PPMP20009 - Project Management: A Weekly Portfolio of Learning Journey

This document presents a student's weekly portfolio for the PPMP20009 unit, focusing on project management. It includes reflections on various topics such as project success, planning, and the role of a project manager. The portfolio structure is based on examples from Athabasca University and references works by Race and Timmins. Each weekly entry includes personal learning outcomes, experiences, and supporting documentation, showcasing a learning journey throughout the unit. The portfolio also addresses questions from tutorial readings, covering areas like continuous improvement, quality management, resource allocation, and change management within project contexts. Desklib provides access to similar past papers and solved assignments for students.

(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20009Unit Portfolio for Week (Insert week number)
Weekly portfolio
In this unit you are required to complete a weekly portfolio. A portfolio provides evidence of previous experience and presents a dynamic record of your
growth and professional learning over the duration of this Unit. Your portfolio provides an account of your learning based on your prior and current
learnings and your critical reflection.
A portfolio is increasingly being used in Universities as a means of:
 Being able to tell much more about you than exam results;
 As a means of reflecting your development through the unit;
 To reflect your attitude and values as well as your skills and knowledge.
(Race 2010, p. 58)
Timmins states that ‘A portfolio is a cohesive account of work based learning that contains relevant evidence from practice and critical reflection on this
evidence. Its primary purpose is to ‘display achievement ofprofessional competence or learning outcomes and knowledge development’(Timmins 2008: p.
115).
You’ll find much more information about the use and application of portfolios on the Internet. However, it will requireyou to take some time to think
through how you are going to complete the portfolio on a weekly basis. It is very easy to trivialise the portfolio and write nearly the same thing each week.
But that won’t gain you many marks. Instead you should try to focus on the topic and learning outcome for the week and your reflections regarding them.
Task
Your task is to write a weekly portfolio reflecting upon your learnings from the prior week. In your portfolio you will identify:
1. The learning outcomes and module/topic of the unit;
2. A description of your experience, including reading samples or records;
3. Your learning from your experiences;
4. Any supporting documentation of prior or current learning.
1 of 5

(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20009Unit Portfolio for Week (Insert week number)
Instructions for completing the portfolio
1. Type your name and student id at the top of the page in the header section.
2. You can then delete this first section, save the file so that it can be used each week, and concentrate on writing your weekly portfolio.
3. Each learning outcome and the topics appropriate for the learning outcome have been included as the first column of portfolio table on the next
page. You should review these columns and make changes as the unit progresses and you gain more familiarity with the learning outcomes and
unit content. You will find that you will progressively elaborate on the content of the second, third and fourth columns as you work through each of
the weeks of the unit.
4. Please appreciate it takes time to complete the portfolio therefore you must think always of what is required and be taking notes to update your
portfolio as you read, study videos, or undertake other unit related activities. You are expected to be working 12 to 16 hours each week on this unit
so you have plenty of time to get the portfolio right!
5. The portfolio will be discussed in the unit online videos and tutorials – please listen carefully and you may find the portfolio is easier to complete
than it first appears.
6. You may disagree with the allocation of the learning outcomes to the topics in the portfolio table. This is your right and you are free to move things
around as you become more familiar with the portfolio and the unit material.
7. At the beginning of the unit all of the learning outcomes maybe not appropriate for the first week, so you should reflect upon what you believe is
required from the portfolio for the first week. As the weeks progress then you will find that you will add more learning outcomes. The content of
the first weekly learning portfolio table in this file includes all of the topics and reading samples to save your time in typing.
8. At the end of the unit you should review your weekly portfolios and then consolidate them into a single submission. This is the assessment that
gets marked. Since the objective of the portfolio is to show your learning journey as well as your reflections then you should not be surprised to
find that your opinions have changed during the unit. You do not have to change your portfolios from prior weeks.
Future directions
In the future you should expect that portfolios will be used increasinglyat the academic post graduate level. Eventually they may even replace exams.
Therefore there are a number of things to note for the future:
1. You will be required to complete more portfolios in otherunits as you progress inyour academic career;
2. As portfolios begin to replace exams you will need to make your portfolio comprehensive and deeply reflective to gain a good grade;
2 of 5

(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20009Unit Portfolio for Week (Insert week number)
3. You may find that other unit assessments, such as presentations, will be aligned with the content of your portfolio submissions as a means of
validating your knowledge.
Acknowledgement and references
This portfolio structurewas based on an example (a psychology unit) located at Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada
Race P. (2010) A Practical Guide to Assessment, Learning and Teaching.Abingdon, England: Routledge.
Timmins F. (2008) Making Sense of Portfolios: An Introduction to Portfolio use for Nursing Students. Glasgow, Scotland: McGraw-Hill Education.
3 of 5

(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20009Unit Portfolio for Week (Insert week number)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Weekly Portfolio Learning Table
Topic and
reading samples.
Your personal learning outcomes
from thisunit.
Learnings from your experience. Supporting documentation
including your prior learnings.
Why Project
Management?
How can project management deliver
successful projects?
The project manager can deliver the
successful projects by understanding the
requirements of the clients clearly, reducing
the risks associated with the project, divide
the work among the team members of the
project in right manner, making the realistic
deadlines and assumptions and selecting
the right project methodology.
Week 5 Tutorial Recording (MP4 File
700KB) and Harold Kerzner Video: An
Introduction to the Best Practices in Project
Management (MOV File - 220MB)
How would you describe project
management effectiveness?
The effectiveness of the project
management liens on the deliverables of
the project. The outcome and the
deliverables of the project should meet all
the requirements of the clients along with
that it needs to be delivered in a sustainable
way.
Hu, X., Cui, N. and Demeulemeester, E.,
2015. Effective expediting to improve
project due date and cost performance
through buffer management. International
Journal of Production Research, 53(5),
pp.1460-1471.
Kerzner Chapter 1 Is controlling expectations important for
success? Why? How?
The controlling of the expectations is
important for the success of the project.
The gathering of the requirements are done
at the initial stage of the project. The
possible expectations from the project are
discussed with the clients so that they can
assume the possible outcome. The progress
of the project can be based on the
expectations of the project.
Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H.R., 2017. Project
management: a systems approach to planning,
scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
What is an example of best practice in
your life?
Maintaining a routine everyday
Egelstaff (2013)
Academic
Below are twelve instructions. Which are
best described as planning, and which are
Project planning: Give a complete
definition of the work, Lay out a
4 of 5

(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20009Unit Portfolio for Week (Insert week number)
Topic and
reading samples.
Your personal learning outcomes
from thisunit.
Learnings from your experience. Supporting documentation
including your prior learnings.
assignments:
Critical thinking
and writing
critically
best described as forecasting? o Give a
complete definition of the work. o Lay out
a proposed schedule. o Establish project
milestones. o Determine the need for
different resources. o Determine the skills
required for each WBS task or element. o
Change the scope of the effort and obtain
new estimates. o Estimate the total time
to complete the required work. o
Consider changing resources. o Assign
appropriate personnel to each WBS
element. o Reschedule project resources.
o Begin scheduling the WBS elements. o
Change the project priorities
proposed schedule, Change the scope
of the effort and obtain new estimates,
Reschedule project resources. Begin
scheduling the WBS elements. Change
the project priorities
Forecasting: Establish project
milestones. Determine the need for
different resources. Determine the skills
required for each WBS task or element,
Change the scope of the effort and
obtain new estimates,
References
Hu, X., Cui, N. and Demeulemeester, E., 2015. Effective expediting to improve project due date and cost performance through buffer
management. International Journal of Production Research, 53(5), pp.1460-1471.
Kerzner, H. and Kerzner, H.R., 2017. Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons
5 of 5