About The Assessment
Assessment Type
Individual (not a group) Assessment
Assessment 1 must be prepared and submitted as an academic Literature Review and Essay.
A Literature Review is a critical and systematic summary of the existing scholarly research and literature on a specific topic or research question. It is an essential component of academic and research papers, theses, dissertations, and other scholarly works. The primary purpose of a literature review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on the chosen subject, highlight gaps in the existing literature, and establish the context and rationale for the new research being conducted.
An Essay is a form of writing that presents a coherent, well-structured argument or analysis on a specific topic or tasks of a topic.
Furthermore, an Essay is supported by a thorough review of the literature, a thoughtful introduction and a reflective conclusion. Students must be able to demonstrate their understanding, critical thinking, and communication skills to the reader.
Literature reviews and essays are used to assess a student’s knowledge of a particular subject or topic. It helps the grader to assess a student’s ability to research, review, analyse, and synthesise information from various academic sources.
Presenting ideas logically and persuasively in response to a specific topic or parts of a topic is an important part of an essay construct.
Please review the example of a well-prepared literature review and essay submission by reading the PDF essay entitled Literature Review and Essay on the Benefits to Humans of Eating Apples, Oranges and Bananas. This example can be found in your Assessment 1 Blackboard Announcement notification.
Assessment Instructions
- Assessment 1 requires you to conduct your own research on each of the four (4) tasks listed below.
- In responding to each of the four (4) tasks, you must research and review current literature (no older than 10 years).
- You are further required to include in total, a minimum of five (5) references, some from scholarly journals, peer-reviewed articles, and foundation books.
- You must support your arguments with evidence from your research and use examples to illustrate your understanding of the issues.
- An Introduction section to help introduce the reader to your Assessment and a Conclusion to summarise your findings is required.
- Marks will be awarded according to the published Marking Rubric.
- Marks will be deducted if the instructions listed in the Assessment 1 Brief are not strictly followed.
Assessment Topic
Context
Projects can generally be categorised into three broad approaches:
- Predictive: also referred to as Traditional, Linear, Waterfall or Plan Driven approaches. These types of projects typically focus on detailed upfront planning in terms of scope, time, cost and quality. Controlled schedule execution, strict management of change control and deliverable-orientated progress tracking are also important characteristics of this approach.
- Adaptive: also referred to as Agile, Iterative and/or Incremental approaches. These types of projects focus on light upfront planning, continuous delivery of value, rapid response and adaption to change, fast failure and customer-centricity.
- Hybrid: combine elements of both Predictive and Adaptive project approaches. The focus is on tailoring the project approach to meet the requirements of the client, industry, sponsoring organisation, governance expectations or project endeavour.
Irrespective of the selected approach, all projects require some degree of planning, estimating and schedule management. This helps to manage stakeholder expectations, facilitates effective decision-making, supports collaboration, and provides an expected roadmap for project teams.
Both predictive and adaptive project approaches benefit from planning, estimating and schedule management processes. Ultimately, projects that integrate planning, estimating, and schedule management are better equipped to navigate complexities, manage resources efficiently, and deliver stakeholder results that align with stated goals and objectives.
Task Number | Task Description | Word Count | Mark
1
Introduction:
Your Introduction must highlight the significance of the assessment topic and set the context for the literature review and resulting essay.
Min 200 and Max 220 — 5 marks
2
Literature Review:
You are required to conduct a Literature Review that critically analyses the purpose and benefits of Project Planning, Project Estimating, and Project Schedule Management.
Your literature review must cover both predictive and adaptive project approaches.
Min 400 and Max 600 — 30 marks
3
Academic Essay:
You are now required to write an Essay that expands on the concepts discussed in the literature review conducted in Task 2.
Your essay must provide a comprehensive exploration of the purpose and benefits of Project Planning, Project Estimating, and Project Schedule Management within both predictive and adaptive project approaches.
Min 700 and Max 960 — 35 marks
4
Conclusion:
Your Conclusion must summarise the main points discussed in your essay and must offer some important insights or implications related to the assessment topic.
Min 200 and Max 220 — 5 marks
Academic Writing, Referencing and Compliance with the Requirements of the Assessment Brief
- Academic writing, English grammar, word choice, sentence structure, paragraphing and overall readability.
- Referencing such as in-text citations, use of quotations, paraphrasing etc. and comply strictly with the Chicago 17B referencing standard as well as Curtin’s policy on the use of Gen-AI Tools.
- Overall adherence to the requirements of the Assessment Brief.
25 marks
Assessment Pre-Submission Checklist
Please use this checklist to ensure you have complied with all the requirements of this Assessment Brief before submitting your Assessment response via Turnitin.
Compliance Check: ✅ Tick
- I have read and fully understood all the Assessment Brief requirements and my Assessment submission demonstrates my own unique, critical, and original work.
- Literature Review and Essay Style Assessment.
- Cover Page, including Word Count (per question section and overall) declaration.
- Contents Page with Numbered Task Description Headings and Sub-Headings.
- Introduction.
- Conclusion.
- References.
- Total word count between a minimum of 1500 and a maximum of 2000.
- All MUST HAVEs in the Brief complied with.
- All MUST NOT HAVEs in the Brief complied with.
- I have clearly documented and referenced all instances where AI Tools have been used to contribute to the development of my Assessment submission.
- In total, a minimum of five (5) references, some from scholarly journals, peer-reviewed articles, and textbooks, used.
- References used are no older than ten (10) years other than where foundation references have been cited.
- All references comply with Chicago 17B Reference and Gen AI Guidelines. I have reviewed the Basic Referencing Guidelines PDF.
- Microsoft Word 2016 and above format only (not PDF). Page Size A4. Line Spacing 1.5. Font Style Calibri. Font Size 11. Margins Standard. Spelling, grammar and punctuation checked.
FAQ
1. What is Critical Thinking?
Academic work is intended to be ‘scholarly’. This means it should be of a high standard and appropriate to the particular level of study it represents.
A meaningful way to demonstrate the quality of your arguments or evidence in your academic writing is by referring to work by others. The status of this work depends on how authoritative it is.
If you are a critical reader, you look for ‘authority’ in the form of references to relevant supporting work, which has been published in academic journals, or textbooks. To find out more about critical thinking, see the Curtin Learning Centre Introduction to Critical Thinking.
http://studyskills.curtin.edu.au/thinkingmatters/section-2-introduction-to-critical-thinking/
2. What does a Peer-Reviewed source mean?
A peer-reviewed source has been independently evaluated by other qualified academics who would have read it critically to ensure that the material it contains is factually accurate and that the reasoning behind it is logically sound.
This is unlike the material found in newspapers, magazines or many online sources, where the content may not have been checked by anyone else or where the work simply puts forward one person’s opinion.
3. How do I find Peer-Reviewed journal articles?
The most straightforward way of finding peer-reviewed literature is using the Curtin Library catalogue search with a peer-reviewed filter. Go to https://catalogue.curtin.edu.au and type in your search terms (e.g., Project Planning, Project Estimating and Project Schedule Management). Once the search results appear, click Peer-reviewed articles on the right-hand side column, under Availability.
Google Scholar is another widely used and popular research database. However, use caution because Google Scholar may not filter results for only peer-reviewed academic journals. More information about Google Scholar can be found on the Curtin Library website:
http://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/c.php?g=202422&p=1332806
4. How many peer-reviewed journal articles do I need?
You are required to incorporate a minimum of five (5) scholarly peer-reviewed articles in your Assessment. References from other sources such as textbooks, and reputable magazines (e.g., Harvard Business Review) can be used as long as you have five (5) scholarly references.
Websites are not acceptable as a reference unless they are an online version of a reputable publication (e.g., Project Management Journal). Wikipedia is not acceptable as it has minimal credibility since anyone can go in and change a Wikipedia page.
5. How will you mark my Assessment?
The marking structure for this Assessment is as per the published Rubric.
6. Are there any other resources to help me out?
On Blackboard, under the Learning Support menu, you will find tabs for the Student Support Centre and the Learning Centre.
7. Can you check my Assessment for me before it is due?
Given that your lecturer will be the one marking your work, they are not allowed to review draft Assessments before submission.
Let me know if you would like this returned in a downloadable Word document.