MBA Projects Report Tips and Tricks

MBA

Masters in Business Management is one of the most  preferred post graduate courses in the world. Holding an MBA degree from a prestigious business school like IIM-Ahmedabad, Harvard or Stanford is the ultimate dream of any management student.

Business management course curriculum deals with scientific approach to managing business. Business management course teaches them the strategies, planning, organizing, controlling, and executing tasks they have to perform for running a business successfully. It introduces them to the various branches of business namely Accounting, Finance, Human Resources, Operations Management. Students can opt for any one of these branches for specialization. As part of their curriculum students have to work on a project and submit a project report or thesis in the final year of their post graduate study. Project work is part of their assessment process.

Project

Management Projects is a mini research on a particular topic. It has a definite beginning and end and a time frame. It is an added value to education. It makes learning meaningful and purposeful as the learner takes the responsibility of learning upon himself/herself.

Significance

MBA Projects work is an excellent learning experience for a student. It gives a peep into working life which is so different from student life. It gives opportunity to perform, learn from real time experiences, use technical knowledge and test its application. It encourages independent learning at the same time working with others at work place.  Project work is a great learning tool as it demands planning and executing on one’s own. It requires  both fundamental skills of reading, writing, analysis and also technical skills  like problem solving, time management, research methods, software utilization , information synthesizing, etc.

Structure

It is important to divide the project stage wise and step wise. First is project topic selection. Then develop the problem description. This is when you will decide the scope of your work. Clearly define the objectives. Then decide on collecting data using a suitable methodology. Then analyze the data and draw conclusions. Write a cohesive report.

Process

 Probably topic selection is the most challenging as that decides the outcome. So choose a topic or problem that interests you and have an eagerness to investigate and learn more. Think of a system or application or problem that has use in real life situation. Get the approval from the Head of Department or person concerned. Browse through technical books, articles and web pages to get a clear understanding of the topic. Seek faculty and professional help for any doubts and clarifications at every stage. Develop a well defined description of the topic and the project objective. Do not get over ambitious as that will derail the entire work.  Apply correct methodology for sample collection, establish process for data analysis, evaluate your results, draw conclusions and finally write the thesis. 

Format – The project report or thesis can be presented in this format.

                Table of contents

                Abstract (overview and main features)

                Introduction (describe the problem or topic)

                Solution ((describe how you got the result using flow chart or diagram)

               Conclusion (learning outcome)

                References (books, authors)

Hurdles

Successful project completion is no magic. Many obstacles can derail a project. For example, planning an over ambitious project goal. One has to keep the time frame in mind before deciding the scope. Another problem is procrastination. Project plan and execution must be systematic and meticulous. Every stage of the project must be given adequate time to complete lest it will lose direction.

Assistance

There are several institutes that offer project work assistance right from topic selection to completion of the project report. Institutes charge enrolment fee for their services. They have consultants who can guide a student from A to Z of project work. Besides there are exclusive MBA community portals to help with project assignments.  There are exclusive websites to help with project topic selection. They have a long list of topics from all branches such as finance, marketing, HR, operations management.  Some interesting topics are as follows

Use of print ads for international brand

India – a global player

FDI in India - pros and cons

International business – how to conduct it?

Business forecasting

Inventor control methods

Sales management

A good MBA projects report will not only fetch you a good grade in academics but also open doors for you in the job market. A well defined, thoroughly researched and executed project will add value to your CV and the prospective employer will certainly give weight age to it.