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Table of Contents
The management project requirement has three distinct phases, resulting in
three separate products: the concept paper, the prospectus, and the final
report. Each is described in the following section.
Phase I: Identification of the Project Topic and Site
Phase II: Detailed Project Planning
Phase III: Completing the Project
Phase I: Identification of the Project Topic and
Site
Upon initial consultation with a faculty advisor, you begin the management
project process by selecting a client organization and identifying a management
issue, problem, or opportunity for examination.
Topic Selection
In selecting the project topic, you should keep in mind that it must
meet all of the following requirements to be approved:
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It must demonstrate the application of
systematic management practices and the
use of critical thinking and analytical
skills.
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It must pertain to the content area or track of your program.
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It must demonstrate a new capability above and beyond that necessary
for your regular duties. Thus, it should not focus on subjects or
issues that are part of normal work responsibilities.
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It should result in a product that is
valued by the organization so that there
is a reasonable chance that the recommendations
or solutions will actually be adopted. However,
the project should not be under such extreme
pressure or time constraints that systematic
approaches would be severely compromised.
- It should demand approximately 250 hours of your effort after
the concept paper is approved.
Guidelines for UMUC Staff Who Study UMUC
Topics
Effective summer 1994, students who identify
UMUC as the host organization may select UMUC
topics under certain guidelines. These guidelines
are intended to minimize conflicts of interest
or potential harm to students, faculty, or
the University that may result from the process
of completing the management project requirement
on a UMUC-related topic. The guidelines are
as follows:
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The concept paper, advisor assignment, and Site Supervisor must be
approved by both the appropriate graduate department director and
the dean, Graduate Studies, or designee.
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Your faculty advisor must be a full-time graduate academic administrator
at UMUC. This advisor may not also serve as the Site Supervisor. If
at any time the faculty advisor is unable to fulfill advisement responsibilities,
advisement will then be shifted to another graduate academic administrator
as appointed by the dean, graduate studies, or his or her designee.
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The faculty advisor and the Site Supervisor must be in agreement
on the proposed management project and its scope, as articulated in
the concept paper.
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The faculty advisor is responsible for communicating any problems,
issues, or concerns arising during your completion of the management
project to the appropriate department director or to the dean, graduate
studies, or designee.
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The project may be conducted in your department of employment at
UMUC but should be done on work that extends beyond the parameters
of your day-to-day job responsibilities.
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In the completion of the management project,
UMUC employees may not access or utilize,
without official approval to do so from
the appropriate UMUC unit head, confidential
student, faculty, or staff information,
files, or documents that are not a matter
of public record.
- Any references to UMUC or any specific
individual employed at UMUC must be removed
from the final report and alternative designation(s)
provided, unless written authorization is
received from the unit head, as well as
the specific individuals and units involved
in the project.
Management Projects Involving Restricted
Subject Matter
UMUC cannot guarantee total confidentiality of student Management Projects
because the University is subject to public scrutiny. If information contained
in the Management Project presents a threat to the security of an individual
or organization, the issue must be discussed in advance with a Management
Project advisor and an official of the sponsoring organization. Students
are held responsible for obtaining final clearance of their topics.
Site Location
Your first objective should be to select a client organization and identify
a meaningful problem or opportunity. Be sure that the problem or opportunity
selected is within your technical competence, that it can be accomplished
within the appropriate time frame (a seemingly simple but extremely important
criterion), and that it has the support of the client organization in
terms of access, reportable results, and available information. Any reasonable
problem or opportunity acceptable to an organization and in compliance
with the general requirements listed in this handbook may be approved,
as determined by the department director and faculty advisor.
If possible, you should use your own work locations as the site of the
management project. You may do the project in your own departments or
in another part of the organization that would benefit from a well-researched
project. For example, a contracts administrator might choose to work on
an information system problem in a personnel department.
You may not be able to accomplish your project within your organization.
In this case, you should seek a project that satisfies the general requirements
of the management project at an agency, organization, or business in which
they have a contact. This could be a church or other not-for-profit organization.
You should take care to ensure that selection
of an organization does not represent a conflict
of interest. If a conflict of interest exists,
another organization must be chosen. The faculty
advisor can help in determining if a conflict
exists. Only employees of UMUC are allowed
to perform projects on its operations or organization,
given the requirements outlined in the section
titled “Guidelines for UMUC Staff Who
Study UMUC Topics” are met.
Responsibility for Costs Incurred in Undertaking
Project
Costs associated with the project, on- or off-site, will be borne by
you when not assumed by the client organization.
Role of the Site Supervisor
Students must have an on-site supervisor (“Site
Supervisor”)
to ensure they are aware of the true needs
of the organization and can obtain the necessary
resources and access to complete the project.
As part of the prospectus approval process,
the faculty advisor will contact the Site
Supervisor to discuss the project and the roles
and responsibilities of all involved.
The Concept Paper
The first product of the Management Project is a concept paper. You will
submit a two- to four-page paper to the program director for approval
that details the project topic and identifies the site.
In general, the concept paper is structured
according to the following format: Context: Identification of the organization
and unit within which the problem/opportunity
exists and the potential impact the project
will have on the sponsor.
Statement of Problem/Opportunity: Discussion
of the problem/opportunity, including its
source, symptoms, magnitude, and any possible
causes. For purposes of clarity, the
problem/opportunity should be stated as specifically,
fully, and succinctly as possible in one sentence.
Then statement must be elaborated as needed. The
problem statement must not be confused with
an anticipated solution. Only the problem
should be stated.
Approach: A brief description of the steps that might be involved
in determining a viable solution/approach to the problem/opportunity.
Although data collection methods may be discussed, it is important that
you work with a faculty advisor before making decisions or undertaking
data collection. It is appropriate to identify the types of literature
to be explored and individuals who may serve as resource persons for the
project.
The concept paper must be submitted to the appropriate program director
along with a completed Management Project Approval Record (see
Appendix A). Upon receipt and review of the
concept paper, you will receive written notification and will be assigned
an advisor who will work with you in the next phases of the management
project. If not approved, up to three revisions of the concept paper may
be submitted on the same topic. Thereafter, if the concept paper is not
acceptable, a new topic must be chosen and the process begun anew.
Phase II: Detailed Project Planning
The Prospectus
Upon approval of the concept paper, you prepare the second product of
the management project, the prospectus. This document, which is at least
10 pages long, presents the problem/opportunity, a brief review of relevant
literature, and a discussion of the approach to be taken. The primary
purpose of the prospectus is to ensure that you have thoroughly considered
the problem and have both the direction and the resources necessary to
arrive at an appropriate solution or outcome.
Students should complete the prospectus
within the first half of their enrollment
in the appropriate class. In general, the prospectus should contain
the following elements in the order in which
they are presented:
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Statement of Problem/Opportunity: This
section should begin with a statement of
the problem/opportunity and an explanation
of the organizational context in which it
has arisen. A detailed discussion of the
scope, impact, symptoms, probable causes,
and effects of the problem should be provided.
Relevance to organizational mission and
goals should be considered, as should such
issues as the impact on organizational effectiveness,
productivity, and budget. Consequences of
doing nothing should also be explored. Finally,
the purpose and objectives of the project
should be clearly stated.
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Literature Review: The primary purposes of the literature
review are to establish the theoretical foundation for the project,
to critically examine how the identified literature applies to the
problem/opportunity being studied, and to illustrate your research
and information-gathering ability. All relevant concepts, theories,
and ideas should be identified, and an explanation of how and why
they pertain to the problem should be provided. Works that apply specifically
to the project approach and methodology should also be discussed.
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Approach and Methodology: A detailed step-by-step discussion
of the proposed research process must be provided in this section.
In consultation with the faculty advisor, you must design a research
methodology that is appropriate for the problem, will generate useful
information, and lead to viable recommendations. (Appendix
B contains a list of references that may be helpful in designing
a research methodology.)
This section should be organized around purpose rather than
specific research tools. In many projects a preliminary step is to establish
the status quo (i.e., a baseline analysis). A variety of tools might be
used to do this, including surveys, interviews, observation, and so on.
A second step is frequently to identify and clarify the goals and objectives
of key problem stakeholders. Again, this might be accomplished through
a survey or interviews, or it might be found in documents and memoranda.
The methodology section should not simply be a list of activities but
should show what information is needed, why, and how it will be collected.
You must work with your faculty advisors to determine the most suitable
methodology for your particular problem. Decisions about the tools to
be used should not be made in advance and should not drive the project.
In writing this part of the prospectus, you should provide very specific
information about what you intend to do. When considering how explicit
to be, consider what someone would need to know to undertake the same
project 10 years into the future or in another organization. If, for
example, interviews are used, you should indicate with whom you plan
to speak; when, how, and why the interviewees were selected; and what
exactly will be asked. All interview guides, survey instruments, or
letters must be included as appendices to the prospectus and must be
approved by your faculty advisor before they are used. In most instances,
you will need to pilot the selected instrument(s) before actual use.
All of this should be explained in the document.
When designing a survey instrument or interview guide, it is important
to review the scholarly and professional literature to see what others
have done in similar circumstances. Building on, and contributing to,
the work of others is an important component of the research process.
When discussing a survey instrument, explain the rationale for the questions
to be asked, discuss the expected outcomes, and explain what will be
done with the data once they are collected.
In designing the research methodology and selecting tools, it is important
to generate a variety of alternatives from which to choose. An acceptable
outcome of this process is one that provides decision makers with a
number of options. Once the data have been collected and the alternatives
identified, you are responsible for undertaking an analysis of the options
and making a recommendation about which seems most desirable. Supportable
criteria must be established for this purpose.
Finally, a summary review and a time series
diagram (such as a PERT or GANTT chart)
for managing the entire project process
must be referenced in this section and
appended to the document.
Note: If you choose to do primary data collection and intend
to use a survey, you must first complete a Use
of Human Subjects Guarantee of Compliance Form (see Appendix
A) and submit it to their faculty advisor.
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Constraints and Limitations: This
section should explain the factors that
may prevent you from providing a full or
unbiased analysis of the problem or opportunity.
All projects are limited both in the scope
of research that is possible and in the
solutions that are feasible. Projects
are often constrained by budget, political
environment, limitations on the time of
key stakeholders, an unhealthy organizational
climate, and so on. Students sometimes
find that the problem is so complex that
they must confine the project’s scope to
a preliminary analysis. Other limitations
include a smaller than desirable sample
size, the need to work on the project
as a member of an existing work team,
and changing managerial views as the project
evolves. Some of these determine what
can safely be concluded from the study
while others serve as criteria when assessing
the merits of alternatives.
- References: Provide a list of all the sources that are cited
in the body of the prospectus and in the final report. Compliance with
the standards outlined in the fourth edition of the Publication Manual
of the American Psychological Association is mandatory. Documents
that fail to meet these standards will be returned for revision.
Bibliography: The bibliography provides
a list of all sources of information used, regardless
of whether they were cited in the report or
not.
Guidelines for Submission of the Prospectus
One copy of the prospectus should be sent
to the management project advisor. The following
forms (found in Appendix
A) should be completed and attached.
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Management Project Prospectus Checklist, which
serves as a cover sheet and transmittal
memo.
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Management Project Approval Record, on
which students complete the top section
(above “ACTION STATUS”). This
must be submitted with each draft.
- Use of Human Subjects Approval Record, if
appropriate.
The prospectus must be approved by the management project advisor and
department director. You may submit up to four drafts of the prospectus.
If the prospectus is not approved on the fourth submission, you must select
a different problem/opportunity and begin the entire process anew with
a concept paper.
The final prospectus must be discussed with, and reviewed by, the Site
Supervisor. The advisor will discuss the project with the Site Supervisor
by telephone before final approval of the prospectus to ensure that adequate
organizational support will be forthcoming.
You receive formal notification of prospectus approval from your advisor
once your Site Supervisor has been contacted. After receiving approval,
youmay begin collecting and analyzing data for your final reports.
Phase III: Completing the Project
The Final Report
This document is the final required product
of the management project process. It usually
ranges in page length from 30 to 80 pages
and consists of the following:
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Title Page: This section should
follow the format in Appendix C-1.
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Acknowledgements: This section
is optional.
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Table of Contents: This section
should follow the format in Appendix C-2.
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Abstract/Executive Summary: This one- to two-page section
consists of a 500-word overview of the management project report.
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Statement of the Project’s Purpose: This
should conform to section 1 of
the prospectus but must be changed to
the past
tense.
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Discussion of the Problem/Opportunity: This
should conform to section 1 of the
prospectus. Cause(s) of the problem should
be clearly identified and distinguished
from the observable effects. The past
tense should be used.
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Literature Review/Discussion of Sources: This
should conform to section 2 of the
prospectus. Additional literature/sources
not identified in the prospectus should
be included.
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Statement of Approach and Methodology: This
should conform to section 3 of the
prospectus, but must be written in the past
tense. If a survey was used, the population,
sample size, and return rates of each survey
must be identified and assessed for validity
and reliability. The responses to each question
of a survey should be analyzed and summarized
to yield a set of findings. These findings
should be included in section 10 of
the report.
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Limitations of the Study: This
should conform to section 4 of the
prospectus. Constraints and limitations
discovered during the data collection and
analysis process should be included.
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Presentation, Analysis, and Discussion
of Relevant Data: This section discusses
what was found and the meaning(s) of the
finding(s). The analysis of the report
must refer to relevant scholarly literature
and to the probable causes that were identified
in section 1. The primary focus
should be on analysis rather than description,
but care must be taken to provide the
reader with all relevant information about
what was discovered as a result of the
research. This section should be organized
according to purpose rather than activities
or tools. For example, if a baseline analysis
was conducted and both interviews and
a review of documents were used to collect
information, students should explain what
was found from each activity and then
discuss the implications for the problem
at hand.
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Assessment of Alternatives: This
section should present and assess the
major alternatives that were generated
as a result of the research process. The
alternatives must be clearly tied to the
original problem and to the findings and
should be logically derived from the work
that was undertaken.
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Recommendation(s): This section presents recommendations arising
from the study. Each recommendation must be directly related to the
original problem discussion, the methodology, the findings, and the
exploration of alternatives. You must explore both the relative merits
of the recommendations and issues related to implementation. Needed
changes or further work should be identified. If there are product
deliverables, include them as an Appendix to the report.
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Final Summary and Evaluation: This involves a discussion of
what was learned from the project that will improve or help develop
your management ability. Also to be included are new ideas discovered
during the research process and classroom concepts that made the project
experience more meaningful to the student.
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References and Bibliography: This
section should follow the same format as
in the prospectus but with added materials.
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Appendices: All important supplementary
materials must be included as appendices
to the document. They should be sequentially
presented corresponding to the order of
presentation in the report (e.g., Appendix
A might be a copy of a letter that was sent
out or an interview guide that was used,
Appendix B might contain a survey that was
used, Appendix C might contain comprehensive
information about data collected, and so
on). It is important to remember that appendices
are supplementary to the report. Readers
should not have to refer to them to understand
what is being said; rather, they should
be used to verify a finding or discover
more details on a particular issue.
Guidelines for Submission of the Final
Report
A final report must be submitted to the
faculty advisor for review. Only one copy
of each draft should be forwarded to the
advisor until the report is approved. The
edited versions (containing the advisor’s
comments) are to be returned with each new
draft. Information about submission requirements
may be found on the Management Project Final
Report.
The checklist (included in Appendix A) should
be completed and attached as a transmittal
cover sheet for each version of the draft
report. This does not take the place of the
required report title sheet. Three documents must be attached
to the final report (Included in Appendix
A):
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A Management Project Assessment Form.
The top information block should be filled
in and presented to the site supervisor
who completes and returns it to the students
advisor at the Graduate School.
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An up-to-date Management Project Approval
Record, which includes any changes
made since its submission with the prospectus.
- A Management Project Final Report Checklist completed
by the student.
Advisor Approval of Report
The faculty advisor must approve the final report before it can be presented
to a committee. Students are permitted to submit up to three revisions
of the original submission of the project report. If the final report
is not approved by the advisor on the fourth submission, you will not
be allowed to present it to a committee and will need to either begin
the entire process again or switch to the two-course end of program option.
Once you are advised that the project is complete and ready for committee
presentation, three copies must be submitted to the faculty advisor for
distribution to the committee. One copy must be presented in a three-ring
notebook with a title sheet inserted in a cover packet and be accompanied
by two unbound stapled copies with title sheets. The faculty advisor will
provide instructions for scheduling the presentation.
Oral Presentation
You are expected to conduct their oral presentation of the final report
in a professional manner. This 15- to 20-minute presentation is intended
as an opportunity to organize and conduct a briefing on the project before
a committee of faculty members. The format and content should be similar
to what might be expected for a formal presentation to an employer. The
following are some helpful tips in preparing for the oral presentation.
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Purpose: The primary purpose of the oral presentation is to
provide you with constructive feedback that can be incorporated in
your follow-up briefing to the sponsoring organization.
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Order: An appropriate order for the presentation is (1) an
overview (telling them what you will tell them), (2)presentation of
the message, and (3) a summary of the presentation (telling them what
you have told them). Committee members will ask questions about the
report after the formal presentation has been made. Typically, this
takes 30 to 40 minutes.
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Content: You should be selective about the content of the
presentation. It is neither possible nor desirable to cover all aspects
of the project in a brief 15- to 20-minute presentation. You should
therefore present the audience with the information it will need to
understand the purpose of the project, the specific problem that was
examined, the approach taken, the methodology employed, what was learned,
and what is being recommended. Committee members will be particularly
concerned that all recommendations can be explained and justified.
Following the presentation, you respond to committee questions for
about 30 to 40 minutes. It is a good idea to prepare back-up information
in anticipation of committee questions.
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Visuals: Also important for the oral presentation are the
visual materials used to support what is being said. Viewgraphs/transparencies,
flip charts, and hand-outs all help to keep you and the committee
focused. Overheads and printed materials should employ bullets that
serve as talking points rather than long sentences or paragraphs.
It should be possible to read all overheads from at least 20 feet
away.
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Rehearsal: Students find it helpful to practice their presentations
several times, using friends and colleagues as the audience. Because
the time allocation is treated seriously, it is a good idea to clock
practice sessions to ensure they are well within the allowed 15- to
20-minute timeframe.
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Style: You should dress as you would for a formal presentation
to senior management. After being introduced, you should take control
and stand up and talk with clarity and at a volume that allows everyone
in the room to easily hear. When visuals are used, it is important
to maintain eye contact with the audience, and you should be careful
to stand clear of the visuals so they can be read. It is also important
to maintain strong, but not overbearing, eye contact, which helps
retain audience attention. References to specific pages in the report
should be used sparingly, if at all.
Evaluation
A minimum of two (and no more than three) graduate school faculty members,
including the management project advisor, evaluate the final report and
presentation. Students are graded separately on the report and presentation.
The possible grades are pass, conditional, and fail. A conditional pass
grade for the report is assigned in cases where the correction of a few
minor errors is necessary, but the report and presentation are otherwise
acceptable to all committee members. This grade will be changed to a pass
once these corrections have been made and approved by the committee. Students
receiving a conditional pass grade have 30 days from the date of
their committee presentation to complete the necessary work and submit
the final report to their advisor.
If a failing grade is received on either the presentation or the final
report, you have one more opportunity to achieve a passing grade. At the
discretion of the committee, this opportunity may involve resubmitting
the report, repeating the presentation at a later date, or both. A period
not to exceed one semester will be allotted to satisfy the requirements
specified in this case. The faculty advisor cannot offer you help beyond
feedback received from the committee. If the report is not approved, or
the second submission and/or presentation is still unsatisfactory, you
will be dismissed from the program. In this situation, an application
for a Professional Development Certificate may be obtained from the office
of Graduate Services. Certificates are awarded in lieu of diplomas if
all certificate requirements are satisfied.
The written report will be graded on format,
context, style, mechanics, and substance;
the appropriateness and completeness of the
literature review; the presentation, logic,
and analysis of relevant data; and the
extent to which recommendations are likely
to produce desired outcomes. The oral presentation will be graded on professionalism,
format, logic, context, and mechanics.
Students who receive a conditional pass or a failure on their Management
Project report or presentation may not switch to the two-course end-of-program
option. Once the project report has been presented to a committee, you
must successfully complete the Management Project to meet the requirements
for graduation.
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