DUE DATE: 16 & 17 Dec 2017    DUE TIME: 15 & 18:00Hrs       

TOTAL Budget: $20.00  
This assignment is in 2 parts.
Part 1: Topics 1 & 2
DUE DATE: 16 Dec 2017          DUE TIME: 15:00Hrs GMT  
Topic 1  
Project Management in a Global Context – Strategic Considerations Read the following chapter before posting to this Discussion.  Rosner, K. (2006). Struggle for a Gazprom strategy. In K. Rosner (Ed.), Gazprom and the Russian State, 47–53. London: GMB
Draw from your personal and professional experiences to answer the questions below on the Discussion Board. Focus your discussion on project management; refrain from making the discussion political. What do you think of Russia’s strategic intent for the Gazprom energy organization? Will it be a free enterprise or a governmental agency? How does the future of Gazprom reflect the future of Russia’s strategic goals? Discuss the need for risk assessment and scope management (PMBOK® Guide, 5 all), in terms of a project of this nature and how a Change Control Board or a formal change control process (Resch, 215 -223) may help to reduce scope creep into unplanned activities? In what ways does this reflect the principles of authority, responsibility, and accountability as defined in your text?  
Topic 2
Organizational Structures – Optimizing Project Management Read Section 2.1.3 of PMBOK® Guide textbook, which addresses the use of organizational structures in optimizing projects. Based on your readings, personal experience and perspective, as a PM, which of the five organizational structures do you feel is the optimal structure and why? Draw from your personal and professional experiences to answer these questions on the Discussion Board.  

Part 2: DUE DATE: 17 Dec 2017          DUE TIME: 18:00Hrs GMT  
Case Analysis

You will review a case and research the use of programs and portfolios with projects and provide your recommended course of action.   

Your company, Space Systems Technologies (SST), has the mission of assembling commercial and military launch vehicles. SST does no fabrication, it simply provides customers specialized assembly expertise, brings the prefabricated parts of the expendable launch vehicle together, and though an assembly process delivers a completed launch vehicle to the launch facility to be mated with the propulsion system prior to launch. SST Corporation assembles many different launch vehicles for various customers who design and launch the cargo launch (payload rockets) vehicles but lack the necessary facilities and expertise in rocket assembly.  SST is submitting a proposal in response to the Ansari X-Prize Competition as a sub-contractor to Scaled Composites. SST will assemble the different competitor rockets and ship to Scaled Composites who will conduct engine mating, launch, and test data collection.  Your vice president for engineering has to decide whether to incorporate these X-Prize rocket assembly projects into the existing program of launch vehicle assembly or, have a separate program or, consolidate the effort into a project portfolio. You have been asked to research the use of programs and portfolios with projects and provide your recommended course of action.

Consider the advantages/disadvantages of:  
● Incorporating the X-Prize vehicles into the existing program of launch vehicle assembly  
● Establishing the X-Prize vehicles into a standalone program or,  
● Establishing a portfolio of X-Prize vehicles   
Your paper will provide a short understanding of the situation and problem as it pertains to the mission of Space Systems Technologies, an analysis of each of the options with cited references, a synthesized recommended course of action, and the evaluation of that conclusion from a source reference not already used in your analysis of the problem.  
Please go to the X-Prize website for further information on the X-Prize Competition.
Be sure to focus only on the cargo launch (payload rockets) vehicles that are part of this competition.  

Possible Websites:  The assignment requires you to conduct research in order to glean insights in reference to the case.

Possible websites that can assist you are below:   http://www.googlelunarxprize.org/ and this website explains what X-Prize is http://space.xprize.org/   Ansari X Prize http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone_test_logs/34  X-Prize Winner http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/  http://www.scaled.com/projects/tierone/aircraft   Directions for submitting your paper on your recommended course of action to your VP on how to group the proposed rocket assembly projects.  

The Assignment essentially requires you to evaluate three options and make a recommendation to your VP for the most preferred alternative.
In completing the Assignment, place emphasis “solely” on the cargo launch (payload rockets) vehicles.
Please also recall the following:  
● Ansari X-Prize is the vehicle launch competition. The winner receives $10M.  
● Space Systems Technologies (SST) assembles launch rocket vehicles and is submitting a proposal to do so.  
● SST will be a sub-contractor to Scaled Composites.   
Your Assignment should include an evaluation of three options. Your evaluation must include the advantage and disadvantage of the following three options. They are:  
● Incorporating the X-Prize vehicles into the existing program of launch vehicle assembly  
● Establishing the X-Prize vehicles into a standalone program or,  
● Establishing a portfolio of X-Prize vehicles   Criteria for the Assignment  
● You should begin your Assignment with an Executive Summary of the situation.  
● You should conclude your discussion with the final selected recommendation based on the recommendations provided and the next course of action that should be taken based on the recommendation.  
● Include references to validate key points, factual claims and counter arguments.  
● Map organizational objectives, goals, and strategies to the project management outcomes.   
Components:  
● APA information presented as a Cover page (please see sample Unit 3 Assignment)  
● Table of contents  
● Introduction in the form of an executive summary  
● Body of the focus paper (use Headings to organize).  
● Conclusion stated as your recommended solutions or improvements in terms of project management techniques and tools.   
● A minimum of three scholarly journal and textbook source references cited and credited according to APA format using a minimum of six intext citations.  
● The paper should be focused and to the point, containing between 700 and 900 words from the Executive Summary to the end of your Conclusion.       –     

RUBRIC
Content (50 pts)  
Response successfully answers the assignment question(s); thoroughly uses the text and other literature. Includes a strong thesis statement, introduction and conclusion. The main points of the paper are developed clearly. All arguments are supported well (no errors in logic) using outside sources as assigned. 25marks  

Sources are primarily academic journals, with thoughtful use Web sources. References are applied substantively to the paper topic. Skillfully addresses counter-arguments and does not ignore data contradicting its claim. Refers to sources both in-text and in the reference page. 25marks  
Analysis (30 pts)  
Response exhibits strong higher-order critical thinking and analysis (e.g., evaluation). Paper shows original thought. 10marks  
Analysis includes proper classifications, explanations, comparisons, and inferences. 10marks  
Critical thinking includes appropriate judgments, conclusions, and assessment based on evaluation and synthesis of information. 10marks  

Writing (20 pts)  
Grammatical skills are strong with typically less than one error per page. Correct use of APA when assigned. 6marks  
Appropriate to the assignment, fresh (interesting to read), accurate, (no far-fetched, unsupported comments), precise (say what you mean), and concise (not wordy). 8 marks
Project is in 12-point font. Narrative sections are double-spaced with a double space between. Project is free of serious errors; grammar, punctuation, and spelling help to clarify the meaning by following accepted conventions. 6marks  
Total 100