Project Management and Research Skills

The provided document is a self-assessment report of a project that aimed to acknowledge the concept of globalization and its positive cultural, economic, and ethical impact on internationalization. The report outlines the main objectives, tasks completed, deadlines set, risks identified, and lessons learned. It highlights the importance of time management and communication skills in project management, as well as the ability to adapt to challenges and resolve issues promptly.

MANAGING A
SUCCESSFUL
BUSINESS PROJECT

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
LO1..................................................................................................................................................1
Determine aims and objectives in organisational context......................................................1
Project management plan.......................................................................................................2
Work break down structure and Gantt chart to provide time frame.......................................3
LO 2.................................................................................................................................................6
Small-scale research by applying qualitative and quantitative research methods..................6
LO 3.................................................................................................................................................9
Use of appropriate tools and techniques regarding evaluation of research data....................9
Appropriate recommendation as a result of data and research analysis...............................15
LO 4...............................................................................................................................................16
Reflection upon undertakings to attain objectives................................................................16
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................19
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................20

INTRODUCTION
Globalisation is defined as integration among regions and countries around globe which
are involved in exchange of services and products across borders. It benefits in expansion of
brand identity of a firm that leads to enhanced economic growth and sustainability (Adzic, 2011).
This assignment is written in context with TESCO which is a Britain based multinational
merchandise and grocery retailer, headquartered in Hertfordshire, England, UK. This report will
cover aims, objective and project management plan for a business project along with Gantt chart
and work breakdown structure.
LO1
Determine aims and objectives in organisational context
Background of the research
TESCO is UK based grocery and merchandise retailer, situated in England, United
Kingdom. In terms of gross revenue, company is third biggest retailer worldwide. Organisation
was founded in 1919 by Jack Cohen.
Positive influence of globalisation in case of UK business organisation
Economic impact: Due to globalisation, government of a nation can easily attract
foreign direct investment that results in increased economical growth. Also, foreign companies
contribute a nation by providing employment opportunities, tax payments etc. due to which
living standard of people enhances (Basu, 2014).
Cultural impact: Globalisation helps in spreading of spiritual theories and ideas from
one place to another due to which people of different regions get familiar with the background
and living pattern of one another. This will helps in sustaining cultural diversity in UK.
Ethical impact: Different countries have different regulations so that organisational
work can be carried out in an ethical manner. Due to globalisation, employees in UK business
organisation will interact with different organisations that will helps them in understanding
various ethics and laws (Boyle, 2017).
Overview of research
To sustain strong global presence, support from different organisational function is
required to TESCO which is mentioned below:
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 Operation department: This department in TESCO is responsible to have good
interaction among other departments so that duplication of efforts and work can be
reduced and all business operations can be performed appropriately.
 Marketing department: This department is responsible for promoting the products of
TESCO to wider markets along with understanding the needs and requirement of
customers (Frankenberger and et. al., 2013).
 HR department: This department has responsibility to recruit efficient and cultural
diversified staff so that organisational work can be accomplished in an organised way.
 Accounting department: Duty of this department is to manage the accounts of TESCO.
Allocation of budget and management of fund is carried out by this department so that all
international and domestic business operations can be managed effectively.
Aims of the Project
“To analyse the positive economic, cultural and ethical impacts of globalisation on
various business departments operated within business organisation”- A case study on TESCO.
Objectives
 To understand the concept of Globalisation.
 To analyse the impact of globalisation on various functional departments within TESCO.
 To determine the deviations faced by TESCO while globalising business.
Project management plan
Project management plan is defined as an approved and formal document which specifies
the manner in which a project is controlled, monitored and executed. It can either be a detailed
document or summary. In respect with TESCO, to expand business operation in a successful
manner a project management plan is defined below:
 Cost: It is an essential aspect in project management plan which leads to technology up-
gradation, hiring of workforce, infrastructure advancement etc. In case of TESCO,
expected cost for this project is 560000 pounds whereas from researcher's side, estimated
cost is 600 pounds.
 Scope: Scope defines the benefits that will be enjoyed by TESCO while expanding
globally (Hwang and Ng, 2013) As company deals in grocery and general merchandise,
scope for company is very high as these are basic products which customers prefer to buy
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on regular basis. For researcher, scope of project is wide as it will help him in gaining
advanced knowledge and information.
 Time: It is a valuable aspect that will help the company in performing every task in an
organised manner. If time will not be managed appropriately then it will results in
mismanagement of tasks. Time required by company to accomplish this project is 18
months whereas from researcher point of view, required time is 3 months.
 Quality: Company will use appropriate resources while manufacturing products and
providing services to the customers (Jeston, 2014) Also, training will be given to
employees so that they can fulfil the requirements of customers in an efficient and
systematic manner. In case of researcher, quality of research can be enhanced with the
use of qualitative measures like personal interview, surveys, questionnaire etc.
 Communication: In order to expand globally, company is required to have appropriate
communication within and outside organisation. Project members and employees of
TESCO can appropriately communicate with one another with the help of Emails, voice
and video conferencing, meetings, seminars etc. For researcher, desired communication
tools will be direct call, SMS, personal meeting etc. it will help them to interact with
respondents in an appropriate manner.
 Risk: This is another important aspect related with business expansion project of
TESCO. If these risks are not managed properly, it can results in project and research
failure (Kiessling, Wilke and Kolbe, 2011). Different risks that can be faced by TESCO
is poor managerial support, lack of funds, mismanagement of time etc. From researcher's
perspective, potential risk can be shortage of money, lack of information.
 Resources: These are vital constituents that will helps in conducting project activity in an
organised and satisfactory manner. For company, potential resources will be funds,
technology, workforce, equipments, machines etc. In case of researcher, resources will be
internet, journals, books, research paper etc.
Work break down structure and Gantt chart to provide time frame
 Work breakdown structure: It is referred as division of project into small manageable
sections that are given specific time period (Martinsuo, Korhonen and Laine, 2014). Due
to segmentation of parts, project members of TESCO can be able to perform work in an
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organised and systematic manner. It will also benefit the company in acknowledging
estimated funds and resources (Spender, 2014).
 Gantt chart: It is defined as visual representation of the project along with specified
time-frame. This chart will benefits project manager in tracking and planning project
activities so that all the work can be accomplished in a timely manner (Morris and
Geraldi, 2011). In respect with business expansion of TESCO at global level, Gantt chart
is mentioned below:
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5

LO 2
Small-scale research by applying qualitative and quantitative research methods
Research has been conducted with the help of using two methods such as Qualitative and
Quantitative who requires different requirements at the time of their adoption. These two
methods are briefly described as under:
Qualitative method: It is considered as most reliable and accurate providing data as it
mainly focuses on understanding the opinions, behaviour and views of others. This can be done
through using different tools such as observation techniques, panel interview, focused group etc.
It avoid numerical data which is difficult to interpret into understandable manner (Pearlson,
Saunders and Galletta, 2016).
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Quantitative research: It is another adoptable research method which is mostly
conducted by the researcher who have an adequate knowledge about interpreting the numerical
data into meaningful way. Under this type of research, the researcher has adopted different tools
such as survey, questionnaire etc. Due to this, it consumes more time and money but provides
reliable result at the end of research (Porwal and Hewage, 2013).
There are different types of data collection methods which can be adopted by the
researcher according to their requirements and available resources. Here are these types of data
collection methods:
Primary data collection: Under this, first hand information is collected by the researcher
which proves to be more reliable and accurate. It consumes time and money but provides
accurate data which later increases the effectiveness of decision taken at the end of research. In
the present research, primary data has been collected by using questionnaire as a tool.
Questionnaire is a set of questions which is formed after analysing the aims and
objectives of research. These questions are further asked to the respondents who are selected as a
sample of population (Pryke and Smyth, 2012).
Secondary research: Under this, second hand information is collected by the researcher
using internet platforms where the views and opinions of different authors are published on the
research topic. It consumes limited resources such as time, money but provides less accurate and
reliable result due to which the researcher prefer primary over secondary data to gather in the
present research (Smith, Gonin and Besharov, 2013)
Sampling: It includes the selected portion of population who are selected due to having
knowledge about the research topic. In the present research, 30 respondents has been selected
which includes employees, customer and members of community as whole.
Questionnaire
Name:
Age:
Gender:
Q1) Have you heard about the term Globalisation?
A) Yes
B) No
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Q2) What you think whether three aspects of globalisation such as economic, culture and
ethical have good impact on different business functions of Tesco?
A) Yes
B) No
Q3) What will be the possible outcomes received by Tesco after globalise their business in
different nations?
A) Increase performance level
B) High employee retention
C) No impact
Q4) What are the major deviation that can restrict Tesco to enter in foreign nation?
A) Distinct culture
B) Change in government rules and regulations
C) Fluctuation in currency
Q5) What are the benefits for an organisation while operating at global level?
A) Rapid increase in customer base
B) Profitability increases
C) Increased brand image
Q6) Which resources mostly require to acquire by Tesco at the time of expansion of their
business in other nation?
A) Human resources
B) Funds
C) Advanced technology
Q7) What hosted nation desire to achieve after allowing foreign companies to operate in
their nation?
A) Lowering unemployment rate
B) Enhancing standard of living of local people
C) Economic growth of region Growth in economy
Q8) How different departments of Tesco contributes to successful expansion of their
business in other nation?
A) Understanding about their culture and taste
B) Increasing skills of employees by providing training
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C) Application of effective marketing techniques
Q9) What are the measures Tesco can implement to eliminate all barriers of globalisation?
A) Conducting market research
B) Trained their workforce on timely basis
Q10) Suggest ways that can help Tesco to achieve competitive edge against competitors
during globalisation?
LO 3
Use of appropriate tools and techniques regarding evaluation of research data
Data analysis: It is an activity of interpretation the data collected by the researcher on the
basis of research topic. It help in drawing a valid conclusion at the end of research which makes
easy for Tesco Plc to make decision whether to expand their business or not. For this, the
researcher properly recorded the views and opinions of selected respondents and interpret their
answers in understandable manner. Here are the proper analysis of gathered data on the basis of
research topic:
THEME 1: Concept of globalisation
Q1) Have you heard about the term Globalisation? Frequency
A) Yes 24
B) No 6
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Interpretation: Among 30 respondents, there are 24 respondents who are aware about
concept of globalisation whereas the remaining 6 respondents doesn’t know the same concept.
THEME 2: Three aspects of globalisation such as economic, culture and ethical impacted
on different business functions of Tesco.
Q2) What you think whether three aspects of globalisation such as
economic, culture and ethical have good impact on different business
functions of Tesco?
Frequency
A) Yes 22
B) No 8
Interpretation: Among 30 respondents, 22 respondents thinks that different factors of
globalisation makes positive impact on various business functions of Tesco during globalisation
whereas the remaining 8 doesn’t agree with the same.
THEME 3: Possible outcomes received by Tesco during globalisation
Q3) What will be the possible outcomes received by Tesco after
globalise their business in different nations?
Frequency
A) Increase performance level 15
B) High employee retention 12
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C) No impact 3
Interpretation: Out of 30 respondents, 15 respondent thinks after globalising business
Tesco Plc can increase their performance level whereas the other 12 thinks it helps in increasing
retention rate of employees. The remaining 3 thinks that no impact can be observed by Tesco Plc
after their expansion.
THEME 4: Major deviation restricting Tesco to operate in foreign nation
Q4) What are the major deviation that can restrict Tesco to enter in
foreign nation?
Frequency
A) Distinct culture 14
B) Change in government rules and regulations 12
C) Fluctuation in currency 4
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Interpretation: Different culture is determined as major deviation during expansion of
business as according to the 14 respondents among total 30 whereas other 12 thinks changes in
government rules and regulation increases difficulties towards Tesco Plc. The remaining 4
determines fluctuation in currency as major deviation.
THEME 5: Benefits for Tesco Plc while operating at global level?
Q5) What are the benefits for an organisation while operating at
global level?
Frequency
A) Rapid increase in customer base 18
B) Profitability increases 6
C) Increased brand image 6
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Interpretation: There are 18 respondents among 30 selected respondents that Tesco Plc can
increase its existing customer base after globalising their business whereas the other 12
respondents respectively said that it help in increasing profitability and brand image of company.
THEME 6: Resources needed to acquire by Tesco Plc during globalisation
Q6) Which resources mostly require to acquire by Tesco at the time of
expansion of their business in other nation?
Frequency
A) Human resources 14
B) Funds 8
C) Advanced technology 8
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Interpretation: Among 30 respondents, 14 thinks human resources are the most valuable
resources whereas the other 16 thinks that financial resources and advanced technology
contributes most to the Tesco Plc in their expansion of business.
THEME 7: Expectations of hosted nations behind inviting foreign companies to operate in
their region
Q7) What hosted nation desire to achieve after allowing foreign
companies to operate in their nation?
Frequency
A) Lowering unemployment rate 9
B) Enhancing standard of living of local people 11
C) Economic growth of region Growth in economy 10
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Interpretation: Out of 30 respondents, 11 respondents thinks that hosted nations welcomes
the foreign companies to operate their business with an objective of decreasing their
unemployment rate whereas the other 9 respondents thinks improving standard of living of local
citizens is the main reason behind inviting foreign nation to come and operate in their nation.
The remaining 10 respondents thinks growth in economy is the main objective of hosted nation.
THEME 8: Contribution of different departments towards successful business expansion
Q8) How different departments of Tesco contributes to successful
expansion of their business in other nation?
Frequency
A) Understanding about their culture and taste 11
B) Increasing skills of employees by providing training 10
C) Application of effective marketing techniques 9
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Interpretation: From the above table figures, 11 respondents among 30 respondents thinks
understanding the culture of different nations should be taken as main priority by different
departments of Tesco Plc. Whereas the remaining 10 and 9 respondents thinks increasing skills
and adoption of marketing techniques should be taken as major priority respectively.
THEME 9: Implementation of measures that eliminates barriers of globalisation
Q9) What are the measures Tesco can implement to eliminate all barriers
of globalisation?
Frequency
A) Conducting market research 14
B) Trained their workforce on timely basis 16
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Interpretation: It is clearly seen from the above graph that Tesco need to conduct research
along with providing training programs to their employees. Out of 30 respondents, 16 are in
favour of giving priority to training whereas the remaining 14 thinks conducting research should
be taken as main priority.
Appropriate recommendation as a result of data and research analysis
From the above data analysed by the researcher, it has been identified that Tesco Plc need
to put more efforts in framing suitable plans and policies in order to expand their business at
global level. As there are different types of resources which are needed to acquire by Tesco Plc
such as Human resources, funds, technology etc. among which the skilled and knowledgeable
employees are required to be retained who can contributes maximum efforts in achievement of
organisational goals and objectives. Apart from this, here are the some recommendations which
need to be undertake by the management of Tesco Plc while globalising their business:
 Tesco Plc need to trained their employees so that they are more capable to perform well
than before and help company in achieving its aims and objectives. Skills and knowledge
of employees can be improved by implementing different techniques such as conducting
training programs, providing rewards and compensation etc.
 Various departments of Tesco Plc such as HR, Finance, Operation etc. need to understand
the needs and requirements of customers as well as employees who plays equally
important role in expansion of business. HR department need to recruit skilled employees
who are aware about different culture whereas finance department need to raise funds
from those sources who provides sufficient amount of funds in terms of loans at
reasonable rate of interest such as Banks.
 Conducting research regarding fluctuations in political and economic situations of hosted
nations makes easy for Tesco to make successful expansion.
LO 4
Reflection upon undertakings to attain objectives
During research, I found that I have an ability to carry out an effective research with
limited resources but need to focus on some skills to work on. These skills includes
communication skills, analytical skills etc. Working on these skills makes me a good researcher
which enable me to utilise available resources in optimum manner. Apart from this, improving
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these skills help me to draw a valid conclusion at the end of research that will further help my
client company to make decision accordingly in order to achieve growth and success in
competitive global market. Improvement of such skills can be possible through engaging in
different activities which are briefly described as under:
Competency How I have developed in this
area
Why I need to do to develop
further in the area
Analytical skills This skill can be developed
through engaging in different
complex situations with an
objective to resolve within
limited time. This skills also
known as problem solving
skill which help me to identify
and resolve all problems that
comes in the process of
research.
Improving this skill help me to
bring out maximum possible
results that may be useful for
my client company in their
decision making process. This
help in taking opportunity to
conduct research for different
client countries.
Research skills My skills mainly developed
due to my interests of reading
books, notes and various other
sources.
This skill can be improved
after reading of books, notes
and other sources which
contains the complexities of
research.
I need to develop further area
in research as well through
using different kinds of
research methods such as
qualitative ad quantitative with
using primary and secondary
sources.
Communication Skill This skill can be improved by
using different ways such as
scroll down, body language
and hand gestures. Interacting
This will help me to conduct
further research in different
nations where culture and
languages are different. It
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with people of different culture
makes my communication skill
more better.
wider area to collect data from
large number of people having
different views and cultures.
Report writing To develop such skill, I need
to join some workshops,
participating in writing classes
so that gathered data can be
properly interpreted in an
understandable manner.
My content and interpretation
will be good if I am able to
improve my report writing
skill. This will increases the
opportunity to write on other
topics as well.
Progress monitoring To make development in such
field, I need to attend various
sessions of seminars and
conferences so that progress of
research can be easily
monitored
In order to control and monitor
the progress of work
performed by my team
members, I need to use such
skill.
Performance Review and Self-Assessment
Learner Name XYZ
Project Title To identify the impact of different factors of
globalisation on distinct divisions of business
organisations- A case study on Tesco Plc.
Important stages  Introduction
 Setting aims and objectives
 Project management plan
 Research methodology
 Gathering of data
 Interpretation and analysis of gathered
data.
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 An appropriate recommendations
 Reflective undertaking
 A valid conclusion
Key factors you learned from the project Concept of globalisation and my weaknesses that
I must worked on at the end of research project.
What skills did you develop  Analytical skill
 Communication skill
 Research skill
Discuss the project management skill you
developed
 Progress monitoring skill
Project
Did the project achieve its aim:
Yes
Was the Team efficient:
Yes, my team members are more skilled and capable in doing all allotted task in desired
manner.
Did the project succeed:
Yes, the project successfully accomplish.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it has been summarised that it is important for an organisation who
wants to globalise their business to conduct an appropriate research by taking help of researcher.
For this, clear aims and objectives are required to frame and on the basis of which project
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management plan need to prepare which includes different important aspects such as cost, time,
communication etc. To carry out an effective research, researcher have to undertake different
collection methods to gather data on the research topic such as primary and secondary according
to their requirement and available resources. Apart from this, data analyse should be done so that
proper suggestion can be provided to the researcher’s client that will be useful in their decision
making process.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Adzic, G., 2011. Specification by example: how successful teams deliver the right software.
Manning Publications Co.
Basu, R., 2014. Managing quality in projects: An empirical study. International journal of
project management. 32(1). pp.178-187.
Boyle, G., 2017. Design project management. Routledge.
Frankenberger, K., and et. al., 2013. The 4I-framework of business model innovation: A
structured view on process phases and challenges. International journal of product
development. 18(3/4). pp.249-273.
Hwang, B. G. and Ng, W. J., 2013. Project management knowledge and skills for green
construction: Overcoming challenges. International Journal of Project Management.
31(2). pp.272-284.
Jeston, J., 2014. Business process management. Routledge.
Kiessling, M., Wilke, H. and Kolbe, L.M., 2011, January. An organizational model for managing
IT innovations in non-IT companies. In System Sciences (HICSS), 2011 44th Hawaii
International Conference on (pp. 1-10). IEEE.
Martinsuo, M., Korhonen, T. and Laine, T., 2014. Identifying, framing and managing
uncertainties in project portfolios.International Journal of Project Management.32(5).
pp.732-746.
Morris, P. W. and Geraldi, J., 2011. Managing the institutional context for projects. Project
Management Journal. 42(6). pp.20-32.
Pearlson, K.E., Saunders, C.S. and Galletta, D.F., 2016. Managing and Using Information
Systems, Binder Ready Version: A Strategic Approach. John Wiley & Sons.
Porwal, A. and Hewage, K. N., 2013. Building Information Modeling (BIM) partnering
framework for public construction projects. Automation in Construction. 31. pp.204-
214.
Pryke, S. and Smyth, H., 2012. The management of complex projects: A relationship approach.
John Wiley & Sons.S
Smith, W. K., Gonin, M. and Besharov, M. L., 2013. Managing social-business tensions: A
review and research agenda for social enterprise. Business Ethics Quarterly. 23(3).
pp.407-442.
Spender, J.C., 2014. Business strategy: Managing uncertainty, opportunity, and enterprise.
Oxford University Press.
Stoshikj, M., Kryvinska, N. and Strauss, C., 2014. Efficient managing of complex programs with
project management services. Global Journal of Flexible Systems Management. 15(1).
pp.25-38.
Vanclay and et. al., 2015. Social Impact Assessment: Guidance for assessing and managing the
social impacts of projects.
Viaene, S. and Van den Bunder, A., 2011. The secrets to managing business analytics projects.
MIT Sloan Management Review. 53(1). p.65.
Online
Project Management Execution, 2016. [Online]. Available
through<http://www.masterkeyconsulting.com/services/master-key-project-
management-execution/>.
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Project Log Book
Project Logbook
Name: XYZ
Project title: To evaluate the impact of globalisation factors on business functions of
Tesco at the time of globalisation.
Date:
Update on weekly research/tasks achieved
Points to consider:
What have you completed?
Research on impact of globalisation on different business functions of Tesco
Plc.
Did you fulfil task requirements?
Yes
Are you on track and within deadlines set?
Yes
Did you need to make any changes to your project management plan?
No need to make changes in the existing project management plan.
Any risks and/or issues identified?
No
Points to consider:
Did you identify risks/issues with a lack of skills required for undertaking
research/tasks?
My analytical, communication skills are weak.
Did you identify any additional risks/issues that have an impact on the
project management plan?
Poor Time management skills.
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Problems encountered
Points to consider:
What barriers
did you face?
Absence of
interest of
respondents
towards
providing their
views on
research topic.
How did you
overcome
them?
By taking them
into confidence
that their
personal
details should
be leaked
anywhere.
New ideas and change of project direction
No idea or change in project direction
What have I learnt about myself this week?
Points to consider:
How did I feel when I had to deal with tasks/problems? Did I find it useful to
complete the tasks?
Yes it was useful in enhancing my skills and capabilities.
How well have I performed? What did I contribute? What can I improve on
next week?
Time management skills and communication skills
How might this learning apply in the future?
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It will benefits me in performing future research
Tasks planned for next week
Points to consider:
Which tasks are priority?
Data collection
Have you set aside sufficient time for completion?
Yes
Project plan status to date (on, ahead, behind)
On time
Supervisor comments to address
No comments
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