COMPGZ09 Project Management Assessment Graham Collins UCL

1. COMPGZ09 Project ManagementAssessmentGraham CollinsUCL graham.collins@ucl.ac.uk

2. Assessment • Assessment for my part of the course is via a presentation in May and related details beforehand • For all DCNDS students this is a group presentation of not more than 30 minutes with up to 20 minutes allocated for questions • For other students such as SSE this may be an individual presentation of not more than 20 minutes followed by questions • You will be asked to stop presenting once the allocated presentation time is up.

3. Submission Requirements 2009 • Monday 11th May 2009. E-mail a copy of your presentation (PowerPoint slides), abstract, references and background details by 12:00 (midday) Monday of the week of the presentations i.e.11th May 2009 , to Graham Collins graham.collins@ucl.ac.uk and the DCNDS course director Mark Handley m.handley@cs.ucl.ac.uk • Bring ideally a notebook computer with your presentation preloaded to your group presentation. You must bring a back-up copy of your presentation stored on either CD or memory stick. • Thursday 14th May 2009, room B1.03 Malet Place Eng. 11am-6pm. Presentations and submission of 2 printed copies of: • (a) presentation slides, • (b) background details, • (c) abstract and • (d) references • It may also be helpful, to submit a CD with materials recorded in addition, although this is optional. • Everyone takes part in presentations and everyone attends throughout the day to view peer group presentations • 21st May 2009 feedback/grades available, provided all work is submitted and presented on time.

4. Submission at time of presentation • Ideally either all printed documents are collated in two slim folders or are stapled together. • Background details this should include: technical background details and relevant project management schedules and logs • PowerPoint slides should be printed 6 to a page unless diagrams require an individual page for clarity.

5. Purpose of Presentation • The key purpose is to ensure that you have taken an appropriate approach, for both research and project management • Preparation for this, should help clarify your goals, methods and evaluation • This will invariably help with skills necessary for research and business • This is useful preparation for employment, whether research or business, as employers often request a presentation, often a final year university project, as part of the interview process. A group project is often preferred as it shows that you can work effectively as a team and have learnt from this process.

6. Course reminder As a reminder the course will help • Help plan projects • Understand how the process selected is important and is often the basis for project management • How the selection of project management methods is an asset not an overhead • Create ‘buy-in’ from your team, supervisor and potential employers and research funding bodies.

7. Content • The presentation needs to be credible and include some key technical and project management aspects such as goals, approach, metrics and evaluation, schedule and risk management • Project management aspects need to be integrated carefully with the project. For example if an architectural risk is identified, this needs to be linked to the schedule and the person responsible. In addition actions and status need to be clearly outlined • One of your key priorities after you have worked out what you are doing and why, is how you are going to share information with the rest of the team. Please also refer to the marking criteria document

8. Questions asked about your presentations • Immediately after your presentation up to 20 minutes will be allocated for questions • Questions at the presentation will invariably cover aspects that have not been made clear in the presentation or documentation. They may be asked to give you and your group an opportunity to expand on the approach, algorithms selected, metrics or evaluation methods. Questions may be asked on the project management processes selected. You may also be asked to consider possible improvements to all aspects including the technical and project management approaches • There will also be opportunities for your peers to ask questions about your projects. This involvement is an important aspect of learning and mirrors what happens in research environments and in business.

9. Benefits of attending all presentations • Viewing your peers presentations and being involved is a learning process and will help your group consider other approaches • This often provides a benchmark of progress • and more importantly an impetus for further ideas and research.

10. Assessment • Assessment will be by academic staff assessing both the technical aspects (50% of the presentation marks) and the project management aspects (also 50% of the presentation marks) • Your grade will be provided one week after your presentation, with a feedback covering both technical and project management areas.