| Course | MGT 474 Project Management |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Project selection and charter |
| Length | About 1,065 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Business Administration |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for MGT 474 Module 2
Otters, a Café or a Classroom: Selecting the Zoo's Next Project and Chartering the River Otter Exhibit
Student Name
Business Administration Program, Aspen University
MGT 474: Project Management
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Otters, a Café or a Classroom: Selecting the Zoo's Next Project and Chartering the River Otter Exhibit
Over the next two years, Meadowlark, a composite Wichita zoo run as a nonprofit, can afford one major capital project. Three proposals have reached the board. First on the list is an otter habitat with a window below the waterline, priced at $1.85 million and backed by a $1.2 million pledge. The second is a guest café and restroom building near the main entrance, costing $1.2 million, which visitors have requested for years. The third is an education center with two classrooms for school groups, costing $2.1 million, with no funding yet secured. This paper selects among them and writes the charter for the chosen project.
The Zoo's Strategy
The zoo's 2023-2027 strategic plan sets four goals: inspire conservation action through education, grow attendance to 600,000 visitors a year, reach financial sustainability by covering operating costs from earned revenue and gifts, and maintain the highest standards of animal welfare. A project worth doing should advance these goals.
What Research Says About Selection
Cooper et al. (1999) studied how businesses manage portfolios of new product projects and compared the methods used by better and worse performers. Businesses that relied mainly on financial methods, such as net present value, tended to have weaker portfolios, while those that used strategic approaches and scoring models, often in combination, had portfolios better aligned with strategy and of higher value. Financial estimates for new projects are often unreliable, and they miss strategic fit. Meskendahl (2010) found that firms with a clear strategic orientation structured their project portfolios more deliberately, and that such structuring was linked to portfolio success, which in turn was linked to business success.
Scoring the Proposals
Criteria and weights were set with the board before any project was scored. Scores ran from 1, poor, to 5, excellent.
| Criterion | Weight | Otter exhibit | Café and restrooms | Education center |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservation education | 25% | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Visitor growth | 20% | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Funding secured | 20% | 5 | 3 | 1 |
| Earned revenue | 15% | 3 | 5 | 2 |
| Animal welfare | 10% | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Delivery risk | 10% | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Weighted score | 100% | 4.15 | 3.00 | 2.85 |
The Business Case for the Otter Exhibit
River otters are active, playful and visible during the day, making them one of the most popular species at zoos that keep them. The education staff estimate that an underwater viewing window, where visitors watch otters swim at eye level, would become a signature experience. Based on attendance gains after new exhibits at the zoo in the past, the business case projects 25,000 additional visitors in the first full year, bringing about $430,000 in admissions, food and retail revenue. The exhibit also supports a statewide conservation message: river otters were nearly eliminated from Kansas and have returned through reintroduction, a story the education team can tell. Operating costs, including two added keepers and life support maintenance, are estimated at $180,000 a year.
Testing the Scores
Because weights reflect judgment, the board tested whether the ranking would change under different weights. If earned revenue were weighted 30% and conservation education 10%, the café would score 3.60 and the otter exhibit 4.00, so the otter exhibit would still lead. Only if funding secured were ignored and revenue weighted heavily would the café rank first. The education center ranks last under every reasonable weighting until it secures funding. The recommendation therefore does not depend on one set of weights.
Recommendation
The otter exhibit scores highest because it advances conservation education and visitor growth and is largely funded. The café should be reconsidered in two years, possibly funded by a concessions partner. The education center needs a fundraising campaign before it can compete.
Project Charter: River Otter Exhibit
In the PMBOK Guide, a charter is what turns a proposal into sanctioned work and hands the project manager the right to spend the organization's resources (Project Management Institute, 2021). The charter below follows that purpose.
Purpose. Build a river otter exhibit that connects visitors to freshwater conservation in Kansas and increases attendance.
Objectives. Open by Memorial Day 2026; complete within a budget of $1.85 million including contingency; meet the Association of Zoos and Aquariums' animal care standards; increase annual attendance by 25,000 in the first full year; secure $650,000 in additional gifts.
High-level scope. Included: exhibit habitat, underwater viewing area, life support systems, holding building, interpretive graphics and path connections. Excluded: changes to the parking lot, new concessions and a second otter species.
Milestones. Charter approved, January 2024; design complete, October 2024; construction start, March 2025; animal introduction, April 2026; public opening, May 2026.
Sponsor and authority. The deputy director is sponsor. The project manager, the zoo's facilities manager, may approve changes up to $25,000 and schedule changes up to two weeks; larger changes go to the sponsor.
Stakeholders. Animal care staff, the veterinarian, the donor, the board, education staff, the city, the contractor and visitors.
Assumptions and constraints. The donor gift of $1.2 million will be paid in three installments; the zoo will raise the rest by June 2025. Construction must avoid the main summer season where possible. The exhibit must be built on the site of the former waterfowl pond.
Key risks. Soil and drainage conditions, contractor availability, life support system delays and the arrival of otters from partner zoos are named as early risks to be examined in the risk register.
Approval. The board will approve the charter at its January meeting, after which the project manager may begin planning.
Why the Charter Matters
The lion exhibit had no charter. Its scope grew without decision, and no one had authority to settle disputes. This charter defines what is included and excluded and who decides.
Who Was Involved
The scoring was done in a two-hour session with the board's facilities committee, the director, the deputy director, the curator of mammals, the education manager and the chief financial officer. Each scored independently before discussion, and differences of more than one point were talked through. This avoided letting the most senior voice set every score, a lesson from the lion exhibit, which was chosen after a single presentation.
Conclusion
Scoring the three proposals against criteria drawn from the zoo's strategy, as research recommends, selects the otter exhibit over options that look attractive on single measures. Its charter turns a good idea into an authorized project with clear objectives, limits and authority.
References
Cooper, R. G., Edgett, S. J., & Kleinschmidt, E. J. (1999). New product portfolio management: Practices and performance. Journal of Product Innovation Management, 16(4), 333-351. https://doi.org/10.1111/1540-5885.1640333
Meskendahl, S. (2010). The influence of business strategy on project portfolio management and its success: A conceptual framework. International Journal of Project Management, 28(8), 807-817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijproman.2010.06.007
Project Management Institute. (2021). A guide to the project management body of knowledge (PMBOK guide) (7th ed.).
Reading the MGT 474 Module 2 assignment instructions
Before any project can be managed, someone has to pick it and authorize it; that is the work of Module 2 in Aspen's MGT 474, which commonly pairs a comparison of candidate projects with a charter for the winner. Treat your classroom's Module 2 instructions as the guide; the example applies them to three proposals at one zoo. Describe the candidate projects and the organization's strategy. Explain selection methods and what research says about them. Build a scoring model whose criteria come from strategy, and weight them. Score each project with reasons, and test whether different weights would change the ranking. Recommend one. Write a charter that states purpose, objectives, high-level scope, budget, milestones, sponsor, project manager authority and key stakeholders.
How this MGT 474 Module 2 example is built
The paper begins with Meadowlark Zoo's three proposals: a $1.85 million otter exhibit, a $1.2 million café and restroom building and a $2.1 million education center. The zoo's strategic plan sets four goals: conservation education, visitor growth, financial sustainability and animal welfare. Cooper, Edgett and Kleinschmidt's Journal of Product Innovation Management study found that businesses relying solely on financial methods had poorer portfolios than those using strategic and scoring approaches. Meskendahl's International Journal of Project Management study links strategic orientation to portfolio structuring and success. A table scores each project on six weighted criteria, including donor funding secured and fit with conservation goals; the otter exhibit scores 4.15, the café 3.00 and the education center 2.85. The charter names the deputy director as sponsor, sets the opening for May 2026 and lists eight stakeholder groups.
MGT 474 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
Selection and charter papers are assessed on criteria drawn from strategy, transparent scoring, research on selection methods and a charter complete enough to authorize work. This example links every criterion to the zoo's strategic plan. Cooper, Edgett and Kleinschmidt's findings explain why financial measures alone would mislead. Meskendahl's study supports connecting strategy to selection. The scoring table shows weights and scores, so the recommendation can be checked. The charter includes the elements needed to authorize the project, including assumptions, early risks and the project manager's authority, which the zoo's last project lacked.
MGT 474 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
Selection papers often choose a project first and then build scores to justify it. Set criteria and weights from strategy before scoring. Another weakness is relying on financial return alone, which misses strategic fit and risk. Explain each score briefly. Ask whether the candidates draw on the same people and money, and check whether a shift in weights would reorder them. A usable charter carries measurable targets, money, dated milestones, assumptions, early risks and a statement of the project manager's authority, not just a description. Name the sponsor and key stakeholders. Finally, note what is out of scope, since unclear boundaries cause trouble later.
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MGT 474 Module 2 questions, answered
What does MGT 474 Module 2 usually ask for?
Aspen's MGT 474 covers project selection and chartering in this module, so comparing candidate projects and writing a charter is typical. Look at your classroom prompt.
How should organizations select projects?
By scoring candidates against criteria drawn from strategy, rather than financial return alone, as Cooper, Edgett and Kleinschmidt's research supports.
What is a project charter?
A document that formally authorizes a project, stating its purpose, objectives, high-level scope, budget, milestones, sponsor and the project manager's authority.
Where can I find a free MGT 474 Module 2 sample paper?
The complete paper above scores three zoo projects against strategic criteria and presents a full charter for the river otter exhibit.
Why link project selection to strategy?
Meskendahl found that a clear business strategy shapes how project portfolios are built and is linked to portfolio success.