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 will therefore provide an account of your learning based on both your current and prior learnings and your critical reflection on those learnings. A portfolio is increasingly being used in Universities as a means of:
• 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 of professional 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 need you 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. You can think of the portfolio as a journal or diary that you maintain on a daily and weekly basis. Your diary will consist of your thoughts as you study. Future directions of portfolios In the future you should expect that portfolios will be used increasingly at the academic post graduate level. Eventually they may even replace exams as has occurred with this unit. Therefore there are a number of things to note for your future educational experiences:
1. You will be required to complete more portfolios in other units as you progress in your 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; PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio Instructions 2 of 5
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 structure was originally based on an example (in a psychology unit) located at Athabasca University, Alberta, Canada Unfortunately the file is no longer available. However, you can undertake further research into portfolios in the following text books. 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. Your task with the portfolio Your task is therefore to write a weekly portfolio reflecting upon your learnings from the prior week. In your portfolio you will identify:
1. The module/topic and the learning outcomes that the topic applies to;
2. Any readings from this or other units and any personal or workplace artefacts that you might think relevant;
3. Any learning from your experiences. This may be from your workplace but could also be from your personal social experiences;
4. Any supporting documentation of prior or current learning. Only reference the source, unless you feel that there is other information that is particularly relevant. Note: the process of reflection is particularly important since it will hopefully show your inner thoughts. It will also allow you to show how those thoughts have changed over time as you progress through the unit. Instructions for completing the portfolio
1. Type your name and student id at the top of the page in the header section.
2. Each week’s topics and readings appropriate for the learning outcome have been included in the top and first column of portfolio table. You should review these and make changes as the unit progresses and you gain more familiarity with the learning outcomes and unit content. You will find PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio Instructions 3 of 5 that you will progressively elaborate on the content of the third and fourth columns “Learnings from your experience” and “Supporting documentation including your prior learning” as you work through each of the weeks of the unit.
3. I have provided you with my insights for some weeks in a template on Moodle. You should supplement or replace this with your thoughts.
4. The purpose of the portfolio is to allow you to reflect each week on the topic for the week and be able to relate the readings and activities to the learning outcomes for the unit. So try to think about the relationship between the week’s material and the overall unit learning outcomes in a reflective and holistic manner. Don’t use the portfolio as a diary or journal of your readings and activities.
5. 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 hours each week on this unit so you have plenty of time to make the portfolio meaningful.
6. The portfolio will be discussed in the unit during lectures, online videos and tutorials, when they exist – please listen carefully and you may find the portfolio is easier to complete than it first appears.
7. You may disagree with the initial 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.
8. At the beginning of the unit all of the learning outcomes are not covered therefore you should delete what you believe is not required from the portfolio for each week. The content of this template has included all of the learning outcomes to save your time in typing. As the week’s progress then you will find that you will be able to include more and more learning outcomes and eventually you will have covered all the learning outcomes in the unit.
9. 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 since they show your journey.
10. Your consolidated portfolio should be made as a single submission. In producing it you should merge all your submissions into one and provide a single big file.
11. You must NOT use an index and numbering system in your consolidated portfolio to identify material from prior weeks and then expect that the reader will find each portfolio on the unit web site.
12. You should reference your weekly portfolios according to the prescribed method. Whatever way that you do it; the final portfolio is the important one! It’s important that you make it clear to the marker what your consolidated portfolio refers to otherwise you may not get the marks you expect.
An analogy for the final portfolio is that you can imagine that you are going before an examination board at the end of the unit and presenting to them a complete portfolio of your journey through the unit. You will hand each board member a package that they should then be able to read and from it appreciate everything that you have done and learned during your work life and the unit. PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio Instructions 4 of 5
13. Your consolidated portfolio should show how you have reflected on high level, independent judgements in context of the manner that project managers in commercial projects initiate, plan, implement and evaluate commercial negotiation within project management contexts also how a project manager would take responsibility and accountability, in this context, for personal outputs and all aspects of the work or function of others.
Ideas for the structure of the Consolidated Portfolio There are many possible approaches to structuring the consolidated portfolio. It is the intention to test how well the you are at tackling the problem associated with developing it. In real life (as you probably know) a project manager is frequently confronted with the need to write a report and structuring the report for the audience is always a tricky thing to do. However, a way of tackling the consolidated portfolio could be to structure your consolidated portfolio according to the following headings: -
1. Introduction and summary of outcomes
2. Itemise each learning outcome: - a. LO1 i. Summary ii. Evidence b. LO2 i. Summary ii. Evidence c. … etc.
3. Discussion and Conclusion
4. References
5. Appendix of the weeks a. Portfolio for Week 1
Portfolio for Week 2 c. ... etc. Without going overboard then when the consolidated portfolio is formatted bullets then 1 to 3 above will be most likely 8 to 10 pages. It might be more, but it should not be less. Each LO would contain two to three paragraphs. The important thing is to say in the LO section how well you have reflected and met the LO. This is done through the summary and the evidence that points to each weekly portfolio in the appendix. PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio Instructions 5 of 5 In the course profile you are encouraged to imagine they are going before an interview panel and had been asked to show them how they could meet the job criteria (learning outcomes).
So, as a prerequisite to the interview you had to prepare a paper for them. The marking criteria can often be encapsulated into four stage criteria: - 1. Does the section or topic meet all the basic learning requirements relevant of the course, such as knowledge of fundamental concepts and performance of basic skills; demonstrates sufficient quality of performance to be considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the learning outcomes of the assignment? (25%) 2. Does the section or topic reflect an ability to use and apply fundamental concepts and skills of the course, going beyond mere replication of content knowledge or skill to show understanding of key ideas, awareness of their relevance, some use of analytical skills, and some originality or insight? (50%) 3. Does the section or topic demonstrate awareness and understanding of deeper and less obvious aspects of the course, such as ability to identify and debate critical issues or problems, ability to solve non-routine problems, ability to adapt and apply ideas to new situations, and ability to invent and evaluate new ideas? (75%)
4. Has the section or topic been presented with imagination, originality or flair, based on proficiency in all the relevant learning outcomes of the course; work is interesting or surprisingly exciting, challenging, well read or scholarly? (100%) This criterion is ADDITIVE. In other words, the last item (4) is inclusive of the previous ones (1, 2, and 3). If the marker feels that you did most of 4 then you might be given a 25% of the overall mark for the first criteria and then 25% of the overall mark for the second criteria and then 25% of the overall mark for the third criteria and finally 10% of the mark for the fourth criteria. So, the overall mark will be 85% overall.
This means that the first gate you must meet is (1) the basic learning requirements relevant of the course, such as knowledge of fundamental concepts and performance of basic skills; demonstrates sufficient quality of performance to be considered satisfactory or adequate or competent or capable in relation to the learning outcomes of the assignment. If you don't meet that criteria, then you can't get a grade for the second criteria. You can use a similar concept when you think of many assignments. In other words, is the assignment (1) average, (2) good, (3) excellent, (4) amazingly superb? It makes it easier to think of things that way. The words in each of the criteria is just a rational and fancy way of expressing average, good, excellent, amazingly superb!
Answer:
Various topics of project management has been assessed with the help of a number of portfolios for the given assignment. A consolidated portfolio was created from 10 weekly portfolios and their respective learning outcomes are assessed and evaluated. A summary and evidence section has been proposed for every learning outcome The justification for choosing the PPPM applications has been assessed and evaluated.
1Course Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcome 1: Compare and contrast the advantages and disadvantages of different manual and electronic project, program and portfolio (PPPM) application systems within each PPPM knowledge area over the life cycle of a project, program or portfolio
Summary
In this assignment, I leant about PPPM application systems, different electronic and manual systems. The main aim of every PPPM applications is to break down the difficult task into a number of easy task so that the goal becomes achievable. I understand that the skill which is learned from this experience is to gain the potential to manage a project and check it that the project gets to completion. The advantages of the different systems over the span of the project includes the inventory. The PPPM applications help to pinpoint where the resources are exactly. As the entire process is fragmented, the applications help to provide a greater picture. This helps in the early stages of the planning also learnt about the involvement factor.
The manual and electronic projects as well as the PPPM application helps to ensure that the project becomes successful. It also helped me to understand the easy visibility of the performance issues in the project. I also came across several disadvantages though. Resources can act as an advantage but it can also act as a disadvantage in certain scenarios. I guess if a wrong person is made the head in charge of the resources, it can lead to a lot of complexity in the project. Moreover, the prioritization of every project needs to be checked so that the different elements of the entire portfolio are met. If there are a number of projects going on, I can assume that it can lead to the wastage of resources in organizing the labour and the operational costs of hiring them.
Evidence
I was recently involved in a field trip to assess the construction of a bridge. I learnt about the different project management systems and how they are checked to assess the system. It gave me an idea about throw different systems are applied in different domains of project management.
Learning Outcome 2: Identify how project, program and portfolio (PPPM) application systems can assist project managers to monitor performance and manage changes within a project.
Summary
I decided to research a little but further about the PPPM applications and how they can provide the managers an advantage in gaining a project success. I understood that the PPPM applications not only runs the project but it also helps the project managers in choosing what types of executable projects need to be chosen and how the funding need to be initiated. I learnt that it helps the mangers in choosing the potential of every project and assess if they can support the goals and objectives of the industry. This is how the managers eliminates the projects if they do not meet the required criteria. To assess the performance and changes of the project, the contingencies and interconnections of the project are assessed with the help of PPPM applications. As per my understanding, the PPPM applications help the project manager to monitor the motion of the project. The assessment helped me to understand how the monitoring of the portfolios of the project are conducted and how they affect the projects which are in the portfolio.
Evidence
I was recently got involved with a press conference about project, program and portfolio application systems. The conference helped me to assess the role of a project manager in a project and how they can enhance their capabilities with the help of project, program and portfolio application systems.
Learning outcome 3: Propose appropriate project, program and portfolio (PPPM) application systems to support successful project, program and portfolio execution in different industry domains.
Summary
This assignment helped me to learn about the different PPPM application system in a project related to different domain of industry. The formal approach of the industries in prioritizing and orchestration for the overall success of the project was understood by me. It helped me to understand the different PPPM applications and selection methods. This assignment helped me to understand the importance of PPPM applications in determining how the funds in a project need to be utilized for properly returning the investment of the project. As an input to the selection process of the project, the time value of money sometimes steers the project selection. It helped me to assess how the future and present value of a project are determined and how different assumptions are made. It helped me to learn about future value, interest rates and budget determination of a project. The formulas of the present value helped me to assume the future value of the project. With the help of different PPPM applications, I also learnt about how to determine the net present value of the project. The financial based decisions overally determined the project selection methods along with the PPPM applications.
Evidence
I recently learned about the organisational maturity levels and various PPPM applications from the courses form our university. The assessment helped me to analyse different application systems which helped me a lot in completing this assignment. I also learned the role of a project manager from this assessment.
Learning outcome 4: Discuss contemporary developments in the use of project, program and portfolio (PPPM) application systems.
Summary
In this assessment, I learned about the various developments that have happened in the PPPM application systems. The longevity of the project is managed by the PPPM applications. The various developments in the mentioned topic has been assessed in a PPPM research program. It included about 400 organizations including non-governmental organizations and governmental agencies. A general report, IT report, construction industry report and organizational change report were developed which helped in assessing the various developments of the application systems.
Evidence
A survey related to information technology showed good results of a project to completion. It constituted about 60 organization and several mini projects which were broken down for efficiency. The use of PPPM applications were assessed.
2 Discussion and Conclusion
To conclude the report, it can be stated that four learning outcomes from the provided weekly portfolios has been evaluated conclusively in the given assignment. The outcomes have been evaluated according to their criteria and a small summary has been provided. The needs of a PPPM application system for the success of a project has been discussed and evaluated.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Binder, J. (2016). Global project management: communication, collaboration and management across borders. Routledge.
JOSEPH. PHILLIPS, P. M. P., CBAP, I., & PMP, C. (2018). PMP PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL STUDY GUIDE. McGraw-Hill Education.
Kerzner, H. (2018). Project management best practices: Achieving global excellence. John Wiley & Sons.
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Leach, L. P. (2014). Critical chain project management. Artech House.
Mir, F. A., & Pinnington, A. H. (2014). Exploring the value of project management: linking project management performance and project success. International journal of project management, 32(2), 202-217.
Fleming, Q. W., & Koppelman, J. M. (2016, December). Earned value project management. Project Management Institute.
