Option #1: Beta Distribution
Option #1: Beta Distribution
(Note: This subject is often included in the PMP exam questions.)
You are the project manager for the Sweep Time software project. You have decided to use the beta distribution, or 3-point estimation, technique for this project. For the “phase 1 test” activity in days, the following estimates are available: O=5, P=10, M=6.
Address the following:
- Explain beta distribution, when it is used, and the benefits and shortcomings of the technique.
- What is the result of this estimate in the example?
- How does a skew from the mean/median figure relate to planning a project? That is, if your beta is 7.5 and your M=6, how do these relate?
Submission:
- Write a 3 page paper addressing beta distribution. The length does not include the required title and references pages, and the appendix in which you show your calculations.
- Support your paper with a minimum of two current scholarly sources from the CSU-Global Library, in addition to any course textbooks or lecture material. Note that for this assignment, current sources are those published in the past five years. Of course, you may always exceed the minimum number of sources.
- Format the entire submission according to the CSU-Global Guide to Writing & APA (Links to an external site.).
Running head: INSERT SHORTENED TITLE (50 CHARACTERS OR FEWER)
1
INSERT SHORTENED TITLE (50 CHARACTERS OR FEWER)
2
Title of Paper
Student Name
Colorado State University – Global Campus
Title of Paper
Academic essays should begin with an
introduction
. The introduction will provide readers with the context necessary for understanding your argument and the body of your paper. When composing the introduction, think about what context or background information the reader would benefit from knowing. Once your context is established, transition from that context into your
thesis statement
. The thesis statement generally comes at the end of your introduction and usually consists of a few sentences that sum up the argument for your paper overall. Thesis statements should also provide a roadmap for the reader so that they can navigate through the ideas present in the rest of your paper.
Level 1 Header
Headers are useful for organizing your paper. Level 1 headers are used with broad or general topics in your paper. Depending on the topic, length, and genre of your assignment, you might use only Level 1 headers. Level 1 headers should be bolded and centered. The longer and more complex your argument is, the more you might benefit from using Level 2 and Level 3 headers. Level 4 and Level 5 headers exist, but they should only be used in manuscripts with many topics and subtopics. Generally, if you choose to use subsections (Level 2–5 headers) in your paper, you should have at least two subsections for each level of header. For more information on how to use headings in your paper, visit
the APA Style Blog
.
Level 2 Header
Body paragraphs should follow the
MEAL structure
. This structure will help your ideas build on one another in order to support your thesis statement and to develop your argument over the course of your essay. Each body paragraph should consist of a claim, which also functions as the topic sentence or the main idea of a paragraph. The claim should then be followed by evidence.
Evidence
is typically source material that you either paraphrase or quote directly. Remember, APA style guidelines prefer
paraphrasing
to directly quoting a source. Evidence should provide support for your main idea in the form of examples, statistics, facts, anecdotes, etc. Next, your paragraph should include analysis.
Analysis
is your explanation of the preceding evidence and its significance. In other words, you should not let the evidence speak for itself. Through analysis, you can show the reader exactly how you interpret the evidence, how it supports your claim for the paragraph, and how it supports your thesis statement. Finally, each body paragraph should end with a sentence that functions as a conclusion for the paragraph. This sentence can rephrase the claim for the paragraph, tie back to the thesis statement, or
transition
to the idea you present in the next paragraph.
Level 2 Header
Whenever you use a source, it must be cited both in text and in the references. However, there are two types of sources that should only be cited in text and do not need to be included on the
References
page: (a) Sources that do not produce recoverable data and cannot be located by the reader, such as
personal communications
, and (b) Religious texts and classical works, such as the Bible, the Qur’an, and Greek or Roman works. Both your
and
references
should follow APA style. In academic writing that follows APA style, it is important to paraphrase source material whenever possible, as opposed to quoting the source directly. When paraphrasing source material, you can use page numbers to point the reader to a specific portion of the source, but this is optional. When paraphrasing, you should follow the paraphrased material with an in-text citation that contains the author’s last name and the source’s year of publication (Author, Year) or use a signal phrase to introduce the paraphrased material with the author and year (ex: “According to Eriksson (2015)…”). When quoting source material directly, a page number (p. ) or page range (pp. ) is always required. If the source does not include page numbers, use a paragraph number (para. ) instead. When citing in text, parenthetical citations should appear as close to the source material as possible. The author’s name should never be separate from the year of publication.
In-text citations point readers to the References page, which is a list of all the sources used in your assignment. When formatting the References page, start a new page. Then, type and center the word References at the top, but do not use any additional formatting (e.g., bold, underline, italics, quotation marks, etc.). Alphabetize the references according to the first author’s last name or by the name of the organization if there is no individual author for a text. All references should have a hanging indent: The first line of each reference should be flush with the left margin, and subsequent lines should be indented. Finally, each reference should follow APA style, and the proper formatting will change depending on the type of source.
Conclusion
The last section or paragraph of your paper should be the
conclusion
. A conclusion should reiterate the major points of your argument. To do this, think about developing your thesis by adding more detail or by retracing the steps of your argument. You can recap major sections for the reader. You can also summarize the primary supporting points or evidence you discussed in the paper. The conclusion should not introduce any new information in order to avoid confusing the reader. To end the paper, think about what you want your reader to do with all the information you just presented. Explain what logical next steps might be taken in order to learn more about this topic. Use the conclusion to establish the significance and importance of your work, motivate others to build on what you’ve done in this paper, and encourage the reader to explore new ideas or reach other conclusions.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d). Coping with a traumatic event. Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/masstrauma/factsheets/public/coping
Chaitin, J., & Steinberg, S. (2013). “I can almost remember it now”: Between personal and collective memories of massive social trauma. Journal of Adult Development, 21(1), 30–42.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10804-013-9176-4
Eriksson, M. (2015). Managing collective trauma on social media: The role of Twitter after the 2011 Norway attacks. Media, Culture & Society, 38(3), 365–380.
https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443715608259
Kaplan, E. M. (2005). Trauma culture: The politics of terror and loss in media and literature. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press.
Meek, A. (2011). Trauma and media.
https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203863190
National Institute of Mental Health. (2017). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Retrieved from
https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/post-traumatic-stress-disorder-ptsd.shtml