BPP Coursework Cover Sheet
Please use the table below as your cover sheet for the 1st page of the submission. The sheet should
be before the cover/title page of your submission.
| Programme |
| Module name |
| Schedule Term |
| Student Reference Number (SRN) |
| Report/Assignment Title |
| Date of Submission (Please attach the confirmation of any extension received) |
| Declaration of Original Work: I hereby declare that I have read and understood BPP’s regulations on plagiarism and that this is my original work, researched, undertaken, completed and submitted in accordance with the requirements of BPP School of Business and Technology. The word count, excluding contents table, bibliography and appendices, is ___ words. Student Reference Number: Date: |
| By submitting this coursework you agree to all rules and regulations of BPP regarding assessments and awards for programmes. Please note, submission is your declaration you are fit to sit. BPP University reserves the right to use all submitted work for educational purposes and may request that work be published for a wider audience. BPP School of Business and Technology |
MSc Management with Project Management
Advanced Project Management
Coursework Assessment Brief
Submission mode: Turnitin online access
1. General Assessment Guidance
Your summative assessment for this module is made up of this 5000-word submission, which
accounts for 100% of your final module mark.
A total of 100 marks are available for this module assessment and you are required to achieve
minimum 50% to pass this module.
The deadline for submission is shown on the submission link. Please note late submissions will
not be marked.
You are required to submit all elements of your assessment in one Word document, via The Hub
Assessment area. Only submissions made via the specified mode will be accepted and hard
copies or any other digital form of submissions (such as via email or pen drive etc.) will not be
accepted.
For coursework, the submission word limit is 5000 words, excluding your list of references. You
must comply with the word count guidelines. You may submit LESS than 5000 words but not
more. Word Count guidelines can be found on the assessments tab of your module.
Do not put your name or contact details anywhere on your submission. You should only put
your student registration number (SRN) which will ensure your submission is recognised in the
marking process.
You are required to use only Harvard Referencing System in your submission. Any content which
is already published by other author(s) and is not referenced will be considered as a case of
plagiarism.
You can find further information on Harvard Referencing in the online library on The Hun (Found
in Help&Support)
BPP University has a strict policy regarding authenticity of assessments. In proven instances of
plagiarism or collusion, severe punishment will be imposed on offenders. You are advised to
read the rules and regulations regarding plagiarism and collusion in the GARs and MOPP which
are available on The Hub in the Academic registry section (Found via Help&Support).
You should include a completed copy of the Assignment Cover sheet. Any submission without
this completed Assignment Cover sheet may be considered invalid and not marked.
2. Assessment Brief
CASE STUDY
For this assessment you have to choose one the following scenarios:
Scenario 1 – Your own Project and Company
You can select a company and a project you are working on or you have worked on in the past.
If you choose this scenario your report should start with a short description of the company and
project (no more than 50 words)
Scenario 2 – The Hilti Group implements the new cloud-based software Salesforce
In 2018 the Hilti Group (i.e., a multinational company that develops, manufactures and sales
professional product for the construction sector), has decided after 20 years to update the IT
software used by its marketing and sales employees and migrate from SAP to Salesforce (i.e., a new
could-based CRM system). This change requires the migration of all information from the old SAP to
the new Salesforce software and re-skilling of all IT, marketing and sales employees. The project is
still running and by the time it will be completed, more than 20.000 employees across 23 countries
will been involved and/or affected by this transformation. This project currently represents one of
the biggest steps in Hilti’s digital transformation strategy to date.
Here are some additional resources for background information:
| | Avi Kahn, member of the board of directors, discusses the project at: https://www.salesforce.com/video/14845046/ (Accessed: 11th December 2020) Company website: https://www.hilti.group/content/hilti/CP/XX/en.html#nav/nav-company (Accessed: 11th December 2020) |
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Additional independent research is needed to perform this assessment. When information is not
available you can make your own assumptions, but you must list your assumptions and what they
are based upon.
Scenario 3 – University of Cambridge moves to online teaching
In the spring of 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the University of Cambridge, together with
other UK Universities, suddenly migrated all its undergraduate and post-graduate teaching online. In
the summer of 2020, the University of Cambridge announced that all lectures will be permanently
online until the summer of 2021. This migration to online teaching requires a big change in the
programs and modules structure and material, a re-skilling of lecturers and students. It also entails
an increase of overall digital literacy including the adoption of software for online teaching and
online exams and a re-thinking of the students’ experience. This represents one of the biggest
projects that the University of Cambridge has run in the recent years.
Here are some additional resources for background information:
| | BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52732814 (Accessed: 11th December 2020) Teaching in 2020-21: https://www.cctl.cam.ac.uk/teaching-2020-21 (Accessed: 11th December 2020) |
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| | University website: https://www.cam.ac.uk/about-the-university (Accessed: 11th December 2020) |
Additional independent research is needed to perform this assessment. When information is not
available you can make your own assumptions, but you must list your assumptions and what they
are based upon.
QUESTIONS
You have been asked by the Chief Executive Officer of the company of your chosen scenario to
provide a 5000-word consultancy report about the project that is going to be delivered. The report
must cover the following:
A. Project Selection and Portfolio Management (15 Marks)
Review the company website of your chosen scenario, examine its strategic goals and directions and,
based on this research, explain what type of projects you would expect the company to pursue and
provide reasons why.
Afterwards, advise the company about which screening module you suggest using for the project
selection (e.g., checklist, simplified scoring, analytical hierarchy, profile) and critically justify your
recommendation
Finally, give recommendations to the company on how to effectively manage a project portfolio and
explain why (e.g., you can use the project portfolio matrix or any other relevant frameworks or
theoretical models to support your argument).
Please note, for this task you have to have to study the company of your chosen scenario and give them general
recommendations on how to select projects and manage a portfolio of projects. You do not need to focus on
the specific project presented in the scenario.
B. The Organisational Context (15 Marks)
This part of the report focuses on the specific project presented in your chosen scenario.
Based on your previous discussion of the company’s strategic goals and directions, critical discuss
how, in your opinion, the project is linked to company’s strategic choice (you can use the TOWS
matrix, or any other relevant frameworks or theoretical models to support your discussion).
Once the link between company’s strategy and project has been defined, recommend the
organisational structure (i.e., functional, divisional, project, matrix, hybrid, network or any other
relevant organisational structure) that the company should adopt to increase the likelihood of
success of the project. With the support of academic literature, critically discuss what would be
strengths and weakness of the recommended organisational structure and the impact on the
project.
C. Project Governance (15 Marks)
The next step is to give advice about the best way to make decisions within the project. In order to
do this please note the following:
| | Compare advantages and disadvantages of two project management governance frameworks of your choice Give recommendations for the chosen two (discussed above) project governance frameworks and which one would work better for your scenario Critically justify your choice with the support of academic literature Give recommendations for which governance institutions have to be created to successfully |
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manage the process and critically justify your recommendations with the support of
academic literature or/and similar case studies.
D. Leadership (10 Marks)
Evaluate the role of the project leader in the project of your selected scenario and with the support
of academic literature discuss how the role of this project leader would make this project successful.
Once you have discussed the role of project leader, give recommendations as to how project
champions can support the project of your selected scenario and critically discuss what would be the
best way to manage those project champions. Your arguments must be supported by academic
literature.
E. Advanced Planning and Scheduling (15 Marks)
To support the delivery of the project of your chosen scenario you must:
| | Compare advantages and disadvantages of two project management methodologies of your choice (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Prince2) Choose one project management methodology (between the 2 discussed before) that best |
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suits your chosen scenario, and critically justify your choice. Support your arguments with
academic literature and references to other similar real-life projects.
F. Managing and Leading Change (15 Marks)
Give advice to the company of your chosen scenario about how change management can be
incorporated into the project in a structured manner, and how to involve people affected by the
project in the change management process. Support your arguments with academic literature and
references to other similar real projects.
G. Presentation and Structure (10 Marks)
H. Assessment Self-Evaluation (5 Marks)
You must self-evaluate each single task of your report by using the rubric provided in the marking
guide and attach it to your report. The template for this can be found in the marking guide section
By completing this report, you are going to meet the following learning outcomes (LOs)
| | LO1: Critically evaluate the organisational attributes that are integral to the success of a project within an organisational context. LO2: Critically evaluate how organisations select projects from numerous opportunities using best practices in a global setting. LO3: Develop the skills required for building and leading successful project teams within a project management environment. LO4: Critically appraise techniques in Project Planning and Scheduling and how these apply within a project environment. |
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Word count: 5000 words
Your report structure should include the following sections:
Cover page (University cover sheet)
Table of Contents
List of Abbreviations (if appropriate)
Introduction (only for Scenario 1, introduction should also include a maximum 50-words
description of the company and project)
Project Selection and Portfolio Management
Organisational Context
Project Governance
Leadership
Advanced Planning and Scheduling
Managing and Leading Change
Concluding remarks
References
Assessment Self-Evaluation
Appendix (if appropriate)
Word count – only applies to the main body (shown in bold); i.e., cover page, table of content, list of
abbreviations, references, assessment self-evaluation and appendix are not part of the 5000-word
count
If you have any further questions about this coursework assignment, please contact the module
leader or the tutor.
Tip for Mapping the Assessment towards Module Topics and Module
Learning Outcomes (LOs)
| Assessment Task | Module Topic | Marks | Module LOs |
| Project Selection and Portfolio Management |
Project Selection and Portfolio Management |
15 | Critically evaluate how organisations select projects from numerous opportunities using best practices in a global setting. |
| Organisational Context | The Organisational Context of a Project: Strategy, Structure and Culture |
15 | Critically evaluate the organisational attributes that are integral to the success of a project within an organisational context. |
| Project Governance | Establishing Project Governance; Role of the Board of Directors from leadership and regulatory perspectives |
15 | Critically evaluate the organisational attributes that are integral to the success of a project within an organisational context. |
| Leadership | Leadership and the Project Manager |
10 | Develop the skills required for building and leading successful project teams within a project management environment. |
| Advanced Planning and Scheduling |
Advanced topics in Planning and Scheduling |
15 | Critically appraise techniques in Project Planning and Scheduling and how these apply within a project environment. |
| Managing and Leading Change |
Managing and Leading Change & Understanding the future of Project Management |
15 | Develop the skills required for building and leading successful project teams within a project management environment. |
| Presentation and Structure | 10 | ||
| Assessment Self-Evaluation | 5 | ||
| Total | 100 |
3. Marking Guide (Student Version)
| Highlight in the rubric what level you believe you have met each task (fail, pass, merit, distinction) | |||||
| Assignment task | Distinction (70-100%) | Merit (60 -69%) | Pass (50-59%) | Fail (0 – 49%) | Explain why you feel you have met the task to the level you indicate (not part of maximum word submission) |
| Project Selection and Portfolio Management (15 marks, ILO2) |
Guidelines: Student presents the strategy of the organisation of the chosen scenario and lists or 2/3 projects that can be pursued to implement this strategy Student recommends at least one screening model that can be used for selecting the project and justify his/her reply (e.g., checklist, simplified scoring, analytical hierarchy, profile) Student recommends to the selected organisation how to effectively manage the project portfolio (e.g., the use of the project portfolio matrix can be recommended) Replies have to be justified with the support of academic literature and/or other case studies Note: for this task students have to have to study the company of their chosen scenario and give general recommendations on how to select projects and manage a portfolio of projects. They do not need to focus on the specific project presented in the scenario. |
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| Critical explanation of which type of projects the company can pursue based on its strategy. Detailed presentation of a screening model and critical discussion of why this is the recommended solution. |
Good explanation of which type of projects the company can pursue based on its strategy. Good presentation of a screening model and good discussion of why this is the recommended solution. |
Basic explanation of which type of projects the company can pursue based on its strategy. Presentation of a screening model and basic discussion of why this is the recommended solution. Basic discussion of how effectively manage the project portfolio. |
No explanation of which type of projects the company can pursue based on its strategy. No presentation of a screening model and justification of why this is the recommended one. |
| Critical discussion of how effectively manage the project portfolio. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., project portfolio matrix, checklist, simplified scoring, profile modules) and is applying them to the company of the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by strong evidences from academic literature |
Good discussion of how effectively manage the project portfolio. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., project portfolio matrix, checklist, simplified scoring, profile modules) and is applying them to the company of the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by evidences from academic literature. |
Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., project portfolio matrix, checklist, simplified scoring, profile modules) and is applying them to the company of the selected scenario. |
No recommendations about how to manage the project portfolio. No leverage on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., project portfolio matrix, checklist, simplified scoring, profile modules) No application of the module concepts to the company of the selected scenario. |
| Organisational Context (15 marks, ILO1) |
Guidelines: Student explains how the project presented in the selected scenario is linked to the company’s strategy (e.g., by using the TOWS matrix) Student recommends an organisational structure that can be adopted to increase the likehood of success of the project (e.g., functional, divisional, project, matrix, hybrid, network or any other relevant organisational structure) Replies have to be justified with the support of academic literature and/or other case studies |
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| Critical discussion of how the project of the selected scenario is linked to the company’s strategy. Detailed recommendation of an organisational structure and discussion of its strengths, weaknesses and impact on the project. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g. TOWS matrix, functional, project, matrix structures, or any other relevant frameworks or theoretical models to support your discussion). |
Good discussion of how the project of the selected scenario is linked to the company’s strategy. Good recommendation of an organisational structure and discussion of its strengths, weaknesses and impact on the project. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g. TOWS matrix, functional, project, matrix structures, or any other relevant frameworks or |
Basic discussion of how the project of the selected scenario is linked to the company’s strategy. Basic recommendation of an organisational structure and discussion of its strengths, weaknesses and impact on the project. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g. TOWS matrix, functional, project, matrix structures, or any other relevant frameworks or theoretical models to support your discussion). Basic application of the module concepts to the case study. |
No discussion of how the project of the selected scenario is linked to the company’s strategy. No recommendation of an organisational structure and discussion of its strengths, weaknesses and impact on the project. No leverage on the concepts presented in the module (e.g. TOWS matrix, functional, project, matrix structures, or any other relevant frameworks or theoretical models to support your discussion). |
| Strong application of the module concepts to the case study. Discussion is supported by some strong evidence from academic literature. |
theoretical models to support your discussion). Good application of the module concepts to the case study. Discussion is supported by some good evidence from academic literature. |
Discussion is supported by some basic evidence from academic literature. |
No application of the module concepts to the selected scenario. |
| Project Governance (15 marks, ILO1) |
Guidelines: Student has to select 2 project governance frameworks (e.g., P3M3, stage-gate, OGC Gateway, Winch, Norwegian QA) and presents their advantages and disadvantages Student has to recommend one of the 2 project governance frameworks for the chosen scenario and justify his/her choice Student has to recommend a governance institution that has to be established to define and effectively manage project governance (e.g., board of directors or project board) Replies have to be justified with the support of academic literature and/or other case studies |
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| Detailed discussion of 2 project governance frameworks. Recommendation of one project management frameworks more suitable for the selected scenario and critical justification of this recommendation. Recommendation about which governance institutions are suitable for the selected scenario and critical justification of this recommendation. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module Student applies the module concepts to the selected scenario. |
Good discussion of 2 project governance frameworks. Recommendation of one project management frameworks more suitable for the selected scenario and good justification of this recommendation. Recommendation about which governance institutions are suitable for the selected scenario and good justification of this recommendation. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module |
Basic discussion of 2 project governance frameworks. Recommendation of one project management frameworks more suitable for the selected scenario and basic justification of this recommendation. Recommendation about which governance institutions are suitable for the selected scenario and basic justification of this recommendation. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module Student applies the module concepts to the selected scenario. |
No critical discussion of 2 project governance frameworks. No recommendation of one project management framework more suitable for the selected scenario. No recommendation about which governance institutions are suitable for the selected scenario. No leverage on the concepts presented in the module No application of the module concepts to the selected scenario |
| Discussion is supported by some strong evidence from academic literature and by the comparison with at least one other similar real project. |
Student applies the module concepts to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some good evidence from academic literature. |
Discussion is supported by some basic evidence from academic literature. |
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| Leadership (10 marks, ILO3) |
Guidelines: Student has to select a project leadership role (e.g., project manager, project leader or project sponsor) and discuss how this person can contribute to the success of the project of the selected scenario Student should then focus on the project champion and explain how this person can contribute to the success of the project of the selected scenario (for this sub-task students can leverage on the concepts about informal leaders saw in the leading through digital disruption module) Replies have to be justified with the support of academic literature and/or other case studies |
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| Critical discussion of how the project leader can make successful the project of the selected scenario. Critical discussion of how the project champions can support the success of the project and what is the best way to manage them. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module and applies them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some strong evidence from academic literature. |
Good discussion of how the project leader can make successful the project of the selected scenario. Good discussion of how the project champions can support the success of the project and what is the best way to manage them. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module and applies them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some good evidence from academic literature. |
Basic discussion of how the project leader can make successful the project of the selected scenario. Basic discussion of how the project champions can support the success of the project and what is the best way to manage them. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module and applies them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some basic evidence from academic literature. |
No discussion of how the project leader can make successful the project of the selected scenario. No discussion of how the project champions can support the success of the project No leverage on the concepts presented in the module. No application of the module concepts to the selected scenario. |
| Advanced Planning and Scheduling (15 marks, ILO4) |
Guidelines: Student has to select 2 project management frameworks (e.g., waterfall, agile, PRINCE2, Scrum, Kanban) and presents their advantages and disadvantages Student has to recommend one of the 2 project management frameworks for the chosen scenario and justify his/her choice Replies have to be justified with the support of academic literature and/or other case studies |
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| Strong comparison of 2 project management methodologies. Recommendation of one project management methodology which best suits to the project of the selected scenario and critical justification of this recommendation. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Prince2) and applies them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some strong evidences from academic literature and by the comparison with at least one other similar real project. |
Good comparison of 2 project management methodologies. Recommendation of one project management methodology which best suits to the project of the selected scenario and good justification of this recommendation. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Prince2) and applies them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some good evidences from academic literature. |
Basic comparison of 2 project management methodologies. Recommendation of one project management methodology which best suits to the project of the selected scenario and basic justification of this recommendation. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Prince2) and applies them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some basic evidences from academic literature. |
No comparison of 2 project management methodologies. No recommendation of one project management methodology which best suits to the project of the selected scenario No leverage on the concepts presented in the module (e.g., Agile, Waterfall, Prince2). No application of the module concepts to the selected scenario. |
| Managing and Leading Change (15 marks, ILO3) |
Guidelines: Student has to explain how the change generated by the project of the selected scenario can be successfully incorporated into the organisation (e.g., by using change management frameworks such as ADKAR, Lewin’s model, Kotter’s 8 steps) Student has to give advice on how people can be involved and engaged in this change management process (e.g., by taking into account the emotions that people feel when going through changes) Replies have to be justified with the support of academic literature and/or other case studies |
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| Critical advice given on how change management can be incorporated into the project of the chosen scenario. |
Detailed advice given on how change management can be incorporated into the project of the chosen scenario. |
Basic advice given on how change management can be incorporated into the project of the chosen scenario. |
No advice given on how change management can be incorporated into the project of the chosen scenario. |
| Critical advice given on how to involve in the change management process people affected by the project. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module and is applying them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some strong evidence from academic literature and by the comparison with at least one other similar real project. |
Detailed advice given on how to involve in the change management process people touched by the project. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module and is applying them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some good evidence from academic literature. |
Basic advice given on how to involve in the change management process people touched by the project. Student leverages on the concepts presented in the module and is applying them to the selected scenario. Discussion is supported by some basic evidence from academic literature. |
No advice given on how to involve in the change management process people touched by the project. No leverage on the concepts presented in the module. No application of the module concepts to the selected scenario |
| Presentation and Referencing (10 marks) Presentation (5 marks) Referencing (5 marks) |
Guidelines: Structure is in line with the given structure Give a professional appearance with consistent formatting Spelling and grammar are correct Each page has page number in the Footer Any tables or figures are correctly labelled Tables and figures do not cross boundaries, unless necessary Properly cite your sources in the text and in the list of references Use Harvard style for referencing and in-body citations (see referencing guides and tools here: https://bpp.libguides.com/Home/StudySupport) |
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| For a distinction the report will use a consistent approach to headings, tables and graphs. Sources will be correctly cited and there will be a complete set of references in the correct format and in alphabetical order. There is evidence of extensive independent reading and research. Formatting and presentation is professional throughout. |
Referencing has few if any errors. The report is reasonably well presented but could be improved by greater attention to detail. There is evidence of wider reading and research. |
There is a limited number of references, but the correct format is used, albeit with some errors. There may be some errors in formatting and presentation, but the report is reasonably professional in appearance. |
References are inappropriate, irrelevant and/or incorrectly formatted. The references themselves suggest they have simply been copied from another source without accessing the material by the student. |
| Assessment Self Evaluation (5 marks) |
Guidelines: The student should use the marking guide to self-evaluate his/her work and assign a mark to each task (i.e., fail, pass, merit, distinction) with an explanation of his/her self-evaluation For example, a table like this can be built an attached at the end of the report
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| Student has indicated grade band for each task with a good explanation |
Student has indicated grade band for each task with a simple explanation |
Student has not indicated grade band but provided an explanation OR Student has indicated grade band but not provided an explanation |
Student has produced another reasonable form of self evaluation (e.g., written a small summary of his/her/they overall performances, instead of assessing each single task by using the marking guide) OR Student has not included a self evaluation |