CMI Unit 712 Strategic Management Project (A/617/6871) Assignment Brief 2026

CMI Unit 712 Assignment Brief

Assignment Aim

The aim of this unit is for leaders to undertake a strategic management project of their own choosing. To achieve this outcome leaders will develop a business case, propose research design to inform the project’s direction and recommend project management methods and tools to structure the delivery of the project. Leaders will report on project outcomes and reflect on the skills and behaviours which ultimately influence the success of the strategic management project.

Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria

LO1 – Know how to develop a strategic management project

Assessment criteria

1.1 Develop the business case for a strategic management project

1.2 Propose a research design to inform the direction of the strategic management project

1.3 Recommend a project management methodology and tools to structure project delivery

Indicative content

1.1 Strategic Management Project: Examples may include infrastructure development, new products, services, business process improvements, financing and refinancing, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, collaborations, corporate social responsibility and sustainability, human capital management, mental health, equality and diversity, knowledge management.

Business case: Statement of business value/benefits. Impacts and consequences of the project. Articulation of problem or opportunity. Scope and schedule of project. Development of project aims/objectives (for example, business viability, value-add proposition, stakeholder mapping, timeframe, associated resources, risk identification and mitigation, contingency, and deliverables). Alignment to strategic goals of organisation. Compliance with regulatory and legal frameworks (for example, ethics, sustainability). Project governance and reporting structures.

1.2 Research design: Selection of research strategy. Research methods. Selection of tools and techniques. Data collection. Sampling. Data analysis. Time-frames. Ethics and risk factors/considerations (for example, ethical approval. Risk assessment. Risk to researcher/s and participants. Insider research in the workplace. Misconduct). Presentation of findings.

1.3 Project management methodologies: Internationally recognised methodologies (for example, PRINCE2, PMBOK, Agile, Waterfall, Six Sigma Project, SCRUM). Organisational approaches. Project management structures (for example, Hierarchical, matrix. Programme board, project board, role of programme and project director, project managers. Use of contract/sub-contractors). Project governance (for example, Project Initiation Document (PID). Project Management Office (PMO). Project lifecycle, scheduling, stages and milestones. Planning activities (for example, Gantt charting). Resource allocation and constraints. Budget management and control mechanisms. Performance measurement (for example, KPIs).  Project management tools: Software packages (for example, MS Project, use of spreadsheets).

LO2 – Know how to conduct a strategic management project

Assessment criteria

2.1 Report on the outcomes of the strategic management project

2.2 Critically reflect on the leadership skills and behaviours used to conduct the strategic management project

Indicative content

2.1 Report on the strategic management project: Evidenced project report (for a completed project or a defined project milestone). Executive summary. Introduction and background. Research design. Data collection and analysis. Findings and recommendations aligned to project objectives.

2.2 Leadership skills and behaviours:

● Skills: Provide guidance, purpose, direction. Monitor progress. Manages stress, wellbeing. Manages time (for example, set priorities). Persuades, influences and negotiates. Problem-solves. Communicates (for example, clearly, effectively, regularly). Manages stakeholders. Manages conflict.

● Behaviours: Makes effective decisions. Leads and communicates. Collaborates and partners. Motivates. Take responsibility. Builds trust. Seeks views of others. Agile.

● Leadership theory: Situational Leadership (Hersey and Blanchard, 1969). Theory of Hierarchies (Maslow, 1943 and 1987). Ethical Leadership (Mendonca and Kanungo, 2007). Leadership Styles (Goleman, 1995). Entrepreneurial Leadership (Roebuck, 2014). Cross Cultural Leadership (Hofstede, 1991). Followership (Kelley, 1988). Transformational Leadership (Bass and Riggio, 2006). Transactional Leadership (Weber, 1947).

● Methods of reflective practice: Model of Structured Reflection (Johns, 1995; 2006). Reflective cycle (Gibbs, 1988). Experiential cycle (Kolb, 1984). 3 stem questions (What? So What? Now What?) (Borton, 1970; Driscoll, 1994, 2000, 2007). Reflection-in-action/Reflection-on-Action (Schön and Argyris, 1978).

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