MSc Project Management PRISM Assignment - Research Poster

On successful completion of this module, students should be able, at threshold level, to gain knowledge on:

1. Select and use appropriate structured project analysis and research approaches to identify, justify, analyse and diagnose a research problem
2. Evaluate existing literature to appreciate existing results and methods to identify suitable research methods and their effectiveness for investigating a chosen project
3. Situate a research problem within a wider strategic project management context to demonstrate the significance of the research
4. Synthesise project methods and research methods together as a detailed investigation proposal that justifies the choice and significance of a research topic

For PRISM there are two artefacts of the assessment:

• Poster with voice narration (10%) Individual assessmet
• Case Study Proposal (90%) Individual Assessment word – a full research proposal of 4000 words

Poster

Design a succinct research poster for your chosen topic (1,2,3 or 4) and record a 5 minute voice narration or video with the following sections. Having chosen a case study topic from the four presented, you should complete the following parts:

1. Background: a brief overview of the importance of the topic including your motivation for selection of this research topic
2. Literature review, explain why researching the topic or problem is important using knowledge and understanding of key theories/models from Project Management or related domains .
3. Case Study Methodology Describe data collection method and analysis

• Case Study Proposal

Design a succinct case study research proposal for your chosen topic using appropriate methodology

and justification of your choices. Going down through each layer of Saunders et al.’s (2016 or earlier) ‘Research Onion’, write a justification and critical evaluation of your research proposal (drawing on a wide range of research methodology literature).

Having chosen a research topic, you should complete the following parts:

1. Introduction Provide a title and background
   • Background: a brief overview of the topic or problem, including your motivation for selection of this case study topic
2. Literature review, drawing on some key pieces of topic-related literature, explain why researching the selected topic from the four presented is important using knowledge

and understanding of key theories/models from Project Management or related domains. In addition to this you must provide a table in the Appendix summarizing at least 7-10 sources that your research will draw on to justify your research context and design decisions. The table should have columns for aims/objectives of paper, topics discussed and any areas identified for future research. Based on this table, you can present the possible area that your research will face based on a gap or suggestion in existing literature. Two examples are Moodle .

3. Case Study Methodology A clear and suitable data collection method (including administration). A clear and suitable explanation of how the data will collected, sampled and
4. Critical evaluation Using Saunders et al.’s (2019 or earlier) ‘Research Onion’, write a critical evaluation of your research proposal developed (drawing on a wide range of research methodology literature). As a result you should state based on your critique, why your approach is the most suitable approach for your chosen research topic and why other approach(es) are NOT suitable. Remember you need to justify all the steps, why have you chosen this specific methodology and data collection tool? Why they are appropriate for addressing your research question and research problem?

N.B. For parts 3 & 4 you should use between 5 – 7 research method sources. Important note: you must NOT actually collect or analyse any data for this coursework

– this is just the proposal stage where you set out how you plan to collect and analyse the data.

Additional information

1. The maximum word count is 4000 This is a maximum, not a target.
2. Structure your report. Include a title page with the unit title, report title, your student ID number. Use clear, numbered section headings. Include your student ID number and page number on each page. Include a title for every table or figure, along with a source (if you have not originally developed it). Ensure any figures or tables are clearly
3. References must be given using the APA 7 style every time you mention a theory, or another person’s idea(s) – refer to and follow the School’s referencing guide. Be selective and only include material that is relevant to your case. The reference list (ie. not a bibliography) should be sorted alphabetically by first author surname, do not separate out different types of sources (books, journals, etc) into different
4. One of the key abilities developed through your Master's course is in developing arguments for why other people should agree with your decisions to the point where they can consider it further for The PRISM assignments are not assessed on what your topic is (since everyone will have a different topic), but they are assessed on criteria such as how your use of evidence, your analysis of literature, and your reflection on your work build convincing and logical reasons to agree with you.

Assignment support:

Essay structure issues should be addressed to Study Support.

• Word Limit: Please refer to the Module handbook for further details

Word count for the proposal is 4000 words. No additional wording is permitted. For this essay, cover page, table of contents, tables, figures, references list and appendix or attachment are not counted towards your word limit. Tables and figures should not be used to circumvent the word limit but should be developed purposefully, explained, cited and should add value to your text. You should always include the word count at the bottom of the cover page.

You will receive mark and feedback via Moodle twenty working days after submission.

You must clearly state the source of the citations in the text of your assignment and provide links to all the resources you have used in your bibliography. The source of your citations must be available (i.e. on a public website) or available through The PortsmouthUniversity library account. The source language MUST be English.

Essays Format

• Cover page: Should include module code and name, title of the assignment, and your student ID at the bottom of this page and the word
• Table of Contents: provide the list of the titles and subtitles used in your text with their page numbers on the first page after the cover
• Referencing: Please refer to the handbook for further details

You should use is APA7 (here is the library link for assistance in formatting references: http://referencing.port.ac.uk)

For general guidance on referencing, see the library handout: https://library.port.ac.uk/guides/docs/LG767.pdf

• Citing lecture slides: Lecture slides cannot be referenced unless absolutely necessary. All the slides which you might need to refer to have citation(s) or the related references are given at the end of lecture hand-outs. It is expected that you study and refer to the original references rather than the lecture