Task

This assessment item consists of two parts. Both parts must be completed in order to complete this
assessment item.
Part 1 (40 marks)
Part 1 Task
Your task for this part of the assessment item is to answer the following two questions. Each question
will carry equal (20 marks) and your answer for each question should be around 1000 words:
1. Identify five common project risk strategies employed to address threats that your project may
face. Give an example of each.
2. Projects are often completed late. Describe the techniques you would use as a project
manager to improve the accuracy and reliability of your project schedule.
In responding to the above points, be sure to:
Critique project theory based on your experience and understanding. This is important don't
just "regurgitate" the theory
Provide examples, data or other relevant information to support your discussion. Examples
can be from work experience, research, study group experience, for example. They should
demonstrate the theoretical points you are asserting in the questions.
Part 2 (60 marks)
Background

As a consultant you have been asked by the Global Retail Solutions Group (GRS) to develop an
implementable project plan for a point of sale and stock control system for a proposed chain (DSE) of
retail outlets across Australia. You have been supplied the following information, information not
available maybe assumed, this will be a competitive bid targeting the dual goals of quick
implementation and low cost.

DSE is an aggressive player in the growing DIY electronics market with a plan to open a chain of
retail outlets to further their growth in the market. Outlets will be located in major cities in seven
states. The larger cities will have more than one store. Critical to sales is monitoring sales and stock
turn to ensure adequate stock is available when demanded. Each store will be responsible for day-to-
day operations, however, there is a strong central management structure at the national level. The
services provided by the organization include volume buying to gain discounts, pricing, merchandising
strategies, and consolidation of performance reporting for the corporate management.

The Information Systems Department at DSE's corporate office has been given the assignment to
develop a transaction processing system that will apply modern RFID code scanning at the point of
sale and provide automatic inventory control. The system will also relieve the store personnel of the
tedious task of generating sales and performance reports as required by the head office.

An earlier project has successfully defined the store level hardware that will be used at the points of
transaction plus the communications network that will connect the stores with the state offices. This
hardware consists of standard PCs plus the scanning equipment and any other specialized interface
hardware needed. The communications facility consists of a polled network and will be based on dial-
up lines from the head office to the individual stores. The stores have no requirement to communicate
with each other.
At this point in time, consider yourself a consultant who has to bid for the software development piece
of the project upon which this system is based. You will have access to several DSE employees to
execute the various tasks that your project proposal will guide to a successful conclusion.
You have selected Microsoft Project as a software tool to assist in the development of your proposal.
Five major activities have been defined, each of which contains a number of tasks. The tasks have
been defined such that each task requires only one resource. Since there is a limit to the number of
resources available to the project, a resource will probably be assigned several tasks throughout the
duration of the project. However, for best efficiency the team has decided that it is best to schedule
the completion of one task before the next task is started by the same resource. Your project design
has divided the work into sufficiently small increments that this strategy can be successfully applied.

Since the software development is being done on standard platforms with standard operating
environments and well-known development tools, there are no restrictions on the assignment of
resources to tasks. This means that you can reassign tasks among your resource pool as required to
make the most efficient schedule.

From the information supplied by DSE (below) you have to develop a design for the project. Your next
task is to transfer the entire design to Microsoft Project so that you can clearly establish a timeline for
the project based on detailed planning and costs associated with your preferred choice including
resource utilisation. A concise business proposal including outputs from Microsoft Project will be
required to make your case.

The project is due to begin on 01 September 2014.

Transaction processor
User Interface - Driver code to display individual transaction data, including item name and
price to both the customer and the operator. Richard - 3 days
Peripheral Interface - Driver code to accept input data from the UPC scanner, scale and
keyboard. Richard - 2 days
Price Look-up - Inter-process communication to send item identification to the database and
retrieve price information. Elizabeth - 3 days
Order Control - Application code to accumulate item totals, accepting multiple quantities and
calculating total price. This module also assigns items by tax category and maintains a total
for each tax rate. Elizabeth - 10 days
Payment Resolution - Application code to accept cash and debit transfers as payment for the
order total. Note: Requires communications facilities with banking network. Harry - 4
days Transaction Resolution - Application code to update inventory, accumulate sales
amounts, account for taxes collected by category. Harry - 5 days
Receipt Printing - Application and driver code to print itemized receipt for cash sales and
authorization form for debit transactions. Richard - 4 days

Price and inventory file
Database Design - Schema design to include full description of each item and associated
data to support price look-up and inventory management functions. Also includes tax rate by
category and application of specific state tax rules. Sam - 5 days
Database Access Library - Library applications that accept queries from the transaction
processor and return data requested by the transaction. Includes inventory adjustment based
on sale quantities. Jenny - 12 days
Database Maintenance Library - Library applications that accept and apply price updates, add
new items, change tax categories and update inventory status with new receipts. Ellie - 12
days
Database Report Generation - Library applications that support database search for specific
input criteria for product movement studies etc. Sam - 10 days

Inventory management
Daily Status Report - Application code to search the database for all items that have been
flagged as low stock status, sorted by supplier and displayed on a PC in the store manager's
office. Elizabeth - 5 days
Item History Report - An interactive query transaction to display on the manager's terminal the
sales pattern for a selected item over the last two months. Jenny - 4 days
Order Generation - Application code that accepts as input a specific item and returns the
economic lot quantity and other pertinent vendor data. Also allow the manager to select and
process an order to replenish stock. Harry - 7 days
Order Communication - Application code that collects the decisions made in the Order
Generation process and prepares an order for transmission to the head office. Harry - 3 days
Receipt Processor - Application code that accepts input from the receiving dock via either
scanner or keyboard to signal the receipt of stock. Richard - 3 days
Inventory Update - Application code access the database library to update quantities in stock
after receipt of shipments. Richard - 5 days

Communications
Banking Network Interface - Driver code to initiate connection to local transaction switch and
submit account and charge amount. Includes confirmation transaction and error recovery.
Elizabeth - 7 days
State Network Interface - Driver code to control incoming calls from the head office on the
dial-up network. Handles automatic answer, message transfer in block mode and error
recovery. Harry - 12 days
Communications Command Interpreter - Application code to recognize incoming requests
from the head office for various store performance reports. Jenny - 5 days
Report Generator - Applications code to respond to a request from the communications
interface to generate specific reports and return data as a file for sending to the state office in
block mode. Each report is saved at the store and may be sent during the same
communications session as the request or in a later session. Ellie - 10 days

Documentation
Help for Transaction Processor - Richard - 5 days,
Help for Price and Inventory Modules - Jenny - 5 days
Help for Inventory Management - Harry - 5 days
Help for Communications - Ellie - 5 days

Alpha test
This test is conducted by a resource obtained from the head office. The objective is to verify
that all of the functions are operational and that the results of each transaction are accurate
and reliable. Barry - 20 days
Developer support is provided as follows: Richard - 5 days, Jenny - 7 days, Harry - 6 days,
and Ellie - 5 days

Beta test
This test is to be conducted by actual users in several of the retail outlets. No development
resources are allocated to this test. The duration of the test is 60 days.
Start roll-out
This milestone marks the completion of the project. The rate at which the product is actually
installed and delivered to operating personnel depends on the availability of resources and
plans from the individual stores. Each of these is the possible subject of a project plan.
Resource costs
$/hour $/hour
Richard 200 Elizabeth 100
Jenny 100 Ellie 90
Harry 100
Outside
Contractors
- Sam
200
Barry 100
Transfer
pricing -
other
internal
resources
120

Part 2 Task

You are required to present your project plan to the project sponsor that shows how you propose to
implement this project. As a minimum you should provide your plan as a business report including
typical plan components such as objectives and goals, risk assessment and other elements you feel
are important to support this project, and required to obtain approval from the project sponsor.

You must also incorporate, as a minimum, the following specific project software outputs:
project summary
gantt chart
cash flow/budget
network diagram
resource sheet, and
any other content you feel is appropriate.
The assignment will be marked on the basis of the sponsor's understanding of how you plan to
complete this project in the most effective manner. This means value for money, timeframe,
presentation, understanding of your approach and consistency and accuracy of the plan.

As you prepare your report, don't forget to format the software so that reports (eg. Gantt chart) are
easy to read and can be handled (ideally on 1 page) as part of a meaningful project plan.

You are presenting your plan to the project sponsor who needs to understand your project plan, have
confidence in you as the project manager and have the appropriate supporting documentation to back
up your approach.


Rationale
This assessment task covers topics 1 to 9 and has been designed to ensure that you are engaging
with the subject content on a regular basis. More specifically it seeks to assess your ability to:
demonstrate how a practicing project manager actually applies project management skills,
methods, techniques and tools ;
use an industry standard project management software tool (Microsoft Project);
apply project management skills, methods, techniques and tools to a real world problem
typical of a project manager;
Marking criteria
Marks given will be dependent on the quality of the answers and the suitability and correctness of the
proposed project as represented in Microsoft Office Project. This is a project management plan
project NOT an IT project.
CRITERIA
STANDARDS
HD DI CR PS FL
Part 1. Q1.
Identify five
common
project risk
strategies
employed to
address
threats that
your project
may face.
Give an
example of
each.
Marks: 20
1. Comprehensive
explanation of five
common project
risk strategies
employed to
address threats
with suitable
examples from
workplace
experience.
(Value: 75%)
2. Referenced
a wide range
of sources for
different
antenna types
and their
characteristics.
Referencing
style correctly
used.
(Value: 15%)
3. Fluent
writing style
appropriate to
the assignment
with accurate
grammar and
spelling.
(Value: 10%)

1. Mostly
comprehensive
explanation of five
common project
risk strategies
employed to
address threats
with suitable
examples.
(Value: 75%)
2. Clear
evidence of
research
relevant to
different
antenna types
and their
characteristics.
Referencing
style correctly
used. (Value:
15%)
3. Mostly
Fluent writing
style
appropriate to
assignment
with accurate
grammar and
spelling.
(Value: 10%)

1. Mostly
comprehensive
explanation of four
common project
risk strategies
employed to
address threats
with examples.
Some omissions.
(Value: 75%)
2. Clear
evidence of
research
relevant to
different
antenna types
and their
characteristics.
Referencing
style correctly
used. Minor
omissions
only.
(Value: 15%)
3. Mostly
fluent writing
style
appropriate to
the assignment
with mostly
accurate
grammar and
spelling.
Minor
omissions
only.
(Value: 10%)

1. Reasonable
explanation of
three common
project risk
strategies
employed to
address threats
with examples.
Some omissions.
(Value: 75%)
2. Some
evidence of
research.
Some mistake
in referencing
style.
(Value: 15%)
3. Writing
style not
always fluent
or well-
organised and
grammar and
spelling
contain
errors.
(Value: 10%)

1. Major omissions in
the explanation.
(Value: 75%)
2. Either no
evidence of
literature being
consulted or cited
references irrelevant
to the assignment
set.
(Value: 15%)
3. Writing style not
fluent or well-
organised, and
many grammatical
and spelling
mistakes.
(Value: 10%)

Part 1. Q2.
Projects are
often
completed
late.
Describe the
1. Demonstrates
breadth and depth
of understanding
and has insights
and awareness of
deeper more subtle
1. Demonstrates
breadth and depth
of understanding
and has insights
and awareness of
many of the deeper
1. Demonstrates
thorough
understanding of
main causes of
delay in projects
using the materials
1. Demonstrates
evidence of
having read about
project schedule
using material
presented in core
1. Major omissions in
the explanation.
(Value: 75%)
2. Either no
evidence of
literature being
CRITERIA STANDARDS
techniques
you would
use as a
project
manager to
improve the
accuracy
and
reliability of
your project
schedule.
Marks: 20

aspects of
common causes of
delay in projects;
good imaginative
approach to
improve the
accuracy and
reliability of
project schedule
(Value: 75%)
2. Referenced
a wide range
of sources for
different
antenna types
and their
characteristics.
Referencing
style correctly
used.
(Value: 15%)
3. Fluent
writing style
appropriate to
the assignment
with accurate
grammar and
spelling.
(Value: 10%)
more subtle
aspects of common
causes of delay in
projects;
imaginative
approach to
improve the
accuracy and
reliability of
project schedule
(Value: 75%)
2. Clear
evidence of
research
relevant to
different
antenna types
and their
characteristics.
Referencing
style correctly
used. (Value:
15%)
3. Mostly
Fluent writing
style
appropriate to
assignment
with accurate
grammar and
spelling.
(Value: 10%)
presented in core
texts and readings;
better approach to
improve the
accuracy and
reliability of
project schedule
(Value: 75%)
2. Clear
evidence of
research
relevant to
different
antenna types
and their
characteristics.
Referencing
style correctly
used. Minor
omissions
only.
(Value: 15%)
3. Mostly
fluent writing
style
appropriate to
the assignment
with mostly
accurate
grammar and
spelling.
Minor
omissions
only.
(Value: 10%)
texts and
readings.
However adopted
approach to
improve the
accuracy and
reliability of
project schedule
is not presented
very well. Some
omissions.
(Value: 75%)
2. Some
evidence of
research.
Some mistake
in referencing
style.
(Value: 15%)
3. Writing
style not
always fluent
or well
organised and
grammar and
spelling
contain
errors.
(Value: 10%)
consulted or cited
references irrelevant
to the assignment
set.
(Value: 15%)
3. Writing style not
fluent or well-
organised, and
many grammatical
and spelling
mistakes.
(Value: 10%)
Part 2
1. Provide a
plan as a
business
report
including
typical plan
components
such as
objectives
and goals,
risk
assessment
and other
elements
you feel are
important to
support this
project, and
required to
obtain
approval
from the
project
Comprehensive
business report
includes clear
objectives and
goals as well as
consideration of
risk factors and
other important
elements; includes
clear description
of all perspectives.
Mostly
comprehensive
business report
includes clear
objectives and
goals as well as
consideration of
risk factors and
other important
elements; includes
clear description of
all perspectives.
Mostly
comprehensive
business report
includes clear
objectives and
goals as well as
some
consideration of
risk factors and
other important
elements; includes
clear description of
all perspectives;
includes clear
description of
most of
perspectives.
Some omissions.

Reasonable
business report
includes clear
objectives and
goals as well as
some
consideration of
risk factors and
other important
elements;
includes clear
description some
of the
perspectives.
Some omissions.

Major omissions in the
answer.
CRITERIA STANDARDS
sponsor.
Marks: 15
Part 2
2. Suitability
and
correctness
of the
proposed
project as
represented
in Microsoft
Office
Project.
Project
outputs:
project
summary
gantt chart
cash
flow/budget
network
diagram
resource
sheet, and
any other
content you
feel is
appropriate.
Marks: 25
All values of
project outputs are
accurate and
consistent such as
project summary
gantt chart
cash flow/budget
network diagram
resource sheet, and
any other content
you feel is
appropriate.

Most of the values
of project outputs
are accurate and
consistent such as
project summary
gantt chart
cash flow/budget
network diagram
resource sheet, and
any other content
you feel is
appropriate.

Most of the values
of project outputs
are accurate and
consistent such as
project summary
gantt chart
cash flow/budget
network diagram
resource sheet, and
any other content
you feel is
appropriate.
Some omissions.

Some values of
project outputs
are accurate and
consistent such as
project summary
gantt chart
cash flow/budget
network diagram
resource sheet,
and
any other content
you feel is
appropriate.

Major omissions in the
answer.
Part 2
3.
Presentation
and clarity
(accuracy,
spelling,
grammar,
punctuation)
of
assignment
Marks: 10

Shows a polished
and imaginative
approach to
complete the
assignment.
Very well fluent
writing style
appropriate to
assignment with
accurate grammar
and spelling

Carefully and
logically organised
approach to
complete the
assignment.
Fluent writing
style appropriate to
assignment with
accurate grammar
and spelling

Shows
organisation and
coherence
approach to
complete the
assignment.
Mostly fluent
writing style
appropriate to
assignment with
accurate grammar
and spelling

Shows some
attempt to
organise approach
in a logical
manner to
complete the
assignment.
Writing style not
always fluent or
well organised,
and grammar and
spelling contain
errors

Disorganised/incoherent
assignment.
Writing style not fluent
or well-organised, and
grammar and spelling
contain lots of errors

Part 2
4.
Referencing
and Citation
Marks: 10
Referencing is
consistently
accurate and
according to the
APA standard. All
references are
cited in the text
Referencing is
mainly accurate
and according to
the APA standard.
Most of the
references are
cited in the text
Some attempt at
referencing and
not according to
the APA standard.
Few references are
cited in the text
Some attempt at
referencing but
not cited in the
text
Referencing is
absent/unsystematic