evaluating best practices in the value of introduction a pmbok based approach to management in the context of construction projects in Australia
Page 1 of 3 Unit: PPMP20015, Term 1 - 2020 Assessment 2 (Group) Due date and time: Friday 5 June 2020 at 11:59 pm (AEST) ASSESSMENT Submit electronic copy Weighting: 40% Length: Between 3000 and 3500 words (including template headings, but excluding sections in the template noted as “not included in word count”) 2 Assessment Overview This assessment is to be undertaken in GROUPS of 3 or 4 students (the unit coordinator will advise online students how they are to undertake the assessment). The assessment requires you to prepare a research proposal and draws on information taught in weeks 1-12. Group Formation, Choice of Topic for Assessment 2 and Group Charter The Unit Coordinator emailed all students on 8 April 2020 advising the processes for forming groups and choosing the topic for Assessment 2. Please note the deadlines for submitting information: a) Group formation (by Friday 24th April, latest): i) Students are to form groups from within the same tutorials ii) Group size can be 3 - 4 students, but preferably 3 students per group iii) One nominated group member must communicate the group details (i.e. group member names, IDs and tutorial number) to your Tutor before 9pm (AEST) on Friday 24th April b) Choice of topic (by Friday, 1st May): i) All group members must agree on the research topic for Assessment 2. The topic must be one of the topics the group members have worked on for their 1st assessment. You may discuss and decide to pick the topic with the highest grade from Assessment 1 ii) Email the agreed topic to your Tutor before 9pm (AEST) on Friday, 1st May c) Group Charter (by Friday, 1st May) Each group must complete and submit a Group Charter. A template is available from the Assessment section of the unit Moodle site, under Assessment 2. All students must discuss and agree the terms and sign the charter. Once signed, one group member must email it to the Tutor before 9pm (AEST) on Friday, 1st May. Completing the Research Proposal A research proposal template is provided in the unit Moodle site, under Assessment 2 and must be used in completing this assessment. All sections of the template must be completed and all required appendices provided. All instructions on how to use the template are provided within the template itself. In completing the template the group is required to provide: i. an abstract of the research project, ii. a rationale for and significance of the proposed research, iii. a detailed literature review to show understanding of the research area, iv. the proposed research question/s and objective/s, Page 2 of 3 v. a detailed explanation of their research design (methodology, strategy and data collection method/s) vi. an ethics statement vii. all the completed project management components (as detailed in the template), viii. a reference list using Harvard-CQU referencing style, and ix. all required appendices Your ability to demonstrate understanding of these processes will determine the marks you are given. Whilst some of the sections in the research proposal template coincide with sections completed in Assignment 1, all those sections will be remarked as part of the overall marking for Assessment 2. Group members must, therefore, reflect on and revise the content of any of those sections that they believe require enhancing before becoming part of their Assessment 2 submission. Learning outcomes assessed for Assessment 2: 1 - Apply project management processes, tools and techniques in articulating, designing and planning for the execution of a research project 2 - Develop and employ ethical practices that consider social, cultural and legal responsibilities of researchers 3 - Conduct a literature search to identify a problem that warrants research within the project management context 4 - Select appropriate research approaches, methods and skills for solving the research problem 5 - Prepare a research proposal with necessary components that describe an organised, coherent and convincing statement of the research intent, significance and strategies to conduct the research. Word counts The number of words used for each section is important when writing research proposals and journal articles. Where a word count is described for a particular section of the research proposal as ‘maximum’, students must not exceed that number of words, but where it states ‘approx.’; the number of words should not be over or below that number by more than 20%. Where an assignment is outside the overall word count (3000-3500 words), penalties will be applied as noted in the Marking Criteria sheet for this assessment. Referencing style The Unit Profile states the general referencing style for this unit is Harvard (Author-Date). However, for this assessment you MUST use the EndNote Harvard-CQU referencing style (see Endnote instructions in Week 4 of the unit Moodle site and Library guide at https://libguides.library.cqu.edu.au/endnote/endnote-styles ) https://libguides.library.cqu.edu.au/endnote/endnote-styles Page 3 of 3 Marking Criteria for Assessment item 2 The group assignment will be assessed on the quality and extent to which it meets each of the following criteria. A marking rubric is provided in the Assessment 2 section of the Unit Moodle site. Criteria Max marks A. Provide an abstract: The group must provide an appropriately worded abstract (maximum 250 words) 2 B. Review and revise the previously submitted rationale for the research and include a statement of the significance of the research: The group response must provide: i) a rationale for the research that clearly describes a gap, identifies why the gap exists and how the proposed research will help close that gap (approx. 500 words) ii) an argument to demonstrate that the proposed research will make a significant contribution to the project management profession (approx. 150 words). Both sections must include reference to journal articles used in the literature review to support the description and argument. 4 C. Provide an extended literature review (approx. 1400 words): The literature review provided by the group must: i) be based on twenty (20) scholarly journal articles that are relevant to the area of focus of the chosen research topic and be properly synthesised (as described in Week 3 topic materials), including synthesising literature from Assessment 1, to provide a cohesive review of all 20 articles ii) adequately identify key issues related to the area of focus, describe existing research, and show any potential gaps in the current research 6 D Provide research questions and objectives (approx. 100 words) The group must provide two research questions and two research objectives for each research question. Questions and objectives must be clear, precise and relevant for the proposed research 4 E. Describe and justify the proposed research design (methodology, strategy and data collection method/s) (approx. 1150 words, overall) The group response must provide a clear description of and appropriate justification for the choice of: i) research methodology (that reflects the beliefs of the group) ii) research strategy (as discussed in Week 6 topic materials) iii) proposed data collection method/s (as discussed in Weeks 6 and 7 topic materials), including details such as target population, sampling plan, accessibility to participants, methods, etc. 8 F. Provide an ethics statement (approx. 200 words) The group must provide: i) a clear and adequate statement of the ethical considerations that are imposed on researchers by the University when undertaking research involving humans, and ii) a clear and pertinent explanation of how the group will address those considerations when undertaking their proposed research 2 G. Provide detailed project management documentation (not in overall word count) The group response must provide all of the following: i) A clear and adequate description of project exclusions and limitations ii) An appropriate list of milestones in the report (and a Gantt chart in the appendix) iii) A clear and appropriate risk register iv) A clear and appropriate analysis of stakeholders v) A clear and adequate statement about data management vi) A screenshot of a group member’s Endnote library (in the appendix, showing a list of texts used in the assessment) 8 H. Provide a submission which is appropriately structured, properly presented and uses appropriate referencing The group response must provide a submission which is correctly structured using the template, has clarity of expression, uses correct grammar and spelling and uses appropriate Endnote Harvard-CQU referencing 6 Sub-Total 40 NOTE: Where the overall word count is below or above the required range by up to 250 words, a penalty of 2 marks will be applied. Where it is below or above by more than 250 words, a penalty of 4 marks will be applied. (Template section headings are to be included in the word count but the reference list is to be excluded from the word count). Late penalties will also apply Total Marks Assessment Overview Group Formation, Choice of Topic for Assessment 2 and Group Charter Completing the Research Proposal Learning outcomes assessed for Assessment 2: Word counts Referencing style Marking Criteria for Assessment item 2 PPMP20015: Assessment 2 - Research Proposal Term 1 - 2020 (Do not include this page in the research proposal document)INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THIS RESEARCH PROPOSAL DOCUMENT: This proposal is effectively your business case and project management plan for the execution and closing phases of your research project. As such, it must be written in clear language so anyone could use this document to complete the project. You must submit the Research Proposal in Word format. Please strictly adhere to word limits, where noted. You are highly encouraged to consult Studiosity, ALC and/or Turnitin before submitting your final version. Dot points are not to be used except where noted as acceptable. You must refer to the Assessment 2 document in the Assessments section of the unit Moodle site to see the criteria by which your research proposal will be assessed. Please include the following sections in the proposal (all blue text is for guidance only and is to be replaced by appropriately formatted text)