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Unit outline_

PMGT3850: Project Management Capstone Project A

Semester 1, 2020 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Civil Engineering
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
[24 cp of 2000 or 3000 level units of study]
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Ken Chung, ken.chung@sydney.edu.au
Project supervisor(s) Muriel Rauch, muriel.rauch@sydney.edu.au
Graham Watt, graham.watt@sydney.edu.au
Margaret Ogston, margaret.ogston@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Presentation hurdle task Final presentation
10% - 20 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO4 LO5
Assignment Project report
40% - 50 pages
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO8
Small continuous assessment Individual reflection
5% - n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO4 LO6 LO8
Participation Participation
15% Multiple weeks n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO8
Assignment Team charter
5% Week 05 n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO2
Presentation Project & Progress presentation
10% Week 12 20 minutes
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO2
Assignment Project proposal
15% Week 13 n/a
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO3 LO2
hurdle task = hurdle task ?

Assessment summary

Please note that this unit of study requires at least 9-10 hours of self-study or group work per week on average, outside your timetabled workshop hours. Please consider this workload when planning your time and effort for the semester.

  • Team charter: Using a suitable template, students will lay out the ground rules for the successful operation of your team, including contact details, communication plan, expectations and so on. All team members are to sign off. A student who appends their signature to a charter in which all sections have been completed to a satisfactory standard will receive full marks. This is to be submitted via email to lecturer. 
  • Project & Progress Presentation: Students are to deliever a formal oral presentation. During this presentation, teams are to showcase their project proposal to an academic or/and industry partner with the use of a presentation medium. It is compulsory for every team member to contribute and participate in the presentation.
  • Project proposal: The project proposal is very similar to a business case in that the background of the problem or new opportunities, objectives, listing; and evaluation of alternative solutions to the problem or new opportunity is presented. Also, the high-level plan, scope of work, assumptions, resource commitments, cost and time estimates need to be provided. The project charter should also be included and signed off by all team members of the project. In the event of a research project, a research Plan and Progress Report is required from the group. This should include problem/task specification, literature survey, proposed methodology, expected outcomes, progress in first semester and proposed timeline.
  • Participation: Students are expected to demonstrate active engagement, and confidential peer and self-evaluation (CPE). Active Engagement includes the consistency and quality of engagement, useful contribution and constructive feedback an individual brings to the team. This will be noted by the supervisor throughout the project life cycle. The Confidential Peer Evaluation (CPE) allows each and every team member to reflect and confidentially evaluate the contribution of every other team member including themselves. The CPE is designed as a mechanism to prevent poor contribution from others as well as to avoid resulting situations where the entire team performs poorly. CPE tools include CATME, online forms, etc. and either of them or a combination of them may be used to assess participation.
  • Individual reflection: Students will be required to keep an individual reflective journal that captures the progression and dynamics of the project, as well as record personal/team learning and development. This reflection exercise should be continuously undertaken over the two semesters. Students will be given the opportunity to submit their journals in week 13 for initial feedback. The assessment of this activity will be based on the regularity of submissions, the conscientious effort made by the student and the degree of critical insight of the entries.
  • Presentation: Students are to present a formal oral and poster presentation. During these presentations, teams showcase their project through the use of a display to industry professionals and academics. It is compulsory for every team member to contribute and participate in the presentation. 
  • Project report: While the project work is conducted in groups, the project report must be written and submitted individually. A statement identifying the specific contributions of the student and others must be included. Students should closely consult Project Guidelines handout and Project Marking Sheet for content and formatting requirements.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

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.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 Orientation to Capstone Projects Inc. Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 02 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 03 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 04 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 05 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 06 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 07 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 08 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 09 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 10 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 11 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 12 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  
Week 13 Project work Workshop (2 hr)  

Attendance and class requirements

  • Lecture: There will be minimal formal lectures as the weekly sessions are designed to be practical sessions where students work under the supervision of an experienced project professional to develop their project plan.
  • Meeting: Weekly meetings with supervisor/sponsor are required, unless otherwise agreed.
  • Project work: Students will need to undertake an additional 10 hours per week of independent and team based work in order to achieve the outcomes of the unit and complete assessment activities.

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 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.

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

  • LO1. prepare planning contributions for complex large-scale projects that are credible, transparent and complete; including project strategy, scope, business case, and assessment of time, costs, risks and probabilities
  • LO2. develop and implement effective control and response mechanisms for specific aspects of project contracting, procurement, quality control and progress management, with due regard for overall project goals, dependencies and business value; includes handling of minor variations
  • LO3. select and use appropriate modelling tools and methods for assigned project objectives, demonstrating a thorough understanding of the assumptions and limitations involved
  • LO4. contribute to the development of a productive shared approach to project roles and responsibilities and their alignment with project goals and strategy, as consistent with relevant principles and practice
  • LO5. convey complex material accurately, informatively and constructively for broadly defined objectives and audiences
  • LO6. demonstrate probing critical judgment regarding content requirements, issues, evidence, assumptions and uncertainties, within given theoretical and practical guidelines
  • LO7. reliably interpret and make appropriate use of specialist language
  • LO8. take initiative in furthering own project management professional development and engage with recommended project management knowledge sources, whether from PMI or other industry bodies.

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

This unit of study has benefited from feedback from the past cohort of fellow students.

Weekly schedule is tentative and may change as required.

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.