Assignment #1-Project Fit to Organization (Part 2)

Assignment #1 (Part 2) Overview

Submittal Timing: Assignment 1 (Parts 1 and 2). See Canvas Calendar
Target Word Count: About 2000-3000 words total for Parts 1 & 2
Total Points: 60 points - see rubric for specific details

For Assignment #1, as described in Lesson 1, you will write a brief report on a GIS project done by or for an organization and your assessment of its fit to the organization. For Part 1, you have already documented and described a project undertaken by an organization. For Part 2, you will summarize the organization’s mission and how the described project supports the organization’s mission, strategic goals, and its work responsibilities.

The Assignment #1 submission includes both Part 1 and Part 2.

Organization's Mission and Business

For Part 2, the first step is to state the organization's mission, strategic goals, and any other summary information about the organization’s business and work responsibilities that help to create a context for the purpose of the GIS project you selected in Part 1 (see Lesson 1).

Most public sector organizations and private sector companies have a mission statement, goals, and other information about the organization’s work responsibilities posted to their website or in a strategic plan document. Sometimes this can be quite lengthy so, if it is, you should summarize to capture the essential elements of the mission and goals relating to your selected project. If the project is being carried out by a specific department or division within a larger organization, it is best just to focus on the mission and goals about that department or division (not the overall organization). If you chose a project that's to be carried out by a contractor for a client organization (e.g., acquisition and processing of aerial imagery for a local government), the mission and “project fit” that you will describe in Part 2 should focus on the client organization (i.e., the local government), not the contractor. In other words, relate to the organization that will be using the products and deliverables from the project (even if the work is done by a contractor). Ideally, your Part 1 project selection is for an organization with a clearly stated mission and goals, but if not, this is an opportunity to create a mission and goals based on what you know about the organization's business and purpose. It is OK for you to make some assumptions, "embellish", and elaborate on actual information about the organization in order to meet the requirements for this assignment.

How the project supports the mission/business of the organization

The second step for Part 2 is to briefly describe how the GIS project supports the organization’s mission, goals, and work responsibilities. To do this, focus on the objectives, results, and deliverables from the project. Keep this brief. For instance, if the project involved a field data collection and GIS database development of fire hydrants for a local fire department, you would describe how this data supports hydrant testing and maintenance, planning for new hydrant installation or replacement, and, at a high-level, provides support for public safety by ensuring effective response to fire events. Very often, GIS projects relate directly to detailed operational requirements as well as higher-level aspects of the organization’s mission.

Role of procurement of outside products or services

The final step of Part 2 is to briefly comment on the role of procurement of products or outside services on the project (if applicable). This simply means an identification of the selection, acquisition, and use of any outside products or services for the project and the aspects of project work that the procurements support. This could include purchase of GIS or other software, computer hardware, or use of contracted services for some part (or all) of the project. Briefly identify the procurements and the vehicle (e.g., RFP) or approach used to select and approve vendors/contractors for these procurements. If there are no procurements for the project, state that this is the case.

You will then combine the material from the topics described above with the project description information from Part 1 for your Assignment 1 submittal to discuss the fit of a project to an organization. The Assignment 1 (including Parts 1 and 2) submittal should be about 2000 to 2000 words total for Parts 1 & 2.

_______________________________________________________

As in all written assignments, you should include a Cover page with prominent title and all necessary information identifying the course, assignment, author, and date. The main title of the document should be "PROJECT FIT TO ORGANZATION". The Cover Page should also reference to the project name and organization. At the bottom of the Cover Page, include the following information: a) course number and name, b) assignment number and name, c) your name, d) submittal date. Also number the pages and include a Table of Contents whihc can be automatically generated by your word processing if you define headings and subheadings (e.g., See Style settings in Microsoft Word). Your submitted assignment should be formatted as specified in the Format Quality of this assignment’s rubric below to earn maximum points. As you prepare this assignment, START WITH AN OUTLINE, with sections and subsections that cover the topics in Part 1 and Part 2. We recommend that you use the Outline/Heading feature of your word processing software in document preparation. It is expected that you will organize the document into numbered and named sections. It is best practice today, for technical and management documents, to use a "decimal" outline numbering scheme (1., 1.1, etc.) as opposed to the older Roman numeral numbering approach.

Submitting the Assignment and Grading

Submit both Part 1 and Part 2 of Assignment #1 during Week 2 (see course calendar).

This assignment is worth 60 points. The grading approach is explained in the rubric table below.

The instructor may deduct points if the Assignment is turned in late, unless a late submittal has been approved by the Instructor prior to the Assignment submittal date.

**Assignment #1 Grading Rubric**
Grading Category	Basis for Scoring	Total Possible Points	Point Award Explanation
A. Inclusion of Required Content	Inclusion of assignment elements and required topics in the description. Cover page and Table of Contents. Quality and correctness of description and presentation of topics. Insightful content with illustration relating to course materials. Appropriate organization and project choice.	18	EXCEPTIONAL: 17 to 18 points if all required elements and topics are covered with a complete, correct, astute, and well-worded presentation. INADEQUATE: 1 to 2 points if the majority of content is missing and description is not complete or correct. MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 3 to 16 points for lack of inclusion of content and/or quality/correctness deficiencies between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories described above.
B. Overall Document Organization	Inclusion of Cover Page (see explanation above) Effectiveness of document organization including section and subsection arrangement. Logical progression of content allowing reader to easily follow discussion. Support of ideas from external references and/or other sections of the report. References are properly cited.	12	EXCEPTIONAL: 11 to 12 points for an extremely well-organized and presented document that easily conveys meaning, supports arguments and conveys a clear message to the reader. INADEQUATE: 1 to 2 points if organization and logical progression, is so deficient that content and message is significantly lost on the reader. MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 3 to 10 points for organization and/or logical progression deficiencies between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories described above.
C. Quality/Clarity of Writing	Writing quality and clarity effectively uses words and sentences to convey meaning to the reader including the following: Statement of purpose and introduction that sets context for rest of document Good, appropriate choice of words. Sentence construction and lack of grammar and syntax problems. Concise and to the point without redundancy. Length appropriate to the stated requirements without significantly exceeding stated word count.	18	EXCEPTIONAL: 17 to 18 points for a very clear, extremely well-written document, with no or insignificant problems in word choice, grammar, etc. INADEQUATE: 1 to 2 points with significant, frequent problems in introduction, word choice, sentence construction, grammar, and length MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 3 to 16 points for deficiencies in writing quality of clarity between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories described above.
D. Format Quality	Well-formatted document helps convey content and meaning to the reading. Important format parameters include: Inclusion of cover page with all necessary information about the title of the document ("Project Fit to Organization" with full name of the project), course, assignment, author, and date. Page numbering Use of numbering for sections and subsections. Choice of fonts (type, style, size for headings and body). Table and figure format (consistent and easy to read and digest). Tables and figures are named, numbered, and referenced in the body of document. Table column width and row height setting and effective use of table borders and shading, Bullet point list spacing consistent and easy to interpret bulleted entries. Overall vertical and horizontal spacing (line spacing, indents, etc.). Page breaking in manner that avoids disruption of content. Spelling. Overall consistency of format throughout document.	12	EXCEPTIONAL: 11 to 12 points for an extremely well-formatted document which is attractive; uses very effective text, table, and graphic formatting; format rules are applied consistently throughout; and overall presentation makes it easy for the reader to navigate and grasp content. INADEQUATE: 1 to 2 points with significant and frequent problems in multiple format parameters to the point where the document is distracting and very hard to understand. MINIMALLY ADEQUATE to VERY GOOD: 3 to 10 points for deficiencies in selection of format rules and their consistent application between the “Exceptional” and “Inadequate” categories described above.

Assignment #1-Project Fit to Organization (Part 2)