ASSIGNMENT BRIEF
The focus is to demonstrate the ability to investigate a specific project management-related topic and to construct an academic report documenting the findings from your investigation.
The broad topic for your report is “managing the project life cycle” and the title of your report should be:
“Critical evaluation of current project management practices in managing the project life cycle at initiation, planning, execution and closure stages for successful project outcomes.”
Your report will comprise of a critical review of the academic project management literature, with the emphasis being on peer-reviewed articles in academic journals.
While undertaking a critical review of the literature, you will need to demonstrate literature research skills, such as using the LJMU electronic journals database and locating pertinent academic papers using key word searches.
The maximum word count for your critical review is 2500 (+/- 250) words; this excludes the acknowledgements, abstract, list of contents, contents of figures and tables, references and appendices.
Marking criteria:
• Abstract.
• Introduction to the report.
• Main body of the report – Analysis of the importance of managing the project life cycle (planning, executing, controlling and closing) in achieving successful outputs and outcomes to projects.
• Conclusions.
• Overall presentation, structure and layout of the report.
• Use of literature, referencing of material to support report
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To achieve the pass mark, there must be evidence of the following level 7 assessment descriptors:
• An ability to critically evaluate current research, methodologies and scholarship and, where appropriate, propose new hypotheses.
• An ability to deal with complex issues systematically and creatively.
• A demonstration of a comprehensive understanding of relevant knowledge and applicable techniques which are at the forefront of their academic discipline, field of study or professional practice.
• Originality, insight, depth, and creativity.

Structure of The Report All reports should contain:
I) Abstract of not more than 200 words, which should be placed at the start of your report (this is not included in the word count).
II) List of contents: showing the breakdown of the report into its constituent parts and locating them by page number. It is good practice to also include a list of figures, tables and appendices. It is good practice to use the MS Word Heading styles and captions to generate these lists automatically.
III) Clear Introduction: presenting the background information and introducing the approach taken to investigating and presenting the problem.
IV) Body of the report: should be arranged in a way appropriate to the topic, presenting a review of relevant literature and a critical analysis of facts and/or ideas, using clear section headings, with paragraphs and spacing for ease of reading and cross-referencing.
V) Conclusions: an assessment of the findings; this section should, explicitly or implicitly, establish the validity of the work in relation to its field.
VI) References: should be LJMU Harvard format for all in-text citations and end list of references
VII) Appendices: optional: should be used only for supplementary material and be kept to a minimum; should not be used for key material that should be placed in the main body of the report.
Report Presentation Format
▪ The report itself should demonstrate analytical and evaluation skills in discussion of the topic and a clear understanding of strategic project management issues.
▪ Please do not merely submit a list of bullet points to address the criterion identified – this will ensure a fail.
All references should be clearly cited within the text and summarised in the end Reference list.

• Identify a Project for evaluation & why you or your organization chose this project – Initiation
• Stakeholder identification – Initiation
• Stakeholder analysis – Planning
• Stakeholder engagement plan – Planning.
• Create a Scope document ( Included & excluded ) – Planning.
• Create WBS using MS Project – Planning
• Identify the Critical path using MS Project & capture the screenshot – Planning
• Create a strategic execution plan – (What strategies or steps will you take to execute this project effectively & how you will execute it) – Execution
• Create a Change log register – How you will record the changes and manage it – Execution
• Create a Risk log – How are you going to manage the risks in this project & mitigate or materialize it – Execution
• Create an EVM chart & S Curve – Monitoring & Controlling
• Create a lessons learned document to analyze what mistakes you did , how can you correct them for future projects – Closing.
• You have to reference the above work and support them by valid peer-reviewed articles or books or journals
• Present an Abstract & simple introduction to the paper. Consolidate all the references you’ve made

• The final report will look something identical as attached herewith , Do note that all the work that you have already carried out can be very well integrated.
• Use the MS Project tool as efficient as possible