NURS8502- Weeks 7-8: Leading Project Design 

How will you lead a team to create change? What strategies might you employ, and how will you assess the effectiveness of these strategies? How will you plan your proposed practice change, and how will you apply your leadership skills to this plan? 

For the last 6 weeks you have identified a practice problem, developed objectives and a focus question, met with stakeholders and your preceptor, and explored sources for evidence. Now, it is time to begin putting all that work together in a project management plan. 

For the next 2 weeks, you will explore and analyze approaches to project planning and management. You will consider your leadership style and the potential impact on the problem, as well as continue to gather evidence and complete practicum hours. 

Learning Objectives 

Students will: 

• Identify design approaches for project management plans 

Identify leadership styles related to project management plans 

Identify facilitators and barriers to proposed practice changes 

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Apply evidence to support design approaches and leadership styles for a project management plan Reflect on practicum experiences 

Apply project management leadership skills to the design and approach of a proposed practice/administrative change 

⚫ Justify a project management tool for a proposed practice change 

Develop SMART objectives for a project management plan 

Learning Resources 

Required Readings (click to expand/reduce) ▾ 

Practicum Resources (click to expand/reduce) 

Required Media (click to expand/reduce) ▾ 

Optional Resources (click to expand/reduce) 

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Discussion: Leadership Skills and Planning 

According to the American Nurses Association, a nurse leader is “a nurse interested in excelling in a career path, 

a leader within a healthcare organization who represents the interests of the nursing profession, a seasoned nurse 

or healthcare administrator interested in refining skills to differentiate them from the competition or to advance to the next level of leadership.” 

Leadership can take many forms. Perhaps leadership takes the form of scheduling charge nurses for the month; perhaps leadership is providing guidelines for protocols at your organization, and perhaps leadership is simply determining the best approach to implement change. 

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Tetra images RF 

For this Discussion, you will explore the connection between project management strategies and leadership styles. Reflect on the role of leadership in project planning and implementation and consider how your leadership style and skill will impact your plan. 

Reference: American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Leadership and excellence. https://www.nursingworld.org/continuing-education/ce-subcategories/leadership/ 

To Prepare 

Review the Learning Resources covering leadership skills and project planning. Explore project management techniques and strategies to be used for your problem. Consider the connection between project management strategies and leadership styles. 

By Day 3 of Week 7 

Post a description of your identified design approach for your practice problem. Identify the focus and setting of your problem, as well as the leadership styles most appropriate for the proposed practice change. Identify potential facilitators and barriers to making a proposed practice change. Be specific. How might your leadership style and skills match with the identified facilitators and barriers? Gather evidence to justify your selection and consider whether the approach addresses the practice gap. In your post, be sure to cite the specific evidence found. 

By Day 6 of Week 7 

Read a selection of your colleagues’ responses, and respond to at least two of your colleagues on two different days by exploring the problems, references, and strategies. Offer suggestions and strategies that may enhance the design approach your colleague described. 

Submission and Grading Information 

Grading Criteria 

To access your rubric: 

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Week 7 Discussion Rubric 

Post by Day 3 of Week 7 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 7 

To Participate in this Discussion: 

Week 7 Discussion 

Assignment 1: Journal Entry 2 

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Submit a journal entry (along with your time log). The journal entry is your opportunity to be self-reflective and needs to connect your previous professional experience with your practice, competencies/concepts in the program, and the literature. See the Practicum Guidelines located in the Practicum area, and this 

week’s Learning Resources, for a complete description of the practicum. 

Submit your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 7. 

Submission and Grading Information 

Photo Credit: Ellagrin/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images 

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following: 

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Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK7Assgn1+last name+first initial. (extension)” as 

the name. 

Click the Week 7 Assignment 1 Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment. 

Click the Week 7 Assignment 1 link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area. 

Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK7Assgn1+last name+first initial. (extension)” and click Open. 

If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the 

Global Reference Database. 

Click on the Submit button to complete your submission. 

Grading Criteria 

To access your rubric: 

Week 7 Assignment 1 Rubric 

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity 

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity: 

Submit your Week 7 Assignment 1 draft and review the originality report. 

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 7 

To participate in this Assignment: 

Week 7 Assignment 1 

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Assignment 2: Project Management Tool Selection 

and Project Management Plan 

Project management may feel daunting to many nurses; 

however, as a nurse leader project management 

planning, mentoring, and implementation will serve as a valuable tool in effecting change in your healthcare 

organization or nursing practice. The project management process aligns with the five steps of the nursing process of, “assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation” (Sipes, 2020). 

For this Assignment, you will demonstrate the leadership 

it takes to select a project management tool to develop a 

project management plan. Using the Learning Resources, your experience, and your collaboration with 

both your preceptor and team, you will explore the best project management tool to use to lead the project management plan for your practice problem. 

To Prepare 

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Photo Credit: NicoE/Nino/iStock/Getty Images Plus/Getty Images 

Review the sample project management tools provided in the Learning Resources and in the course textbooks. Reflect on which project management tools might be the most appropriate for your practice problem, team, and 

practice or organizational setting. 

The Assignment: (2-3 pages) 

Select an appropriate project management tool (for example: a Gantt chart or other tool) to design and plan your proposed practice change. Develop a strategic project management plan related to your practice problem and proposed practice change. Be sure to also include SMART objectives. Be specific. 

Reminder: The College of Nursing requires that all papers submitted include a title page, introduction, summary, and references. The Walden Writing Center Sample Paper provides an example of those required elements (available at https://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-20293632). All papers submitted must 

use this formatting. 

Submit your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 8. 

Submission and Grading Information 

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following: 

• 

Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK8Assgn2+last name+first initial. (extension)” as 

the name. 

Click the Week 8 Assignment 2 Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment. 

Click the Week 8 Assignment 2 link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area. 

• 

Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK8Assgn2+last name+first initial. (extension)” and click Open. 

If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the 

Global Reference Database. 

Click on the Submit button to complete your submission. 

Grading Criteria 

目 

To access your rubric: 

Week 8 Assignment 2 Rubric 

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity 

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity: 

Submit your Week 8 Assignment 2 draft and review the originality report. 

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7 of Week 8 

To participate in this Assignment: 

Week 8 Assignment 2