PROJ420 Project Risk Management – Course Project

For this course, you will complete several weekly assignments and compile a course project paper. This paper involves the development of a Risk Management Plan, commonly called an RMP, throughout the course.

While the weekly assignments are the basis for what you will be doing for the RMP, they are not the RMP itself. Your weekly assignments will assist you in the development of an RMP by completing some of the essential parts of the final paper. These various sections, which will follow your weekly assignments, have been developed according to the Deliverables schedule, below.

Remember: Your weekly assignments are built around the project that you will choose during Week 1.

The assignments for Weeks 1-6 are the basis of your project; the final paper, however, which is due in Week 7, will be built following the template on page 197 in Appendix A within the Practical Project Risk Management: The ATOM Methodology text. In addition, your final paper will focus on the top 20 risks you have identified.

Refer to the Deliverables section below for a comprehensive outline and schedule for your course project. Also See Syllabus/”Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.

Deliverables

Week 1: Selecting a Project

During Week 1, you will select a project for your risk management plan course project. The project can be one that you are working on as part of your regular job, a case study you have completed in the past, or a project that you want to plan, either business or personal. You will choose your own project so that you will be very familiar with the project and understand all of its various elements. The project request will be submitted as a graded assignment.

To select your project, submit a description of your project using the Week 1 Course Project Proposal & Outline Template (PROJ420_W1_ProposalAndOutline.docx) in Doc Sharing.

Submit your assignment to the Week 1 Course Project Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read theseStep-by-Step Instructions or watch thisDropbox Tutorial. See Syllabus/”Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.

You will receive a post in your Dropbox that will indicate approval to proceed.

This submission must be well presented because this is a required assignment that will receive a grade in Gradebook. The project paper is a required item for successful completion of this class. If you do not submit a project selection, you will not be able to proceed with assignments, as each week builds upon the last. We will discuss the various steps in developing the RMP for your project in our weekly threaded discussions. All submissions for a grade will also be evaluated for grammar and spelling.

Week 2: Project Sizing and Stakeholder Analysis

Your course project milestone for Week 2 will be to develop your Project Sizing and Stakeholder Analysis.

To do this, use the Week 2 Course Project Assignment Template (PROJ420_W2_AssignmentTemplate.docx) in Doc Sharing.

Week 3: Project Risk Breakdown Structure

For your third course project milestone, develop a Risk Breakdown Structure.

To do this, use the Week 3 Course Project Assignment Template (PROJ420_W3_AssignmentTemplate.docx) in Doc Sharing.

In order to keep the RBS manageable, identify ten risks from your project to be included in your RBS.

Week 4: Probability-Impact Matrix

This week for your course project milestone, submit a Probability-Impact Matrix for the project you selected based on the top ten risks you identified in your RBS in Week 3.

To do this, use the Week 4 Course Project Assignment Template (PROJ420_W4_PIMatrixTemplate.xlsx) in Doc Sharing.

Week 5: Risk Register

Develop and submit a Risk Register based on the ten risks you have assessed within the project you selected. Your Register should have four sections:

the project title
the risk description
the impact and probability rating
the planned response

Note that there is no template for this week’s assignment.Week 6: Summary Risk Report

This week, you are to develop a Summary Risk Report based on the project you have selected and have been assessing.

Refer to Figure B-14 in Appendix B on page 221 in your Practical Project Risk Management: The ATOM Methodology text. The report is a summary, so please keep your assignment in that format. Five pages is the suggested maximum length.

Submit your assignment to the Week 6 Course Project Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read theseStep-by-Step Instructions or watch thisDropbox Tutorial. See Syllabus/”Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.

Week 7: Course Project Final Paper (The RMP)

Your final paper for the course project (the RMP) is due in Week 7.

Please reference the template found in Appendix A, page 197, of the Practical Project Risk Management: The ATOM Methodology text.

The course project paper is your Risk Management Plan (RMP).

Note the “Guidelines” section below for additional requirements for your final paper.

Guidelines

Just a few reminders on your final course project paper:

You will be using the information that you have obtained in the weekly assignments to complete the paper, but you should not simply copy and paste the weekly assignments into each sections of your final paper.
Ensure that each of your weekly assignments has been submitted and graded. Remember that the paper is only one partof your weekly work and that your weekly assignments make up critical information you will use to write your final course project paper.
Follow the format as indicated in the Deliverables section, above.
One of the most important steps that you can take: PROOFREAD your paper!!! Have someone else who does not know about the project read the paper. If he or she can read and fully understand what you’re saying, you probably have a good paper. Remember: You know what you’re saying, but does the reader understand the message that you’re trying to convey? This one element will save you time and the grief of a poor grade for grammar and readability.
Papers must be 15 to 20 pages in length (this would be roughly one page per area included in the report), 10-point font, double-spaced, and must include a cover page, table of contents, introduction, body of the report, summary or conclusion, and works cited.
Even though this is not a scientific writing assignment and is mostly creative in nature, references are still very important. At least six authoritative, outside references are required (anonymous authors or web pages are not acceptable). These should be listed on the last page, titled “Works Cited.”
Appropriate citations are required.
All DeVry University policies are in effect, including the plagiarism policy.
Papers are due during Week 7 of this course.
Any questions about this paper may be discussed in the weekly Q & A Discussion topic.
This paper is worth 175 total points and will be graded on quality of research topic, quality of paper information, use of citations, grammar, and sentence structure.

Submit your final course project paper to the Week 7 Course Project Dropbox located on the silver tab at the top of this page. For instructions on how to use the Dropbox, read theseStep-by-Step Instructions or watch thisDropbox Tutorial. See Syllabus/”Due Dates for Assignments & Exams” for due date information.

Grading Rubrics

The following is the grading rubric for the final course project paper:

Category	Points	%
Format: Cover page, Table of Contents, Introduction	15	Approx. 8.6%
Project Description	20	Approx. 11.4%
Project Sizing	20	Approx. 11.4%
Stakeholder Analysis	20	Approx. 11.4%
RBS	20	Approx. 11.4%
Probability-Impact Matrix	20	Approx. 11.4%
Risk Register	20	Approx. 11.4%
Summary Risk Report	20	Approx. 11.4%
Conclusion and Reference page	20	Approx. 11.4%
Total	175	100%

Best Practices

The following are the best practices in preparing this paper.

Cover Page – Include who you prepared the paper for, who prepared it, and the date.
Table of Contents – List the main ideas and sections of your paper and the pages on which they are located. The illustrations should be included separately.
Introduction – Use a header on your paper to indicate that you are introducing it.The purpose of an introduction or opening:

Introduces the subject and its importance.
Previews the main ideas and the order in which they will be covered.
Establishes the document’s tone.

Include in the introduction a reason for the audience to read the paper. Also include an overview of what you are going to cover in your paper and the importance of the material. This should include or introduce the questions you are asked to answer on each assignment.

Body of Your Report – Use a header titled with the name of your project. Example: “The Development of Hotel X – A World Class Resort.” Then proceed to break out the main ideas. State the main ideas, state major points in each idea, and provide evidence. Break out each main idea you will use in the body of your paper. Show some type of division, like separate sections that are labeled, separate groups of paragraphs, or headers. You would include the information you found during your research and investigation.
Summary and Conclusion – Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing; it presents the gist of the material in fewer words than the original. An effective summary identifies the main ideas and major support points from the body of your report. Minor details are left out. Summarize the benefits of the ideas and how they effect the project.
Work Cited – Use the citation format as specified in the Syllabus.
Prepare an outline of your research paper before you go forward.
Complete a first draft and then go back to edit, evaluate, and make any required changes.
Use visual communication to further clarify and support the written part of your report: Example graphs, diagrams, and photographs.