CDT505 Project Management: Concepts and Tools
Individual Work and Report
2025/26 Term 1
This individual work is designed to facilitate your deep exploration of one core area of project management knowledge and to encourage you to creatively demonstrate your understanding. The focus is not on length, but on critical insight, personalised thinking, and genuine reflection. Your Individual Report comprises the following three parts.
1 Part A: Creative Rethinking of Group Work (6 Marks)
• Focus on your group work task, choose and complete any two of the options below. Use the format you are most comfortable with to showcase your unique insights. You may include tables, figures or photos in this part.
• Options (choose any two, 3 marks each):
(1) Letter to a Stakeholder: Identify a pivotal stakeholder (e.g., a frus- trated client, a hesitant investor, customers). Draft a professional 500- word letter aimed at resolving a core conflict, managing expectations, or securing their support.
(2) Hand-Drawn Project Journey Map: Create a visual timeline of the project’s lifecycle. Go beyond a standard Gantt chart; use hand-drawn or simple digital elements to illustrate emotional highs/lows, risk events, and key decisions. A photo of a neat hand-drawn sketch is perfectly acceptable.
(3) “If I Knew Then...” List: Compile a list of 5 things you would do differently if you could restart the project. For each point, briefly state the original situation, your proposed change, and the project management principle or lesson that informs this new approach.
2 Part B: Core Analysis (10 Marks)
• You will be assigned one core Knowledge Area of project management based on the last number of your student ID SID(e.g., SID ends with 1 will be assigned topic 1; SID ends with 9 will be assigned topic 9).
Topic 0. Project organizational structures
Topic 1. Cost management for a renewable energy project
Topic 2. Conflict resolution among team members in projects
Topic 3. Stakeholder engagement in projects
Topic 4. Quality control in pharmaceutical development
Topic 5. Identifying and mitigating risks in projects
Topic 6. Assigning tasks and responsibilities in projects
Topic 7. Scheduling tasks for projects
Topic 8. Managing time for a part-time job and studies
Topic 9. Successes or Failures of Projects
• Select any related project case study and, from the perspective of your assigned area, write a concise analytical report.
• Hints:
(1) Case Overview: Briefly introduce your chosen project.
(2) In-Depth Analysis: Using course theories, critically analyse the project’s performance in your assigned Knowledge Area. What was done well? What went wrong?
(3) Actionable Recommendations: If you were the project manager, what specific changes would you implement to improve outcomes?
3 Part C: Personal Reflection (4 Marks)
• Write approximately 500 words reflecting on your learning experience and GAI use. You are encouraged to include figures and snapshot evidence of using GAI.
• Guiding Questions: What was your biggest revelation about project man- agement through this deep dive? How will the lessons from this case influence your future studies or career? How GAI help you? What’s your own thinking and reflection when using GAI?
Guidlines
(1) A single, well-formatted PDF document containing all three parts (A, B, and C). You may refer to the template on Moodle for your reference. Please be mindful of plagiarism and the use of AI/GPT tools. Students are required to submit their reports through Turnitin, ensuring that the similarity rate is below 30%.
(2) The individual report is recommended to be no longer than 20 pages in PDF format, excluding figures, tables, cover page, and references.
(3) The deadline for submitting the individual report is 23:59, 23 NOV. Early submissions are encouraged. Late submissions will incur a 20% penalty.
(4) You are welcome to have an early discussion with Prof. Lyu in person.