University of Sydney Handbooks - 2017 Archive

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Project Management unit of study descriptions

PMGT – Project Management unit of study descriptions

PMGT1852 Communications and Stakeholder Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Prohibitions: : PSYC1001 or PSYC1002 Assumed knowledge: ENGG1850 Assessment: through semester assessment (50%) and final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Effective stakeholder management and communication play a vital role in the success of projects. Project managers and leaders often express that stakeholder management, leadership and communication are often the most sought-after competencies. This unit of study focuses on the process of stakeholder identification; defining their roles and responsibilities; understanding their organisation mission, vision and overall strategic objectives; alignment and prioritisation of specific project needs and requirements; with emphasis on stakeholder engagement/analytic methodologies such as analysing stakeholder influence, reliance, collaboration and communication networks. The unit of study will also cover aspects of psychology, emotional intelligence, communication techniques and leadership qualities required for effective performance in project management roles.
PMGT2854 Implementing Concurrent Projects

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Laboratories, Tutorials Prerequisites: ENGG1850 and ENGG2850 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
What is concurrent engineering? What are the different components? Why do we need to get products to market fast? What really matters? Starting with a vision, creating great teams that work and creating processes that work effectively around the teams. Teams need to complement processes, and processes need to complement teams. Individuals and teams also evolve processes. In fact great systems are those that can evolve and adapt without a centralised management. The artist that creates a great system is the one that can make a sustainable design.
PMGT3850 Project Management Capstone Project A

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Meeting, Project Work - own time Prerequisites: 30 credits of 2nd or 3rd year units of study Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Note: It is expected that the project will be conducted over two consecutive semesters and that the majority of students will start in Semester 1. Commencement in Semester 2 requires permission of the course coordinator and School`s Director of Learning and Teaching and will only be allowed where there are good reasons for doing so. Students considering this option should discuss it with the the course coordinator at least one semester before they intend to start.
In this intensive PM capstone project, students are required to apply all of the skills necessary to successfully initiate, plan, execute, control and close a project. Working as part of a team mid-sized, high-priority project, student will be responsible for developing the key project management deliverables, including the project charter, project plan, change control process, status reports and post-project reviews. Students will facilitate meetings, update the project plan with actuals and changes, present status to management, justify decisions to key stakeholders and determine the impacts of their actions on the project. Under the guidance of a project professional and their academic supervisor, students will be given direct feedback towards achieving project goals.
PM Capstone Project A and B provide an opportunity for students to undertake a major project in a specialised area relevant to project management. Students will generally work in groups, although assessment components such as reflective reports and participation are marked individually. Only in exceptional circumstances and by approval of PM Capstone Project course coordinator and the relevant academic supervisor concerned will a student be permitted to undertake a project individually.
PM Capstone Project is spread over a whole year, in two successive Units of Study of 6 credits points each, PM Capstone Project A (PMGT3850) and PM Capstone Project B (PMGT3851). This particular unit of study, which must precede PMGT3851 PM Capstone Project B, should cover the first half of the work required for a complete 'final year' project. In particular, it should include almost all project planning, a major proportion of the necessary background research, and a significant proportion of the investigative or design work required of the project.
PMGT3851 Project Management Capstone Project B

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Practical Work Prerequisites: 30 credits of 2nd year units of study, and PMGT3850 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In this intensive PM capstone project, students are required to apply all of the skills necessary to successfully initiate, plan, execute, control and close a project. Working as part of a team on a simulated four-month, mid-sized, high-priority project, student will be responsible for developing the key project management deliverables, including the project charter, project plan, change control process, status reports and post-project reviews. Students will facilitate meetings, update the project plan with actuals and changes, present status to management, justify your decisions to key stakeholders and determine the impacts of your actions on multiple projects. Under the guidance of a senior project manager and their academic supervisor, students will be given direct feedback and techniques to increase efficiency and effectiveness.
PM Capstone Project A and B provide an opportunity for students to undertake a major project in a specialised area relevant to civil engineering. Students will generally work in groups, although planning and writing of reports will be done individually; i.e., a separate report must be submitted by each student. Only in exceptional circumstances and by approval of PM Capstone Project course coordinator and the relevant academic supervisor concerned will a student be permitted to undertake a project individually.
PM Capstone Project is spread over a whole year, in two successive Units of Study of 6 credits points each, PM Capstone Project A (PMGT3850) and PM Capstone Project B (PMGT3851). This particular unit of study, which must be preceded by PMGT3850 PM Capstone Project A, should cover the second half of the required project work. In particular, it should include completion of all components planned but not undertaken or completed in PMGT3850 PM Capstone Project A.
PMGT3855 Project Variance Analysis

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Laboratories, Tutorials Prerequisites: ENGG2851 Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Project variance analysis uniquely shows project managers how to effectively integrate technical, schedule, and cost objectives by improving earned value management (EVM) practices. Providing innovative guidelines, methods, examples, and templates consistent with capability models and standards, this unit of study approaches EVM from a practical level with understandable techniques that are applicable to the management of any project. It also explains how to incorporate EVM with key systems engineering, software engineering, and project management processes such as establishing the technical or quality baseline, requirements management, using product metrics, and meeting success criteria for technical reviews. Detailed information is included on linking product requirements, project work products, the project plan, and the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), as well as correlating technical performance measures (TPM) with EVM.
PMGT3856 Sustainable Project Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The concepts of sustainability and corporate responsibility are gaining importance in our globalised economy. They have been increasingly influencing business and project objectives and it is becoming imperative that they are incorporated into the practice of project management.
This unit of study embraces this new reality by providing students with an expanded understanding of value creation and how this is delivered through projects. The emphasis is on using projects to deliver value in terms of economic capital whilst also developing social capital and preserving natural capital. These will be underpinned by an appreciation of the standards, principles and frameworks that exist, both in Australia and internationally, to govern the preservation of the environment and increase the development of social capital.
Case studies will be used to create learning processes as students consider and confront the dilemmas that project managers face as they strive to deliver shareholder value via fiscal project objectives as well as face increasing pressure to deliver to reduce environmental impacts. Cases discussed in this unit of study will allow students to explore both the opportunities and pitfalls companies and non-government organisations face in targeting sustainability issues and how their values and core assumptions impact their business strategies.
Concepts such as corporate responsibility, the triple bottom line, the business case for sustainability, supply chain management and responsible purchasing and knowledge management will be discussed and students will consider how these influence project delivery.
PMGT3857 International Project Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Laboratories, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit of study provides specific guidelines for achieving greater international project success. It addresses the need for modern techniques in project management geared and suited to international projects. It provides opportunity to students to have orientation towards lessons learned from failures and problems in international projects, and suggest alternative solutions for project issues. The critical success factors for managing international projects together with management issues related to vendors and outsourcing across national boundaries are also discussed. It further deals with managing businesses effectively address cross- cultural, social, and political issues.
PMGT3858 Complex Project Coordination

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Prerequisites: ENGG1850 AND ENGG2852. Assessment: Through semester assessment (50%) and Final Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Complex projects have always existed, but their frequency and importance are increasing in a complex, intertwined world. 'Complex' is qualitatively different from 'complicated.' Complex projects are characterised by a web of interactions between their elements that lead to non-linearity, emergence, adaptiveness and other novel features. That is to say, they behave as Complex Adaptive Systems, and they should be managed as such. The majority of projects demonstrate some degree of complexity. The traditional model of projects is expressed in standard methodologies such as PMBoK, Prince2, and MS Project. While absolutely necessary as a basis for effective project management, the limitations of these methodologies become evident when uncertainty- structural, technical, directional or temporal- begins to intrude on a project. In these situations, a systemic pluralist approach is to be preferred. Project management then becomes less like painting by numbers, and more like selecting from a rich and broad palette of methods, tools and techniques. Such competencies can make a substantial difference, in a complex world with an unacceptably high rate of project failure.
PMGT4850 Project Management Honours Project A

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Research, Lectures Prerequisites: Students are required to achieve a minimum 65% average mark in the Intermediate and Senior units of the normal BPM program to be eligible for entry to Honours. Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: It is expected that the Thesis will be conducted over two consecutive semesters and that the majority of students will start in Semester 1. Commencement in Semester 2 requires permission of Thesis coordinator (who may consult the Undergraduate or Program Director)
The ability to plan, systematically conduct and report on a major research project is an important skill for Project Managers. The most important deliverable in PMGT4850 and PMGT4851 is a formally written, academic-based research thesis. This is a major task that is to be conducted over the year in two successive units of study of 12 credit points each. Students will build on technical competencies previously obtained from years 1, 2 and 3 of the BPM course, as well as make use of the academic writing and communication skills they have developed.
In PMGT4850, students are required to plan and begin work on a research project, in consultation and close supervision by an academic staff member. Some of the projects will be experimental in nature, while others may involve computer-based simulation, design or literature surveys. In this unit, through close supervision and independent research, students will learn how to examine published and experimental literature and data, write reviews of literature, set down specific and achievable research objectives, organise a program of work and devise an experimental, developmental, or exploratory program of research using specific research methods or a combination of them (e.g. qualitative interviews, surveys, statistical analysis, mixed-method, etc.).
In PMGT4851, students are required to have completed most of their literature review and be in the "execution" phase of their research. This is where the bulk of the investigative work and data collection/analyses/validation takes place and much of the writing of the final thesis begins to eventuate.
From both units, the skills acquired will be invaluable to students undertaking project management work as it broadens their repertoire of skills including critical thinking, ability to ask good questions, ability to think "outside the box", critical review of existing literature, research and analytical skills and written and oral presentation. Students are expected to take the initiative and learn to be independent thinkers when pursuing their research project.
PMGT4851 Project Management Honours Project B

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Meeting, Research Prerequisites: Students are required to achieve a minimum 65% average mark in the Intermediate and Senior units of the normal BPM program to be eligible for entry to Honours. Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: It is expected that the Thesis will be conducted over two consecutive semesters and that the majority of students will start in Semester 1. Commencement in Semester 2 requires permission of Thesis coordinator (who may consult the Undergraduate or Program)
The ability to plan, systematically conduct and report on a major research project is an important skill for Project Managers. The most important deliverable in PMGT4850 and PMGT4851 is a formally written, academic-based research thesis. This is a major task that is to be conducted over the year in two successive units of study of 12 credit points each. Students will build on technical competencies previously obtained from years 1, 2 and 3 of the BPM course, as well as make use of the academic writing and communication skills they have developed.
In PMGT4850, students are required to plan and begin work on a research project, in consultation and close supervision by an academic staff member. Some of the projects will be experimental in nature, while others may involve computer-based simulation, design or literature surveys. In this unit, through close supervision and independent research, students will learn how to examine published and experimental literature and data, write reviews of literature, set down specific and achievable research objectives, organise a program of work and devise an experimental, developmental, or exploratory program of research using specific research methods or a combination of them (e.g. qualitative interviews, surveys, statistical analysis, mixed-method, etc.).
In PMGT4851, students are required to have completed most of their literature review and be in the "execution" phase of their research. This is where the bulk of the investigative work and data collection/ analyses/ validation takes place and much of the writing of the final thesis begins to eventuate.
From both units, the skills acquired will be invaluable to students undertaking project management work as it broadens their repertoire of skills including critical thinking, ability to ask good questions, ability to think "outside the box", critical review of existing literature, research and analytical skills and written and oral presentation. Students are expected to take the initiative and learn to be independent thinkers when pursuing their research project.
PMGT5875 Project Innovation Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Innovation is widely-recognised as a major driver of economic growth. Yet innovation projects can be difficult to manage: they typically involve a high level of uncertainty, and many organisations are unsatisfied with the level of innovation they achieve. In this unit of study, we focus on issues in the management of innovation projects at the individual project level, organisational level and across networks of organisations. Since a systematic approach can and does improve our effectiveness in managing innovation, we begin by exploring several different process models of the stages through which innovation projects are managed. We discuss context and challenges which impact such projects, as well as the concepts of creativity and intellectual property management. Using focused case studies, we analyse best practice in the structures and processes that organisations can provide to enable innovation, as well as to support the search, selection, implementation, dissemination, feedback and evaluation stages of their innovative projects. We also examine the impact of networks on innovation (e.g. collaboration networks), national innovation policies and systems, and trends towards open innovation.
PMGT5876 Strategic Delivery of Change

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Seminars Prohibitions: WORK6026 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
Welcome to PMGT5876 Strategic Delivery of Change. This course is designed to foster and promote critical thinking and the application of good theory to inform good practice in the strategic delivery of organisational change. The philosophy underpinning this course is design thinking. You will learn quite a bit about this idea over the duration of the course, and why it is increasingly important to change management. The course develops capabilities that will differentiate you from the average project manager and change agent, and which are in high demand in forward thinking organisations.
PMGT5879 Strategic Portfolio and Program Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Block mode
This unit specifically addresses the selection and prioritisation of multiple programmes and projects which have been grouped to support an organisation's strategic portfolio. The allocation of programmes of work within a multi-project environment, governing, controlling and supporting the organisation's strategy, are considered. The aim is to formulate and manage the delivery of the portfolio of strategies using programme management. Students will learn and practice the issues to be considered in selecting an effective organisation portfolio and how to implement a Portfolio Management Framework. Also they will encounter the many conflicting issues facing Program Managers as they seek to implement organisation strategy through programs and learn how to balance these to obtain desired outcomes.
PMGT5886 System Dynamics Modelling for PM

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Students should achieve an understanding of dynamical systems methods applied to complex adaptive systems (CAS). CAS is a new approach to engineering and management that studies and models how relationships between parts give rise to collective and dynamic system-level behaviours, for example, in communication and transport networks, megaprojects, social and eco-systems. Effectively implemented, the methods can dramatically improve a manager's effectiveness in today's complex and interconnected business world, by helping to predict and evaluate indirect effects of actions and policies. This course provides managers with many practical quantitative tools to enhance individual, team, and organisational learning, change, and performance.
PMGT6867 Quantitative Methods: Project Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assumed knowledge: Expect the basic understanding of the organisational context of projects and limited experience of working in a project team. Also, familiarity of different quantitative methods applied in the context of different project environments. Assessment: Through semester assessment (40%) and Final Exam (60%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening
Methods studied in this unit are used in a wide range of project management tasks and problems. The unit explains why and where particular methods are used and provides examples and opportunities to apply these methods in practice. This unit of study will also facilitate the understanding of the mechanics of these methods and their underlying theory.