Assessment Task 1: Project information and communication planning
Task summary
This assessment task requires you to create a project communication management plan to support the objectives of a project in consultation with a team. You are also required to establish a project management information system.
This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.
Required
• Computer with Microsoft Office and access to the Internet
• Project Communication Management Plan Template
• Project Management Policy and Procedures
• Project Management Plan Excerpt
• Place for a meeting
• Role play participants
Timing
The assessor will advise you of the due date of this assessment.
Submit
• Email to assessor with your draft Project Communication Management Plan attached.
• Email to assessor with your Revised Project Communication Management Plan attached.
Assessment criteria
For your performance to be deemed satisfactory in this assessment task, you must satisfactorily address all of the assessment criteria. If part of this task is not satisfactorily completed, you will be asked to complete further assessment to demonstrate competence.
Re-submission opportunities
You will be provided feedback on their performance by the Assessor. The feedback will indicate if you have satisfactorily addressed the requirements of each part of this task.
If any parts of the task are not satisfactorily completed, the assessor will explain why, and provide you written feedback along with guidance on what you must undertake to demonstrate satisfactory performance. Re-assessment attempt(s) will be arranged at a later time and date.
You have the right to appeal the outcome of assessment decisions if you feel that you have been dealt with unfairly, or have other appropriate grounds for an appeal.
You are encouraged to consult with the assessor prior to attempting this task if you do not understand any part of this task or if you have any learning issues or needs that may hinder you when attempting any part of the assessment.

Assessment Task 1: Instructions
Complete the following activities
Carefully read the following:
Manager Networks is an organisation that provides networking events for business people across Australia. The company runs regular networking events but has now decided to start an annual conference event focussing on an area of business considered to be of key importance. It is hoped that the conference will provide information on cutting edge leadership topics that focus on leadership skills, knowledge and trends.
It should also promote Management Networks in order to extend its membership and to facilitate greater participation in networking and professional development events ran by the organisation. The focus is also to establish the organisation as a think tank for the sector.
As the Administration Manager for Manager Networks, you have been assigned the role of Project Manager for the conference. You are responsible for the ongoing development of the conference in cooperation with several other staff members, who will use their expertise in different areas to support your project management as described below. A conference steering committee has also been established which includes the CEO and two Board members. The role of the steering committee is to provide overall direction to the project.
Donna Chisholm, who is the co-ordinator of the Manager Networks’ trainers, will help with contacting and lining up the speakers.
Dan Streep, the Administration Assistant has had experience with the ground level work required for a conference, and he will help to determine and prepare the venue.
Erin O’Donnell, the Manager Networks Marketing Manager, will co-ordinate the marketing material.
The conference will be conducted 04 October 2018. It will be a one-day event, from 9 am to 4 pm.
The conference style will be formal, with a balance of conference elements to ensure that outcomes are achieved.
Participant target group is managers in all industries. This group will be targeted by email using the Manager Networks database and publicised through social media such as LinkedIn.
Conference facilities require a centrally located venue that has a conference room that can accommodate up to 150 people. It is expected that this cost for the venue will be between $25,000 - $30,000.
Invited speakers will want to be accommodated near by, so there will need to be an appropriate hotel in the vicinity.
The venue will also need to be able to provide on site catering for the meeting attendees.
Budget: projected attendee numbers is 150 people, and the suggested conference price for participants is $500 plus GST to achieve the project budget. Speakers are to receive $400 each for their participation.

Complete the following activities:
1. Develop a draft Project Communication Management Plan
This assessment task requires you to develop a draft Project Communication Management Plan that will support the achievement of project objectives.
The following will assist you to identify and analyse the information requirements of the project:
• Review the case study information
• Search the internet for ideas from Project Communication Management Plans created for similar scenarios.
• Review the Project Management Policy and Procedures
• The Project Management Plan is still being finalised, but you have been sent the section pertaining to project information and communication in the document Project Management Plan Excerpt. Review this document also.
Use the Project Communication Management Plan Template to guide your work.
In your plan, under communication and information responsibilities, ensure that you include the responsibilities for:
• The project steering committee
• The Project Manager
• The Project Team
Print off a copy to take to the Project team meeting for discussion.
2. Establish a project information management system
Assume that you have decided to use the cloud-based system Slack, which allows team communication and collaboration on projects.
https://slack.com/hc/en-us
Review the information at the web site above and write notes to present at the team meeting in order to explain the use of the system and its key features and how it will be used during the conference project, including Write a brief report on the application to present to your team explaining:
• What is Slack?
• Working in Slack (including how members are invited to the workspace)

3. Send an email to the Project Team (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment and propose a team meeting to discuss the draft Project Communication Management Plan, and the proposed project information system Slack.
Inform the team that the meeting date and time will be sent in a later email.
Attach your draft project communication management plan to the email.
4. Meet with the project team.
The meeting’s objective is to review the draft Project Communication Management Plan.
Take notes at the meeting, as you will be required in the next activity to revise your Plan to include the input from the other team members.
Begin the meeting by summarising the information in your Project Communication Management Plan. Encourage discussion, and ask for feedback on, the communication methods and frequency identified in your plan.
Then explain the Slack project information management system that you intend to use for the project. Advise your team that following the meeting, you will be setting up the Slack workspace for the conference project and inviting them to participate.
Close the meeting with a summary of the meeting attendees’ feedback, and thank them for their participation.
During the meeting, you will be required to demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding

5. Review your Project Communication Management Plan
Include the input from the other project team members provided at the meeting to revise the plan, establishing baselines for each item. Your notes from the meeting should inform this work.
Save this document as Revised Project Communication Management Plan.
6. Establish the project information management system
Following the instructions within Slack, set up the workspace for the conference project including an appropriate title for the project e.g. Leadership Conference Project.
Invite your assessor as a team member.
Your assessor will then be able to confirm that you have established a project information management system and will also be able to see how this system is maintained throughout the project as per the following Assessment Task.
7. Send an email to all project team members (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should refer to the recent meeting, then introduce and summarise the contents of the attachments.
It should seek their final approval of the Plan and advise them of the invite to the Slack Workspace.
Attach your Revised Project Communication Management Plan to the email.

Assessment Task 1: Checklist
Student’s name:
Did the student: Satisfactory performance Comments
Yes No
Identify, analyse and document communication requirements in a draft Project Communication Plan using information from the Project Management Plan and Project Schedule?

Use input from stakeholder to prepare a final Project Communication Plan that will achieve project objectives?

Establish a project information management system?

At the meeting, demonstrate effective communication skills including:
• Speaking clearly and concisely
• Using non-verbal communication to assist with understanding
• Asking questions to identify required information
• Responding to questions as required
• Using active listening techniques to confirm understanding?
• By paraphrasing information or feedback provided to confirm understanding
Task Outcome: Satisfactory • Not Satisfactory •
Assessor signature
Assessor name
Date

Assessment Task 2: Project information and communication management implementation
Task summary
In this assessment task, you will need to implement project information and communication processes.
This assessment is to be completed in the simulated work environment in the RTO.
Required
• Computer with Microsoft Office and access to the internet
• Progress reports (sent via Slack)
Timing
The assessor will advise you of the due date of this assessment.
Submit
• Email to your assessor with project status report attached
• Email to your assessor with project evaluation report attached
Assessment criteria
For your performance to be deemed satisfactory in this assessment task, you must satisfactorily address all of the assessment criteria. If part of this task is not satisfactorily completed,you will be asked to complete further assessment to demonstrate competence.
Re-submission opportunities
You will be provided feedback on their performance by the Assessor. The feedback will indicate if you have satisfactorily addressed the requirements of each part of this task.
If any parts of the task are not satisfactorily completed,the assessor will explain why, and provide you written feedback along with guidance on what you must undertake to demonstrate satisfactory performance. Re-assessment attempt(s) will be arranged at a later time and date.
You have the right to appeal the outcome of assessment decisions if you feel that you have been dealt with unfairly, or have other appropriate grounds for an appeal.
You are encouraged to consult with the assessor prior to attempting this task if you do not understand any part of this task or if you have any learning issues or needs that may hinder you when attempting any part of the assessment.

Assessment Task 2: Instructions
Complete the following activities:
1. Implement project information and communication processes.
Set up a reminder in Slack for the weekly project team meetings.
The reminder should send out an email to the team requesting project progress reports. As your assessor is a team member, they will be able to check that they have done this.
Your assessor, in the role of the team members, will send you a number of progress reports via Slack, which you should carefully review and then store in a logical way within Slack.
8. Write a Project Status Report.
Review and analyse the information in the project progress reports and then prepare a project status report based on all the information provided by the team, in accordance with the Project Communication Management Plan.
You will be assessed on your ability to manage information generation, gathering, retrieval and analysis through the production of a project status report based on the individual progress reports, as well as your ability to disseminate and store the information using the Project Information Management System.
Review the Project Management Policy and Procedures and implement the information validation processes as per organisational requirements. This means you must check all of the information provided in order to ensure that all information provided is correct and accurate.
Your project status report should summarise key information from the progress reports, as well as an analysis of the data provided. Your report should include:
• A review of communication and information processes and progress against measures from your Communication Project Management Plan
• Information validation processes and issues arising.
• Communication and Information Management system issues
• Recommendations for change, including development of documentation to assist with project information and communication.
You should develop your own template for the project status report. It should have space for the information that you receive, and for your comments as set out in the above bullet points.
Upload your project status report to Slack for sharing with all project team members.
Ask the team members for their feedback on your template.
2. Review project outcomes.
Set up a reminder in Slack for Project Closure Reports.
Using Slack, send out an email to the team requesting a project closure report from each of them.
Your assessor, in the role of the team members, will send you a number of closure reports via Slack, which you should carefully review and then store in a logical way.
9. Write a project communication management evaluation report.
Complete a review of the project’s information and communication processes and systems, and recommend improvements for the future.
Draw on the project status report you wrote previously and by reviewing the project closure reports provided to you by the team.
As with your status report, you must check all of the information provided in order to ensure that all information provided is correct and accurate.
The report should be approximately one page.
The report should include, as a minimum:
• A review of the Project communication and information management to determine the effectiveness of the project team’s communication and information management, specifically against the communication and information requirements as specified in the project communications management plan.
• Discussion of communication and information issues that arose, and recommend improvements that could be made in the future
• Positive aspects of the Communication Management Plan, and how these helped ensure that its objectives were realised.
Modify the template you created for the project status report so that it suits the information to be included in your evaluation report.
10. Finalise and archive project records.
Review the project management policy and procedure and follow the procedure for finalising and archiving project records.
Take a screen shot that shows the overall folder you have created and each sub-folder, as well as the files within each sub folder.
11. Send an email to the CEO (your assessor).
The text of the email should be in grammatically correct English, written in an appropriate (polite, business-like) style.
It should introduce and summarise the contents of the attachment, pointing out that the report has been written and sent as part of the communication items set out in the Project Management Plan.
Attach your project communication management evaluation report and your screen shot to the email.

Assessment Task 2: Checklist
Student’s name:
Did the student: Satisfactory performance Comments
Yes No
Manage the generation, gathering, storage, retrieval, analysis and dissemination of project information by the project team and stakeholders?
Implement agreed communication networks?

Maintain project communication networks throughout the project?

Implement information validation processes by checking all information/data received from the team?

Identify and resolve communication and information management system issues?

Finalise and archive project records as set out in the Project Management Policy and Procedure?
Review project outcomes to determine effectiveness of management information and communication processes and procedures?
Identify and document lessons learned and recommended improvements for application in future projects?

Task Outcome: Satisfactory • Not Satisfactory •
Assessor signature
Assessor name
Date
Appendix
Project Communication Management Plan Template Project Management Plan Excerpt

Project Management Policy and Procedures