Individual Case Study Review Paper: Developing Critical Understanding of Projects

Part 1: Individual Case Study - Review Paper (60%) - 3,000 Words

The assignment addresses learning outcomes 1, 2, and 3 of the module- Namely: developing a critical understanding of projects’ case studies; understanding strategic alignment for delivering programmes and projects; and raising awareness on innovations in projects’ context

Case study-based learning provides students with an opportunity for an in-depth and practical understanding of project management. It enables students to understand the complexity of managing projects in-practice, which involves balancing the requirements of multiple stakeholders. Successful project management requires innovation, team collaboration and learning to deliver the desired project outcomes safely whilst minimising the impact on the natural environment.

Write an individual 3,000 words review paper (+/-10% - excluding references) on a selected project case study or programme of your choice. Case study or programme selection could include any industrial/engineering sector, such as: construction, mechanical, biomedical,…etc. Examples of construction programmes include: London’s 2012 Olympics, Glasgow’s 2014 Commonwealth games…etc; and examples of construction projects include: Scottish Parliament, Wembley Stadium, Channel Tunnel, Hyperloop,…etc.

1. Project or programme description (including stakeholdersinvolved),strategicalignment (programme, benefit management, governance/environment) and decision- making (e.g. quality, cost & delivery). In addition to challenges faced over the course of the project/programme and how they were addressed. (1,500 words)

2. The role of innovation and collaboration in successful delivery of your project/programme case study including an explicit statement and discussion of the innovation(s) adopted (e.g. process and/or process innovation), and initiatives adopted for supporting team collaboration. (1,500 words)

Write 2,500 words report (+/-10% - excluding references) which provides a comparative analysis of all the case studies chosen in your group. You should decide as a group the approach/criteria for conducting your comparative analysis, e.g. you may use a summarytable to develop a common criterion for comparison of your selected case studies within your group. Note that all the projects/programmes you select in your group should be in the same industrial sector/subsector to enable fair comparison. There is no restriction of which industrial sector you select.

An example of project selection in a group may include: ‘sustainable housing developments’, ‘infrastructure projects’, ‘App development’, ‘Vaccine development’…etc.

In addition to the comparative analysis, the group report must include a section on ‘group work management’. This should provide a reflective piece (300 words) of how you worked together as a group and managed your work – including evidence of team engagement and collaboration, e.g. screenshots from discussion in your selected communication platform (e.g. Teams, Slack,…etc) or short videos. What was the approach you adopted for your learning? What did you learn? What was your contribution to the overall team activities? You should reflect on how well you worked as part of a team. You are encouraged to add any additional/supplementary in the appendix.

Read the assignment brief and make sure you understand what is required

Plan your work for the assignment so you can manage your time effectively

Read lecture notes and learning material on Moodle.

Consult with your lecturer

Demonstrate your critical thinking (check the video here)

Use project case studies to support your report – where appropriate

Leave your assignment until the last minute

Not planning your time as a team

Copy and paste information from online resources that is not relevant to your assignment or lacks coherence.

Excessive copying from one reference/source and not using your own words

Forgetting to reference and back-up your work