Overview
This unit is aimed at providing postgraduate students with a general introduction to the key features of modern project management practices within organisations. Students that undertake this unit will gain an understanding of the factors required to successfully manage projects by investigating how project success is realised through the application of tools and techniques related to project justification, planning, estimation, scheduling and execution. For students interested in further studies in project management this is the first unit in a series of project management units. Note: If you have completed unit COIS20008, MGMT22166 or PPMP20002 then you cannot take this unit.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2017
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluations, discussion with students, discussion with teaching team, self reflection.
Course content
No change required. Student feedback indicated that the course materials complemented each other very well. The material covered in the tutorial/practical sessions helped their learning and applied what had been covered in the lectures.The questions and case studies reinforced and tested their understanding of the course content covered in lectures. Students also indicated that they enjoyed the practical exercises, case study discussions, the Microsoft Project practicals and the assessment item 2 case study which allowed them to apply their new knowledge and skills.
No change required. Content about agile project management has been introduced into the unit.
Feedback from Student evaluations, discussion with students, discussion with teaching team, self reflection.
Assessment
No change required. Positive feedback was received about all assessment items. Students indicated that the case study in the second assignment provided them with the opportunity to apply their project management knowledge and skills to a concrete practical example which clearly helped them to understand the concepts more. Students also appreciated being able to discuss and compare answers within their groups so that the learning experience was enhanced. This was also facilitated by having sub-deliverables scheduled for the group meetings.
No change required. The sub-deliverables encourage incremental development and contribution to group work. Students have provided very positive feedback about the assessment items.
Feedback from Student evaluations, discussion with students, discussion with teaching team, self reflection.
Course website
No change required. Students indicated that the course content is relevant and that the website is well organised and easy to navigate. Students also indicated that the content on the website is at an appropriate level and supported the study of this course.
No change required. Minor improvements to the material and resources carried out over the year.
- Argue the importance of project management to the success of an organisation.
- Recognise the activities typically involved in the lifecycle of a project.
- Evaluate potential projects for an organisation.
- Describe how to build effective teams.
- Apply common project planning, scheduling, budgeting, and resource management tools and procedures in a project.
- Evaluate the status of a project and recommend appropriate corrective action where necessary.
- Describe the common techniques used for project quality assurance and project risk management.
- Assess the impacts of organisational, cultural, and governance issues on project success.
- Argue the role of ethics and professional standards in project management, and defend your position.
This unit will satisfy one of the core requirements for ACS accreditation in the postgraduate ICT course s.This unit is also part of an accreditation package granted by the Australia Computer Society (ACS). The unit contributes to the required number of academic study units for students wishing to undertake profession certification with the Project Management Institute's (PMI) professional qualifications, such as CAPM or PMP.
Australian Computer Society (ACS) recognises the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). SFIA is in use in over 100 countries and provides a widely used and consistent definition of ICT skills. SFIA is increasingly being used when developing job descriptions and role profiles.
ACS members can use the tool MySFIA to build a skills profile at https://www.acs.org.au/professionalrecognition/mysfia-b2c.html
This unit contributes to the following workplace skills as defined by SFIA. The SFIA code is included:
- Business Analysis (BUAN)
- Project Management (PRMG)
- Stakeholder Relationship Management (RLMT)
- Systems Integration (SINT), Change Management (CHMG)
- Release and Deployment (RELM)
- IT Operations (ITOP)
- Problem Management (PBMG)
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 10% | |||||||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 40% | |||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | |||||||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | |||||||||
| 2 - Communication | |||||||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | |||||||||
| 4 - Research | |||||||||
| 5 - Self-management | |||||||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | |||||||||
| 7 - Leadership | |||||||||
| 8 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | |||||||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | |
| 1 - Online Quiz(zes) - 10% | ||||||||
| 2 - Practical and Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||
| 3 - Examination - 50% | ||||||||
Textbooks
Project management: the managerial process
Edition: 1st edn (2013)
Authors: Larson, EW, Honig, B, Gray, CF, Dantin, U & Baccarini, D
McGraw Hill
Sydney Sydney , NSW , Australia
ISBN: 978-174307180-9
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- Access to Microsoft Project 2013 and Microsoft Word
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
j.jarvis@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Modern Project Management. Organisation Strategy and Project Selection
Chapter
Chapters 1 and 2 plus additional online material.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Form assessment item 2 groups
Module/Topic
Organisation: Structure and Culture
Chapter
Chapter 3
Events and Submissions/Topic
Form assessment item 2 groups
Module/Topic
Defining the Project. Communication and Documentation
Chapter
Chapter 4 and Gido & Clements Chapter 12 Unit Resources Online(CRO).
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Chapter 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Estimating Project Times and Costs
Chapter
Chapter 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Practice Online quiz 1
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Scheduling Resources and Costs
Chapter
Chapter 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment item 1: Online quiz 2 (10%)
Individual Assessment item 2 - sub-deliverable 1
Module/Topic
Chapter
Chapter 7 and Kerzner chapter 20 (CRO) plus additional online material.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Individual Assessment item 2 - sub-deliverable 2
Module/Topic
Reducing Project Duration
Chapter
Chapter 9
Events and Submissions/Topic
Individual Assessment item 2 - sub-deliverable 3
Module/Topic
Progress Performance Measurement and Evaluation
Chapter
Chapter 13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Individual Assessment item 2 - sub-deliverable 4
Module/Topic
Project Closure
Chapter
Chapter 14
Events and Submissions/Topic
Individual Assessment item 2 - sub-deliverable 5
Module/Topic
Leadership: Being an Effective Project Manager. Managing Project Teams
Chapter
Chapters 10 and 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment Item 2 Final Group Submission
Assessment item 2: Group Practical and Written Assessment Due: Week 11 Friday (26 May 2017) 4:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
An introduction to Agile Project Management. Project Management Career Paths.
Chapter
Chapters 17 and 18
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Online Quiz(zes)
This assessment item involves an online quiz. The quiz will be available on Monday in week 6 and will be open for approximately one week. It covers the content from weeks 1,2, 3, 4 and 5. It is worth 10% of your overall mark for the unit. The quiz consists of multiple choice and true/false questions. The online quiz allows one attempt and has a time limit. More details can be found on the unit website.
Note that in addition to the week 6 quiz described above, there is a practice quiz which will be open in week 5. It helps to prepare you for the week 6 quiz. It is shorter than the week 6 quiz and only covers content from weeks 1, 2 and 3. However, it will give you experience sitting the quiz and although it is not compulsory, you are strongly advised to attempt the practice quiz.
1
This quiz closes on Sunday, 23rd April, 11:59 PM.
The results will be available on the Monday the week after the quiz. You will be able to see feedback about your answers at that time.
Criteria
The quiz has 30 questions. Each question is of equal weighting.
- Recognise the activities typically involved in the lifecycle of a project.
- Assess the impacts of organisational, cultural, and governance issues on project success.
- Knowledge
2 Practical and Written Assessment
Group Case Study
This case study simulates a project management scenario where the student takes on the role of project manager. Students are required to use Microsoft project management software as part of this assessment task.
This is a group assignment (maximum of four members per group) supported by individual sub-deliverables. Note that although this is a group assignment, each group member is to attempt all parts of the assignment individually in assessment item sub-deliverables 1- 5. Members of the group are required to submit their own individual attempt for each of the sub-deliverables in Moodle before the group meets to consolidate answers to produce the "group solution". There are separate submission areas and due dates for the individual submissions and the final group solution. Sub-deliverables are due in weeks 6-10. The final group submission is to be submitted by only one member of the group. The names and student ids of all members of the group must appear clearly on the coversheet of the final assessment submission.
Peer assessment and your individual submissions will also be used to assess group member contributions. If any member of a team is not contributing satisfactorily to the group then he/she may have marks adjusted and/or be asked to leave the group and be required to work on the assignment as an individual.
Instructions on how to complete the peer assessment will be given in the assignment specification.
Remember that it is your responsibility to keep backups of your work and of your current version of the final group assignment.
To assist students in their assessment, the following information is provided:- Product development case description.
- Specific assessment questions that must be answered.
- Information regarding the submission of the assessment.
- Marking criteria.
This information can be found in the assignment specification document via the "Assessment item 2 - Final Group Submission" link on the Moodle unit website.
Week 11 Friday (26 May 2017) 4:00 pm AEST
Note: there are also 5 specific due dates for the 5 individual submissions of sub-deliverables due at the end of week 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10. See the course website for more details.
Exam Week Friday (16 June 2017)
| Description | Marks Available |
| 5 individual submissions of sub-deliverables + peer assessment | 5 |
| Initial project schedule development in Microsoft Project. (Part of final group submission) | 7 |
| Analysis of initial schedule, updates to schedule, analysis after changes. (Group submission) | 28 |
| Total | 40 |
- Apply common project planning, scheduling, budgeting, and resource management tools and procedures in a project.
- Evaluate the status of a project and recommend appropriate corrective action where necessary.
- Describe the common techniques used for project quality assurance and project risk management.
- Assess the impacts of organisational, cultural, and governance issues on project success.
- Knowledge
- Communication
- Cognitive, technical and creative skills
- Research
- Self-management
- Ethical and Professional Responsibility
- Leadership
Examination
Dictionary - non-electronic, concise, direct translation only (dictionary must not contain any notes or comments).
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
