Case Assignment

When you have read through the articles and related material, please compose a 4-6 page critical analysis paper on the topic:

"Discuss various stages in project life cycle based on the type of IT organization structure you have seen"

Your task is to synthesize the different versions and descriptions of the project life cycle that you've heard and read about into what you regard as a single formulation that would be of the most help to you in terms of planning a household move -- a project with which most of you are already familiar, with experiences both good and not so good. You are to use the various formulations of the model found in these sources; some are likely to be better supported by the literature and the evidence than others. Obviously, as noted below, this will obligate you to actually be able to present such evidence in an academically respectable manner.

Assignment Expectations

Your paper should be short (4-6 pages, not including cover sheet and references) and to the point. It is to be structured in the following manner.

You are expected to:

- Begin this paper by stating your position on this question of stages, clearly and concisely

- Citing appropriate sources, present the reasons why you take this position. Be sure to make the most effective case you can. Use a household move, either one of yours or one you might be contemplating, or even someone else's experience, as a source of real-world examples to shore up your argument.

- Then present the best evidence you can, again citing appropriate sources, against your position -- that is, establish what counterarguments can be made to your original position.

- Finally, review your original position in light of the counterarguments, showing how they are inadequate to rebut your original statement.
By the end of your paper, you should be able to unequivocally re-affirm your original position.

You will be particularly assessed on:

- Your ability to see what the module is all about and to structure your paper accordingly.

- Your informed commentary and analysis -- simply repeating what your sources say does not constitute an adequate paper.

- Your ability to apply the professional language and terminology of communications and information systems correctly and in context; you are expected to be familiar with this language and use it appropriately.

- Your effective and appropriate use of in-text citations to the assigned readings and other source material to support your arguments. Refer to the Purdue University APA formatting and style guide (see required readings) for the proper formats.

You'll remember that the general project for this term involves creating an implementation plan for the new TUI learning management system, Desire2learn (D2L). You've already had the opportunity to review some project management software; now you'll have the opportunity to begin to put together an actual plan using it.

- The first step is to confirm your choice of software. You probably will want to use the one that you reviewed earlier, but if you found it inadequate or difficult, you may want to shift to a different program.

- Now you should review some specifics about D2L. Go to their website and review the principal components of their suite. We plan to implement at least the learning environment, learning repository, and analytics modules at this time; we will probably implement the portfolio and mobile modules a bit later on, and perhaps the capture module as well. For now, concentrate on the first three. Get a good feel for what they involve and how complicated they might be to put into practice, considering the nature of our University and our courses.

- Now you should use your software to create a basic first stage, high level plan. Consider the project lifecycle stages that were discussed in the case, and try to create a plan using that framework implemented within your software. It doesn't have to be in great detail at this point, but you should be able to indicate familiarity with the stages involved and the kinds of decisions that will need to be made at each stage. When you have such a plan sketched out, create a report using the program's reporting facility and save it to a file.

- Finally, prepare a brief (2-3 page) report summarizing your activities regarding the previous three steps -- software selection, D2L review, and plan design. Attach your plan report either as a component of the document (not counted against the page requirement). Be as personal and reflective as you can; remember, your aim is to describe what you learned from this process and how it might affect your behavior and your career.

SLP Assignment Expectations
Your paper will be evaluated on the following criteria:
- Complete the SLP assignment. Length of 2-3 pages (since a page is about 300 words, this is approximately 600-900 words)
- Conducted evaluation and analysis as required.
- Precision: the questions asked are answered.
- Clarity: Your answers are clear and show your good understanding of the topic.
- Breadth and Depth: The scope covered in your paper is directly related to the questions of the assignment and the learning objectives of the module.
- Critical thinking: Incorporate YOUR reactions, examples, and applications of the material to business that illustrate your reflective judgment and good understanding of the concepts.
- Your paper is well written and the references are properly cited and listed.