49002: Managing Projects Assignment 1 Part 2 - Course Reflections

This report reflects on a student's learning experience in the Managing Projects course (49002), focusing on applying the ten knowledge areas of PMBOK. The report details the student's reflections on project integration, stakeholder, scope, resource, time, cost, risk, quality, procurement, and communication management. The student discusses the practical application of these concepts, including developing project plans, identifying stakeholders, managing scope, allocating resources, creating time management plans, estimating costs, assessing risks, ensuring quality, handling procurement, and establishing communication strategies. The student also includes insights into what they would do differently, highlighting the importance of interpersonal skills and the benefits of the course in preparing for professional life. Finally, the student acknowledges the course's contribution to both technical and interpersonal skill development.

49002 Managing Projects Spring 2017
Assignment 1 – part 2
To be completed after assignment 2
Student name:
Student number:
Date submitted:
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction...................................................................................................................................3
1.1 Outline...............................................................................................................................3
1.2 Version Control.................................................................................................................3
2 What have you learnt....................................................................................................................4
2.1 If you had to do this course again, what would you do differently?.................................4
2.2 Reflections on Project Integration Management..............................................................4
2.3 Reflections on Project Stakeholder Management.............................................................4
2.4 Reflections on Project Scope Management.......................................................................4
2.5 Reflections on Project Resource Management.................................................................5
2.6 Reflections on Project Time Management........................................................................5
2.7 Reflections on Project Cost Management.........................................................................5
2.8 Reflections on Project Risk Management.........................................................................5
2.9 Reflections on Project Quality Management....................................................................6
2.10 Reflections on Project Procurement Management........................................................6
2.11 Reflections on Project Communication Management...................................................6
3 Conclusions...................................................................................................................................7
4 References.....................................................................................................................................8
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1 Introduction
1.1 Outline
In this report, I shall write the learning I could gather while doing the Managing Projects course
using all the 10 knowledge areas of PMBoK (Project Management Institute, 2013) and are also
relevant to the Guidance on Project Management (Haren, 2016). The approach to improving the
quality of work is also learned using the ‘Shewhart Cycle’ of PDCA cycle and always plan before
doing any action and observe the results before implementing throughout the project lifecycle.
1.2 Version Control
[version control so that we know you’ve spent some time on the document]
Version Release date Comments
0.0 15/10/2017 Author filled the template with self-learning
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2 What have you learnt
2.1 If you had to do this course again, what would you do
differently?
The course was neither very easy nor too hard to understand, but one thing I would like to
mention is that I could earn a lot not only the technical knowledge of the project management but
also helped me in developing my interpersonal skill. I would advise all the future students to get the
course done before getting exposed to professional world to survive and grow in professional life.
2.2 Reflections on Project Integration Management
This is a new learning for me regarding developing the overall project plan at the very
beginning of the project and finalizing the approach to plan, execute, monitor & control, and close
the project. For developing the document, I first chose a group with the blend of all different types
of skills among the members and then start developing the philosophy to execute the project and
complete the assignment 2. Almost all the strategies to adopt the team and then work with the group
for the rest of the assignment is the best which I could learn during the course, but just one
suggestion which may be implemented, if found good, for the next semester is to shuffle the group
members in between the project after every phases of the project to help developing all the skills,
because it may happen in real world that in between the project some experienced project team
members may resign and leave the organisation and we may need to work with a whole new
member.
2.3 Reflections on Project Stakeholder Management
The learning from the project stakeholder management knowledge area has helped me a lot
in identifying the stakeholders properly and analysing their strength and needs (Jose, 2016). After
properly analysing the stakeholders, I developed the methods to satisfy their needs and
expectations, to keep them satisfied throughout my course to avoid any kind of hindrances in
between the project. During the course, I encountered one new stakeholder which I could not
identify at the beginning (the external evaluator) but somehow arranged to make satisfied and was a
surprise for me. All the stakeholders identified by me have interacted during the course.
2.4 Reflections on Project Scope Management
This is the real knowledge area which I have learned during the course, I was totally
unaware of how to manage the activities of any project. Generally the projects consists of many
complex interlinked activities which can become clumsy at a moment and delay the whole project
duration and also if the boundaries of the work is not clear then the scope of work is bound to be
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increased and the cost of the project too (TIMO - Time Management Office GmbH, 2014). This
causes the whole available fund to get exhausted in between the project itself and there may be few
most important activities like enrolment for the exam, for which no fund may be available and the
whole effort of preparing for the course may go in drain. I developed a lot of knowledge on how to
develop the activity listing and then develop the WBS according to the execution philosophy.
2.5 Reflections on Project Resource Management
After going through the knowledge area of resource management, I developed the resource
management plan with all the details. Then the list with their unit rates (wherever applicable) to
develop a cost-benefit analysis to decide on hiring or developing the ways to manage the resources.
I need to acquire laptop and little project management software for the project/course.
2.6 Reflections on Project Time Management
I learned to develop the time management plan for the project or the list of activities more
accurately by first defining the activities as detailed as possible. The detailing are done in a manner
to control them properly and then assigned the estimated duration (between the optimistic and
pessimistic time) (Harrin, 2017). Also learned the need to add one extra line item below all the
listed activities, with a 10% buffer period, which helps to absorb the delay due to any unknown
risks. Yes, I could make time to develop answers to the assignment 2 by absorbing the time from
the buffer.
2.7 Reflections on Project Cost Management
The learning from Cost management group has developed the skill to estimate the cost after
conducting proper scope, time and risk assessment. Earlier in this course, I was unaware regarding
the consideration of cost reserve for the unknown risks and this consideration has helped me during
the course to counter few unknown expenditures like the celebration of friend’s birthday party. This
has helped me to control the expenditures within the budgeted limits.
2.8 Reflections on Project Risk Management
The learning of the Risk Management has provided me the knowledge on developing the
risk register before starting any task and I did so. This has helped me in developing many strategies
to counter the threats and enhancing the opportunities available (Institute of Risk Management,
2016). But it is observed that there were still a few threats which were not identified earlier and so
had to counter on war footing basis.
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2.9 Reflections on Project Quality Management
The quality management has provided me an insight view of the procedures to set few
targets which are required to be achieved for the betterment of my own course and gain high-grade
marks. This quality has helped me in developing few targets for the sub-activities and then goes for
it and phase-wise achieving the goals has resulted in securing good grade of marks throughout the
course. But I think, there was still some possibility of improving by improving the attendance,
which I shall also consider as a criterion for my next course.
2.10 Reflections on Project Procurement Management
The learning from the procurement management has helped me a lot to plan all my buying
options, and accordingly, I did the analysis of buying vs renting. According to my learning, I did
purchase laptop but took few books on rent from the library available. This has helped me in saving
few unnecessary expenditures and the available fund could be utilized for some other productive
work.
2.11 Reflections on Project Communication Management
The communication plan was first of all developed with all details of what, when, why, how
and whom we need to communicate and then according to the plan we communicated throughout
the project. But still there were few reluctant from other groups, it might have happened due to our
inability to manage their expectations well during the course. Conducting group work would have
been a real issue for us if we didn’t go through the course, as the course has not only developed the
technical skill but also helped in developing the interpersonal skill and work in a group.
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3 Conclusions
I personally thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading the learning that I could
gather from this course. It was a great learning along with the fantastic group work and learned a lot
on how to perform a group task. This course provided the technical knowledge along with
developing the interpersonal skill which is one of the necessary factors for becoming a good leader
or a project manager.
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4 References
Haren, V., 2016. AS ISO 21500 Guidance on Project Management. Australia: Van Haren.
Harrin, E., 2017. What Is Project Time Management? [Online] Available at:
https://www.thebalance.com/what-is-project-time-management-3879177 [Accessed 14 October
2017].
Institute of Risk Management, 2016. [Online] Available at: https://www.theirm.org/the-risk-
profession/risk-management.aspx [Accessed 14 October 2017].
Jose, R., 2016. The Project Stakeholder Management Knowledge Area of PMBOK. [Online]
Available at: http://thinkpalm.com/blogs/the-project-stakeholder-management-knowledge-area-of-
pmbok/ [Accessed 14 October 2017].
Project Management Institute, 2013. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge.
Newtown Square, Pennsylvania: Project Management Institute, Inc.
TIMO - Time Management Office GmbH, 2014. The importance of the Scope Management.
[Online] TIMO Available at: https://www.timo24.de/blog/die-bedeutung-des-scope-management-
47/?lang=en [Accessed 14 October 2017].
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