Individual Assignment (50%) You choose EITHER Option 1 OR Option 2.
Your individual assignment is due no later than 11:55 pm, 25th June 2021, 4 weeks after the final classroom session via BrightSpace submission.
Late submissions as noted from the BrightSpace submission timestamp will have marks deducted as per University regulations.
Option 1 – Consultancy Report
Building on your experience of working and analysing projects in the group assignments, you are to write an individual report of up to 4,000 words (+/-10%) in which you critically analyse any project with which you are familiar (but NOT the same project as your group presentation/report or any other project you have previous analysed in a graded Smurfit assignment) using any three of the following Project Management areas as lenses for your analysis. Other lenses may be used with approval from the module coordinator. The project you choose may be from class, your own experience, a case study, or any other source.
Risk Management • Leadership • Planning
Implementation • Distributed Team Management • Stakeholder Management
The report should be written as if you are an independent, self-employed Project Management Consultant, who has been commissioned by the Chief Executive of the company or organisation which sponsored or had main oversight over the project, to provide the CEO with a critical analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, things done well or badly, and learnings/suggestions which the organisation could take on board in order to make future projects more safe, efficient and well run. You are
looking at the project from a time point after the project has completed – exactly when is up to you.
Learning Outcomes from this assignment – completing this report should help you :
Develop your written communications skills
Develop your research skills in both academic and business literatures
Improve your analytic abilities in applying theory to real project situations in a report format
Hone your skills in identifying and adding value to a client
Your report should be professionally written, structured and presented. It should have a Table of Contents, numbered sections/sub-sections and be fully academically referenced using the Harvard referencing style. References are to be listed as Endnotes not footnotes. An Executive Summary of no more than 1 page should also be included. Word count includes everything apart from Cover Page, Plagiarism Statement, Table of Contents, References, Appendices. Diagrams, charts, tables and / or graphs are included in the word count and are equivalent to fifty (50) words per item.
To gain a top mark I expect extensive evidence of referencing credible sources (both academic & business) outside the course textbook and lecture notes, as well as practical insights and recommendations to the CEO, and presentation of the report in a visually attractive and well-designed format. Would I re-hire you or recommend you as a consultant based on your report? The grade carries an expectation of around 80-100 hours of work, so your submissions should reflect this type of effort.