UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN QUEENSLAND
MGT8073 PROJECT PROCESSES AND SYSTEMS Assignment 1
Assessment tasks for MGT8073
There are two assessment tasks for this course.
• Assignment 1 requires you to undertake a literature review of topics related to this course to provide a platform for completion of assignment 2
• Assignment 2 requires you to critically analyse the processes and systems adopted in a chosen project.
Together these activities will help to demonstrate compliance with the Australian
Qualifications Framework (AQF) requirements for students to develop appropriate research skills. AQF states that ‘graduates of a Master’s Degree (Coursework) will demonstrate the application of knowledge and skills to plan and execute a substantial research-based project, capstone experience and/or piece of scholarship’ (Australian Qualifications Framework Council 2013).
Use of Endnote (or other bibliographic software)
You are strongly urged to use Endnote for this assignment and for other assessment activities in your studies across all courses. Endnote and other referencing, bibliographic or citation software programs:
• manage and organise references into personalised groups
• serve as a personal record of your research notes and annotations on PDFs
• search those notes and annotations as well as the full text of PDFs
• enable collaboration using shared libraries either as read/write or read only
• may have a cloud based version which performs all the functions of the desktop and keeps libraries on different computers in sync (the Endnote cloud version needs a licenced desktop copy to fully enable all features).
There are many different products, some freely downloadable such as Zotero and Mendeley; and others built in to the word processor, as in MS Office Word. Those that are most reliable are commercial products such as RefWorks, BibTeX and EndNote. To find out more about Endnote which can be downloaded at no cost by USQ students, go to http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing/endnote-bibliographic-software.
Context
You are working as a project team member in a project management office (PMO) and the manager of the PMO has asked you to participate in a review of the PMO’s project processes and systems to be applied to an upcoming project which is of medium to large size and complexity (this project review will form part of your assignment 2 so you should consider your selection of a suitable project before you commence assignment 1).
Your task
Your initial task is to carry out a survey of the literature on project processes and systems to inform the review. You have been asked to:
• identify contemporary and seminal literature on this topic and
• to present your findings as an annotated bibliography that covers the following areas:
1. Identification of issue or problem the organisation is experiencing that relates to or has influence on the delivery method of your chosen project ( the one you intend to review in assignment 2). Note: choose a chronic problem whose history is known
2. Review theories that capture the key elements of the problem
3. Review case histories of the problem containing possible solutions
The total length of your assignment 1 is to be approx. 2000 words. Please follow general formatting guidelines as outlined in the Communication Skills Handbook (Summers & Smith 2014). Remember that the assignments in the project management courses require referencing to use Harvard AGPS6 formatting and not APA. Using the incorrect referencing format could lose marks.
What is an annotated bibliography?
The University of New England indicates that an annotated bibliography ‘provides a brief overview of the available research on a topic and that ‘compiling an annotated bibliography will help the researcher think about the relevance and quality of the material on a topic. Does the information meet the requirements of the topic? Is the information from a reliable and academically respected source?’ ('Writing an annotated bibliography'). A guide on how to write an annotated bibliography, and an example of one, is available at http://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/11132/WE_Writing-an-annotatedbibliography.pdf.
You can also find numerous short videos online on how to write an annotated bibliography. Most will say similar things but make sure you follow the guidelines set out below for this assignment. One example on YouTube can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0Hsnx0l1q4.
Annotated bibliography
For assignment 1, provide the following:
Mark sheet/rubric (see separate mark sheet and rubric) Table of contents
1. Organisational context (200 words)
In this section, describe the organisational and project context for which you are preparing the annotated bibliography. You can base this on a PMO with which you have direct experience, or on a case study from the literature. Include details such as the type of chronic issues or problems it has and their influence on the projects they under. Prepare an influence diagram to assist in the explanation.
2. The annotated bibliography (approximately 1600 words)
• Carry out a literature review for the three topics listed below and present your findings in the form of an annotated bibliography.
• Details of how to structure your annotated bibliography are provided below.
• Review two resources for each of the three topics (i.e. total number of resources to be annotated is 6).
• Each annotated bibliography is to be approximately 250 words.
• One of the resources in each of the three sections must be a blind peer-reviewed journal article. The remaining resource may be a non-refereed journal article, material from an organisation which is publicly available, or a book chapter.
• No more than one of the resources in each section is to be drawn from the provided course study materials.
• Select materials that are relevant to the organisational/project context you have selected and the topic lists that have been requested.
• The resources in each of the three sections are to be listed in alphabetical order.
2.1. Identification of issue or problem (affecting the delivery method) in the organisation:
• Resource 2.1.1
• Resource 2.1.2
2.2. Theories that capture the key elements of the problem:
• Resource 2.2.1
• Resource 2.2.2
2.3. Case histories of the problem containing possible solutions:
• Resource 2.3.1
• Resource 2.3.2
3. Conclusions (200 words)
• What key conclusions can you draw from the annotated bibliography that will help you in assignment 2?
Reference List
Structure of your annotated bibliography
For each resource in your annotated bibliography, provide the following:
1. Reference: A full reference of the artefact that is to be reviewed (journal article, book chapter, etc.). This would include author, year, title, etc. This will be the same as the information in the list of references at the end of the assignment. Use the USQ Harvard AGPS6 style (see the USQ library website for further information at http://www.usq.edu.au/library/referencing/harvard-agps-referencing-guide).
2. Focus: One or two sentences explaining the article’s focus or purpose and confirming that the resource chosen is highly relevant to the topic and the organizational context.
3. Research method and analysis: A summary of the research approach/method or source of information for the resource, and a brief analysis of the content discussed, the major findings, and the conclusions of the resource.
4. Reflection: A critical reflection on the value, reliability, completeness and limitations of the resource (are there gaps in the argument that should have been addressed?). Clearly describe the strengths and weaknesses of the resource.
5. Justification: A justification of why this resource is important in the context of the development of your PMO’s procedures (i.e. evaluate the resource in terms of your context). What information or insights does it provide that are useful for the organisation and how provides a solution to the problem?
Submission details
Throughout the materials, reference may be made to the mode of study selected by students.
‘Online’ students are those who are enrolled in the course in ‘WEB’ mode. This mode may not always be available.
‘On-campus’ students are those who are enrolled in the course in ‘ONC’ mode. This mode may not always be available.
‘External’ students are those who are enrolled in the course in ‘EXT’ mode. This mode may not always be available.
? Submission of assessment. All students (regardless of mode) must submit Assignments 1 and 2 electronically using the electronic assignment submission facility. This is accessed from the assessment page on the StudyDesk for this course. Assignments will not be accepted by email or in hard copy unless there are extenuating circumstances and prior approval is gained from the course examiner.
? Electronic mark sheet – students must use the MGT8073 electronic assignment mark sheet for assignments 1 and 2 that are provided as part of the StudyDesk course materials as it contains the marking criteria. Do not use generic USQ cover sheets that may be available for other courses. Do not use generic PDF cover sheets which are only intended for courses where hard copy submissions are required.
? File naming – electronic files should follow the file-naming protocols detailed on the mark sheet.
? Due date – submission should be completed prior to midnight (Toowoomba time) on the due date specified in the study schedule. Check the time difference. The time in Toowoomba is indicated on the StudyDesk.
? File types – Electronic copies of assignments may be submitted in various file formats which are defined in the electronic assignment submission facility for each course. Check to ensure that your assignment complies with the requirements.
? Originality Report from Turnitin – Assignment 1 and Assignment 2 must be accompanied by an ‘Originality Report’ from Turnitin. Students will have to download the report as per the instructions below. NOTE: this is not the ‘receipt’ that you receive when you upload the assignment. Follow the instructions to download a full ‘ORIGINALITY’ report from the Turnitin site.
Originality Report from Turnitin for assignments 1 and 2
The brief instructions below should be sufficient to check your assignment and download an originality report. However, if you have problems more detailed information is available from Turnitin at http://www.turnitin.com/en_us/support/help-center/general-articles.
Briefly, the steps to obtain an Originality Report from Turnitin comprise the following:
1. Create a separate Turnitin version of your assignment with a new file name. Follow the instructions below.
2. If you have not previously done so, register with Turnitin at www.turnitin.com using an email address of your own choosing and a password of your own choosing. You do not have to use your USQ UConnect username and password.
3. Log in and access the course using the class ID and password provided below.
4. Submit your assignment and exit Turnitin for a least 30 minutes.
5. Log into Turnitin again after this period, and then download the Originality Report. The Originality Report will be in HTML or PDF format and will contain a percentage score for material that is common with other sources. You cannot resubmit to Turitin to try to revise the score. If you try to submit any other way, it will show a score of 100%.
6. Submit your Originality Report when you lodge your assignment.
Information on how to create a separate Turnitin version of your assignment
Turnitin will compare your assignment to all other assignments submitted to Turnitin from USQ and all other universities. It will also compare it with information publicly available and with other documents contained within Turnitin. Turnitin creates a report showing the level of material that is NOT ‘original’ and this is indicated on a scale of zero to 100%. The lower the percentage the better.
IMPORTANT NOTE: To minimise the extent of material that shows as not being your original work, create a separate assignment file for Turnitin and amend it as follows:
? If you have previously attached the USQ electronic mark sheet, remove it so it does not show as common material.
? Delete any other mark sheet or cover sheet so the text starts at ‘Executive Summary’.
? You must include your name and Student number at the top of the document for identification.
? Delete all appendices – the text should now finish at the end of the List of References. You are now ready to submit the assignment file to Turnitin.
To register as new student or to log in
? Go to http://www.turnitin.com .
? If you are not an existing user, select ‘New User’ and follow instructions to register.
? Simply enter an email address of your choosing and create a password (you do not have to use the USQ UConnect username and password).
? Register using your enrolled student name – do not use an alias.
Once you are registered you can simply enter that email address and password to log in to the Turnitin website at any time.
To access the course – Class ID and Password
? Click on ‘Enrol in a class’
? Insert class ID – 12110927
? Insert class password – mgt8073
? You may be asked for your name if you have not provided this before – please use your name that you use in normal USQ communications. Do not use aliases.
To submit assignments 1 and 2
? Click on ‘Submit’ icon for required assignment (1 or 2).
? Select ‘Single file upload’.
? Insert your first name as per USQ student records (if not automatically inserted).
? Insert your last (family) name as per USQ student records (if not automatically inserted). DO NOT USE AN ALIAS.
? Insert submission title (e.g. A1, Assignment 1, or similar to identify assignment).
? Make sure your file complies with the ‘requirements for single file upload’ listed by Turnitin on this page.
? Browse to locate the assignment file on your computer (select the file that has been adapted for submission to Turnitin with no mark sheet and no appendices).
? Click on ‘Upload’.
? Wait for file to upload (indicated by progress bar).
? Preview submission in window to ensure that file has loaded properly.
? Click on ‘Submit’.
? Wait for file to upload.
? Go back to Portfolio.
? Ensure that file shows as submitted (file title and date of submission are displayed) (if this has not happened, you may have to go back and repeat the submission process).
? Log out.
? You will receive an email from Turnitin to confirm submission.
To access your Originality Report and interpretation of report
? Return to Turnitin at a later time to check originality report (wait for at least 30 minutes) http://www.turnitin.com .
? Under the tab ‘My Classes’, click on the required class code from the list under ‘enter a class’.
? Details of your submissions will show up.
? If the assignment has been checked, a percentage will be shown in a box under
‘Originality’.
? Click on the number that shows the percentage of material that comes from other sources (e.g. 12%).
? Read the Originality Report which identifies any material from external sources and the level of material from that source (it is colour coded and easy to read).
? There is no fixed percentage that represents ‘plagiarism’.
? Do not worry about material that you have ‘quoted’ in the assignment or material that is clearly indicated as coming from a source where a citation has been provided.
? A document might legitimately contain material that has been quoted or cited and a higher percentage might be acceptable.
? If the percentage is above 10%, examine your assignment to ensure that materials are properly cited, or if there is material that can be stated in your words rather than the words of others. It is not possible to resubmit your assignment again to obtain additional reports.
? You can explore this report and the sources that have been indicated.
? Save a copy of the report to your computer by clicking on the ‘Download’ arrow in the top RH corner and select ‘OK’.
? Select Save and choose a folder to which the file can be saved (this should be an HTML file).
? If the report is generated as a PDF, it will be of a large size. Select ‘Text only report’ where indicated on the web page, and try to download the HTML version to reduce file size.
? Go to http://www.plagiarism.org/ to read about plagiarism and how to avoid being accused of it.
? You are not able to resubmit your assignment to Turnitin for further checking. You are only allowed one submission per assignment. Do not submit documents under a different user name as it will be compared to your previous submissions.
Submission of Originality report through the assignment submission facility with assignments 1 and 2
? When you submit your assignments 1 and 2 for marking, submit the Turnitin Report as well.
? You may submit it as a separate file, or you may prefer to ‘zip’ the assignment files and the HTML Turnitin file into a single folder to simplify submission.
Support
? If you have problems with submission of your assignment for checking or with downloading an originality report, there is a link to the Turnitin HelpDesk at the bottom of the Turnitin web pages. You can seek assistance there. Simply follow the instructions.
? If Turnitin is unable to assist, you can contact USQ for support through UConnect.
List of references
Australian Qualifications Framework Council, Australian Qualifications Framework, 2013,
http://www.aqf.edu.au/Portals/0/Documents/2013%20docs/AQF%202nd%20Edition%20January%20 2013.pdf .
Summers, J & Smith, B 2014, Communication skills handbook, 4th edn, John Wiley and Sons Australia, Ltd, Brisbane.
'Writing an annotated bibliography', viewed 18 December 2015,
https://www.une.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0008/11132/WE_Writing-an-annotatedbibliography.pdf .