MODULE 8

Assignment 8

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Learning outcomes:

LO3: Explain the use of control documents.

LO4: Describe configuration management and its uses.

LO5: Show the effects of change during a project and the importance of change
management.

Name:
1. Instructions and guidelines (Read carefully!)
Instructions
1. Insert your full name and surname at the top of the second page of your assignment
document. Save the file as: Initials_Surname_A8 – e.g. L_Smith_A8. NB: Please ensure
that you use the name that appears in your student profile on the Online Campus (OLC).

2. Write all your answers in this document. There is an instruction that says, “Start writing
here:” under each question. Please type your answer on the line immediately below this
prompt or, if there is a numbered list for multiple points, then answer each point on the
same line as each number in the list. Do not delete “Start writing here:”.

3. Submit your assignment in Microsoft Word only. No other file types will be accepted.

4. Do not delete the plagiarism declaration or the assignment instructions and guidelines.
They must remain on your assignment when you submit.

PLEASE NOTE: Plagiarism cases will be penalised according to the Terms and Conditions for
Students.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please ensure that you have checked your course calendar for the due
date for this assignment.

Guidelines
1. There are 7 pages and 1 question in this assignment.

2. Make sure that you have carefully read and fully understood the questions before
answering them. Answer the questions fully but concisely and as directly as possible.
Follow all specific instructions for individual questions (e. g. “list”, “in point form”).

3. Answer all questions in your own words. Do not copy any text from the notes, readings
or other sources. The assignment must be your own work.

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 Plagiarism declaration:

1. I know that plagiarism is wrong. Plagiarism is to use another’s work and pretend
that it is one’s own.

2. This assignment is my own work.

3. I have not allowed, and will not allow, anyone to copy my work with the intention
of passing it off as his or her own work.

4. I acknowledge that copying someone else’s assignment (or part of it) is wrong, and
declare that my assignments are my own work.

2. Mark allocation
Each question receives a mark allocation. However, you will only receive a final percentage
mark and will not be given individual marks for each question. The mark allocation is there
to show you the weighting and length of each question.

Question 1: Measuring progress 26

TOTAL 26

3. Assignment questions
Assignment instructions
Complete Question 1 in this document. Make sure that you use your own words when
completing this assignment. Ensure that you have read the notes for Modules 1 to 8 before
you complete this assignment.

Do not change or edit any part of this document’s formatting (e.g. font size, font colour,
headers and footers, etc.). The formatting should remain as is.

Question 1
The context of this question is based on the fictional scenario described in the prior written
assignments and is expanded upon below. Note that your answers for previous assignments
are to be ignored; only the scenario given to you in the grey scenario blocks is to be
referenced in this question.

Your answers to all questions in Question 1 must relate to only the publicity sub-project and
its Open Task Report (OTR) described in this assignment document and not its context. In
other words, do not reference anything outside of this sub-project in your answers.

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Tel: +27 21 447 7565 | Fax: +27 21 447 8344

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Page 3 of 7
Scenario
It’s Friday, 17 November 2017 and you’re on track to hand over the last units to their new
owners in a Gauteng community on the 25 November. Yes, that scheduled handover date is
indeed close to the penalty deadline of 30 November for completing all installations and
hand-overs.

Although the installation teams are still working hard, especially the four technician teams
doing overtime in the last two communities, an air of relief is already growing in the project
office. The overtime hours have made way for normal work days and Louise has even
rewarded the project administration team with a few half-days each, which makes sense
because the intense coordination of the logistics and travel bookings is now done.

The handing over of the 3,000 th and final unit presents an excellent marketing opportunity
for publicity and press releases. One of the sub-projects in the communications project is
designed to exploit this opportunity by arranging a ceremonial switch-on of the last unit by
the province’s premier and LES’s founders, Jake and Nozuko. The switch-on must be
followed by a gala cocktail event for about 100 dignitaries.

While we’ve managed to almost guarantee meeting the programme’s delivery deadline, our
imminent success in the programme has not come without some trauma. Because Jacky and
Teresa were consumed by the myriad of issues that flared up seemingly every day in the
troublesome communities, Jacky had delegated, in July 2017, the project administration of
this key public relations sub-project to her personal assistant, Seth.

As with all sub-projects, an Open Task Report (OTR) was created to manage and report on
progress. The OTR is copied below and it was last updated during the status meeting with
the sub-project’s team on Friday, 10 November.

Louise enquired into the status of the publicity sub-project this morning and she was
shocked to discover that progress is far behind schedule. Critically, she knows that the
“Individual guest visits” task is intended to happen as late as possible, and it would be
almost impossible to crash this task’s schedule. The risk of losing a golden opportunity for
easy publicity is high.

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Page 4 of 7
 Open Task Report for

LES Empowerment Ceremony

10 November 2017 status meeting

Person Planned Actual Planned Actual

ID Task name accountable start start finish finish

1 Research Shannon 18 Sep 25 Sep 29 Sep 6 Oct

2 Venue Ntombi 9 Oct 11 Oct 13 Oct 18 Oct

Press release (PR) #1 Chris

3 16 Oct 23 Oct 27 Oct 7 Nov
to include venue info (outsourced)

Invitations to include
4 Yolanda 30 Oct 8 Nov 3 Nov 14 Nov
PR #1 info

Press release #2 to Chris

5 6 Nov 15 Nov 10 Nov
announce VIPs (outsourced)

Jacky and
6 Individual guest visits 13 Nov 25 Nov
Nozuko

Gala ceremony 25 Nov

Louise asks you to step in and make suggestions on how to get the project back on track as
soon as possible. Critical decisions must be made and information communicated to three
key stakeholders: the client (being Jake and Nozuko), management (being Louise and Teresa)
and the project team. Louise will vet your suggestions before you take over managing this
publicity project. Though you get along well with Seth, you suspect that he lacks project skills
and that replacing him might be a solution to recovering this sub-project.

1.1 Identify three different problems or issues that exist with this project described in the
scenario and the OTR. For each problem, reference the data in the OTR and state how this is
a problem for this project. (Max. 3 lines per problem)

Start writing here:

1.

2.

3.

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1.2 What information needs to be communicated to each stakeholder group listed below?
(Max. 3 lines per point)

Hint: Think of the information that would be most essential in the context of this PR sub-
project in its present state.

Start writing here:

1. Client:

2. Management:

3. Project team:

1.3 Consider the information you described in Question 1.2. What is the best medium to
communicate this information to the three stakeholder groups at this time? (Max. 2 lines per
point)

Start writing here:

1. Client:

2. Management:

3. Project team:

1.4 What is a control document? Give a general definition using your own words (i.e. not a
plagiarised definition from the notes). (Max. 3 lines)

Start writing here:

1.5 Aside from the OTR, which other control documents could you use at this time in the
scenario of this publicity sub-project? Choose three documents and clearly explain how each
would serve to control this project. (Max. 3 lines each)

Start writing here:

1.

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Tel: +27 21 447 7565 | Fax: +27 21 447 8344

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Page 6 of 7
2.

3.

© 2018 UCT / GetSmarter

All Rights Reserved

Tel: +27 21 447 7565 | Fax: +27 21 447 8344

Website: www.getsmarter.com | Email: [email protected]
Page 7 of 7