PPMP20015 Benefits of Implementing Agile Practice Assignment Sample

• Subject Code : PPMP20015
• University : Central Queensland University My Assignment Services is not sponsored or endorsed by this college or university.
• Subject Name : Project Management 3

Research in Project Management

Abstract

The research proposal indicates the several steps that need to be utilised by the researcher while undertaking the research topic. All the information of this research proposal shall demonstrate the research questions, objectives, and literature review. It would provide a significant understanding of the factors involved in demonstrating the research methodology and would shed light on the credibility of the sources that are used while developing the literature review. 

Table of Contents

The Rationale for the study.

Significance of the study.

Literature review..

Research question(s) and objectives.

Research Design.

Research methodology.

Research strategy.

Data collection method.

Reference list

The Rationale for Research in Project Management

Understanding the research gap and rationale is crucial for any research proposal. It helps determine the gaps or areas where previous researchers have had not attended to demonstrate or it was a limited study. Assessing research gap and rationale of the study helps to find new areas of study to perform, understand, and analyse further research information about the related topic. Concerning such fact, this research of project management has been undertaken from numerous spheres while keeping in mind the principles of the literature in determining the areas of the study.

The present researches on project management have covered the end number of areas and principles which includes project management cycle and various vital methodologies that can provide substantial help for future reference to study. While assessing the present research on the similar topic of project management, it has been understood that there are still unattended areas of study left which shall require in-depth research to indicate the importance and effectiveness of this particular topic. Also, the analysis of the current researches has helped to understand and find the lack of research on the various factors of agile methodology. However, the existing research concerning this particular area has been restricted to the implementation of project management and the approaches involved while executing.

Undertaking and selecting this topic for research comprise of three reasons stating a rationale. Following are the three reasons to justify in undertaking this topic for research and study; those are:

1. Cross-check whether the agile methodology is increasingly adopted by many software development companies in the past decades and is been performing well or not,
2. Evaluate is it increases productivity and efficacy during the constant software testing and development lifecycle process, and
3. Investigate the success rate of implementing agile practice in engineering projects.

Now, relating to agile methodology, it is a process of project management which is considered to be effective and lucrative in software development (Ciric et al., 2019). Agile methodology performs excellently where demands and results progress through the mutual effort of self- uniting, cross-functional teammates, and their potential clients work together to meet goals and objectives of the set project productively (Ciric et al., 2019). Besides, the agile practice has numerous benefits which help to manage and execute vital engineering projects. Thus, it is crucial and indicates considerable importance in studying the topic comprehensively to know how this method would help execute and manage engineering projects effectively.

However, it has been assessed and understood that there are a limited number of research articles, papers, and sources are available over the internet and in offline sources as well on agile methodologies and especially in context to engineering projects. The shortage of an adequate number of information and articles concerning agile methodology indicates areas of further research on the topic. Besides that, it also shows the research gap on the topic of agile practice in project management or on engineering projects. Hence, this research would be helpful as well as beneficial to understand the importance and effectiveness of agile methodologies for future references and study for that matter.

Significance of Research in Project Management

Most importantly, this research would be primarily based on studying and understanding the importance and benefits of implementing agile practice in engineering projects in Perth. The study is specifically related to the topic and is limited to the location of Perth, Australia.

The prime persistence of this research is to find out the benefits of implementing or executing the agile methodology or practice in the area of software engineering in Perth. As it is been known that Australia is been emerging as a technology hub for many IT giants across the globe, making it as a promising location for software testing, developments, innovation, and implementations to different ongoing and upcoming projects (Doss, 2017). For example, Accenture has an innovation hub in Perth followed by Sydney, Canberra, and Melbourne for its research and development operations (Accenture.com, 2019). Thereby, it would help to show and identifying several factors that are required and associated in executing the project management plan. Along with that, it has also been known while studying the previous researches available based on the similar topic states that software companies in Perth is been implementing the agile practice in their engineering projects to augment productivity and efficacy in their testing and development cycle (Doss, 2017). Thus, it would assist in providing substantial concept and theories that are associated with the topic and how it can impact the policy of business organization while managing or executing a project plan. Also, it would be worth studying as it would deliver an adequate and thorough understanding of how agile practice is beneficial in executing an engineering project in Perth and its benefits of implementation in project management. On top of that, it would also stretch a considerable idea and a gap of research which needs to be bridged to cross-check or investigate whether the implementation of agile methodology is beneficial for engineering projects in Perth or not.

Literature Review of Research in Project Management

Reviewing literature or past researches gives a significant idea and concept of the topic, subject, and information which are related to research need, purpose, and intention (Martens and Carvalho, 2017). Studying and reviewing research that is performed in the past helps to understand the end number of factors involved in the topic chosen or needed to research. It provides substantial ideas and a deeper understanding of various notions available within the topic and subject as well as gives an overview of the subject matter precisely. Relating to such fact, this research proposal also involves reviewing pieces of literature based on the similar topic to gather valid, correct, and substantial information to execute effectual research that would help to shed a light on the importance of studying the topic or subject. On the other hand, reviewing literature also helps to find out research gaps which are beneficial to perform a study on the areas which has gone unattended by previous researchers (Martens and Carvalho, 2017). By executing such research, it would help provide a deeper understanding of the factors which are crucial to know and comprehend and which are have not been unveiled due to their limited study and preference. Therefore, reviewing the past works of literature that are closely related to the topic helps comprehend the end number of aspects, concepts, and identifying the research gaps to perform the research successfully.

According to Bianchi et al., (2017), agile methodology is a different type of approach towards project management (Bianchi et al., 2017). It is an effective way to improve project management and shall lead to success and productivity. In addition, it helps improve management approaches and make an effectual decision for executing the plan that assists in product effectiveness and satisfaction to the end-users (Bianchi et al., 2017). In this study, the researchers have performed this study intending to comprehend the diagnosis process of the project management methodologies which are applied by the business enterprises of the Brazilian automobile segment (Bianchi et al., 2017). However, the authors or researchers associated with the study had not to focus on investigating or identifying the benefits of implementing agile practice in engineering projects.

Besides that, it was also limited to understand the analysis method of project management used by the automobile sectors in Brazil (Bianchi et al., 2017). Thus, giving a valuable and substantial research gap that needs to be paid utmost attention to perform an in-depth study or research and contribute towards delivering the importance of agile practice in engineering project management. Primarily, in this study, the researches have presented precise information regarding the analysis procedure of automobile units in Brazil in project management (Bianchi et al., 2017). It has also indicated how the organization has adopted several project management approaches to improve their organizational effectiveness and product development (Bianchi et al., 2017). By keeping in mind such fact, the research has given substantial idea, knowledge, concepts, and theories which helped enormously to gather information of how agile practice is beneficial for project management purpose in large organizations, especially software and information technology firms.

Another study by Cooper and Sommer (2018) which has stated that agile development methodologies are been hired out from the software industries (Cooper and Sommer, 2018). Concerning such fact, it is now progressively growing in demand by a few manufacturing business units for the development of physical products in their workshops (Cooper and Sommer, 2018). Besides, the duo authors have presented six case studies from the key organizations that are investigating with agile-stage-gate assortments (Cooper and Sommer, 2018). The results of the research indicate that initial upshots of the emphasized efforts are quite positive. Moreover, some organizations had also reported considerable developments in both time contribution to market and developments productivity (Cooper and Sommer, 2018). In addition to that, resulted in receiving quicker responses to altering market environments and customer needs and higher self-esteem within the project team (Cooper and Sommer, 2018).

However, Cooper and Sommer have had also identified several challenges associated in implementing agile practice which includes addressing management scepticism, seeking the required resources to ground keen project teams, and trading with the fluid product classifications and project development plans (Cooper and Sommer, 2018). This helps to comprehend how agile methodology which has been borrowed for software organizations is been identified as crucial and effective for manufacturing firms too. Furthermore, it also shows that it is responsive, effectual, and essential for engineering projects to execute a productive project plan (Cooper and Sommer, 2018). The authors of the study have claimed that based on the case form’s experiences, they provided recommendations for implementing a hybrid product development system to cope with the ineffectual output and time management challenges effectively (Cooper and Sommer, 2018). Thereby, it is been clearly understood that this study is based and focused specifically on investigating the practices of agile project management and changing of policies to develop new products covering opportunities and challenges while implementing the practice.

On the other hand, according to Ciric et al., (2018) agile project management and its methodology since its commencement, it has been a promising and cutting-edge method which has been adopted by software giants in developing their products proficiently (Ciric et al., 2018). It has been a primary approach by software developing firms to meet industry standards, customer needs, and improving productivity among teammates (Ciric et al., 2018). As per the study and research by the group of authors, the agile methodology is gradually emerging to other domains as business organizations identified the approach to beneficial and effective in terms of development and executing productive project plans. The key objective of their study was to review and critically scrutinize the contributions of previous researches and present facts concerning agile project management relevancy beyond software industries and its concurrence with the traditional approach of project management. This shows that the study is quite relevant to the selected topic and the focus area is quite similar. Besides that, the authors have tried to provide substantial information regarding the effectiveness and benefits of implementing agile practice in the project management plan.

However, on the other side, the authors have also identified the challenges and benefits of agile project management for innovation and new product developmental process (Ciric et al., 2018). This would help understand the negatives as well as the positive side of the agile project management as it would provide a profound understanding of the concepts and principles of the agile project management. Ciric et al., (2018) have undergone a systematic approach and protocol to review past literature related to their selected topic which was effective to comprehend and assess the outcomes from all related studies in a translucent manner keeping no hidden facts and assumptions (Ciric et al., 2018). This gave a crucial idea and need for maintaining transparency while performing a literature review for any critical study. On the other hand, the research gaps which has identified by the authors during the study would help them to use for a suggestion for further research as well as to provide an outline for proper positioning for future research events (Ciric et al., 2018). Thus, helping in providing substantial information and understanding of the approaches and essentials while reviewing past literature. 

Research question(s) and objectives

Research questions and research objectives assists are providing substantial understanding regarding the research intention and further guides towards the right direction for the development of the research study (White, 2017). Besides that, it also helps in developing the procedure and design of the research and determine the influence of the study (White, 2017). 

Research questions:

1. What is the importance of implementing agile practice in engineering projects in Perth?
2. What are the benefits of applying the agile methodology in engineering projects in Perth?

Research objectives:

1. To assess the concept of agile methodology in project management.
2. To ascertain the importance and benefits of implementing agile project management practice in the engineering sector of Perth.

Research Design of Research in Project Management

Research Methodology

A research methodology is an explicit practice or procedure which is to been selected to process and analyse the collected information regarding a topic or subject (Chilisa, 2019). With the help of research methodology, it allows or enable the reader to critically estimate and assess the legitimacy and consistency of the research topic or study (Kivunja and Kuyini, 2017). On the other hand, it indicates the purpose of meeting or reaching the research objectives and research aims effectively. It gives an overview or sight regarding the way it supposed to be undertaken. Thus, it provides significant understanding and information regarding the methods, process, and analysis to determine the area of data collection along with the collected data on how it needs to be analysed. 

According to Kivunja and Kuyini, (2017) research methodology is comprehensive of the information or data collection techniques, research approach, research viewpoints, research designs, and research sampling methods which are utilized for any study and considered crucial for any research to execute (Kivunja and Kuyini, 2017). Relating to such factors, concerning research study, one of the main components of the research methodology that has been identified is the research design. Research design is the method or techniques which are closely selected by the researcher to gather data or information for assessment or evaluation (Chilisa, 2019). It plays an important role in executing the research paper effectively and accordingly to the critics or regulations. Hence, understanding and implementing right and effective research methodology are vital for any research study to perform as it carries significant importance with it and is considered essential to be utilized. 

As stated by Chilisa, (2019) there are two types of research designs which are identified as key to being used in any research (Chilisa, 2019). It includes a descriptive research design and exploratory research design (Chilisa, 2019). Descriptive research design aims at perceiving and determining data or information without exploiting variables as it can identify traits, trends, and correlation effectively (Chilisa, 2019). It not grounded in statistics and normally incline towards more on qualitative methods or techniques (Chilisa, 2019). Whereas, in concern to exploratory research design, it is performed or executed to comprehend, investigate, and explore a specific problem in-depth which is not well defined or stated (Chilisa, 2019). Primarily, it is performed to gain a better understanding of the factors involved in the existing problem; however, it shall not give decisive results or outcome (Chilisa, 2019). 

Based on the topic and subject, in this topic, exploratory research design would be used to execute the study effectively. The reason behind selecting such research design is because it would be suitable as per the research topic and it will assist in understanding, investigating, and exploring new extents and issues instead of concentrating on evaluating the statistical data which may lead to qualitative research. Besides that, according to the research topic, it is essential and productive to use exploratory research design to provide a decisive outcome for the problems and benefits found researching the topic (Chilisa, 2019). Thereby, utilising this specific research design would help in performing the study effectively to provide a resolving result which shall be of utmost importance to study.

Research Strategy

Performing any research requires an effectual strategy to ensure its effectiveness and clarity to the readers and critics. According to Chilisa, (2019) research strategy helps to guide a researcher in preparing, implementing, and supervising the study efficiently to develop an effective study (Chilisa, 2019). Besides that, as stated by Kivunja and Kuyini, (2017) it is a gradual strategy of action which provides a definite direction to the researcher’s opinions and exertions that help aiding executing the research analytically and on timetable to develop quality findings and conclusions to the report (Kivunja and Kuyini, 2017). Thus, it can be understood, the research strategy is the fundamentals of a research application to describe the rationale of the study and the researches to achieve the set research objectives and find answers to the research questions.

Concerning such fact, there are four types of research strategy present which are identified as key which includes case studies, qualitative interviews, surveys and action- concerned researches (Chilisa, 2019). For this particular research, first, essential valid information and concepts regarding the research topic to be collected, reviewed, and understand to acquire accurate knowledge regarding the subject and topic concerned. Second, conducting qualitative interviews and surveys from industry experts or professionals to gather and have a better understanding of real-time events and approaches. Thereby, with these two research strategies, it would help execute the study effectively by precise investigation, understanding, and monitoring. 

Data Collection Method

Performing research requires a collection of authentic, relatable, and specific information or data from valid sources available. Data collection is an essential factor to consider while performing research or finding solutions for a problem. According to Glesne, (2016), data collection is a process of accumulating essential and required information from all the related sources to retrieve answers to the research problems, examine the hypothesis and assess the research results effectively (Glesne, 2016). The data collection has two classifications of methods which includes, primary data collection method and secondary data collection method (Glesne, 2016). Both the methods play a key role in understanding various factors, insights, and information to scrutinize ideas and solutions to identified problems or challenges of the research study (Glesne, 2016).

Primary data collection method involves dividing the methods into two groups, for example, qualitative method and quantitative method. Now, the qualitative method model is mainly based on statistical calculations in several formats for the evaluation of facts and information accurately. It includes surveys, interviews, questionnaires, correlation, regression, mode, mean and median. And concerning the quantitative method, it is comparatively a cost-efficient approach to utilize and can be applied within a short period as compared to the qualitative method of data. In addition to that, it is closely related to theories, concepts, components, understanding, rationale and relevancy that are non-quantifiable noticeably.

Secondary data collection method encompasses related data or information that are already been reviewed, published in journals, articles, news, books, magazines, and online portals to provide access to users (Gray, 2017). In the case of secondary data collection method, there are plenty of data accessible over these sources that are specifically related to research question and topic. Thus, it is essential to select the right and appropriate data collection method to ensure effectiveness, validity and reliability (Fletcher, 2016).

In this research, both the data collection has been applied to perform an effectual and in-depth assessment of the identified problems and questions. First, secondary data collection approach to be applied to gather essential descriptive information to understand the concepts and understanding of the various factors involved in the topic or subject (Gray, 2017). Second, primary data collection for scrutinizing the collected information through statistical evaluation, calculations, and testing of the hypothesis (Gray, 2017). Hence, applying the said methodologies will help assess the required information to assist readers to understand and gain knowledge effectively by justifying the nature of the study, aim, and solution to the identified problems.

Reference List for Research in Project Management

Accenture.com, 2019. Accenture Opens Innovation Hub in Perth, Australia, To Help Mining and Energy Companies Boost Return on Investments in Digital Technologies. [online] Newsroom.accenture.com. Available at: <https://newsroom.accenture.com/news/accenture-opens-innovation-hub-in-perth-australia-to-help-mining-and-energy-companies-boost-return-on-investments-in-digital-technologies.htm>

Bianchi, M., Reigado, C., Madeira, L., Nakamura, R. and Amaral, D., 2017. The Challenges of Implementing Agile Project Management Practices in An Enterprise of The Brazilian Automotive Sector. [online] Product Management and Development. Available at: <https://pmd.igdp.org.br/journal/pmd/article/doi/10.4322/pmd.2017.004>

Chilisa, B., 2019. Indigenous Research Methodologies. 2nd ed. Sage Publications, Incorporated, pp.122-152.

Ciric, D., Lalic, B., Gracanin, D., Palcic, I. and Zivlak, N., 2018. Agile Project Management in New Product Development and Innovation Processes: Challenges and Benefits Beyond Software Domain. 2018 IEEE International Symposium on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (TEMS-ISIE),

Ciric, D., Lalic, B., Gracanin, D., Tasic, N., Delic, M. and Medic, N., 2019. Agile vs. Traditional Approach in Project Management: Strategies, Challenges and Reasons to Introduce Agile. Procedia Manufacturing, 39, pp.1407-1414.

Cooper, R. and Sommer, A., 2018. Agile–Stage-Gate for Manufacturers. Research-Technology Management, 61(2), pp.17-26.

Doss, R., 2017. Is Melbourne The Tech Hub of Australia? | This. [online] deakin.edu.au. Available at: <https://this.deakin.edu.au/society/is-melbourne-the-tech-hub-of-australia>

Fletcher, A., 2016. Applying critical realism in qualitative research: methodology meets method. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(2), pp.181-194.

Glesne, C., 2016. Becoming Qualitative Researchers: An Introduction. 5th ed. Pearson, pp.128-134.

Gray, D., 2017. Doing Research in The Business World. 2nd ed. London: Sage Publications Ltd., pp.159-174.

Kivunja, C. and Kuyini, A., 2017. Understanding and Applying Research Paradigms in Educational Contexts. International Journal of Higher Education, 6(5), p.26.

Martens, M. and Carvalho, M., 2017. Key factors of sustainability in project management context: A survey exploring the project managers' perspective. International Journal of Project Management, 35(6), pp.1084-1102.

White, P., 2017. Developing Research Questions. 1st ed. UK: Palgrave, pp.115-145.

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