Outline

Overview

Projects exist as and within complex systems of human activity. Systems thinking enables us to understand the patterns of interconnection both within projects and their dependencies to contextual forces. This Unit introduces students to a variety of systems thinking techniques which will help in responding to the interconnectedness of all things and taking action in face of uncertainty and ambiguity. Upon completion of the course, the students will learn to think and question critically, while building skills to deliver projects that align with organisational strategic objectives. This unit will help student understand how to manage change while exercising empathy and learn to listen effectively.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Project Management
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Michele Barnes, michele.barnes@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Michele Barnes, michele.barnes@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Jafar Hamra, jafar.hamra@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Amir Pakizeh, amir.pakizeh@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 2 September 2024

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final paper Pen-and-paper assessment conducted in exam period	40%	Formal exam period	2 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Focus questions Questions to be answered before Weeks 2-6 workshops	5%	Multiple weeks	150 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Workshops participation Workshop activities and discussions	5%	Ongoing	All semester
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Week 3 Quiz Online quiz to be completed in Canvas. #earlyfeedbacktask	5%	Week 03	10 questions/15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Week 6 Quiz Online quiz to be completed in Canvas.	5%	Week 06	10 questions/15 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Team Charter Presentation teams to complete a charter outlining key aspects of teamwork	5%	Week 08 Due date: 22 Sep 2024 at 23:59	4-5 pages
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Week 11 Quiz Online quiz to be completed in Canvas.	10%	Week 11	20 questions/30 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group presentation A 15 min in-class team presentation on nominated topic	25%	Week 12	15 mins
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Early feedback task

This unit includes an early feedback task, designed to give you feedback prior to the census date for this unit. Details are provided in the Canvas site and your result will be recorded in your Marks page. It is important that you actively engage with this task so that the University can support you to be successful in this unit.

Assessment summary

Focus Questions: Answers to five focus questions on topics to be covered in the next week’s workshop, to be submitted online in Weeks 2 – 6. Due 9 am on day of workshop. Each worth 1% of final mark, total 5 marks.
Participation: Contribution to workshop activities and discussions throught semester. Worth 5% of final mark.
Quizzes: Three quizzes in multiple choice question format. Week 3 quiz is the early feedback task consisting of 10 questions to be answered in 15 minutes and will cover the topics studied in weeks 1-2. Week 6 quiz will consist of 10 questions to be answered in 15 minutes and will cover the topics studied in weeks 3 to 5. Week 11 quiz will consist of 20 questions to be answered in 30 minutes and will cover the topics studied in weeks 6 to 10. Each question will have four possible answers, with one correct answer. These will be completed online in Canvas. Week 3 and 6 quizzes are worth 5% of the final mark each. Week 11 quiz is worth 10% of the final mark.
Team charter: Presentation teams to complete the charter template, including contact details, performance expectations and penalties, meetings schedule. Students must sign their team charter to gain 5 marks for assessment. Due Sun Week 8.
Group presentation: Teams to redesign a system of human activity using any tools and models covered in the unit. Members to select a topic they care about as a group. Possibilities for topics could include an aspect of social planning or government policy, or even local scenarios such as the way the university prepares graduates for the workforce - there are many possibilities. To be delivered by teams of no more than five in class in workshop time. Worth 25% of final mark.
Final paper: To be completed in formal exam period. The paper will comprise four (4) questions, each with a project scenario and a number of short answer questions. All questions worth equal marks. Worth 40% of final mark.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

*Attendance Requirements:

As per the Faculty of Engineering Coursework Awards Resolutions, students are expected to attend and actively engage in all timetabled activities of their respective units of study. For this unit of study, students are expected to attend a minimum of 90 percent of timetabled activities for a unit of study unless granted exception by the Dean or Head of School most concerned. A student may be determined to fail a unit of study because of inadequate attendance. Alternatively, at their discretion, they may set additional assessment items where attendance is lower than 90 percent.

Text-matching software for Assignment Submission:

As part of the assessment process, text matching software such as Turnitin may be used to identify plagiarism and/or be used for providing feedback.

Confidential Peer Evaluation:

As part of the group contribution assessment process, collaborative & self-peer evaluation tools (e.g. SparkPlus, CATME, etc.) may be used, either on a confidential or non-confidential basis, to understand contributions and interactions amongst group members. Marks may be adjusted for an individual team member, following on from the peer evaluation process.

Reliability of Canvas Marks:

Canvas will be used in this unit and while key assessments may be submitted via Canvas, it cannot be used to determine/ predict a student’s final marks in this unit. Not all assessment results may be visible to students and group/team marks can change for each individual team member based on the peer-evaluations conducted at the end of the semester.

Recycling Assignments Not Allowed:

Recycling involves submitting (or resubmitting) your own work that has already been assessed without the permission of the lecturer of this unit, and for which you have already been given feedback. Recycling is a form of academic dishonesty and will be handled in line with the coursework policy.

Mark Moderation:

There may be statistically defensible moderation when combining the marks from each component to ensure consistency of marking between markers, and alignment of final grades with unit outcomes.

Workshop Participation:

It is expected that students turn on the cameras during online workshops. Failure to do so, will result in the student being requested to show cause and failure to comply could be viewed as non-participation for assessment purposes.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. The penalty will be calculated by first marking the work, and then subtracting 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. Example: Consider an assignment's maximum awardable mark is 10; the assignment is submitted 2 days late; and the assignment is marked as 7/10. After applying the penalty, marks will be: 7 - (0.5 x 2) = 6/10. For work submitted more than ten calendar days after the due date a mark of zero will be awarded. The marker may elect to, but is not required to, provide feedback on such work. Refer to section 7A of Assessment procedures policy available at: http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2012/267&RendNum=0

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy 2023 reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy 2023. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to unit. History of systems thinking. Types of systems.	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 02	Hard and soft systems thinking. Mental models. Laws of the Fifth Discipline.	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 03	Types of complex projects. Structural complexity. 1. System dynamics	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 04	Structural complexity 2: Leverage points. The power of paradigms. The risk inter-dependencies tool	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 05	Directional complexity 1. Viable Systems Model.	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 06	Directional complexity 2. Multi-methodology in series. Soft systems methodology.	Workshop (1.5 hr)
Week 07	Images of projects	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 08	Critical system heuristics	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 09	Technical complexity. Jazz (time-linked semi-structures).	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 10	Temporal complexity	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 11	Capstone activity	Workshop (1.5 hr)
Week 12	Presentations	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 13	Presentations	Workshop (2 hr)

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. differentiate between selected key ‘control’ systems thinking models
LO2. differentiate between selected key ‘soft’ systems thinking models
LO3. critique the limitations of different approaches to systems thinking
LO4. select from appropriate systems thinking models according to context
LO5. apply systemic conceptual and analytic thinking to understand situations, cultures and strategies
LO6. explore fallacies of judgement
LO7. explain the impact of mental models on personal and stakeholder perspectives
LO8. apply systems thinking approaches to develop and evaluate options with potential to meet needs of all parties.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Updates to this unit for 2024 include adding the early feedback task consisting of a short online quiz in week 3, and replacing the in person quizzes with online quizzes to be completed in Canvas (which is less resource intensive and more environmentally sustainable). We also ensured there is no essay assignment anymore as they are becoming increasingly difficult to mark due to AI.

Additional information

Expected Conduct:

It is every student's responsibility to behave in accordance with the values and principles of mutual respect between staff, students and the University – see the Student Charter. This entails respecting all members of our diverse community and racism, sexism, ageism, dishonesty or defamation will not be tolerated, and instances will be reported to the authorities.

Work, health and safety

The University is dedicated to ensuring that all students have equal access to learning. Students can register with Disability Services and gain access to the adjustments and services they need to succeed in their studies. Faculty Disability Liaison Officers (FDLOs) can provide quick advice and support specific to your learning environment. As a student with a disability, Disability Services Officers are your main point of contact. Eligibility for these services is determined on an individual needs basis, upon review of the recommendations made in your supporting documentation and your consultation with a Disability Services Officer.

Our students’ wellbeing is our highest priority. The University offers several support channels to help you find relief from current emotional distress, explore coping strategies and advice pathways for longer term solutions:

Wellbeing support

If you would like support or to talk confidentially about any concerns that may be impacting on your academic performance or mental health and wellbeing with the Student Wellbeing team, the first step is to fill in this form. Once your form is received, a clinician from Student Wellbeing will call you within 1-2 business days to discuss your support needs.

Sonder

All University of Sydney International Students have free access to Sonder, a 24/7 on-demand safety and wellbeing app, to get you the support you need whenever you need, wherever you are.

Learn more: sydney.edu.au/students/sonder.html

Innowell

This is free to all students at the University. It is a digital platform designed to give you 24/7 on demand access to tools that assist in self-management of mental wellbeing and health and provide information about how to seek help as needed.

Learn more: sydney.edu.au/students/innowell.html

After hours mental wellbeing support line

If you’re in Australia and require support after hours, you can contact the Mental Wellbeing Support Line by calling 1300 474 065 or by texting 0488 884 429.

The Mental Wellbeing Support Line is available after 5pm from Monday to Friday, 24 hours on Saturday and Sunday, and during University close-down periods and public holidays.

Talk Campus

Life is full of challenges, and we want you to know that however you feel is valid. Download the Talk Campus mental health support app for free and instant access to online peer support 24/7, wherever you are in the world and in your own language:

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PMGT1711: Systems Thinking in Projects

Semester 2, 2024 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Early feedback task

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect