Gladys Moore
GM530
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Objective | Requirements | Grading Rubrics | Best Practices | Milestones
Objective
The objective of the Course Project is to provide an opportunity to put the concepts of this course into
practice. You will follow a structured decision-making process in the form of a required outline. All
elements involved in the decision must be covered, from problem definition through action plan. If you
choose to research a past decision, a reflection on the actual implementation of the decision is
appropriate. Further, your paper should meet the test of any sound plan – namely that it have specific and
measurable goals and objectives, clearly defined activities, stipulated time frames during which those
activities will take place, and clearly defined expected outcomes. This is to ensure critical rigor in
evaluating your own decision-making process. Your instructor can provide additional guidance in selecting
a topic.
Requirements
Although the length of the paper is not pre-determined, a 10-15 page analysis, including data and appendices, is
probably correct. You will also share a summary PowerPoint Presentation with fellow students during the Week 6
Discussion. The Final Course Project Proposal with PowerPoint Presentation is due by the end of Week 7 (graded).
Required Outline
The following outline is required for your Course Project.
• Executive Summary (less than one page)
This summary is a short, carefully worded description of the problem situation that identifies the
recommended solution. A brief justification and explanation of selection method is to be included
highlighting factors that contributed to selecting the recommended alternative.
• Problem Statement
Describe the nature and scope of the problem selected, its history together with causes and the outcomes of
any previous attempts to deal with it. Briefly introduce the key decision elements – objectives, alternatives,
consequences, and uncertainties; details are to be discussed in the following sections.
• Objectives Statement
Describe stakeholders and their interests in the problem situation. Explain each objective in detail. A
minimum of three objectives is required.
• Alternatives
Describe each alternative and explain how the alternatives differ one from the other. A minimum of three
alternatives is required.
• Selection
Describe the alternative recommended and why. Explain the tradeoffs you utilized or present a weighted
scoring model. Explain why you feel that this report contains sufficient information to make a decision on
the problem. Describe any additional information that would be useful to have.
• Consequences
Explain how you determined the values for each alternative and their corresponding objectives. Show your
consequence table either in this section or as an Appendix. Include the bases for forecasts and any
techniques or tools used to estimate consequences. Discuss the reliability of your predictions. Indicate what
events were considered to be uncertain and explain the probabilities of their occurrence, and what
information you used to establish your confidence level in these probabilities. A minimum of two
uncertainties is required for the paper.
• Implementation, Monitoring, and Control
This section contains a detailed implementation plan. There will be an explanation of how the
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recommended alternative will be implemented, resources dedicated to accomplishing it, and key
individuals who will be responsible for the plan’s success. Details should be included on how the plan will
be monitored, subsequent evaluation criteria, and how the plan can be amended.
Works Cited
Presentation
Once you have outlined your paper, you should be ready to begin a PowerPoint presentation. As you
develop the contents of the sections in your paper, you should extract bullet-point ideas that best express
your intended message. If you prefer, use the slides to brainstorm and organize your thoughts before
writing the paper. Then refer to your presentation to guide and remind you of the flow of your storyline.
Grading Rubric
Category
Points %
Documentation &
60
Formatting
25
Organization &
Cohesiveness
60
25
Editing
24
10
Content
96
40
Total
240
100
Description
A quality paper will include a executive summary, problem statement,
objectives statement, alternatives, selection of alternatives, consequences,
implementation, monitoring, control, references, and PowerPoint
presentation.
A quality paper will include an introduction based upon a well formed
thesis statement. The logical order of the content will be derived from the
thesis statement. The content will be properly subdivided into sections
derived from the outline. In a quality paper, the conclusion will summarize
the previously presented content, and will complement the thesis statement
from the introduction.
A quality paper will be free of any spelling, punctuation, or grammatical
errors. Sentences and paragraphs will be clear, concise, and factually
correct.
A quality paper will have significant scope and depth of research to
support any statements. Relevant illustration or examples are encouraged.
A quality paper will employ sound use of reasoning and logic to reinforce
conclusions.
A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.
Best Practices
Additional hints on preparing the best possible project.
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Apply a three step process of writing… Plan, Write, and Complete.
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 changes required.
Use visual communication to further clarify and support the written part of your report. Example graphs,
diagrams, photographs, flowcharts, maps, drawings, animation, video clips, pictograms, Tables, and Gantt
charts.
Important Dates:
Week 6 Power Point Presentation due 2/11/2011
Week 7 Course Project due 2/18/2011
If at all possible please use the SAR Report I have attached. If not, please get
the presentation to me in time so I may review it before posting it in my
discussion to discuss with classmates.
