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Assignment Brief Template
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Faculty of Business and Law
Assignment Brief
Module Title Project Management Case Study
Analysis
Assignment
Number
1 of 1
Module Code POPP5036 Assignment
Title
Report
Module Leader Dr Steven Parker Assignment
Weighting
100%
Assignment Release
Date:
31.1.22
Submission
Date/Time:
16.5.22 12:00 (noon)
There are three submissions in this module: a research abstract (non-assessed), a report proposal
(non-assessed) and a final report (assessed). The research abstract and proposal will be explained in
the teaching sessions, and they will help you to develop your academic skills. It is your choice
whether you submit them, and I will be happy to comment on them to help you.
The final report is the only assessed component: detailed below
Key information
Percentage of the module mark: 100%
the final assignment is the only assessment component on this
module
Pass mark: 50%
to pass this module you must achieve a grade of 50% or above
Word count: 3,000
Submit: Electronic copy only via Turnitin
Deadline: 16th May 2022, 12.00 Midday
Feedback: By 14th June 2022, via Turnitin
Assessment Information – What you need to do
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Assignment Brief Template
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Marked Assignment Report – Task
You have been commissioned by a project management professional body to write a 3,000 word
report which critically analyses a project case study of your choice to help develop organisational
understanding about the value of project management and project planning.
How to approach the task
1) Concept: scenario
We often think of project management as a technical discipline where we use project tools to
ensure projects are planned and implemented well. However, although these are important
management issues, it can be argued that projects must also provide value for wider society. With
this in mind, this assignment provides an opportunity for you to critically engage with a project of
your choice.
Project management organisation: As your report is for a professional body you need to identify
one from the outset. For instance, in the UK there is the Association of Project Management (APM)
and in the US there is the Project Management Institute (PMI). You may be familiar with others
around the world. Select the organisation that you think is appropriate for your report. Your
report must be fit for the intended audience. Decide if the report will be for internal purposes only,
or whether the intended audience is the membership. Please be clear that the assignment is a
scenario only for your studies and you WILL NOT be required to submit your work to an external
organisation.
Project: The next step is to identify a real world project case study. There are many examples to
choose from around the world. Your choice of project can be as small or as large as you wish,
however you need to ensure that your project is robust enough to provide sufficient depth and
information to give you the opportunity for criticality in your report.
You are likely to choose a project from one of the following categories:
• a specific large scale, high profile project – for example, the construction of a new airport,
railway, bridge, organising a cultural event;
• a project by a specific organisation – for example, where you work or if you have knowledge
of a particular company, state body, charity or NGO; or
• a unique example of a project in a particular country.
2) Planning: researching and reading
The assignment focuses on your ability to independently research and critically evaluate the impact
of a real project. Your report therefore must demonstrate your engagement with academic
literature, for example, journal articles and books and grey literature, such as policy documents and
websites. Be sure to undertake as much desktop research about your chosen project as possible,
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Assignment Brief Template
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gathering a range of sources of information as well as making use of project management literature
to set the scene about the value of project planning.
During this process you will be able to upload two short pieces of work (as above, these are NOT
mandatory and do not contribute to you mark. These are:
a) A short abstract of a research paper (150 – 200 words) summarising the main points of the
paper, any strengths and weaknesses of the paper you identify, and what you think the paper
provides for students of critical project management. This paper (or another one of your choice)
will need to be discussed in depth in the paper, as it will provide evidence of your critical ability.
b) A one sided proposal where you should be able to confirm your chosen scenario, for example:
• the professional body you are writing the report for;
• whether the report is for the staff of the professional body or intended for an external
readership, for example the members;
• the case study you plan to review; and
• key sources of reading you have identified about the project.
In this phase of the assignment you must also undertake a PESTLE analysis of the project and
provide this as an appendix – this will help to you develop your thinking about the opportunities
and challenges of the project you are reviewing.
These tasks will be introduced in class.
3) Execution: writing
Firstly, as an introduction to your chosen case study, reflect on your knowledge and understanding
of project planning as part of project management. What do you understand? Why is it needed?
What issues need to be considered for the longer lifecycle of the project? Link this to theories and
reading in core texts.
Secondly, provide descriptive detail about the case study project you are reviewing, giving
contextual and key information about its scale and complexity, assuming the reader is unfamiliar
with the project. Where available, comment on what project planning tools were used on the
project – were the tools appropriate or could others have been used?
Thirdly, critically evaluate your chosen case study. Themes you may wish to consider and apply to
your case study are:
• the opportunities and benefits a project brings to society including economic and social
value;
• the need for sustainable development and corporate social responsibility in projects and
project planning; and
• the ‘disbenefits’ of the project or parts of the project for society, for example, where some
stakeholders may lose out.
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Assignment Brief Template
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Finally, how does your chosen project case study Help your chosen professional organisation to
improve their understanding of projects and their value for contemporary society? For example,
does your report provide something extra that is missing in the organisation’s strategy or values?
What recommendations can be made? (Note here: you will need to do some research to
understand and comment on this in your report). Can your report enhance the organisation or
influence it to widen its understanding of project management for the future?
Completion: finalising and submitting your work
Edit your report to ensure that it meets the assessment criteria and is within the permitted word
count.
Ensure your report is fit for the intended audience and is professionally formatted.
The report must use Harvard referencing demonstrating a wide range of reading and research as
evidenced by the in-text references and reference list.
Submit your report to the correct link on Turnitin before the deadline.
Assessment Criteria
Critical review of project planning; inclusion of academic research 20%
Background research on the project and its context 20%
Critical Assessment of the impact of the project; inclusion of academic
research 40%
Conclusions and recommendations for improving project management
practice 10%
Demonstration of good academic practice skills, through a fully referenced and professionally
presented and written, fit for purpose report 10%
Word count
On this module there is a tolerance on the word count of +/- 10%.
What’s included in the word count?
• all the main substantive content
• headings/sub-headings
• text tables
• in-text citations
• direct quotations
• footnotes
What’s excluded from the word count?
• title pages
• contents lists
• reference lists
• appendices (eg PESTLE analysis)
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Assignment Brief Template
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• numeric data tables
Please include your word count on the front title page of your submission.
How to Submit your Assessment
The assessment must be submitted by 12:00 noon (GMT/BST) on 16/05/22. No paper copies are
required. You can access the submission link through the module web.
• Your coursework will be given a zero mark if you do not submit a copy through Turnitin.
Please take care to ensure that you have fully submitted your work.
• Please ensure that you have submitted your work using the correct file format, unreadable
files will receive a mark of zero. The Faculty accepts Microsoft Office and PDF documents,
unless otherwise advised by the module leader.
• All work submitted after the submission deadline without a valid and approved reason will be
subject to the University regulations on late submissions.
o If an assessment is submitted up to 14 days late the mark for the work will be capped at the
pass mark of 40 per cent for undergraduate modules or 50 per cent for postgraduate modules
o If an assessment is submitted beyond 14 calendar days late the work will receive a mark of
zero per cent
o The above applies to a student’s first attempt at the assessment. If work submitted as a
reassessment of a previously failed assessment task is submitted later than the deadline the
work will immediately be given a mark of zero per cent
o If an assessment which is marked as pass/fail rather than given a percentage mark is
submitted later than the deadline, the work will immediately be marked as afail
• The University wants you to do your best. However, we know that sometimes events happen
which mean that you can’t submit your coursework by the deadline – these events should be
beyond your control and not easy to predict. If this happens, you can apply for an extension
to your deadline for up to two weeks, or if you need longer, you can apply for a deferral,
which takes you to the next assessment period (for example, to the re-sit period following the
main Assessment Boards). You must apply before the deadline. You will find information
about applying for extensions and deferrals here.
• Students MUST keep a copy and/or an electronic file of their assignment.
• Checks will be made on your work using anti-plagiarism software and approved plagiarism
checking websites.
Return of Marked Work
You can expect to have feedback returned to you on 14.6.22. If for any reason there is a delay
you will be kept informed. Marks and feedback will be provided online. It is important that you
access the feedback you receive as this will help to make improvements to your later work, you
can request a meeting with your Module Leader or Personal Tutor to discuss your feedback in
more detail.
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Assignment Brief Template
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Academic Support and Your Well-being
Referencing is the process of acknowledging other people’s work when you have used it in your
assignment or research. It allows the reader to locate your source material as quickly and easily
as possible so that they can read these sources themselves and verify the validity of your
arguments. Referencing provides the link between what you write and the evidence on which it is
based.
You identify the sources that you have used by citing them in the text of your assignment
(called citations or in-text citations) and referencing them at the end of your assignment (called
the reference list or end-text citations). The reference list only includes the sources cited in your
text. The main referencing guide can be found here and includes information on the basics of
referencing and achieving good academic practice. It also has tabs for the specific referencing
styles depending on whether you require Harvard style used in business or OSCOLA style used by
the Law school.
The University has a wealth of support services available to students; further information can be
obtained from Student Gateway, the Student Advice Centre, Library and Learning Services and,
most importantly, your Personal Tutor. If you are struggling with your assessments and/or
deadlines please do seek help as soon as possible so that appropriate support and guidance can
be identified and put in place for you. More information can be found on the Healthy DMU
pages.
Marks will have been internally moderated only, and will therefore be provisional; your mark will
be formally agreed later in the year once the external examiner has completed their review.
More information on assessment and feedback can be found here.
Academic Integrity
In submitting a piece of work for assessment it is essential that you understand the University’s
requirements for maintaining academic integrity and ensure that the work does not contravene
University regulations. Some examples of behaviour that would not be considered acceptable
include plagiarism, re-use of previously assessed work, collusion with others and purchasing your
assignment from a third party. For more information on academic offences, bad academic
practice, and academic penalties, please read chapter four of our academic regulations.

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