| Course | MAN-4350 Project Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | Written assignment 4: scope, risk and issue management |
| Length | About 1,080 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | B.S. in General Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MAN 4350 Module 4
What the Sorting Line Includes, What Could Stop It and What Already Went Wrong: Scope, Risk and Issues for a Blueberry Packing Project
Student Name
B.S. in General Management, Thomas Edison State University
MAN-4350: Project Management
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
What the Sorting Line Includes, What Could Stop It and What Already Went Wrong: Scope, Risk and Issues for a Blueberry Packing Project
Mullica Valley's sorting line project, at a composite berry cooperative in New Jersey's Atlantic County, has a fixed budget of $2.4 million and an immovable deadline: the first berries arrive around June 1. Those two limits make scope and risk the areas where the project is most likely to succeed or fail. This assignment sets out the scope statement and work breakdown structure, builds a risk register with ranked risks and planned responses, and explains how the team will handle issues and requested changes. As the operations coordinator, I lead the project part time.
Scope Statement
Pinto (2019) treats scope management as the foundation of the plan: a scope statement defines what the project will deliver and, just as important, what it will not, so that everyone judges completion by the same standard. The cooperative's statement has five parts.
The objective is to install and commission the optical sorter, the automatic clamshell filler and an enlarged forced-air cooling room so that the packing house can sort and pack 120,000 pounds of blueberries a day from the first harvest. The deliverables are the installed and tested equipment, a cooling room enlarged from eight to fourteen pallet positions, a 480-volt electrical service sized for the new load, trained operators on both shifts, and written maintenance procedures. The milestones are electrical service energized by March 20, equipment on site by April 20, cooling room complete by May 1 and acceptance testing finished by May 25.
The acceptance criteria are measurable: the line must run at 120,000 pounds a day for three consecutive test days, with fewer than 2 percent soft or damaged berries in packed clamshells by the quality team's sampling, and the cooling room must bring a full load from field temperature to 34 degrees Fahrenheit within two hours. The exclusions are just as clear: no changes to the receiving dock, no new grower payment software, no building expansion beyond the cooling room and no changes to the shipping area.
Work Breakdown Structure
The work breakdown structure (WBS) splits the project first into deliverables and, below them, into work packages that one person can estimate and own. At the first level the project has six parts: 1.0 project management; 2.0 site preparation, including removing the hand-sorting tables, pouring equipment foundations and rerouting drains; 3.0 electrical service, from the utility's transformer to the new panels; 4.0 equipment, covering purchase, delivery and installation of the sorter and the filler; 5.0 cooling room expansion; and 6.0 training and commissioning. Each first-level element has three to six work packages, for twenty-six in all, and each package has one owner on the team. For example, 3.2, the utility service application, belongs to the electrician, while 6.3, the three-day acceptance run, belongs to the packing-line lead.
Risk Register
Pinto (2019) describes risk management as a cycle of identifying risks, analyzing their probability and consequences, planning responses and controlling them as the project proceeds. The team identified risks in a two-hour session using the WBS as a checklist, then rated each one on two scales of 1 to 5, likelihood and effect on the June deadline or the budget. In a survey of project managers, Raz and Michael (2001) found wide differences in how often risk tools were used and how useful managers judged them; a simple probability-impact score was chosen here because the team could apply it in one meeting and update it weekly.
| Risk | Probability | Impact | Score | Planned response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equipment ships after April 20 | 3 | 5 | 15 | Mitigate: ask vendor to ship the filler early; offer a progress payment for an earlier slot |
| Utility transformer upgrade delayed | 3 | 5 | 15 | Mitigate: file the service request in January; price a rental generator as a fallback |
| Harvest starts early after a warm May | 2 | 5 | 10 | Accept with a contingency plan: store twenty hand-sorting stations rather than scrapping them |
| Crew distrusts the sorter and re-sorts by hand | 3 | 3 | 9 | Mitigate: involve line leads in testing; train both shifts before harvest |
| Sorter misgrades a local variety | 2 | 4 | 8 | Transfer: write variety-specific grading into the vendor's acceptance clause |
| Cooling room costs exceed the estimate | 2 | 3 | 6 | Accept: cover from the 8 percent contingency |
The two highest risks share a feature: both depend on outside parties, and both would push the first test runs into June. Williams (2005) argues that overruns on complex, time-limited projects often come from the way delays interact rather than from single events. That warning applies here: a late transformer would delay wiring, which would delay testing and training at once. Each high-scoring risk therefore has an owner who reports its status at the Tuesday call, and the register is reviewed in full every two weeks.
Issue Management
An issue differs from a risk: it is a problem that has already happened and needs action now. The team keeps a separate issue log with a description, the date raised, an owner, the action agreed and a due date. The first entry appeared in February, when the foundation contractor found an abandoned cast-iron drain line under the area where the sorter will stand. The owner, the maintenance supervisor, obtained a quote to cut and cap the line for $6,800, which falls within my approved authority and the contingency, and the work was finished in nine days, without touching the critical dates.
Change Control
Requests to add work are the other threat to scope. In March the growers' equipment committee asked for printers on the filler to label each clamshell with its farm lot number, which would help with traceability. The request has merit, but it is outside the scope statement. Following the textbook's guidance on configuration management and change control, the request was written up with its cost, about $38,000, and its schedule effect, a two-week software integration, and sent to the general manager and board. Because the printers could be added after the season without reworking the line, the board deferred them to the autumn, keeping the June date safe.
Conclusion
A scope statement with exclusions and numeric acceptance criteria, a WBS that assigns every work package, a scored risk register with named owners, a separate issue log and a written change process together give this project its best chance of meeting a deadline set by nature. The highest risks lie with outside parties, so the plan spends the most effort there.
References
Pinto, J. K. (2019). Project management: Achieving competitive advantage (5th ed.). Pearson.
Raz, T., & Michael, E. (2001). Use and benefits of tools for project risk management. International Journal of Project Management, 19(1), 9-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0263-7863(99)00036-8
Williams, T. (2005). Assessing and moving on from the dominant project management discourse in the light of project overruns. IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, 52(4), 497-508. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2005.856572
Reading the MAN 4350 Module 4 assignment instructions
MAN-4350's Module 4 covers scope, risk and issue management and supports three course objectives: developing scope management approaches, evaluating risk and issue identification and mitigation, and evaluating project management tools and techniques. The written assignment for this module draws on Pinto's chapters on scope management and risk management. Expect to draft or critique a project's scope, break it into a WBS, analyze its risks and tell risks apart from issues. Base the work on one project with real limits, because scope and risk only become meaningful against a budget and a deadline. Bring the team or stakeholders into risk identification if you can, since one person's list always misses something.
How this MAN 4350 Module 4 example is built
The paper begins with the budget and the harvest date, which explain why scope and risk matter most on this project. The scope statement covers objective, deliverables, milestones, measurable acceptance criteria and explicit exclusions. The WBS gives first-level elements, the number of work packages and two examples of ownership. The risk register scores six risks, assigns each a response type and connects the top two through research on interacting delays. An issue log entry and a change request show how the plan is defended once work is under way. Each control step names who decides and at what cost threshold, so the reader can see how authority works on a project whose manager has limited formal power.
Where the marks sit in the MAN 4350 Module 4 rubric
Mentors grade this assignment on a scale of 0 to 100, as with the other five in MAN-4350. Mentors expect a scope statement with measurable acceptance criteria and exclusions, a WBS organized by deliverables, and a risk analysis that ranks risks and matches each with an appropriate response. Showing how risks, issues and change requests are controlled during the project addresses the objective on designing solutions to prevent failure. Research beyond the textbook, a logical structure, tables where they help, and accurate APA citations all support a strong grade. A register that a real team could use on Monday morning is the best evidence of understanding.
Common MAN 4350 Module 4 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Scope statements in student papers often list deliverables but leave out exclusions and acceptance criteria, which are what stop scope creep. Risk registers frequently list risks without probability, impact or a specific response, or use only mitigation when avoidance, transfer or acceptance would fit better. Many papers also treat issues and risks as the same thing. Tie each risk to an owner and a review rhythm, and explain why the response you chose fits that risk better than the alternatives. Keep issues in their own log so that they do not disappear among the risks. Our writers can build a MAN 4350 scope and risk assignment around a project you are working on.
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MAN 4350 Module 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free MAN 4350 Module 4 sample paper?
The fourth Project Management written assignment is reproduced above in full: a scope statement, work breakdown structure, scored risk register, issue log and change control example for a cooperative's sorting line.
What belongs in a project scope statement?
The objective, deliverables, milestones, technical requirements, limits and exclusions, and measurable acceptance criteria that define when the work is complete.
What is the difference between a risk and an issue?
A risk is an uncertain event that may happen; an issue is a problem that has already happened and needs an owner and an action now.
What are the four risk response strategies?
Avoid, transfer, mitigate and accept, often with a contingency plan for accepted risks.
Which course objectives does MAN-4350 Module 4 address?
Developing scope management approaches, evaluating risk and issue procedures, and evaluating project management tools and techniques.