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Microsoft Word - Service Cases071217c.doc SingularLogic was established in 1984 and it is the leading Software and Integrated IT Solutions Group in Greece. It is market leader in the Business Software Services and Business Software Licensing with 29% and 26% market share respectively. The business has reached its current form through a number of mergers and it has been listed on the ATHEX stock markets since 1990s. The Group provides integrated solutions for the private and public sectors, in Greece and abroad, mainly in the Balkan area (Bulgaria and Romania). The Company has a large installed base of software and a leading market share in the Top 100 companies and SME segments in Greece. The software portfolio offering covers more than 40 software product solutions in 2006. The group had revenues of around €65Mill. in 2006 and its revenue is expected to exceed €75Mill. in 2007. The business is divided in three Divisions targeting different market segments and a range of activities. EnterpriseDIS Division focuses on design and implementation of Integrated IT Solutions for large enterprises of the private sector, including distribution and support of well-established international IT products. Software Division focuses on the development and distribution of business software applications1. Integrator Division focuses on the design and implementation of Integrated IT Solutions for the public sector organizations. The division also engages in the collation and broadcasting of election results and in European programs Key findings SingularLogic employs a total of 740 skilled professionals, of which 300 are certified IT consultants and 140 are top class developers, overall 60 staff are working in the R&D tasks. There is about 23 full time R&D staff, while 20 persons are working on part-time basis and another 20 external persons are contracted from the universities and research institutions. Besides personnel related costs R&D investments include software licensing and equipments. R&D is carries out within the R&D department in cooperation with the department in charge of software project management. Hence, the R&D has a close linkage to customer interface. R&D function has a designated budget and external funding is obtained from the national and EU sources, e.g., IST and Leonardo programmes. Nature and organisation of R&D Typical outcomes of the R&D process are incremental improvements. The cycle of new product/service launch depends on the client group and the applied marketing approach. Project lead time varies between 4 months to 3 years. Often new markets launches take place on once a year basis. Typical outcomes of the R&D process are related to service delivery process, enabling technologies, service delivery channel or the entire business model. The bottle-necks of the R&D are often related to the cyclical nature of the business and survival of the projects & funding through difficult times. It is so easy to save costs by cutting the R&D budget. Availability of skilled staff is another potential bottle-neck for the R&D. The R&D process itself could also be more organised and it could benefit from closer links to the business community. Essentially this could make the process faster which is a crucial element in the software services business. Awareness of the importance of the service R&D should be better within the firms top management and also among the public sector decision makers. Typically the priorities of the R&D is decided on a yearly basis by the experts who work in the business units. Typically R&D department works in cooperation with the project management and most new ideas for the R&D come from the clients and business partners. Multi-skilled personnel is necessary for the R&D process, e.g. people who have experience in the ICT and marketing . Kuusisto, J. (2008, January). R&D in services – 17 business case studies (DG Research European Commission). Retrieved from https://ec.europa.eu/invest-in- research/pdf/download_en/service_cases_071217c.pdf 1 Enterprise Resource Planning Systems (ERP), Commercial and Financial Applications, Customer Relationship Management and Business Intelligence Systems, Human Resource and Payroll Management Systems, Hotel Management Systems, Retail Systems and petrol station systems. PROJ6000_Assessment 2 Brief.Docx Page 1 of 6 ASSESSMENT BRIEF Subject Code and Title PROJ6000 Principles of Project Management Assessment Assessment 2 – Project Selection Methods and Initial Documents Individual/Group Individual Length 1500 words Learning Outcomes Successful completion of this assignment will result in achievement of the following subject learning outcomes: 1. Understand PMBOK knowledge areas and process groups and their role, relevance and impact on project management best practice and PMI's Code of Ethics. 2. Critically compare and contrast project management approaches and their appropriateness for managing a variety of project types. 3. Apply appropriate project management tools and techniques, paying particular attention to risk management. Submission By 11:55pm AEST/AEDT Sunday end of Module 3 Weighting 35% Total Marks 35 Marks Context: A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken to provide an expected and beneficial outcome. A project life cycle is the series of phases that a project passes through from its initiation to its closure. Project goals should align with organisational goals such as improved operations or increased revenues, reducing costs or improving efficiencies. Before resources can be committed to a project, the reason for its proposal and the benefits it is expected to deliver need to be understood by people in positions empowered to make decisions about the expenditure of an organisation's resources. The selection of organisational projects is typically performed through a method of classification and review of the project’s business case. That method of course should be applied consistently to all project proposals. PROJ6000_Assessment 2 Brief.Docx Page 2 of 6 Instructions: For this assessment, you are required to demonstrate your knowledge on different methods used in the project selection and the project initiation process. Throughout the assessment, you will consider the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) guide and focus, more specifically, on the initiation documents. Assessment 2: Project Selection Methods and Initiation Documents (35%) In essay writing, use the given/approved project throughout this assessment. As you have discovered in your learning resources, this assessment requires you to: Carefully Identify and justify suitable project selection methods to the given project Critically discuss the processes to conduct the above project selection methods. Consider the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and appropriately describe the initiation process group and project documents that are created or used as inputs for a new project. Your assessment should contain 1500 words. Output and Submission: Submit your completed assessment by the end of Module 3. Learning Resources: Government of Tasmania (n. d.). PM-902 Business Case (Small) Template & Guide. Retrieved from http://www.egovernment.tas.gov.au/project_management/getting_started_in_project_ma nagement Herman, B. and Siegelaub, J. (2009). Is this really worth the effort?: The need for a business case. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/need-business-case-6730 Laureate Education (Producer). (2013) The practice of project management [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author. Learning and Academic Skills Unit. (2016). Academic Writing Guide. APA 6th ed. Sydney, Australia: Laureate Australia. NSW Treasury. (2018). NSW Government Business Case Guidelines. Retrieved from https://www.treasury.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2018-08/TPP18- 06%20%20NSW%20Government%20Business%20Case%20Guidelines.pdf Project Management Institute. (2013). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (5th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: PMI. PROJ6000_Assessment 2 Brief.Docx Page 3 of 6 Project Management Institute. (2017). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (6th ed.). Newtown Square, PA: PMI. Project Management Institute. (n.d.). Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org/About-Us/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics.aspx Wysocki, R. K. (2014). Effective project management: Traditional, agile, extreme (7th ed.). Indianapolis, IN: Wiley. Document: Guidelines for Statement of Work (PDF) Assessment Criteria: The assessment will be graded using the Learning Rubrics below and is worth 35% of the total for the subject. PROJ6000_assessment 2 brief.docx Page 4 of 6 Learning Rubrics Assessment Attributes Fail (0-49) Pass (50-64) Credit (65-74) Distinction (75-84) High Distinction (85-100) Evaluation of information selected to support the case study 10% Limited understanding of key concepts required to support the case study. Confuses logic and emotion. Information taken from reliable sources but without a coherent analysis or synthesis. Viewpoints of experts are taken as fact with little questioning. Resembles a recall or summary of key ideas. Often conflates/confuses assertion of personal opinion with information substantiated by evidence from the research/course materials. Analysis and evaluation do not reflect expert judgement, intellectual independence, rigor and adaptability. Supports personal opinion and information substantiated by evidence from the research/course materials. Demonstrates a capacity to explain and apply relevant concepts. Identify logical flaws. Questions viewpoints of experts. Discriminates between assertion of personal opinion and information substantiated by robust evidence from the research/course materials and extended reading. Well demonstrated capacity to explain and apply relevant concepts. Viewpoint of experts are subject to questioning. Analysis and evaluation reflect growing judgement, intellectual independence, rigor and adaptability. Systematically and critically discriminates between assertion of personal opinion and information substantiated by robust evidence from the research/course materials and extended reading. Information is taken from sources with