Describe a range of facilities management projects. Explain their unique characteristics that enable them to be classified as “projects” rather than as “business as usual”.

UNIT ASSESSMENT FRONT SHEET AND PLAGIARISM STATEMENT

FM 4.12 UNDERSTANDING FACILITES MANAGEMENT PROJECTS

Important:

Learners must complete all the boxes with the relevant details. Assessment submissions may be rejected if any information is omitted.

Plagiarism statement:

ASSESSMENT

This statement should be the first page of your electronic submission. A signed copy must also be handed to your center

FM4.12 UNDERSTANDING FACILITES MANAGEMENT PROJECTS

Credit Value: 6

Maximum word count for this unit: 6,000 words

The following assessment tasks have been designed to enable you to demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of this unit.

All tasks must be completed.

It is an important aspect of the assessment that you can demonstrate the application of acquired knowledge to appropriate examples of facilities management. You should therefore read the individual tasks carefully in conjunction with the relevant assessment criteria in the unit specification. You should also pay careful attention to the additional guidance (shown in red italics) in the unit specification as this indicates the appropriate level of knowledge required to successfully demonstrate the assessment criteria.

Each task shows the Learning Outcomes(s) and Assessment Criteria in the unit specification that the task has been designed to assess. You should answer each task as it has been set. Compare your answer for each task against the assessment criteria shown to ensure that they have been fully addressed by your answer(s).

Individual tasks must be completed within the word count shown.

(NB. The word count limits shown for individual tasks are provided to ensure that they receive appropriate weighting in your assessment. Please note however that word counts are a limit and not a target). Describe a range of facilities management projects. Explain their unique characteristics that enable them to be classified as “projects” rather than as “business as usual”.

Task 1 – The Role of the project Manager and the Project Brief

This task addresses the whole of Learning Outcome 01 and part of Learning Outcome 02. Your answers must address the Assessment Criteria shown in the following table:

Task 1 comprises three questions: You may address questions separately or combine them into a single answer for this task. Your answer in either case must fully address the assessment criteria in the table shown above.

Word count limit: 1,200

a. Describe a range of facilities management projects. Explain their unique characteristics that enable them to be classified as “projects” rather than as “business as usual”.

b. Explain the role and responsibilities of a project manager. Explain the nature of the relationship between the project manager and the following:

i. the project sponsors

ii. the project teams

Task 2 – Project Teams

This task addresses the whole of Learning Outcome 03. Your answers must address the Assessment Criteria shown in the following table:

Task 2 comprises two questions: You may address questions separately or combine them into a single answer for this task. Your answer in either case must fully address the assessment criteria in the table shown above.

Word count limit: 900

a. Using an example of a facilities project, explain how you would select and develop a project team, including the size of the team and individual members’ roles, skills/expertise and required availability.

b. Using an example, describe how a “cross-functional” project team (in which the Facilities Manager might be either the project manager or a functional head – or both) can benefit successful project delivery.

Task 3 – Managing Project

This task addresses the remainder of Learning Outcomes 01 and 02 and the whole of Learning Outcome 04. Your answers must address the Assessment Criteria shown in the following table:

Task 3 comprises seven questions: You may address questions separately or combine them into a single answer for this task. Your answer in either case must fully address the assessment criteria in the table shown above.

Word count limit: 3,000

a. Describe how “Critical Path Analysis” (CPA) could be employed as a technique for programming a facilities project of your choice. Your answer must include the following

i. The methods you could use to scope the project’s deliverables and associated tasks and the linear relationship between them.

ii. The methods you could use to estimate the duration of individual tasks.

Explain the meanings of “critical path” and “float time” and why these are significant to programming the project schedule and resource plan

b. Describe how “Critical Path Analysis” (CPA) could be employed as a technique for programming a facilities project of your choice. Your answer must include the following:

i. The methods you could use to scope the project’s deliverables and associated tasks and the linear relationship between them.

ii. The methods you could use to estimate the duration of individual tasks.

iii. Explain the meanings of “critical path” and “float time” and why these are significant to programming the project schedule and resource plan.

c. Produce an example of a “Gantt Chart” to schedule the separate tasks of the facilities project identified in Task 3a. Demonstrate how your Gantt chart assists project management by the following:

i. Identifying the precedence and dependency between individual tasks.

ii. The use of stage planning and “milestones”.

d. Compare and contrast the use of “resource smoothing” and “resource levelling” as techniques to assist management of the project schedule and the resources plan.

e. Describe how you would use the project schedule (Task 3b above) to monitor, review and report progress. Describe your communication plan for this purpose.

f. Explain the use of “Earned Value Analysis” (EVA) as a technique to evaluate progress against schedule and efficient expenditure of the project budget.

g. Identify the potential problems that could occur for the project identified in Task 3a above and specify their effects on the project plan and deliverables. Explain a process for making and agreeing changes to the project plan.

h. What is meant by the term “scope creep”? What risk does this present to successful project delivery?

Describe a range of facilities management projects. Explain their unique characteristics that enable them to be classified as “projects” rather than as “business as usual”.

Task 4 – Closing and Evaluating a Project

This task addresses the whole of Learning Outcome 05. Your answers must address the Assessment Criteria shown in the following table:

Task 4 comprises two questions: You may address questions separately or combine them into a single answer for this task. Your answer in either case must fully address the assessment criteria in the table shown above.

Word count limit: 900