Project Management (MMN224935-20-A)
Assessment 2 – Coursework Brief
NOTE: This coursework consists of 2 parts; Parts A and B. Both parts are equally weighted and you must answer both parts. Please read marking criteria provided at the end of the assessment brief.
Part A
(50 marks)
Q1. (20 marks)
Q1A. Describe Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and discuss its advantages and limitations. Give
Examples. (10 marks)
Q1B. Draw a Work Breakdown structure (WBS) for the following project:
(10 marks)
Muscat University of Science and Technology (MUST) is a modern university in Oman with ambitions to become the best technology university in the country. The university was established in 2002 and has established itself as a leading university in the fields of science and technology research. Having attracted established and well-known scientists in the field, MUST is now embarking on the development of a state-of-the-art hi-tech robotics laboratory in the Seeb Enterprise Technology Park just outside of Seeb near the old airport. The laboratory, named the Sultan Qaboos bin Said Centre for Intelligent Systems, will be used solely for R & D and training in the field of robotics. Land has been acquired with generous funding from the government.
You have been appointed as Project Manager of this project and it is your responsibility to plan the project including costs and resourcing of relevant staff. You need to start by creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Broad tasks include Selection of Project Team, Development of laboratory Plan (including layout, hardware and software ordering and installation), Staff recruitment and training.
See below the first layer of WBS. This is only shown as an example, and this can be modified to suit your own solution. The first layer can be further broken down into more tasks and the WBS could have more levels than shown.
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WBS Level 1 Project
———————–
Selection of Procurement and Procurement and Staff
WBS Level 2 Project team Installation of installation of Recruitment and
(1.1) Hardware and Office Training (1.4)
Software (1.2) Equipment (1.3)
———————–
(2.1)
WBS Level 3 (2.2)
———————– (2.3)
WBS Level 4
———————–
Etc.
———————-
(See Appendix for example of WBS structure.)
Q2. (30 marks)
Q2A. What is Critical Path Method (CPM) and how does it aid decision making regarding individual
tasks in a project? (10 marks)
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Q2B. Draw a network diagram for the following project: (5 marks)
Task Duration (days) Predecessor(s)
A 5 –
B 2 A
C 3 A
D 3 A
E 6 B
F 9 B
G 8 B
H 5 C, D
I 4 E
J 3 F
K 10 G, H
L 12 I
M 15 J
N 25 J
O 10 K
P 5 L, M
Q 6 N, O
R 1 P, Q
Q2C (15 marks)
a)Calculate Early Start (ES), Early Finish (EF), Late Start (LS) and Late Finish (LF) for each task.
b)Based on these calculations find the total duration of the project.
c)Calculate the Total Float (TF) for each task
d)Identify Critical Path
Use the following box notation for Tasks, ES, EF, LS, LF, TF, Duration
ES Task Name EF
LS Duration LF
TF
Part B
(50 marks)
Q3. Compare and contrast the Waterfall and Agile methodologies in Project Management. What are the advantages and limitations of each methodology? Give examples of each. (1000 words)
Please contact Module leader for any further questions on Shariq.Sheikh@gcu.ac.uk
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Max. 400 words.
Marking Criteria
Part A
(50 marks)
Q1 A
Provide a definition(s) of work breakdown structure and provide a discussion around it, particularly explaining its importance, which stage of project management is it used in. Critically evaluate and discus its advantages and limitations. Use of academic references will help in providing a good quality
discussion. Max. 400 words. (10 marks)
Q1 B
Based on the project scenario provided, draw a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). First layer of the project is provided, however, this is not to be considered as the final and only way of drawing a WBS for this project. Students are expected to think creatively and practically and create more tasks if needed by breaking down existing broad tasks further. List work packages. Please also see Appendix 1 for
labelling and structuring your WBS. (10 marks)
Q2 A
Define Critical Path Method (CPM) and its utility in project management. You may define CPM, discuss its uses and applications and particularly explain what specific decisions can be
made using CPM analysis. Give examples. (10 marks)
Q2 B
Draw network diagram using ‘tasks-on-nodes’ notifications (as shown below) for the project
shown in the question. (5 marks)
B
A
C
Q2 C
Using the following system of notifications, calculate ES, FS, LS, LF and duration for each tasks. Calculate TF. Marks will be deducted for incorrect calculations in Q2C a, b, c & d.
(15 marks)
ES Task Name EF
LS Duration LF
TF
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Part B
(1000 words)
(50 marks)
Q3
Introduction
Provide a general overview of Project Management methodologies, specifically highlighting Waterfall and Agile methodologies. The purpose of an introduction is to set the scene for the rest of the essay. Providing an overview of some key references and key argument(s) would be beneficial. (approx. 150-200 words)
Main Body
Define and describe the Waterfall and Agile methodologies. Critically evaluate the benefits and limitations of each. Provide a critical discussion based on comparing and contrasting the two methodologies and their applications in different kinds of projects. Give examples. (Approx. 600-750 words)
Conclusion
Provide a summary of the discussion, drawing together the key issues. (Approx. 150-200 words) References
Provide correct references when using in text citations using name, date convention (e.g. Davenport and Prusak, 2012). Referencing in text acknowledges sources for both ‘theory’ and organisation/industry content. Give appropriate credit to direct quotations (page references). Harvard referencing style must be used. At the end of the discussion, include a single comprehensive list, in alphabetical order, of all references cited in the essay, correct referencing of Internet based sources, consistency of approach in referencing, in both the text and the list. Marks will be awarded for currency and breadth of references used.
Note: See marking scheme below. Marks will be allocated to each question (and its parts) as per the marking scheme below. These will be then totalled to allocate a mark out of 100 for Assessment 2. The total mark for the module will be calculated using a weighting of 50% for each component of the assessment. (Total module mark = Assessment 1 mark [50%] + Assessment 2 mark [50%]).
Maximum Mark Allocated mark
Part A
Q1 A 10 marks
Q1 B 10 marks
Q2 A 10 marks
Q2 B 5 marks
Q2 C 15 marks
Part B
Q3 50 marks
Total 100 marks
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Appendix 1: Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) structure (for guidance only)
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