QSO435FinalProjectGuidelinesandRubric.pdf

QSO 435 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview
Project management requires careful situational analysis and consideration of your customer requirements, the project that needs to be tackled, and the
information that exists at the planning stage. It is argued that there are instances in which traditional methods will not cut it, in which case project managers may
elect to take an adaptive management approach. This course will lay the foundation for you to think critically about real-world projects that may require special
handling.

Your final project for this course will require you to apply your knowledge of both traditional and nontraditional (adaptive) project management methods and
approaches. You will select a scenario from the three options provided that involves managing a business project and analyzing the customer requirements and
the information known (as well as that which is unknown) to determine whether an adaptive project management (APM) or a traditional project management
(TPM) approach would be the most appropriate. As this is an APM course, you will have to explain what shortcomings of TPM and what benefits of APM led you
to an APM approach.

You will then design an adaptive project management framework, integrating various methods and techniques you feel would be beneficial for the situation from
the scenario. Throughout, you will be expected to defend your claims and decisions and clearly determine what from the scenario caused you to make your
selections.

You will have two options for submission: an APA formatted report, or a presentation with accompanying speaker notes to ensure that you address all of the
pieces of the prompt below.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Differentiate between traditional project management and adaptive project management principles and practices by analyzing key components of each
• Determine the best project management methods for use in complex and evolving projects by analyzing project and customer requirements
• Select the best adaptive methods for use in project management based on situational analysis and iterative development considerations
• Design adaptive project management frameworks for real-world scenarios that successfully integrate adaptive, agile, and iterative management

techniques

Prompt
Choose one of the three case studies presented in Chapters 19, 20, and 21 in your textbook. Here is an overview of each case study:

Chapter 19: Case Study – Valpak
“Valpak’s ability to utilize technology to transform their business is a very significant factor in their business success, and Valpak’s IT group is an integral part of
the business transformation and growth of the company. To compete with the quickly changing digital savings marketplace, Valpak transitioned the entire IT
organization to agile Scrum/Kanban process with two-week sprint delivery cycles. They embraced this change and quickly adapted.”

Chapter 20: Case Study – Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
“HPHC developed an incremental and iterative approach – the Scrum framework for an agile transformation across the whole company. All projects associated
with this major initiative, called the IT strategy, were, by default, to move to an agile development methodology. The new approach that was developed was a
hybrid of Scrum at the team level and a more plan-driven approach at the enterprise level to provide program/project management of the overall effort.”

Chapter 21: Case Study – General Dynamics UK
“Due to the nature of the government contracting environment that General Dynamics, UK has to operate in, projects have to work within two key constraints,
time and costs, where other agile methods don’t always have this. This case study illustrates how a company can successfully develop a hybrid agile approach
that blends together elements of a plan-driven approach for managing time and cost constraints and still provide flexibility to their customers.”

Your adaptive project management framework should answer the following prompt: For the situation/scenario selected, develop an adaptive framework for
managing the project that is being tackled. Considering the variety of adaptive techniques and processes that have been utilized for other projects, and the
various schools of thought in adaptive project management, what techniques would you integrate into a management framework for the scenario you have
selected?

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Introduction:
A. Scenario: Analyze the situation, givens, and customer requirements from the scenario you selected. Make sure you clearly identify the necessary

information (both “knowns and unknowns”) and the project type.
B. Project Management Approaches: Analyze the key principles and stakeholders behind traditional project management (TPM) and adaptive

project management (APM), providing detailed explanation and examples for clarity.
C. Traditional Project Management (TPM): Describe the key roles and responsibilities of the members of a TPM team and the key elements of

traditional project planning, scheduling, and monitoring functions and how the triple constraint is handled in TPM.

II. Approach Selection: Based on your situation/scenario analysis, and your analysis of the traditional and adaptive management elements, which approach
would best serve the project? Be sure to provide a comprehensive defense of your selection that cites specifics from your analysis.

III. Framework:
A. Analyze three nontraditional project management frameworks and identify the capabilities and limitations of each.
B. Determine the most appropriate type of nontraditional framework for your project, providing a thorough defense of your selection.

C. What aspects from other adaptive management approaches would you find useful for this project? Explain why you either chose to stay within
the bounds of the adaptive framework you identified above or chose to incorporate a variety of elements into your own framework.

IV. Framework Design: Synthesize knowledge of APM types to develop a framework to apply to your real-world project situation. You will need to identify
any special methods you intend to integrate into the framework type that you selected and explain why you chose to integrate these methods.

A. Design a logical adaptive project management framework that includes agile and iterative management techniques.
B. Assess effectiveness of the chosen method of APM for refinement and reutilization. Be sure to defend your claims.

Milestones

Milestone One: Scenario Selection – Information Paper
In Module Two, you will select the scenario you will use for your final project and review the various approaches to project management. This milestone is
graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Approach Selection – Decision Paper
In Module Four, you will develop an Approach Selection decision paper using the scenario organization you selected in Milestone One. The decision paper will be
targeted for the senior program manager in the Program Management Office (PMO) of your scenario organization. This milestone is graded with the Milestone
Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Analysis and Project Framework – Position Paper
Module Five, you will submit a position paper targeted for the vice president of Operations at your scenario organization. You will present the PMO position and
recommendation for this project that builds upon your previous information paper and decision paper. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Three
Rubric.

Milestone Four: Framework Design – Small Group Discussion
In Module Six, your instructor will place you into a small group where you will discuss with several of your classmates how to synthesize knowledge of APM types
to develop a framework to apply to your real-world project situation. You will need to identify any special methods you intend to integrate into the framework
type that you selected and explain why you chose to integrate these methods. This milestone is graded with the Milestone Four Rubric.

Final Submission: Project Proposal – Adaptive Project Management Framework Design
In Module Seven, you will submit a project proposal targeted for the vice president of Operations at your scenario organization. It should reflect the
incorporation of work completed and feedback gained throughout the course and documented in Milestones One through Four. This submission is graded with
the Final Project Rubric.

Deliverables

Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading
One Scenario Selection: Information Paper Two Graded with the Milestone One Rubric

Two Approach Selection: Decision Paper Four Graded with the Milestone Two Rubric

Three Analysis and Framework: Position Paper Five Graded with the Milestone Three Rubric

Four Framework Design: Small Group Discussion Six Graded with the Milestone Four Rubric
Final Submission: Project Proposal Seven Graded with the Final Project Rubric

Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: You will have two options for submission of your final project: You may create a presentation with detailed speaker notes and
appropriately cited resources, or you may create a report in APA format. Regardless of your choice, your submission should be of professional quality and clear,
without spelling, grammar, or citation errors.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Introduction:

Scenario

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
analyses clearly delineate
between the “knowns and
unknowns”; identifies the key
information from the scenario
without superfluous
considerations

Accurately and clearly analyzes
the situation, givens, and
customer requirements from
the scenario

Analyzes the situation, givens,
and customer requirements
from the scenario, but with
gaps in accuracy or clarity

Does not analyze the situation,
givens, and customer
requirements from the scenario

10.5

Introduction: PM
Approaches

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
analysis is clearly and
professionally detailed

Analyzes the key principles and
stakeholders behind traditional
and adaptive project
management, with detailed
examples

Analyzes the key principles and
stakeholders behind traditional
and adaptive project
management, but does not
provide detailed examples or
misses key elements

Does not analyze the key
principles and stakeholders
behind traditional and adaptive
project management

10.5

Introduction: TPM

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
description is well organized
and detailed to a level that
shows keen insight into the
process, techniques, and
elements of traditional project
management

Accurately describes the key
roles and responsibilities of the
members of a TPM team and
the key elements of traditional
project planning, scheduling,
and monitoring functions with
detail regarding how the triple
constraint is handled

Describes the key roles and
responsibilities of the members
of a TPM team and the key
elements of traditional project
planning, scheduling, and
monitoring functions, but with
gaps in accuracy or detail
regarding triple constraint

Does not describe the key roles
and responsibilities of the
members of a TPM team and
the key elements of traditional
project planning, scheduling,
and monitoring functions

10.5

Approach Selection

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
defense is well organized and
detailed to a level that shows
keen insight into the nuances,
risks, and benefits of electing to
apply adaptive project
management

Selects a management
approach type that is
comprehensively defended
based on specific references to
the previous analysis

Selects a management
approach and defends the
approach, but does not make
specific references to previous
analysis or lacks necessary
detail

Does not select and defend a
management approach type

10.5

Framework: Analyze

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
analysis identifies the key
capabilities and limitations,
linking back to the scenario
project without superfluous
information

Accurately analyzes three
nontraditional project
management frameworks to
identify the capabilities and
limitations of each

Analyzes three nontraditional
project management
frameworks, but does not
identify the capabilities and
limitations of each

Does not analyze three
nontraditional project
management frameworks

10.5

Framework: Most
Appropriate

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
defense provides exceptionally
clear linkages to the project and
unique requirements of the
project

Selects and clearly defends one
APM method over the others as
the most appropriate for the
proposed project

Selects and clearly defends one
APM method over the others,
but does not focus on what
makes this APM most
appropriate for the proposed
project

Does not select and defend an
APM method

10.5

Framework: Aspects

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
reasoning shows thorough
analysis of various aspects in
context with the chosen project

Logically explains why aspects
from various APM approaches
would or would not be useful
for the project

Explains why aspects from
various APM approaches would
or would not be useful for the
project, but with gaps in detail
or logic

Does not explain why aspects
from various APM approaches
would or would not be useful
for the project

10.5

Framework Design:
Design

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
details shown amplify the
known advantages of the APM
method for this project

Develops a logical, adaptive
framework for an APM project
considering the capabilities of
the method that includes agile
and iterative management
techniques

Develops a framework for an
APM project considering
capabilities of the method, but
lacks specific details or
framework is not logical or not
adaptive

Does not develop a framework
for an APM project considering
capabilities of the method

10.5

Framework Design:
Assess

Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
rationale is detailed without
superfluous information, clear,
and organized

Analyzes the proposed
effectiveness of the chosen
method of APM for refinement
and reutilization and
rationalizes claims

Analyzes the proposed
effectiveness of the chosen
method of APM for refinement
and reutilization, but does not
rationalize claims

Does not analyze the proposed
effectiveness of the chosen
method of APM for refinement
and reutilization

10.5

Articulation of
Response

Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented in
a professional and easy-to-read
format

Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact
readability and articulation of
main ideas

Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas

5.5

Earned Total 100%

QSO 435 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
Prompt

I. Introduction:
II. Approach Selection: Based on your situation/scenario analysis, and your analysis of the traditional and adaptive management elements, which approach would best serve the project? Be sure to provide a comprehensive defense of your selection that ci…
III. Framework:
IV. Framework Design: Synthesize knowledge of APM types to develop a framework to apply to your real-world project situation. You will need to identify any special methods you intend to integrate into the framework type that you selected and explain w…
Milestones
Deliverables
Final Project Rubric