Reference no: EM133134093

Assignment - Managing A Successful Business

Project - transformation of the workplace.

LO 1: Establish project aims, objectives and timeframes based on the chosen theme
P1 Devise project aims and objectives for a chosen scenario.
P2 Produce a project management plan that covers, aim and deliverables, time, quality, communication, risk and resources.
P3 Produce a work breakdown structure and a Gantt Chart to provide timeframes and stages for completion
M1 Produce a comprehensive project management plan, milestone schedule and project schedule for monitoring and completing the aims and objectives of the project.

LO 2: Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data collection to generate knowledge to support the project
P4 Carry out small-scale research applying primary and secondary methods appropriate for meeting project aims and objectives.
M2 Evaluate the accuracy and reliability of primary and secondary methods applied.
LO1 & LO2:
D1 Critically evaluate the project management process and methods applied for gathering information and data collection.

LO 3: Present the project and communicate appropriate recommendations based on meaningful conclusions drawn from the evidence findings and/or analysis
P5 Present findings and data using appropriate tools and techniques.
P6 Communicate appropriate recommendations as a result of findings and data analysis to draw valid and meaningful conclusions.
M3 Evaluate the selection of appropriate tools and techniques for accuracy and authenticity to support and justify recommendations.

LO 4: Reflect on the value gained from conducting the project and its usefulness to support sustainable organizational performance

P7 Reflect on the value gained from conducting the project and its usefulness to support sustainable organizational performance
M4 Evaluate the value of the project management process to meet stated objectives and support own learning and performance.
LO3 & LO4:
D2 Critically evaluate and reflect on the project outcomes, the decision-making process and changes or developments of the initial project management plan to support justification of recommendations and learning during the project.

Additional Evidence Requirements

In addition to the above assessment criteria students will also be required to complete a project logbook to record ideas, changes and developments as they progress and complete the project.

Introduction:

The Pearson-set theme for use with Level 4 Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project is "Transformation of the Workplace"

Workplace transformation is the rethinking of flexible workspaces to accommodate different kinds of work, workers, and technology. Driven by new technologies and increasing globalization the workplace has been evolving rapidly to support these constant changes. The changes in technology, roles and competencies has provided countless opportunities for enhancement and change within organizations and as the world or work changes so does the workplace.

Deloitte in their report entitled ' Workplace transformation in the digital age' identified four dimensions of the workplace ecosystem that needed to be considered in any workplace transformation strategy:
• Space, relating to the design of office buildings and space.
• Place, relating to how the workforce is spread across different locations.
• Technology and the requirements needed for employees to carry out their roles and collaborate.
• Talent relating to organizational structure and culture.

In the wake of the recent global pandemic all these dimensions of the workplace ecosystem are having to be reimagined. Many organizations already have had to refocus their workforce plan to ensure a fully remote workforce has the capabilities and technologies available to continue employee connectivity, engagement, and productivity. Navigating this new way of work is crucial to support business operations and far-reaching implications for the future.

Topic Selection
Tutors must choose one topic from the list provided below and decide which type of project is most suitable for a small-scale research project. All students must complete the same topic and project type chosen by the tutor. However, if delivering to different cohorts of students, tutors may select a different topic and project type for each cohort.
The Assignment Guidance document for Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project,provides additional support and guidance for both tutors and students.

Topics:
1. How has a major external event transformed the workplace?
2. What are the key considerations for building a roadmap to a modern workplace?
3. What are the key drivers influencing digital workplace transformation?
4. What does an innovative digital workspace look like?

Project Evidence / Outcomes:

It is important to recognize that project work is reliant on gathering information/data that can be analyzed. The scale of a Level 4 project means that there must be time for both primary and secondary research. A suggested model would be to use secondary research to provide a context for the student to conduct and interpret data collected through primary research. The project could then yield data/information that could be compared with the findings of secondary research.
In addition to their research findings, students are asked to submit a project management plan, a completed log book or similar form of reflective journal and performance review or similar method of reflective practice as evidence for the unit.
• The project management plan is designed to define how the project is to be planned, executed and monitored. The project management plan should give details of the actions required for the integration and co-ordination of various planning activities to carry out the project.
• The project log book or similar reflective journal is designed to provide evidence of the project development process and ongoing reflection. It should provide evidence that the student has thought about the direction of their project and in particular, what problems they encountered, and steps taken to address them.
• The performance review or similar method of reflective practice will provide evidence of reflection and evaluation of the project management process and individual performance.

The students will also have to refer to other sources of information in their research to analyse all the questions in more detail. They will have to do their own research to enable them to do a holistic examination of the involved project work, and they must completely comply with answering all the basic requirements stated in the questions below. The report will encompass all criteria listed below in the questions, and it will be submitted individually by the given due date.

Assignment: Project Report:

You are expected to conduct this project work individually, write a project report and incorporate the answers to the following questions within the report itself. You will use existing sources of research work in the form of published articles and journals, as well as other secondary material and literature available on the company's website.

You will choose an organization that is based in the UAE or in your country of residence, and answer the following questions given below while making the project report. The theme is transformation of the workplace; therefore, it is imperative that your research project topic is relevant to the theme and based on the chosen company.

1. Produce a Project Management Plan (PMP) that covers all the below aspects and critically evaluate the project management process in relation to your own project. A sound critical evaluation is dependent on further research of the topic and analyzing the complete process, by going through some relevant good literature available in research articles and journals.

• Aim and objectives of the project
• Scope - a well-defined scope along with the Work Breakdown structure (WBS)
• Schedule - Provide timeframes, stages of completion, indicate and discuss the milestones and include a Gantt chart (Highlight the milestones on the schedule). The schedule should be prepared to monitor and complete the aims & objectives of the project.
• Cost - Estimate the cost involved in carrying out the project and then define a budget.
• Quality - Give out the scope of quality measures that will be adopted in the project work
• Risks - What are the elements that might pose as risk or a threat to the successful completion of the project? (Such as going over budget, stakeholder disengagement, staying on schedule).
• Resources - Some resources that you might use are financial, technological and human. How are you going to ensure an efficient use of these resources?
• Communication - Stakeholder Management - Stakeholder ‘Power Interest Grid' would be a good way of identifying and engaging the stakeholders.

2. Carry out a small-scale research (primary + secondary) as per the below mentioned instructions. You must critically evaluate the accuracy and reliability of different research methodologies applied (mixed method) and the rationale for choosing the methodology.

• Apply quantitative research methods by designing a questionnaire to carry out the quantitative research and taking responses from the respective stakeholders of the company as per your project's aims and objectives; minimum sample size chosen must be 25 respondents.
• Apply qualitative research methods by carrying out interviews of at least 5 respondents to help you carry out your qualitative research effectively.
• Secondary Research - Include a brief literature review discussing the selected topic pertaining to the theme ‘transformation of the workplace'. You should refer to journals, books, reports and credible websites etc. on the topic ‘Transformation of the workplace'. (This part should follow the structure of introduction, discussion and conclusion. Good quality academic sources such as books and journal articles should be atleast 75% of the sources as part of the secondary research).

For critical evaluation some aspects that you need to consider are:

• Why did you choose a mixed method?
• How will you ensure that the questionnaire you will prepare is a reliable and valid tool to collect data?
• Discuss aspects of objectivity, bias and accuracy.
• The same goes for the interview as well. How will you ensure that the method of conducting the interview is reliable? How will you transcribe it?

3. Critically evaluate the project outcomes and communicate appropriate recommendations based on;

The analysis of primary and secondary research and data using appropriate tools and techniques; descriptive statistical tools for quantitative data - charts, tables, graphs, mean, mode, percentage

4. Reflect and critically evaluate on the value of the whole project management process, as well as use of quality research to meet the stated objectives, including own learning and performance. (check if they are aligned to the initial project management plan? Do they also support your secondary research, or the outcomes are totally different? Discussion of any deviations from the actual plan and provide final recommendations on project development and change.)

Logbook Guidelines:
For reflection, you should make a project management logbook that evidences the development of the project, includes an ongoing reflection, problems encountered, steps taken to overcome the challenges and lessons learnt. Theoretical frameworks such as Gibb's Reflective Cycle should be included to address this section.

Attachment:- Managing A Successful Business.rar