PPMP20018 Reflective Practice Report: Project Management Analysis

This report presents a comprehensive reflective analysis of a student's experiences in the PPMP20018 project management unit. The student revisits their initial values, skills, and career aspirations, comparing them to their current understanding. The report delves into the student's self-assessment across the PMI Talent Triangle, including technical, strategic, and leadership competencies. It explores the student's definition of success and failure within the context of a project, analyzing the project's performance in terms of cost, time, scope, and quality. The student reflects on their achievements, lessons learned, and the challenges faced, particularly regarding time management and resource constraints. The analysis includes an evaluation of their strengths and weaknesses, along with insights into how the unit has prepared them for industry challenges. The report provides a detailed account of the student's emotional responses to various project management scenarios, offering valuable insights into their personal and professional growth throughout the course.

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1. Comparing to the baseline
Complete the five values, dream job and skills audit again (you will use this to compare changes to
your baseline submitted earlier).
1.1.Five Values (1 mark)
Value group 1 Value group 2 Value group 3 Value Group 4 Value group 5
Achievement
Balance
Caring
Commitment
Cleverness
Contribution
Dedication
Encouragement
Family
Growth
Honesty
Intelligence
Knowledge
Leadership
Motivation
Performance
Professionalism
Stability
Punctuality
Responsibility
Success
Teamwork
Understanding
Vision
Well-Being
Level of importance Value
1st (Most important) Professionalism
2nd Family
3rd Leadership
4th Teamwork
5th Commitment
Have your values changed since completing the unit? Provide a statement as to how and why these
have changed or not.
Yes, my values have changed since the completing of the unit. I believed that the success of a
project remained in the completion of the planned set goals. I came to know after completion of
the project that the ethical and humanitarian grounds are also needed to be kept under
consideration.
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1.2PMI Talent Triangle Self Audit
1.2.1 Technical Project Management (1 mark)
Not
competent
Somewhat
competent
Uncertain Competent Highly
Competent
Agile practices
Data gathering and modelling
Earned Value Management
Governance
Lifecycle management
Performance management
Requirements management
and traceability
Risk management
Schedule management
Scope management
Time, budget, and cost
estimation
Has your Technical Project Managementcompetence changed since completing the unit? Provide a
statement as to how and why these have changed or not.
Yes, my Technical Project Management competence changed since completing the unit as I have
learnt the actual way by which even after change implementation budget and time can be kept
intact while progressing through the project.
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1.2.2 Strategic and Business Management (1 mark)
Not
competent
Somewhat
competent
Uncertain Competent Highly
Competent
Benefits management and
realisation
Business acumen
Business models and structures
Competitive analysis
Customer relationship and
satisfaction
Industry Knowledge and
standards
Legal and regulatory
compliance
Market awareness and
conditions
Operational functions (e.g.
finance, marketing)
Strategic planning, analysis,
alignment
Have your Strategic and Business Managementcompetence changed since completing the unit?
Provide a statement as to what these are and why you think these have changed or not.
Yes, my Strategic and Business Management competence changed since completing the unit as I
have learnt the actual way by which even after change implementation budget and time can be
kept intact while progressing through the project.
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1.2.3 Leadership (1 mark)
Not
competent
Somewhat
competent
Uncertain Competent Highly
Competent
Brainstorming
Coaching and mentoring
Conflict management
Emotional intelligence
Influencing
Interpersonal skills
Listening
Negotiation
Problem solving
Team building
Have there been any changes to your Leadership Skill Set since completing the unit? Provide a
statement as to what these are and why you think these have changed or not.
Yes, I believe that my Leadership Skills have also changed since the completion of the unit as there
have been many incidences where due to constant changes, the workforce has been demotivated
due to random changes in the project and needed to implement proper channelization of
motivations to keep up with the task.
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2 Reflecting on Performance
2.1 Defining success and failure (2 marks)
a)What does success mean to you personally? (0.5 marks)
Personally, I believe that success defines the means by which a person can stay true to their
goals in life through achieved visions to continue their work in the desired path. Although success
may be described as per the societal norms, I believe it is entirely based upon the personal targets
that a person sets in their minds and the way by which they are achieved in predefined time, cost,
scope and quality.
b) How did your project perform in relation to Cost, Time, Scope and Quality? (0.5 marks)
According to my personal review, I believe that the total evaluation of the task as per the
cost, time, scope and quality, the project has been successful although there have been initial
problems arising in the project like any other normal project goes through. This can be said because
the quality of the breakfast clubs was up to the mark, there had been enough scope for the
homeless people to have one square meal in a day and the urge to come back again the next day.
During the course of time that the project was completed in, it was as per the scheduled time and
within the restricted budget including the change processes that had occurred within the project
progression system.
c) What can you learn from failures and can they ever be a positive thing? (0.5 marks)
In the process of the entire project, there was some point of time that made it think like the
project was impossible to achieve, especially in the ways where the project had been in its design
thinking phase. This makes me believe that failures are not setbacks but actually they are the ways in
which a person can be determined to achieve success more. Failure is a process of self-evaluation
where a person can make sure about the negative impacts in their work progression and skills. It is
these phases that will make a person understand the shortcomings and make a plan to mitigate
them and make sure that their future works are devoid of these shortcomings.
d) How successful was your project in terms of how you define success for you? (0.5 marks)
According to my description of success, it can be said that the project for creating a
breakfast club for the homeless people has been a success. This is because; the entire project was
first erected through an initial project plan that set some goals according to the resources available
and taking the consideration of the outsourced resources. As the project progressed further, it was
seen that the entire project had been progressing as per the scheduled plans based on the time and
financial constraints. According to these terms, the set goals have been achieved as per plans made
and vision acquired. Thus, this project can be termed as a successful one.
2.2What I achieved in PPMP20018 (2.5 marks)
a) What did you hope to achieve (skills/knowledge/personal insights/ contacts etc.) during your time
in this unit?(0.5 marks)
According to me, the venture of implementing a brand new breakfast club for the homeless
individual of our societies is very [promising aspects regarding the overall development of our
society as it gives a sense of equality even in the most adverse conditions it can be said that this can
be a huge step in my career as this would enhance my personal abilities as well. I can improve and
enhance my abilities with the help of this huge step. I believe that during my entire tenure of the
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project, considering all the inbound and outbound resources, this has really helped me to achieve
my desired personal goals and objectives. Also I have developed a perception about the
implementation of my abilities with the help of this unit. I hope to achieve more knowledge from
this particular unit and increase my contacts which I can use in the future for different kinds of
purposes as needed.
b) What did you achieve by participating in this unit? (0.5 marks)
The prime achievement from this particular unit is the effective project management skills
which I can apply in all of my future ventures. Effective and balanced utilization of all the available
resource are the other significant achievement from this unit.
During my time in this unit, I have achieved the skill of successfully planning a project and
implementing it according to the resources available. In addition to this, a person I have gained
insights about helping a person in need and the relevant skills required to be able to do so.
c) Reflecting on your answers above fill in the following table (1.5 marks)
Compare and discuss your
answers to (a) and (b). Is there
a difference between the two?
What are the potential causes
of any difference or similarity?
How does this made you feel? What lessons I have learnt
about myself from this
experience?
Comparing the answers to the
first and the second question,
it can be said that there are
indeed differences between
the two. This is because; there
has been a noticeable
difference between the
acquired skills. One is technical
and the other is on
humanitarian grounds.
Acquiring both these skills has
made me understand that to
pursue any project, it is just
not necessary to follow the
relevant technical knowledge
regarding a task. The
effectiveness of this projects
needs to be identified and
evaluated so that is easier to
compare between what was
expected and what is achieved
so that the services provided
by the clients can be further
increased.
I have learnt from both the
experiences that also it needs
to be checked whether the
unit is able to satisfy the
ethical prospects such as
professional ethics and social
ethics and provide enhanced
services to the clients which is
the prime determination of
any project.
2.3 Your skills and abilities (1.5 marks)
a) What do you believe are your major strengths? (0.5 marks)
My major strengths according to my self evaluation process are that I have extensive knowledge
and experience on the completion of a project according to the set plan and the technical skills
regarding it. In addition, I also understand the humanitarian grounds that serve the project
progression in a proper and ethical manner fulfilling all the moral implications that can occure
within the project.
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b) Discuss whether you able to utilise your strengths in the project. Include an explanation of how
you were OR why you were not able to demonstrate them during your project. (1 mark)
I believe that I have not only been able to utilize my skills to their full potential but I have also
been successful in extending my skills further. There were only the processes out of my expertise
where I could not showcase my skills, but I have learnt how to achieve those setbacks during the
progression of the project.
3 Experiencing challenges in projects (10 marks)
This unit was designed so you will experience a number ofchallengesthat project managers face.
These include tight timeframes, diverse teams and requirements that are not necessarily well
defined. Being challenged places us under stress, to a certain point this increases performance.
However,as stress increases it will start to diminish our performance. The challenging nature of the
unit may have raised differing emotions, you may have felt overwhelmed, excited, frustrated, or a
sense of achievement. You may have felt different emotionsat different stages of the unit, this is
perfectly normal when managing projects.
Reflecting on how we each react to stress is important. It enables us to recognise when we are under
stress and how we can manage our reactions effectively.
Experiencing challenges of project management in the university context, although uncomfortable
enables us to be better prepared for the realities of industry. For example, this unit allowsyouto
make mistakesthat are better experienced for first time at university than in industry. Can you think
of something you wish you handled better this term?
However, we only gain value if we reflect on our experiences and understand how we can utilise
these learnings in future work environments.
Complete the following table:
Challenge Situation
Describe your
experience of the
following conceptsin
the context of the unit,
including whether you
found this challenging
or not.
Your Reaction
How did you react
(note both feelings and
actions) to the
challenges?
Industry readiness
How does having this
experience better
prepare you for
working in industry?
a) Dealing with the
pressures of
extremely tight
timeframes and
limited resources.
(2 marks)
There were some
changes needed to be
done which had
created time and cost
constraints.
According to me, the
changes was very much
desired as it would
enhance the overall
process in spite of the
strict financial terms.
This has made me
learnt how to
implement change in
process when in need
keeping in mind about
the pre defined time
and cost complexities
without harming the
progression of the
project further.
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Challenge Situation
Describe your
experience of the
following conceptsin
the context of the unit,
including whether you
found this challenging
or not.
Your Reaction
How did you react
(note both feelings and
actions) to the
challenges?
Industry readiness
How does having this
experience better
prepare you for
working in industry?
b) Dealing with
team dynamics
when team
members may be
diverse, have
differing
expectations and
commitment.
(2 marks)
Handling people from
different backgrounds
and mindsets have
indeed been a problem.
I first thought that this
would create a distress
in the project and I
needed to channelize a
strategy by which the
cultural and mindset
diversity would work as
an advantage and not a
disadvantage for the
project.
I had made people
working in the project
share their views
according to which the
people utilized each
other’s feedbacks and
insights to work as an
advantage to the
project since it enabled
them to look towards
the project from
different perspectives.
c) Defining an
innovative
solutionfor a social
issue that is not
your primary area
of expertise.
(2 marks)
Considerable units of
the project was beyond
my areas of expertise.
I believe that the
incorporations of the
innovative solution
would make a
significant difference
regarding the time
frame of the projects
I believe that the
innovative solution for
a social issue can be
effectively applied in
different types of
industries, effective
feedback solution can
be successfully used by
every corporation.
d) Achieving
project delivery for
a social issue that
is not your primary
area of expertise.
(2 marks)
Considerable units of
the project was beyond
my areas of expertise.
I believe that the
achievement of the
project delivery is also
very much significant
regarding the
completion of the
project.
I consulted experienced
people regarding the
problems I faced and
made sure that they
provided their feedback
through each step I
learnt and progressed
further.
e) Engaging with
and eliciting
feedback from
stakeholders
(2 marks)
The stakeholders gave
their feedback on every
phase of the project.
Some of them were
negative, for which the
project had undergone
few changes.
I felt that the changes
were necessary
although it would cause
a budget and time
constraint. However, I
felt that the changes
were necessary and I
worked accordingly.
This has made me
learnt how to
implement change in
process when in need
keeping in mind about
the pre defined time
and cost complexities
without harming the
progression of the
project further.
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Student name and id:
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4 Reflective practice for job applications (10 marks)
Use the table below and the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) form of addressing Selection
Criteria to describe your application of one hard skill (technical project management) and one soft
(leadership/interpersonal) skill during the project.
4.1 Hard Skill (5 marks)
Demonstrated
Hard Skill
The one hard skill that we can be discussed in this case of arranging the
breakfast for the elderly homeless was taken in consideration there are
countless people that have been ignored in the case . There was a proper
research that has been done in this case to improvise the condition of the
elderly a little bit who faces tough challenges in the age where they should
just rest.
Situation We did face quite few challenges; it was not a cakewalk for us to bring this
plan in practical without barriers. We would like to bring some of those
examples that was quite challenging for us. We met a little difficulty in
convincing the NGOs and the restaurants. Many restaurants did not trust us
with the food. They did not believe our motives and did not cooperate with
us. We faced few challenges in getting the permission to start the breakfast
club. We did a lot of field study in order to get the accurate information
about the number of people we would serve on a daily basis. Our plan
needed approval from the higher organizations of the city to be
implemented.
Task The task that we wanted to achieve was easing the life of the homeless
people in Melbourne. The task meant to achieve a positive approach and
ease the lives of the homeless people for some portion. The action wanted to
make people to empathize with the needy and poor around them and help
them whenever needed. The task mainly focuses on bringing the people’s
awareness towards the one who are neglected and have least amount of
resources.
Action In order to bring this plan into action we tried our level best to make this plan
a success. Initially, we have tried to collaborate with the charity organization
for primary investment. We requested the restaurant services and NGO to
bring their attention and provide food services to the poor and the homeless.
We did set the primary stalls and distributed pamphlets to the needy to be
aware of the initiative being taken. We tried to draw more attention by
collaborating with the local radio station to let people know about the
initiative.
Result There were restaurants who took us in consideration, who aided us in
providing high quality food to the need; the charity organisation provided the
funds. The homeless people were patient with us after we tried to convince
them. The breakfast club that we set up encourage lot youngsters to join the
team and help the needy.
4.2 Soft skill(5 marks)
Demonstrated
Soft Skill
The skills that is noticed in this case are interpersonal relationship that has
united the organization to take such an important and daring step to bring
the new change in helping the homeless inhabitants and also brought up a
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social innovation in the public sector as a whole
Situation The challenges that we have faced in implementing this social innovation was
that of the people unwilling to accept the proposal without any benefits. The
noble cause faces a lot of hardship when it comes to work for a noble cause.
There was a bit chaos when the two team members did not agree on the
same point. There were chances of team members leaving the team because
there was a lot of hard work and field research to implement the topic
Task The main aim of the task to bring the quality food to those elderly inhabitants
who have been living in least possible resources. We aimed to join
compassion with the innovation and tried to ease their hardships. We tried to
provide one time quality and healthy meal to them so that they don’t get
starved. We did this to draw the attention of the charity homes to make more
shelter homes for the elderly inhabitants so they have an ample resource and
stable place to spend their rest of the lives.
Action The team members have been helping each other in every case possible, we
are provided with separate departments but still work as single unit. The
team members of our club are versatile when it comes to working for
someone in need. The distribution of team members on each level has
provided consistency and time management at the same time.
Result The result of working as single unit has aided the club to grow more and help
more people in the city. The team workers are flexible and they put all their
efforts to make this social innovation a great success. This has opened
opportunities for better ideas and alternatives. The result has made a great
step in empathising people and creates more awareness.
5 Action and Next Steps (10 Marks)
5.1 Action (9 marks)
During the unit you were asked to embrace an action mindset. We are challenging you to do the
same.You must complete the actions and submissions for one of the options. Some options will
provide a choice of actions to complete.Submission act both as evidence of completion of a task and
need sufficient details to enable them to be checked, e.g. if you speak to someone provide their
details including name, organisation and contact details.
It is better to act in a small way that takes you one step further long your career path than have big
plans that are never actioned.Do not submit an extravagant plan or fictionalised exaggeration, as it
will waste your time and marks. Choose the option thatyou can gain value from and is achievable.
Choose one of the following options:
Option 1. Apply for a job
Option 2. Build your profile
Option 3. Improve your industry exposure and networks
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Read the action and tasks related to each option and nominate which option you have chosen to
work on in this box:
Option decided: Improving industry exposure and networks
Headings for the completion of the tasks are provided after the table of Option Descriptions.
Note:
These options relate to the industry of your choice whether project management or domain specific.
Table: Option Descriptions (provides further information about each option):
Option 3.
Improve your industry
exposure and networks
The implementation of the
different types of social media
networks can have a significant
advantage for this kinds of
projects, different options can
be exposed with the help of
these social media devices.
The following page lists three tasks for each option.
You will need to complete all three tasks to be eligible for complete marks.
Complete the following tasks:
Option 3 Task 1
The versatility of this breakfast
clubs should not be restricted
to any specific region, other
essential aspects of the
organization should also be
considered so that the concept
can evolve more freely,
Option 3 Task 2
ii) The discussion was made to
make the innovation more
helpful and versatile. The club
discussed the ratio and the
number of people that will be
searched by the organisation.
Option 3 Task 3
Every section of the
community should be
considered while
implementing this concept
such as the senior citizens and
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