Seminar Paper

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TCM 740 Seminar Paper Overview

 

Main Assignment

 

Write an original seminar paper consisting of a comprehensive literature review and analysis that addresses managing innovations in technology management via agile project management methods .The topic must incorporate major challenges, opportunities, new methodologies, or problems in technology management and what agile project management methods have been/could be used to address such issues. The scope of the paper will include your analysis, discussion, conclusion, and recommendations based on your review of the corresponding topic’s literature.

 

Ideas for Seminar Paper Topics

 

Below are some ideas for you to start with. Please note that all these ideas must be supported by many case studies and qualitative/quantitative comparisons.

 

  • Using agile project management methods for big data processing, artificial intelligence, data analytics, machine learning, personalized software development, and automation in different industries.
  • Agile project management in operations management in different industries.
  • Agile project management in traditional project management cycles.
  • Hybrid project management methods.
  • Agile project management in project management functions (e.g., stakeholder management, risk management, communications management, etc.)
  • Agile project management in small-medium enterprises.
  • A case study in your company. (Requires qualitative/quantitative comparisons)

 

Avoid topics like “Agile project management in the healthcare industry” or “Agile project management in Motorola ”.These topics are too general and typically strategic decisions in an industry or company are involved.

 

Important Tips

 

Note that the research paper required for this course is not a “book report” or a “literature review”. Reading literature regarding the research question is only the first step for your research paper.

 

Scholarly journals, books, and textbooks are excellent sources of information and viewpoints for specialized topics. Articles appearing in scholarly journals undergo a rigorous peer-review process and are considered to have a high level of credibility. Various internet postings that do not provide evidence of a peer-review process or the support of a respected organization do not have a high level of credibility and are not appropriate references. In addition, consider the date of the reference material; the references for your paper must not be more than ten years old..

 

The MSU library includes numerous databases and sources for a variety of scholarly journals (https://libraries.missouristate.edu/). I have also provided links to the tutorials for online library resources. You can select “Articles and Databases” or “Journal Finder” to search scholarly journals. It is your responsibility to verify the references have been peer-reviewed. If you run into a technical problem, you should contact the Help Desk at https://helpdesk.missouristate.edu/

Use APA format. You can find the APA formatting and style guide here: (https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/general_format.html).

 

Plagiarism

Keep in mind that this paper must be your work in your own words. Your submissions will be checked for plagiarism using Safe Assign provided by Blackboard. Any student found participating in any form of academic dishonesty will be assigned an F or XF for the course at the discretion of the instructor. Please refer to the MSU Academic Integrity policies (https://www.missouristate.edu/AcademicIntegrity/academic-integrity-explained.htm). In addition to the information provided on the MSU website, below are also considered plagiarism.

 

  • Self-Plagiarism: Copying and pasting sections of previous papers you have written for other classes, etc. will be considered plagiarism. However, you may use the concepts from your previous papers. To avoid keeping the same words and sentence structure from your previous papers, I suggest reviewing your previous work and then putting it aside while you write your current paper.

 

  • Putting your name on a paper written by someone else regardless of whether the person who wrote the paper is aware of it or allows you to represent the paper as your own.

 

  • Presenting ideas coming from someone else, without citing the source.

 

  • Copying words verbatim from some other source without putting the wording in quotations and without citing the original author.

 

  • Giving a wrong or misleading source for a quotation or idea.

 

  • Paraphrasing a sentence (plagiarizing a sentence structure) by substituting synonyms for words written by the source but essentially retaining the sentence structure without giving credit to the original author. For example:

Original – “Several items are needed to begin a project to achieve optimal results.”

Plagiarized – “Many things are required to start a project to obtain the best outcomes.”

Valid paraphrase – “Project results can be best achieved if certain steps are completed at its beginning.”

 

  • Copying graphs, charts, or illustrations without giving credit to the creator
  • You may have as many tables, graphs, charts, illustrations, etc. as you want, but this does not count towards the number of pages required. Do not insert figures or tables taken from published papers. You need permission from them which is very difficult to obtain.
  • No more than 25% of the length of your paper may consist of quotations even if properly cited.

 

One way to avoid plagiarism is to read a reference and then write down your understanding of it without looking at it until my first draft is finished. Then, you can look at the reference to see if you got the major points covered. Please keep in mind that no plagiarist can excuse the wrong by showing how much of his work he did not pirate.

 

 

Formal Writing Style

 

You can find a short tutorial for formal and informal writing styles here:   https://www.niu.edu/writingtutorial/style/formal-and-informal-style.shtml. In addition:

 

  • The words “I”, “we”, “he”, “she”, “they”, and others are “forbidden”. Formal writing is performed in the third person, not the first or second person. For example:

 

Informal – “I believe that the market for biopharmaceuticals is expanding rapidly.”

Formal – “There is evidence that the market for biopharmaceuticals is expanding rapidly.”

 

I would recommend that after finishing your report, you search for “I ” (followed by a space), “we”, “they”, “you”, etc. Your search should return zero results.

 

  • Opinions are “forbidden”:

 

In the previous statement regarding biopharmaceuticals, reference was made to a rapidly expanding market. The evidence for that statement should be presented and cited with reference. This evidence should not simply be in the form of someone “saying” that this is so. Instead, the evidence should be in the form of numerical data. Total gross sales for a period of years, for example, would constitute good evidence.

 

  • In the previous statement regarding biopharmaceuticals, the words “I believe” appeared. You should not insert your beliefs or opinions in the paper. Instead, you should present evidence that causes the reader to form an opinion.

 

  • Some common errors include:
    • Inanimate objects do not “need” things. Instead of saying “The car needs to be washed.”, we should say “The car is dirty, and should be washed.”.
    • The numbers zero, one, two, three, four, … up to and including the number ten are always spelled out. Numbers greater than ten (e.g., 23, 147, etc.) are written numerically.
    • Use American, not British English. The words “whilst”, “amongst”, etc. are not American usage. Instead, use “while”, “among”, etc. Also, do not use the word “nowadays”. That word is approved for formal use in British, but not in U.S. English.
    • Do not include “obvious” statements. For example, the statement “When contemplating the introduction of a new technology, it is important to determine the size of the potential market.” should not be included in a report of this type. Although the statement is true, it is also obvious and simply takes up space. Formal business writing should be as brief as possible, as long as all of the relevant information is conveyed.
    • Do not include “textbook” information. For example, the statement “Agile project management is an iterative approach to software development projects and ensures feedback can be acted on quickly and that responsive changes can be made at each stage of a sprint or product cycle.” contains textbook information and does not add any value to the paper.
    • Do not use “slang” phrases. For example, “a particular innovation would soon become a fan favorite”. This is not formal language.

 

  • Figures, tables, or pictures must be referenced in the text. They must be numbered and include a caption. For example,in the text, you must include “Figure 1 shows a typical continuous inventory behavior subject to errors.”

Figure 1: Behavior of on-hand inventory and inventory records

 

  • After the first assignment, research questions must be blended into the text. Remember, this is not a Q/A interview paper. For example, “What are some of the agile project management methods used in the manufacturing industry? Some of the methods include…”is not an acceptable method.

 

  • Avoid using bullet points in the text. For example, an incorrect text would be “Some of the agile project management methods used in the manufacturing industry include:

-Scrum

-XP

-Lean

-…”

 

Submission Rules and Grading

 

  • All submitted documents must be submitted in Microsoft Word via Blackboard.
  • Use APA style for referencing.
  • Use 12-point Times New Roman font in double-spaced sentences.
  • Have all margins be 1 inch.
  • Don’t justify the margins.

 

I strongly suggest you have a friend read your draft before submission. Even if the person does not know project management, you will likely find their comments and suggestions valuable to you. The Writing Center at MSU would also help you to submit your draft to them (see https://writingcenter.missouristate.edu/)

 

Your submissions must also have correct grammar, and spelling, and must be written clearly and concisely with continuity in the presentation of your ideas. I will return your revision (graded with feedback) as soon as I can. My feedback will include citing examples of where you made certain types of errors such as spelling, grammar, format, and structure. I will also include suggestions on how to rewrite parts of your paper to be clearer and more concise with better continuity. It will be your responsibility to find and correct other similar instances of these types of errors and opportunities for improvement that must be incorporated into your final paper. In other words, just because I don’t point out a mistake in your draft, it doesn’t mean it will be acceptable in the final paper.