| Course | PJM-5200 Project Leadership and Communication |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Module 2 written assignment: project initiation and planning |
| Length | About 602 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | M.S. in Management in Project Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for PJM 5200 Module 2
One Page to Start, Many Voices to Plan: Initiating the Portal Upgrade
Student Name
M.S. in Management in Project Management, Thomas Edison State University
PJM-5200: Project Leadership and Communication
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
One Page to Start, Many Voices to Plan: Initiating the Portal Upgrade
The Charter
Kendrick (2012) emphasizes that a project leader without authority needs a written charter from a sponsor with authority, because the charter is what gives the leader standing with contributors and their managers. The PMBOK Guide presents the charter as the formal authorization that launches a project and lets its manager use organizational resources (Project Management Institute, 2021).
| Element | Content |
|---|---|
| Project | Customer portal upgrade |
| Sponsor | Vice president of product |
| Objective | Launch live shipment maps, a redesigned billing view and single sign-on by September 15 |
| Business reason | Retain the largest customer, whose contract renews October 1, and reduce support calls about invoices by 30 percent |
| In scope | Web portal changes, testing, training materials for support |
| Out of scope | Mobile app changes; billing system replacement |
| Constraints | Fixed launch date; no new hires; security review required before launch |
| Budget | 2,400 contributor hours plus $18,000 for map licensing |
| Authority | Project manager may set the schedule and convene contributors; sponsor resolves resource conflicts within two days |
Stakeholder Analysis
The analysis shows that the largest customer, though outside the company, is as important as the sponsor. Showing the operations director working features each month will build confidence before the renewal.
| Stakeholder | Power | Interest | Approach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vice president of product (sponsor) | High | High | Manage closely: biweekly review |
| Largest customer's operations director | High | High | Manage closely: monthly demo |
| Functional managers | High | Medium | Keep satisfied: monthly update on their people's work |
| Support team | Medium | High | Keep informed and involved in testing |
| Other customers | Medium | Medium | Keep informed: release notes and webinar |
| Finance (billing data owners) | Medium | Low | Consult on billing view design |
Communication Plan
| Audience | What | Channel | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Contributors | Tasks, blockers, decisions | Stand-up and shared board | Three times a week |
| Functional managers | Their people's contributions and upcoming needs | Email summary | Monthly |
| Sponsor | Status, risks, decisions needed | Meeting with dashboard | Every two weeks |
| Largest customer | Working features and feedback | Video demo | Monthly |
| Support team | Changes affecting customers | Briefing and test access | Before each release |
Planning With a Virtual Team
Two of our engineers work from our office in Pune, India, nine and a half hours ahead. The Harvard Business Review collection on virtual teams (Harvard Business Review, 2010) stresses that virtual team members need deliberate inclusion: shared tools, meeting times that do not always burden the same people and early face-to-face or video contact to build trust. Planning will take place in two video workshops scheduled at 8:30 a.m. in Newark, 6 p.m. in Pune, with estimates entered on the shared board beforehand so the workshops focus on dependencies. We will rotate the stand-up time monthly so the Pune engineers do not always join in their evening.
Scope Boundaries
Writing the out-of-scope items down mattered as much as writing the scope. Sales had assumed the upgrade would include a mobile app change requested by two customers; listing it as out of scope, with the sponsor's signature, prevented a dispute later and gave sales a clear answer for those customers: a separate project next year.
The Plan
The team will build a work breakdown structure in the first workshop, estimate tasks in the second and agree on four milestones: design complete in week 6, build complete in week 16, testing complete in week 21 and launch in week 24. Each milestone has an owner among the contributors, which spreads accountability across functions.
Conclusion
A one-page charter gives the project manager standing, the stakeholder analysis identifies who must be managed closely, the communication plan matches messages to audiences and a planning approach that includes remote engineers builds commitment across the whole team.
References
Harvard Business Review. (2010). Leading virtual teams: Expert solutions to everyday challenges. Harvard Business School Press.
Kendrick, T. (2012). Results without authority: Controlling a project when the team doesn't report to you (2nd ed.). AMACOM.
Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (7th ed.). Project Management Institute.
PJM 5200 Module 2 instructions, in plain terms
This written assignment covers project initiation and planning. Expect to write or evaluate a project charter, analyze stakeholders, plan communication and explain how the team will plan the work, including any virtual members. Use tables for the charter, stakeholder analysis and communication plan, and explain the choices behind them. Show how initiation gives a leader without authority the standing to lead, and how planning builds the commitment Module 1 described. Include what is out of scope as well as what is in, and state the project manager's authority in the charter. Plan how team members in other time zones will take part, not only how they will be informed. Use tables for the charter, stakeholders and communication plan, and explain the reasoning in prose.
How this PJM 5200 Module 2 example is built
The paper presents a one-page charter in a table, with its importance for a leader without authority. A stakeholder table rates power and interest and sets an approach for each, and the text highlights the external customer. A communication plan matches audiences to content, channel and frequency. A section applies guidance on virtual teams to planning across time zones, and a short section sets milestones. The conclusion links the pieces. A scope boundaries section shows how listing out-of-scope items prevented a dispute with sales, and each milestone in the plan has an owner among the contributors. The stakeholder table identifies an external customer as critical, and the communication plan gives that customer a monthly demo.
Where the marks sit in the PJM 5200 Module 2 rubric
Mentors grade this assignment on a complete and specific charter, a thoughtful stakeholder analysis, a communication plan matched to audiences and attention to virtual team members. Papers that state the project manager's authority in the charter show understanding of leading without authority. Recognizing an external stakeholder as critical demonstrates insight. Planning that accounts for time zones and inclusion shows practical skill. Clear scope boundaries, signed by the sponsor, show an understanding of how charters prevent conflict later. Milestone owners spread accountability, a useful tactic when the leader has no authority. A communication plan that varies channel and frequency by audience shows care for each stakeholder's needs.
PJM 5200 Module 2 help from the desk
Students lose points by writing charters without objectives or authority, by listing stakeholders without analysis or by planning communication as one message for everyone. Others forget virtual members. State objectives, scope and authority. Rate stakeholders and choose an approach for each. Match communication to audiences. Plan for team members who work remotely, in other time zones. List what is out of scope in the charter, and give each milestone an owner. Give your most powerful outside stakeholder a regular look at progress. A free first sample on your own PJM-5200 initiation assignment is available on request.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
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PJM 5200 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free PJM 5200 Module 2 sample paper?
A charter, stakeholder analysis and communication plan for a portal upgrade are in the assignment above.
What does a project charter include?
The objective, business reason, scope, constraints, budget, sponsor and the project manager's authority.
How is a power and interest grid used?
To decide how closely to manage each stakeholder, from monitoring to managing closely.
How can virtual team members be included in planning?
Through shared tools, fair meeting times and early video contact to build trust.
Why does a leader without authority need a charter?
The charter, signed by a sponsor with authority, gives the leader standing with contributors and their managers.