GROUP ANALYSIS (15% of project grade)

Perhaps the most important phase of any project is planning. If the planning is performed effectively, the chances of success are greatly enhanced. Unit 5 requires the submission of a detailed GROUP ANALYSIS of either ONE of the 2 case studies provided in Appendix 1 & Appendix 2; OR a critical analysis of a Fortune 500 company of their choice, using the content of the course. In your critical review please ensure you include the following:

A) An introduction and brief description of what the case study OR Fortune 500 company is about.

B) A critical review of how the project planning process was carried out or executed in the case study/Fortune 500 company chosen.

C) A presentation of some new ideas and solutions to improve the planning process by developing a complete project plan that you believe would work better, applying the many skills learned in the course and using a project or spreadsheet software. In your critical analysis, please ensure you cover the following areas:

Specific Areas to Cover in Your Project Plan Details Required

- Definition of Requirements [Identify detail requirement of key stakeholders]

- Statement of Work [A Scope Statement, reflecting stakeholders needs]

- Work Breakdown Structure [Identifying Major Milestones and some level of activity decomposition]

- Specifications [Identifying SMART objectives and clear deliverables]

- Timing/Schedule of activities [Activity deadlines and overall project schedule, stating task dependencies and the persons responsible for the various tasks]

- Budget [At least a top-level/ball-park figure of project costs]

- Stakeholder Register [Key Stakeholders and a communication plan]