ASSESSMENT 1 BRIEF
Subject Code and Title MIS608 – Agile Project Management
Assessment Research Report on Agile
Individual/Group Individual
Length 1500 words (+/- 10%)
Learning Outcomes The Subject Learning Outcomes demonstrated by successful completion of the task below include:
a) Undertake research to demonstrate an understanding of Agile concepts, tools and techniques.
Submission Due by 11:55pm AEST/AEDT Sunday end of Module 2.2
Weighting 25%
Total Marks 100 marks
Task Summary
You are required to write an individual research report of 1500 words to demonstrate your understanding of the origins and foundations of Agile by addressing the following areas:
1. The origins of Agile – why did Agile emerge, what was it in response to, and how did this lead to the values and principles as outlined in the agile manifesto?
2. The origins of Lean and how it has influenced Agile practice
3. The similarities and differences between Scrum and Kanban as work methods
4. Why adopting Agile benefits an organisation
Please refer to the Task Instructions for details on how to complete this task.
Context
Organisations are increasingly using Agile as a project management approach to achieve their goals and objectives efficiently. While agile is predominantly used in software development, there are elements of agile that can be applied to achieving goals and objectives in many areas of an organisation. Understanding these concepts will be vital for you to progress in this subject. This knowledge will not only support your completion of the final group assignment, but also will assist you in managing your progress in the group project by using Agile techniques to communicate capacity and offer full transparency of work across the team.
Task Instructions
1. Write a 1500 words research report to demonstrate your understanding of the origins and foundations of Agile by addressing the following areas:
• The origins of Agile – why did Agile emerge, what was it in response to, and how did this lead to the values and principles as outlined in the agile manifesto?
• The origins of Lean and how it has influenced Agile practice.
• The similarities and differences between Scrum and Kanban as work methods.
• Why adopting Agile benefits an organisation.
2. Review your subject notes to establish the relevant area of investigation that applies to the case. Perform additional research in the area of investigation and select FIVE (5) additional sources which will add value to your report in the relevant area of investigation.
3. Plan how you will structure your ideas for the report. Write a report plan before you start writing. The report should be 1500 words. Therefore, it does not require an executive summary nor an abstract.
4. The report should consist of the following structure:
A title page with subject code and name, assignment title, student’s name, student number, and lecturer’s name.
The introduction (100 – 150 words) that will also serve as your statement of purpose for the report—this means that you will tell the reader what you are going to cover in your report.
You will need to inform the reader of:
a. Your area of research and its context
b. The key concepts you will be addressing
c. What the reader can expect to find in the body of the report
The body of the report (1200-1300 words) will need to cover four specific areas:
a) Why did Agile originate? When did it emerge and what was it in response to? How did this lead to the four values and 12 principles that are outline by the agile manifesto?
b) Where did Lean originate? Briefly define what Lean is and two Lean philosophies have been adopted in the evolution of Agile practice?
c) Scrum and Kanban have many similarities, but also key differences. Compare and contrast Scrum and Kanban with each other, illustrating these similarities and differences with examples.
d) Explain what value adopting Agile can offer to an organisation.
The conclusion (100-150 words) will summarise any findings or recommendations that the report puts forward regarding the concepts covered in the report.
5. Format of the report
The report should use font Arial or Calibri 11 point, be line spaced at 1.5 for ease of reading, and have page numbers on the bottom of each page. If diagrams or tables are used, due attention should be given to pagination to avoid loss of meaning and continuity by unnecessarily splitting information over two pages. Diagrams must carry the appropriate captioning.
6. Referencing
There are requirements for referencing this report using APA referencing style. It is expected that you reference any lecture notes used and five additional sources in the relevant subject area based on readings and further research.
It is essential that you use the appropriate APA style for citing and referencing research.
Please see more information on referencing here:
https://library.torrens.edu.au/academicskills/apa/tool
7. You are strongly advised to read the rubric, which is an evaluation guide with criteria for grading the assignment—this will give you a clear picture of what a successful report looks like.
Submission Instructions
Submit Assessment 1 via the Assessment link in the main navigation menu in MIS608 Agile Project Management. The Learning Facilitator will provide feedback via the Grade Centre in the LMS portal. Feedback can be viewed in My Grades.
Academic Integrity Declaration
I declare that except where I have referenced, the work I am submitting for this assessment task is my own work. I have read and am aware of Torrens University Australia Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure viewable online at http://www.torrens.edu.au/policies-and-forms
I am aware that I need to keep a copy of all submitted material and their drafts, and I will do so accordingly.
Assessment Rubric
Assessment Attributes Fail
(Yet to achieve minimum standard) 0–49% Pass
(Functional) 50–64% Credit
(Proficient)
65–74% Distinction
(Advanced)
75–84% High Distinction
(Exceptional)
85–100%
Visual appeal and
presentation of content
Title page included. Adheres to the font, spacing, format, and
word count requirement. Appropriate use of paragraphs, sentence construction, spelling, and grammar.
20%
No title page. Incorrect font and size with poor line spacing and large gaps in pagination, tables, or diagrams. Report is written as a block of text with no breaks in between ideas. Separate ideas cannot be clearly discerned. Many errors in spelling or grammar. Does not adhere to the word count requirement.
Title page is included. Missing most information. Incorrect font and size is used or poor line spacing and large gaps in pagination. Paragraphs are used but large blocks of text with long sentences make it difficult to understand the ideas being conveyed. Spelling or grammar has errors but meaning remains clear. Does not adhere to the word count requirement. Title page is included but is missing key information. Some errors in font use and line spacing. Some pagination problems. One idea or concept per paragraph. Some paragraphs could be more succinctly written. Minor spelling or grammar errors. Adheres to the word count requirement. Title page is included with most required information. Minor errors in font, spacing and format. One idea or concept per paragraph with 3–4 wellconstructed sentences per paragraph. No errors in spelling or grammar. Adheres to the word count requirement. Title page is included with all required information. Font, spacing, and format are in accordance with the requirements of the assignment brief. Expert use of paragraphs with 3–4 well-constructed sentences per paragraph that follow logically from each other. No errors in spelling or grammar. Adheres to the word count requirement
Knowledge and
understanding
Understanding of the origins of agile, and its principles and values. The case for an organisation in adopting agile.
Differences and similarities between Lack of understanding of the required concepts and knowledge. Key components of the assignment are not addressed. Lack of application and analysis of information to provide clear recommendations.
Limited understanding of required concepts and knowledge. Some of the key components of the assignment are not addressed. Limited application and analysis to provide clear recommendations.
Adequate knowledge or understanding of the required concepts. A reasonable capacity to explain and apply relevant key concepts. Supports opinion and information substantiated by evidence from research to provide recommendations. Thorough understanding of the key concepts. Discriminates between assertion of opinion and information substantiated by robust evidence from the research/course materials and extended reading. Welldemonstrated capacity to apply and analyse relevant information to provide clear recommendations. Highly developed understanding of the field or discipline/s.
Systematically and critically discriminates between assertion of opinion and information substantiated by robust evidence from the research/course materials and extended
reading. Recommendations are clearly justified based
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Scrum and Kanban as
work methods
50% on the application and analysis of information.
Use of academic and
discipline conventions
Formal tone. No use of first-party perspective.
Meets the assignment brief regarding introduction, body, and conclusion.
Appropriate use of credible resources. Correct citation of key resources using APA style of referencing.
30%
Poorly written with informal tone using first person pronouns (I, my, we, me, us). No introduction and conclusion attempted. Demonstrates inconsistent and inadequate use of goodquality, credible, and relevant resources to support and develop ideas. No use of in-text references, or no reference list at the close of the report. There are many mistakes in using the APA style. Minor errors in the use of first-person pronouns (I, my, we, me, us). Introduction attempted but very generic, and does not clearly state the purpose of the report and what the reader should expect to find in the body of the report. Conclusion attempted but does not include summation of key concepts discussed in the report and/or key conclusions or recommendations.
Demonstrates consistent use of credible and relevant research sources to support and develop ideas, but these are not always explicit or well-developed. Little use of in-text referencing, or inadequate references consulted and added to references at the close of the report. There are some mistakes in using APA style. Written according to academic genre. Sound use of the introduction but does not clearly state either the purpose of the report or what the reader should expect to find in the body of the report. Sound use of the conclusion and succeeds in either the summation of key concepts
discussed, or key conclusions or recommendations, but not both.
Demonstrates consistent use of credible and relevant research sources to support and develop ideas. Good use of in-text referencing and appropriate number of references. There are only minor errors in using the APA style. Well-written and adheres to the academic genre. Good use of the introduction, which clearly states the purpose of the report and what the reader should expect to find in the body of the report. Good use of the conclusion and succeeds in summation of key concepts discussed and key conclusions or recommendations.
Consistently demonstrates expert use of good quality, credible, and relevant research sources to support and develop appropriate arguments and statements. Shows evidence of reading beyond the key reading. Very good use of in-text referencing. There are no mistakes in using the APA style.
Expertly written. Excellent use of introduction, which secures the attention of the reader, clearly states the purpose of the report and what the reader should expect to find in the body of the report.
Excellent use of the conclusion, which succeeds in confident summation of key concepts and conclusions and gives the reader a clear sense of next steps required. Expert use of high-quality credible research sources to support and develop arguments and position statements. Shows extensive evidence of reading beyond the key reading. Excellent and meticulous use of in-text referencing. There are no mistakes in using the APA style.
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