bulleted list with sub tasks etc. in which case dependencies will need to be shown separately. You are free to deliver this as a Gantt chart (use MS Project to develop this) but it is not All diagrams should be embedded into your report as images. In addition include with this table two further referenced paragraphs, each typically 10-15 lines:
   1. explaining how a WBS can be used to help manage the tasks on a project, and;
   2. a further paragraph briefly explaining the importance of critical path analysis.

Project Management Case Study Options – Choose One Only

Academic Year 2021/22 only

The Project Management Assignments require students to develop a number of pieces of documentation relating to a particular case study. To reflect the wide variety of ways in which project management techniques can be applied, we are allowing students to choose between four different fictitious scenarios. Choose one of the four and then answer all of the assignment questions, to be submitted at two separate points in the semester – week 6 and after Easter break, worth 40% and 60% of the module total mark respectively. You must use the same case scenario for all questions as it is expected that you will link your two pieces of work.

Case scenario 1

You are a keen football player and have been asked by your local club (The Roehampton Rovers) to act as Project Manager for a SW London inter-club tournament to take place on a Saturday and Sunday in July or August.  Your club chairman is friends with Roehampton University’s Vice-Chancellor and has got the VC to agree to the university’s grounds being used as a location for the tournament (partly because it helps publicise the university and its campus) with proceeds going to charity.  The university will supply the grounds free of charge. Local teams will each pay a small fee to compete and spectators will be charged a small entry fee as well. You will need to organise the whole event including agreeing the charity to be sponsored, bringing in any external suppliers that could help raise more money, such as catering, sportswear retailers and any number of other possible local ‘stallholders’ in order to make the whole event as much of a festival of sport as possible and raise loads of money at the same time.   Assume you have the full academic year to organise this, with the events taking place in July or August on the Roehampton University playing fields.  You are hoping to get at least 20 teams to take part.

Case Scenario 2

The university wishes to improve the informal breakout spaces available for business students and has asked you to project manage the refurbishment and redevelopment of a part of the ground floor on the east side of Queens Building to create a new informal breakout space specifically for undergraduate business students.  The university’s Facilities Management department will bring in their subject matter expertise and specialist fitters but you need to drive the project from a student and staff perspective and ensure that the design and fitting out of the space is fit for purpose and gives students somewhere they will want to be when not in class, for social, informal group work or relaxation space.  You have a provisional budget of £50,000 and you have been asked to ensure the space can support up to 50 students at a time. Bear in mind that the work must not cause disruption to teaching timetables and you have been asked to ensure it is ready in advance of the autumn open days if not before.

Case Scenario 3

In order to provide maximum opportunities for all students and to help address diversity issues and promote/support inclusion policies the National Union of Students wants to create a platform and opportunity for cross-university interaction for social activity, clubs and societies for universities across London, eventually with a view to rolling it out nationally.  Each London-based university has agreed to provide some money and resources proportionate to its student enrolment numbers to help create a new mobile phone app which will provide day by day details of all university clubs and societies’ events, links to contact details and the freedom for students to publicise their own events. You work for Roehampton’s Student Union which is the Union taking the lead on this pan-London project (the VC wants the publicity) and you have been asked to project manage the development of this, building a team of representatives from other universities and driving the gathering of all that may be required to help a development team from O2 (one of their directors is a former Roehampton Business School student) build an effective app.  The app is being sponsored by O2 and they are providing technical services to build the app (so you do not need to worry about that) but you need to organise the process so that O2 knows what to build, what goes in it and when to get it done. You do not have a budget for this as you are paid by the SU already and will be relying largely on volunteers from around Roehampton.  You should assume you are starting this in Sept/Oct and need it ready by the following academic year.

Case Scenario 4

The Business School at the university has designed a new MSc degree course in Environmental and Sustainable Business (ESB), focusing on ethical and environmental business issues.  A part of the validated course that has been agreed (so it MUST happen for the qualification to be valid) is that the students will all do a two week field trip to see some interesting sustainable projects. This could include countries such as Uganda or Costa Rica as well as parts of Brazil, Mexico, South Africa or India.  The initial expectation is that the 50 students on the programme will go in small groups of roughly equal size and at least one group will go to each of these countries. It is intended that the trips take place in late April through to mid June, after the rest of their assignments have been submitted. You are an MSc Project Management student and the ESB Programme Convener has asked for your help in organising this trip (note it is now Sept so you have 6-7 months to put this in place).  You are therefore doing so as a project management task which will be marked for your MSc in place of a standard dissertation. Each student will be funded a max of £2,000 to enable them to go. You will be expected to drop in on at least two of the groups in different countries so you are able to write a report afterwards as a part of your own MSc submission. Your costs (and those of staff going with each group) are entirely funded by the department.

Remember that, in all four case studies above, your job for your assignment is set out elsewhere in this document – produce a PID & stakeholder analysis, a WBS, risk register and sponsor report as defined.  You are free to make absolutely ANY assumptions you think are reasonable and that help make the project plan more sensible but make sure you state them clearly so the markers understand your logic.

IMPORTANT: You do not need to have any technical knowledge of construction, IT, app development etc. in order to do well with any of the above as it is the use of the project management processes that will be marked and not detailed technical understand of a particular industry or technology.

Marking and Feedback

Formative (not formally marked – opportunity to obtain feedback)

Students will be given the opportunity to share their ideas and work so far in small groups. You will be given a full briefing early on in the semester.  You should be expected to complete forms (to be provided) that help you set out the basics of your assignment work in each case and bring these forms to the seminar group typically two weeks before deadlines.  These forms will be a structured set of notes about the key elements of each assignment and your initial findings and thoughts.  Students will be placed in small groups where they will pass around their forms and critique and review each other’s.  Seminar tutors will then lead a class discussion to gain broader feedback and observations from the whole seminar class.  In addition, your forms may be emailed to your seminar tutor by the end of the same week, which will be used to give you feedback on how to improve your work.

Summative (formal, individually marked assessment)

The work in small groups gives you an opportunity to gain a basic understanding of the given case study through interaction and discussion with each other.  This will help you ‘get started’ as you work towards the delivery of the marked assessments which total approximately 3,000 words plus diagrams, tables, appendices, etc. containing the items listed above.  Although each assignment requires you to develop different pieces of project management documentation, marking feedback from one may prove helpful in developing the next, e.g. being told you need to reference better.

As these assignments are essentially elements of a larger report, they should make extensive use of structural elements (table of contents, headings, subheadings, lists, diagrams, tables, etc.) to help make your work clear to understand and assignment 1 should be included as an appendix when you submit assignment 2, in order to ensure continuity between assignments.  You are expected to show understanding of theory and practice and make use of multiple external reference sources including referencing sources of all templates used for sample PID, Risk Register, etc. Whilst students are encouraged to work together, particularly until the formative assessments, the final reports are required to be individual work demonstrating the student’s unique understanding and insight into the case given.  NOTE: Copying of other student work is not accepted and both the original author and copying students will be held equally accountable under university disciplinary procedures.

How will we support you with your assessment?

• You will receive formative feedback. See details above. Although the final deliverables are individual pieces of work, staff will encourage and support you in working informally in small groups to help everyone gain a better understanding of the cases available.
• There will be an assessment briefing in Weeks 1 and/or 2 as necessary and further briefings for formative assessments where necessary.
• Frequently asked questions (and their answers) will be posted on the module’s Moodle site
• There will be an opportunity to review and reflect upon work from previous cohorts. This will be delivered in lecture and seminar time.
• Significant seminar time will be given over to the discussion of the various aspects of project management that you will cover in your assignments and seminar time in the final two weeks will used to help support you in developing your final assignment answers.

How will your work be assessed?

Your work will be assessed by a subject expert who will use the marking grid provided in this assessment brief.  This marking brief will be applied to all three assignments.  When you access your marked work it is important that you reflect on the feedback so that you can use it to improve future assignments.

Referencing

You MUST use the Harvard System.  The Harvard system is very easy to use once you become familiar with it.

Assignment submissions

The Business School requires a digital version of all assignment submissions.  These must be submitted via Turnitin on the module’s Moodle site.  They must be submitted as a single MS Word file (not as a pdf) and must not include scanned in text or text boxes.  They must be submitted by 2pm on the given date.  For further general details on coursework preparation refer to the online information via StudentZone http://studentzone.roehampton.ac.uk/howtostudy/index.html.

Mitigating circumstances/what to do if you cannot submit a piece of work or attend your presentation

The University Mitigating Circumstances Policy can be found on the University website –  Mitigating  Circumstances Policy

Marking and feedback process

Between you handing in your work and then receiving your feedback and marks within 20 days, there are a number of quality assurance processes that we go through to ensure that students receive marks which reflects their work. A brief summary is provided below.

• Step One – The module and marking team meet to agree standards, expectations and how feedback will be provided.
• Step Two – A subject expert will mark your work using the criteria provided in the assessment brief.
• Step Three – A moderation meeting takes place where all members of the teaching and marking team will review the marking of others to confirm whether they agree with the mark and feedback
• Step Four – Work at Levels 5 and 6 then goes to an external examiner who will review a sample of work to confirm that the marking between different staff is consistent and fair
• Step Five – Your mark and feedback is processed by the Office and made available to you.