PROJECT MANAGEMENT – Project Planning

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Week 4 Assignment – Project Planning
Overview
This is the first of three writing assignments
for the course.
Whether we know it or not, we all have planned
and executed projects at some point. For this assignment, you have been
assigned the project of planning a family reunion. For this project you will undergo the project
management process.
Remember a project must:
Have a beginning and an end.
Result in something being delivered to
someone.
Require a series of activities that must
be done to complete the project.
Require resources (for example, people
and materials) to complete the work.

The focus of this paper should be on the
concepts learned thus far, to name a few:
What is project management
Project management life cycle
Organizational strategy & Project selection
Organizational structure & culture
Hoe organizational structure affects projects
Project planning overview
Work breakdown structure
Summary tasks
Estimate Time & Cost
Responsibility matrix
Skills matrix
Resource management plan
This assignment is NOT how well you can describe a project. All
opinions must be supported with sources and in-text citations.

Note: You are prohibited from using projects
that can found on the Internet, including projects found in places such as
CourseHero or from another Strayer University course. All project submissions
are submitted to SafeAssign for review, so NO PLAGIARISM is allowed. This MUST be in your own words.

Instructions (MAKE SURE YOU READ THE OVERVIEW
ABOVE!!!). After you have read the
overview, you have 8 STEPS to follow.

Write a 3–4 page paper in which you define the
scope of your project – Planning a family reunion:
1. STEP 1 – Provide an introduction and overview of the project.
2. STEP 2 – Explain why it is important to define the project
goals and objectives for a new project.
3. STEP 3 – Describe at least two project goals (ex. Requesting
shirt sizes, ordering the shirt sizes, requesting food allergies and ordering
food selections) for the project and describe an objective for each of the
project goals. Include in-text citations from credible sources that explain the
importance of establishing and defining goals and objectives for a new project.

“Don’t lose points”:
Contrary to popular belief –
project goals and objectives (you must provide at least two for each for this assignment)
has nothing to do with solely delivering the project on time and within budget. While time and budget can be apart, they are not
the only part.
Goals expand and or add dimension
to “what” the project will deliver.
Objective provides “how” these
same goals will be reached.

Example: My
scope is to build a 3 bedroom 2 bath house; my project goals would be that the
house be 1. Eco friendly and 2. Energy efficient. My project objectives is how
I will reach these project goals: Example 1. Use chemical free materials and 2.
Use the best energy efficient appliances.
********
***First – delivering project on time, within
budget and within scope are NOT project
goals/objectives. These are the natural expectations of all projects (project
management goals) also refer to as the Triple Constraint or Golden Triangle:
If my scope is to deliver a security
software system:
Goal 1 (What?) Software must be easy to use
—> Objective 1 (How?) Use friendly navigational screens
Goal 2 (What?) Software should prevent Hacking
—> Objective 2 (How?) Research/implement best anti Hacking coding
All the goals provide more details to the WHAT is to be delivered. And objectives detail
HOW these goals will be achieved.
*********************************************************************************************************************************************************
4. STEP 4 – Explain why it is important to understand the
organizational structure where the project will be completed.
* Chapter 3 in the
course textbook describes project management structures.
5. STEP 5 – Describe the project management structure that
you will use to manage your project of planning a family reunion and why you
made that choice.
* For
example, will you manage it via the existing functional structure of the
organization, set up a projected/dedicated project team, or use a matrix
management structure?
* If you
will use a matrix structure, which type will you use?
·

·

Include in-text citations from the course textbook to
explain these structures and the benefits of one over the other.

6. STEP 6 – Define the term “project stakeholders,”
identify the stakeholders involved with your project, and discuss their
impact/role on the project.
7. STEP 7 – Discuss some of the best practices for estimating and developing a project
budget.
8. STEP 8 – Use at least three sources to support your
writing. Choose sources that are credible, relevant, and appropriate. Cite each
source listed on your source page at least one time within your assignment.
This course requires the use of Strayer
Writing Standards. Be sure to include a
cover page and Sources list.

Note: the cover page and Sources list is NOT included in the 3–4 page count
requirement.
The specific course learning outcome
associated with this assignment is:
Draft a project plan that
includes goals and objectives, recommended structure, and stakeholders for
a successful project.
EVERYTHING in these instructions must be taken into account and addressed in your paper.

Last Completed Projects