Principles of Project Management

Assignment Brief

Assignment Front Sheet

Unit Aim: Unit 10 Principles of Project Management

The aim of this unit is to give learners an understanding of the principles of project management in business. Learners will be required to develop a business case for a specified project, which will then be executed and evaluated.

Unit Introduction

Businesses may have a wide number of reasons for commencing a project. For example, they may be looking to expand their range of products and services, target new customers, or develop new market areas.

In this unit, learners will develop understanding of the critical requirements for a successful project. A potential project will need to be identified before you can consider the scope, definition and objectives of the project and how it could impact on a business. It could be useful for you to develop a business case to support the selected project and appreciate the significance of the key roles of the project manager and sponsor.

You will have to utilise project lifecycle planning and identify the project stakeholders and their management which will be operative throughout the lifecycle of the project. You will also need to access sources of appropriate data and information and consider resourcing, monitoring and controls for the project.

You will need to understand the importance of critical success factors and performance measurement in monitoring and evaluating the project.

Finally, you will assess the achievement of the project against objectives and the business case and present the outcomes.

Scenario: Unit 10 Principles of Project Management

You are working in a large organisation where you may have experienced small or large projects that are managed by different business managers/teams. You are required to take this opportunity of being a part of a large organisation, in your current role you may have an experience of either managing/being part of/observed a project which could be within your own or a different team of a business to provide a knowledge and understanding of a project management. You will illustrate your knowledge and understanding of the three phases of a project management including Initiation phase, Execution phase, then finally Evaluation and Presentation of a project outcome phase.

At Initiation phase of a project, you are required to identify a potential project or business case components then assess the scope and objectives of the selected project or a business case. It is equally important to assess the impact of the project on a business and its rationale. When at Execution phase of a project it is envisage that you will analyse the significance of the roles of project sponsor and project manager towards the achievement of a project deliverables. You will be expected to apply your knowledge and competences towards utilising project lifecycle planning, identify key stakeholders of the project and sources required for project execution. Critical success criteria will be the stage when you will have an update on the project success or failure; therefore, you are expected to assess these factors and give your overview on project improvements if required.

Finally, provide your Evaluation of a project and select a suitable method to Present the findings.

Writing Criteria: Unit 10 Principles of Project Management

You are required to produce a Report following “Academic Report Writing” format for Task 1 and 2. For Task 3 you are required to discuss with your Tutor on agreeing format of presenting the project outcomes, this could be in a report format or a Power Point Presentation format.

Note- if you are using a PP Presentation format in Task 3 you are also required to provide  presenter notes.

Task 1: Unit 10 Principles of Project Management

You are required to illustrate your knowledge and understanding of the importance of initiation stage of a project you have either undertaken or be a part of or have observed in your organisation. Below are the key aspects that need to be covered in the identification of the components of selected business case.

You are required to identify the key components of a business case that supports your selected project. Also, define aim, scope and objectives of a project. It is essential to evaluate the importance of identifying the key tasks involve in a project initiation stage, at each stage evaluate the project deliverables and how you schedule the project activities to achieve these deliverables. You are expected to assess the importance of identifying the impact of a selected project on the overall business.

(LO 1: AC 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 and 1.4)

Task 2: Unit 10 Principles of Project Management

At this stage you are required to build on above task and execute a project considering below as important and essential criteria to be covered in this phase: 

• Being a part of a project where you have observed a project manager and a project sponsor playing their role in an execution of a project, you are required to evaluate the role of the project manager as well as explain the role of project sponsor in a project.
• Project lifecycle plan is very important part of a project; therefore, you are required to assess the importance of selecting a project lifecycle plan to achieve project objectives. You are also required to assess the importance of analysing different sources of data and information that supports a project execution.
• Explain the importance of defining project stakeholders and their management throughout a project lifecycle. Project stakeholders can be internal and external therefore look into different areas of how these stakeholders contributes in overall project lifecycle.
• Explain your understanding of a resourcing, monitoring and controlling of a project. Reflect your understanding of above on the project you have selected. 
• Assess the importance of identifying the critical success factors in the realisation of a project. Reasons for a project failure and a success will be beneficial. As well as the role of Six Sigma quality improvement.
• Assess the importance of specifying performance measures considering the key attributes including validity, reliability etc. to monitor project outcomes.
• Finally, evaluate different ways to monitor the progress of a project throughout its lifecycle. You can use an example of your project and evaluate how the progress has been monitored.

(LO 2: AC 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7, 2.8 and 2.9)

Task 3: Unit 10 Principles of Project Management

The final stage of your project is to understand how to evaluate and present project outcomes. As you will have already discussed in Task 2, monitoring and evaluation are important tools for improved business performance; this section is looking at your understanding of this. You will explain how to assess the achievement of the project outcomes against the initial objectives scope objectives (reflect on project deliverables) and assess how important it is to evaluate these outcomes of a project against the original “Business Case”. In the final section of your written report you should explain how as a “Project Team” you would present the outcomes from the project. (LO 3: AC 3.1, 3.2 and 3.3)

Suggested Resources

Books

Horine G – Project Management Absolute Beginner’s Guide (Absolute Beginner’s Guides) (3rd edition) (QUE, 2012) ISBN: 9780789750105

Kerzner H, International Institute for Learning – Project Management: Best Practices: Achieving Global Excellence (The Iil/Wiley Series in Project Management) (2nd edition) (John Wiley & Sons, 2010) ISBN: 9780470528297

Williams M – The Principles of Project Management (SITEPOINT, 2008) ISBN: 9780980285864

Journals

Project Manager Today – www.pmtoday.co.uk/content/en/default.aspx

Websites

www.apm.org.uk – Association for Project Management: website about developing and promoting project and programme management

www.open.edu/openlearn – The Open University: has courses on project management

INSTRUCTIONS AND INFORMATION FOR LEARNERS:

• Above assessment tasks are designed to assess your achievement of all three of the Learning Outcomes and associated Assessment Criteria for a Pass in the Principles of Project Management unit of the qualification you are undertaking.
• Your Talent Coach will advise you when you should start work on the assignment, the date when you must hand in your completed work and when you can expect to get your mark and feedback on your work.
• You should make sure that you plan your work carefully, to ensure that you cover all three learning outcomes of the assignment, and complete it within the time limit specified.
• It is suggested to use appropriate format as advised in the assignment i-e. Academic Report Writing. You can use font (Arial, Calibri, Times New Roman), font size 11 and 12 for a main body and font size 14, 16 or 18 for main headings. It is a good practice to apply header and footer with your name, page numbers and unit details. Use of images, graphs and charts are one of the best practices when writing an assignment.
• You must ensure that your assignment Word count is 3000 with a 10% leeway either side. The word count does not include the introduction, titles or appendices. Where tables and graphs are required to meet the needs of the assignment they must be included within the main body of the text. If the assignment exceeds the word count you will be asked to re-submit it before it is marked.
• You must make sure that you acknowledge any sources you have used to complete this assignment, listing reference material and web sites used. Use Harvard Reference style.
• You must submit your work on “ilearner” with appropriate label and details.
• If your assignment is assessed as referred, you will be notified with an indication of the areas to be addressed.
• If there is anything in the above given instructions or in the assignment itself is not clear, please seek guidance from your Talent Coach.

Sample Answer

Principles of Project Management

Unit 10 – Pearson BTEC Level 4 Diploma in Business Administration

Executive Summary

This report analyses the fundamental principles of project management within a business context, based on a real-world project experience in a large organisation. It focuses on three key phases of project management: Initiation, Execution, and Evaluation/Presentation of outcomes. The report identifies the importance of defining a business case, the roles of project sponsor and manager, the value of stakeholder management, and how performance is measured and presented. Through this analysis, the report demonstrates how structured project management can contribute to successful project delivery and overall business growth.

Task 1: Project Initiation

Defining the Aim, Scope, and Objectives of a Project

In any project, clarity at the outset is essential. I observed a technology system upgrade project within the IT department of my organisation. The aim of the project was to replace outdated hardware and software systems to improve operational efficiency and data security.

The scope included upgrading all staff computers, implementing cloud-based data storage, and ensuring compatibility with future software. The objectives were to complete the upgrade within six months, minimise disruption to services, train all staff on new systems, and achieve a 20% increase in productivity post-implementation.

Clearly defining these elements helped prevent scope creep and provided a shared understanding among all stakeholders.

Importance of Identifying Tasks, Deliverables, and Schedule

Successful project initiation requires breaking down the project into key tasks and deliverables. In this case, tasks included procurement, system testing, staff training, and phased rollout. Each task had a corresponding deliverable, such as new laptops, training manuals, and updated security protocols.

Scheduling was managed using a Gantt chart, which allowed the team to allocate time frames, set milestones, and track progress. Without this structured scheduling, delays would have been likely, especially given dependencies such as receiving equipment from suppliers before training could begin.

Assessing Impact on the Business

Identifying the potential impact of the project is essential to secure stakeholder support. For this IT upgrade project, the expected benefits included improved speed, reduced IT support requests, better data security, and enhanced staff satisfaction. However, short-term risks included disruption during implementation, the learning curve for staff, and possible cost overruns.

A risk assessment matrix was used to prepare mitigation plans. Ultimately, the long-term positive impact justified the temporary challenges, and the project was supported at the executive level.

Continued...