PMN610: Project Management Principles

Description

A project business case (sometimes also called as feasibility study) describes the necessary information justifying the need for a project and recommended preferred option(s), along with the description of key project management activities. It is often used as a basis for getting an approval or authorization from a project board, funding agency, etc. for initiating a project.

In this assessment item you are required to develop and document a Business Case. You can use a proposal of your choice but are required to discuss this with your lecturer to ensure the appropriateness in terms of relevance and depth prior to documenting the work. A few sample proposals will be available if you do not have a proposal of your own. The project is to be a new project that has not previously been proposed. It can be a fictional project, but has to be based in a real world environment. A template for the business will be provided. You are encouraged to use this template, although it is not mandatory.

Objective

The objective of this assignment is to assess the feasibility of a project, which would be undertaken during the initiating phase of the project lifecycle. The feasibility must be based on how the intended benefits, gained from undertaking the project, will assist the organisation achieve their strategic objectives. Project benefits, drivers and other criteria of success will generally be outlined by the Client Organisation and noted in the business case or project brief, you may not have access to this information. 

1. Investigate a project proposal or terms of reference of the proposed project and submit a business case which will address the need for a project, describe the options considered and their evaluation, recommend a preferred option(s), provide a high-level project definition and approach, and detail the time frame, cost/budget analysis, the strategy for managing risk, quality, project completions and benefits realization.

2. You will follow the template and prepare the report as per the following structure:

a. Title page

i. State the title of the business case, the student's name and number, Group number, degree for which it is submitted, the lecturer, university, school, and teaching period of submission.

b. Contents pages

i. Table of Contents, List of Figures, List of Tables, List ofAcronyms/Glossary (optional).

c. Executive Summary

i. Summarise the topic, argument, major finding/s, and major conclusion/s.

d. Project Need

i. Articulate and explain the reasons for developing this business case.

e. Options Analysis

i. Describe in detail the options considered to address the identified project need including the evaluation of different options and recommended best option. It is suggested a Multiple Criteria

Assessment is used.

f. Project Definition

i. Define the scope of the recommended option (project) including the constraints, dependencies, deliverables, and performance measures.

g. Project Approach

i. Detail the strategies for managing the project, procurement, communication and stakeholder management strategy.

h. Budget, Program and Risk

i. Detail the time frame, cost and budget analysis, risk strategy, quality management, project completion strategy and benefits realisation Plan

i. Appendices / Supporting Documentation

i. Include preliminary plans such as a project schedule, cost plan, risk register, benefits realisation plan, financial analysis, environmental assessment and stakeholder assessment matrix.

3. Include under each of the sections a brief description of the relevant project management theory with supporting citation/references to explain the relevance of the section in the project feasibility study and it’s importance in project management.

4. Note:

a. Citations: Correctly cite and reference all source materials used in the project, ensure that all citations are referenced in the reference list following

a consistent referencing style such as QUT APA.

b. Presentation: Carefully edit your final product to ensure accurate spelling, grammar and punctuation, quotations and references, including crossreferences. You are to write a 3,000-3,500-word re