CQUniversity Unit Profile
PPMP20011 Commercial Project Negotiation
Commercial Project Negotiation
All details in this unit profile for PPMP20011 have been officially approved by CQUniversity and represent a learning partnership between the University and you (our student).
The information will not be changed unless absolutely necessary and any change will be clearly indicated by an approved correction included in the profile.
General Information

Overview

Communicating through negotiation requires a mix of many skills including, soft skills, interpersonal skills, people skills, and subject matter and generic skills. This unit focuses the elements of negotiation and conflict, leadership communication, argument and persuasion, assertiveness and emotional intelligence, within the tangible commercial and legal attributes of the commercial project negotiation process. During the unit diverse and complex government and non-government contractural arrangements are investigated. Methods of project negotiation and conflict management in projects comprising differing technological and asset lifecycles are explored to obtain stakeholder commitment. As a result of the techniques, case studies and vinaigrettes studied students are shown how a foundation for lasting, fair and creative commercial project agreements between negotiating parties is obtained.

Details

Career Level: Postgraduate
Unit Level: Level 9
Credit Points: 6
Student Contribution Band: 10
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load: 0.125

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 3 - 2017

Brisbane
Distance
Melbourne
Sydney

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).

Class and Assessment Overview

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

Bundaberg, Cairns, Emerald, Gladstone, Mackay, Rockhampton, Townsville
Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney

Assessment Overview

1. Practical Assessment
Weighting: 25%
2. Practical Assessment
Weighting: 25%
3. Presentation and Written Assessment
Weighting: 20%
4. Portfolio
Weighting: 30%

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.

Previous Student Feedback

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 Staff feedback and peer review.

Feedback

Additional teaching, reading and case study material.

Recommendation

The material has been incorporated within the unit.

Unit Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
  1. Describe the operation of diverse and complex government and non-government project contractural arrangements relevant to a range of managed services, ICT, and build agreements.
  2. Analyse common arguments using logic, persuasion and influence factors as commonly applied to conflicting and/or competing stakeholder agendas.
  3. Differentiate methods of project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement across projects consisting of differing technology standards and asset lifecycles.
  4. Explain and apply methods of identifying and reconciling inconsistent and conflicting objectives and drivers that develop, maintain, mange relationships and communication with key stakeholders.
  5. Explain the consequences of project delays, disruptions, and changes to planned activities and the methods for claims variations, liquidated damages, contract entitlements, and arbitration.
  6. Evaluate project management tools that help avoid or provide conflict resolution via negotiated solutions.

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.

Alignment of Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Graduate Attributes
N/A Level
Introductory Level
Intermediate Level
Graduate Level
Professional Level
Advanced Level

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes

Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
1 - Practical Assessment - 25%
2 - Practical Assessment - 25%
3 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 20%
4 - Portfolio - 30%

Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes

Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5 6
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 - Practical Assessment - 25%
2 - Practical Assessment - 25%
3 - Presentation and Written Assessment - 20%
4 - Portfolio - 30%
Textbooks and Resources

Textbooks

There are no required textbooks.

Additional Textbook Information

This unit uses material from the Project Management Institute (PMI) web site www.pmi.org. Students should become either student or full members of the PMI to access the material used in this unit.

This unit also makes extensive use of Australian Standards and journal articles. Students will be required to download the required standards from the CQU Library access to the SAI Global web site, or source the standards themselves. Students will also be required to download the journal articles via the CQU Library web site.

IT Resources

You will need access to the following IT resources:
  • CQUniversity Student Email
  • Internet
  • Unit Website (Moodle)
Referencing Style

All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)

For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.

Teaching Contacts
Ghulam Chaudhry Unit Coordinator
g.chaudhry@cqu.edu.au
Schedule
Week 1 Begin Date: 06 Nov 2017

Module/Topic

Commercial Planning and Commercial Projects

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit

Events and Submissions/Topic

Unit Introduction

Lecture 1

Tutorial 1

Review Portfolio Assessment

Week 2 Begin Date: 13 Nov 2017

Module/Topic

Theory of Negotiation and Negotiation in Practice

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 2

Tutorial 2

Write Portfolio for Week 1

Week 3 Begin Date: 20 Nov 2017

Module/Topic

The Role of the Project Manager in Commercial Negotiation

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 3

Tutorial 3

Write Portfolio for Week 2

Week 4 Begin Date: 27 Nov 2017

Module/Topic

Managing Stakeholders' Commercial Interests vs. Stakeholders' Political Interests

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

  • Collaborative Project Procurement Arrangements (2015) by Derek H. T. Walker and Beverly M. Lloyd Walker;
    • Read Chapter 2, skim Chapter 3.

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 4

Tutorial 4

Write Portfolio for Week 3


Negotiation and Conflict Report Due: Week 4 Friday (1 Dec 2017) 5:00 pm AEST
Vacation Week Begin Date: 04 Dec 2017

Module/Topic


Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Week 5 Begin Date: 11 Dec 2017

Module/Topic

Communicating in Commercial Negotiation vs. Project Communication

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

  • Collaborative Project Procurement Arrangements (2015) by Derek H. T. Walker and Beverly M. Lloyd Walker;
    • Read Chapter 3, skim Chapter 4.

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 5

Tutorial 5

Write Portfolio for Week 4

Negotiation and Conflict Report Due: Week 5

Week 6 Begin Date: 18 Dec 2017

Module/Topic

Commercial Conflict Resolution

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

  • Collaborative Project Procurement Arrangements (2015) by Derek H. T. Walker and Beverly M. Lloyd Walker;
    • Read Chapter 4, skim Chapter 5.
  • Yousefi S., Hipel K.W., & Hegazy T. 2010. "Attitude-Based Strategic Negotiation for Conflict Management in Construction Projects". Project Management Journal Special Issue: PMI Research and Education Conference 2010 Volume 41, Issue 4, pages 99-107, September 2010http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pmj.20193/abstract.

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 6

Tutorial 6

Write Portfolio for Week 5

Week 7 Begin Date: 01 Jan 2018

Module/Topic

Disputes, Claims, Variations, and Arbitration

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

  • Collaborative Project Procurement Arrangements (2015) by Derek H. T. Walker and Beverly M. Lloyd Walker;
    • Read Chapter 5, skim Chapter 6.
  • Cheung S.O., & and Chow P.T. 2011. "Withdrawal in Construction Project Dispute Negotiation". Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. Volume 137, Issue 12 (December 2011)http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000388.

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 7

Tutorial 7

Write Portfolio for Week 6

Week 8 Begin Date: 08 Jan 2018

Module/Topic

Commercial Negotiation in Government vs. Private Organisations

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

  • Collaborative Project Procurement Arrangements (2015) by Derek H. T. Walker and Beverly M. Lloyd Walker;
    • Read Chapter 6, skim Chapter 7.

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 8

Tutorial 8

Write Portfolio for Week 7

Week 9 Begin Date: 15 Jan 2018

Module/Topic

Applying Project Management Standards and Frameworks

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

  • Collaborative Project Procurement Arrangements (2015) by Derek H. T. Walker and Beverly M. Lloyd Walker;
    • Read Chapter 7.

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 9

Tutorial 9

Write Portfolio for Week 8

Claims and Damages Report Due: Week 9


Claims and Damages Report Due: Week 9 Friday (19 Jan 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 10 Begin Date: 22 Jan 2018

Module/Topic

Contractual Arrangements in Commercial Projects

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 10

Tutorial 10

Write Portfolio for Week 9

Week 11 Begin Date: 29 Jan 2018

Module/Topic

Argument; Logic; Ethics

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 11

Tutorial 11

Write Portfolio for Week 10

Week 12 Begin Date: 05 Feb 2018

Module/Topic

The Future of Commercial Negotiation

Chapter

Mandatory Readings

  • Collaborative Project Procurement Arrangements (2015) by Derek H. T. Walker and Beverly M. Lloyd Walker;
    • Review.

Additional Readings and Activities

You will also be required to read some academic journal papers, visit web sites, or look at YouTube videos that will be identified on the website for this unit.

Events and Submissions/Topic

Lecture 12

Tutorial 12

Write Portfolio for Week 11

Presentation and Written Assessment Due: Week 12 


Presentation and Written Assessment Due: Week 12 Friday (9 Feb 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week Begin Date: 12 Feb 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Portfolio Due: Week 13


Portfolio Due: Review/Exam Week Friday (16 Feb 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Exam Week Begin Date: 12 Feb 2018

Module/Topic

Chapter

Events and Submissions/Topic

Portfolio Due: Review/Exam Week Friday (16 Feb 2018) 5:00 pm AEST
Assessment Tasks

1 Practical Assessment

Assessment Title
Negotiation and Conflict Report

Task Description

Assignment Overview

This assessment item requires you to consider:-

  • project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement across projects consisting of differing technology standards and asset lifecycles;
  • and methods of identifying and reconciling inconsistent and conflicting objectives and drivers that develop, maintain, mange relationships and communication with key stakeholders,

…you must then develop all the required documentation for a selected case study. The case study and associated template will be supplied on the Moodle web site.

Task

Your task is to consider the overview above and complete your strategic approach using the template that will be supplied during the unit.

You will be graded upon how well your documentation has been completed and reflects the needs of the case study.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this assessment item is to help you to develop skills in the objective, contents and compilation of project management commercial negotiation frameworks and principles.

The secondary purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to consider the role of the project manager within the commercial negotiation process.

The assignment will also give you the opportunity to enhance your analysis and written communication skills; particularly in the areas of structured assignment writing.

Structure

Your submission should be made using the supplied template. You should complete all of the required parts in as complete manner as you deem appropriate. The instruction boxes in the template that state they should be deleted must be deleted.


Assessment Due Date

Week 4 Friday (1 Dec 2017) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 6 Friday (22 Dec 2017)


Weighting
25%

Assessment Criteria

Your assignment will be assessed on the extent and quality to which it meets each of the following criteria.

  • Complete documentation is supplied? (20%)
  • The project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement is an accurate reflection of the requirements outlined in the case study? (30%)
  • The methods of identifying and reconciling inconsistent and conflicting objectives and drivers that develop, maintain, mange relationships and communication with key stakeholders is an accurate reflection of the requirements outlined in the case study? (30%)
  • Appropriate and well structured, concise and clear expression of project management requirements in response to the assessment task? (10%)
  • Clarity of expression, grammar and spelling? (10%)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Differentiate methods of project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement across projects consisting of differing technology standards and asset lifecycles.
  • Explain and apply methods of identifying and reconciling inconsistent and conflicting objectives and drivers that develop, maintain, mange relationships and communication with key stakeholders.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility

2 Practical Assessment

Assessment Title
Claims and Damages Report

Task Description

Assignment Overview

This assessment item requires you to consider:-

  • the consequences of project delays, disruptions, and changes to planned activities and the methods for claims variations, liquidated damages,contract entitlements, and arbitration;
  • and the project management tools that help avoid or provide conflict resolution via negotiated solutions.

…you must then develop all the required documentation for a selected case study. The case study and associated template will be supplied on the Moodle web site.

Task

Your task is to consider the overview above and complete your strategic approach using the template that will be supplied during the unit.

You will be graded upon how well your documentation has been completed and reflects the needs of the case study.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this assessment item is to help you to develop skills in the objective, contents and compilation of project management commercial negotiation frameworks and principles.

The secondary purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to consider the role of the project manager within the commercial negotiation process.

The assignment will also give you the opportunity to enhance your analysis and written communication skills; particularly in the areas of structured assignment writing.

Structure

Your submission should be made using the supplied templates. You should complete all of the required parts in as complete manner as you deem appropriate. The instruction boxes in the templates that state they should be deleted must be deleted.


Assessment Due Date

Week 9 Friday (19 Jan 2018) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Week 11 Friday (2 Feb 2018)


Weighting
25%

Assessment Criteria

Your assignment will be assessed on the extent and quality to which it meets each of the following criteria.

  • Complete documentation is supplied? (20%)
  • The proposals for mitigating the consequences of project delays, disruptions, and changes to planned activities and the methods for claims variations, liquidated damages,contract entitlements, and arbitration is an accurate reflection of the requirements outlined in the case study? (30%)
  • The project management tools proposed to help avoid or provide conflict resolution via negotiated solutions is an accurate reflection of the requirements outlined in the case study? (30%)
  • Appropriate and well structured, concise and clear expression of project management requirements in response to the assessment task? (10%)
  • Clarity of expression, grammar and spelling? (10%)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Explain the consequences of project delays, disruptions, and changes to planned activities and the methods for claims variations, liquidated damages, contract entitlements, and arbitration.
  • Evaluate project management tools that help avoid or provide conflict resolution via negotiated solutions.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility

3 Presentation and Written Assessment

Assessment Title
Presentation and Written Assessment

Task Description

This assessment item requires you to consider:-

  • The operation of the operation of diverse and complex government and non-government project contractural arrangements relevant to a range of managed services, ICT, and build agreements;
  • Common arguments using logic, persuasion and influence factors as commonly applied to conflicting and/or competing stakeholder agendas;
  • Methods of project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement across projects consisting of differing technology standards and asset lifecycles.

You must describe the above in the context of the theories and principles as espoused by researches and experts in the field.

You must submit a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation and then make a presentation to your peers that discusses and explains your insights to the above (flex students will answer questions over the phone).

You must also submit a written set of presentation notes or script that matches your presentation. The notes can be either part of your PowerPoint presentation or written and submitted separately in Microsoft Word.

You are encouraged to use assignment output and ideas that you may have developed from previous assignments within this unit as supporting evidence for your presentation.

Task

Your task is to consider the three learning outcomes in the context of this unit. You must then make a presentation of 15 minutes length that summarises the learning outcomes below and how they relate to the spectrum of the major project domains discussed during the unit (flex students will answer questions over the phone).

Once your 15 minute presentation has been made you must be prepared to answer questions for 10 minutes from unit participants.

You will be graded based on how well you have made your presentation and described, discussed, explained and critically analysed the project management theories and principles according to these assignment instructions.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this assessment item is to help you to develop and demonstrate your skills in the use of project management concepts, principles, theories and arguments about commercial project management negotiation. You are particularly required to demonstrate your ability to differentiate aspects of commercial negotiation as it relates to different projects and organisations. You must then be able to analyse and argue what type of commercial negotiation theories and concepts will enable better or worse project outcomes.

The secondary purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to enhance your analysis, critical thinking and written communication skills; particularly in the areas of argument development and oral presentation.

Structure

Your presentation should be a properly constructed academic presentation. It should contain an effective introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction should introduce the presentation and include your major arguments. The body should present the evidence you have collected to support your arguments, and the conclusion should restate your arguments, summarise the evidence and make a conclusion regarding your arguments.

The presentation should contain a coherent, but necessarily restricted review of the academic literature on the project management topics in question. Your literature review should be integrated into the presentation, not a separate section. Do not include an executive summary or an abstract. A reference list formatted in the prescribed Harvard style is compulsory. Do not include a bibliography.

This assessment item involves researching your assigned topic to enhance your understanding of project management concepts and utilisation of academic literature. Whilst you should use the recommended textbooks you may also refer to relevant peer reviewed, academic journal articles.

You will be expected to present information and evidence from, and cite, at least twenty (20) times from the text book material from the unit. You are also encouraged to cite other material that is peer reviewed.


Assessment Due Date

Week 12 Friday (9 Feb 2018) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Review/Exam Week Monday (12 Feb 2018)


Weighting
20%

Assessment Criteria

Your presentation will be assessed on the extent and quality to which it meets each of the following criteria.

  • A description and discussion of the operation of the operation of diverse and complex government and non-government project contractural arrangements relevant to a range of managed services, ICT, and build agreements? (20%)
  • An explanation of common arguments using logic, persuasion and influence factors as commonly applied to conflicting and/or competing stakeholder agendas? (20%)
  • Critical analysis of methods of project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement across projects consisting of differing technology standards and asset lifecycles? (20%)
  • Appropriate and well structured, concise and clear expression of project management arguments in response to the assessment task? (5%)
  • A clear flow of thought throughout the presentation with a clear purpose described in the introduction and a comprehensive conclusion? (5%)
  • A critical review and integration of relevant academic and professional literature (cited at least twenty (20) times)? (10%)
  • Clarity of expression, grammar and spelling? (5%)
  • Strict conformity to CQUniversity Australia Harvard Referencing Guide? (5%)
  • Appropriate presentation format and presented within slide and note/script limit: 10 to 20 slides & notes/script? (10%)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Describe the operation of diverse and complex government and non-government project contractural arrangements relevant to a range of managed services, ICT, and build agreements.
  • Analyse common arguments using logic, persuasion and influence factors as commonly applied to conflicting and/or competing stakeholder agendas.
  • Differentiate methods of project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement across projects consisting of differing technology standards and asset lifecycles.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility
  • Leadership

4 Portfolio

Assessment Title
Portfolio

Task Description

Assignment Overview

In this unit you are required to complete a weekly portfolio. A portfolio provides evidence of previous and current experience and presents a dynamic record of your growth and professional learning over the duration of this unit. Your portfolio will provide an account of your learning based on your practice and your critical reflection.

Task

Your task is to write a weekly portfolio reflecting upon your learning from the prior week. In your portfolio you will identify: the learning outcomes and module/topic of the unit, a description of your experience, including reading samples or records, your learning from your experiences, and any supporting documentation of prior or current learning.

Purpose

The primary purpose of this assessment item is to help you to develop skills for undertaking research and translating, via your technical and creative skills, underpinning concepts about project management commercial negotiation. The secondary purpose of this assignment is to give you the opportunity to enhance your analysis, critical thinking and written communication skills; particularly in the areas of thinking about and reflecting on different project domains and project management commercial negotiation. Developing a portfolio, as a result, makes your learning more explicit as you translate your workplace and personal experiences into documented evidence. You can then learn to critically examine the nature of your learning on this unit in relation to specific experiences in your project management practice and demonstrate that you have learned from those experiences and how you have achieved or maintained your professional competence as a result.

The assignment will also give you the opportunity to enhance your analysis and written communication skills; particularly in the areas of rigorous structured assignment writing.

Structure

You will be provided on the Moodle web site with a portfolio template. You should use this template and upload a weekly portfolio to the Moodle web site. At the end of this unityou will consolidate your portfolio into a single document and upload an overall consolidated portfolio submission. Your portfolio should contain a coherent, but necessarily restricted review of the academic literature related to the project management topics for each week. You should also include a weekly reference list formatted in the prescribed Harvard style. You are also encouraged to include a bibliography. This assessment item involves researching the topics to enhance your understanding of each concept through an utilisation of academic literature and secondary sources. Whilst you must use the recommended textbooks and web links, you should also refer to other sources on the Moodle web site and additional relevant peer reviewed academic journal articles of your choosing.

Weekly Portfolio

Your weekly portfolio can be as long or as short as you want it to be. It is your portfolio and shows your development of understanding during the unit. Naturally, this will make the portfolio different for everyone. Each student’s background, education, current and past work experiences is what makes it different.

Each student’s personal researches will be different. What you need to do is to give yourself enough time to reflect and show how you have thought and come to grips with the ideas that address the learning outcomes of the unit. The amount of time you should be allocating to the unit is 12 hours per week (which includes writing the portfolio). So there should be a fair bit of time for you to make the reflections and reach a depth of insight that will make the portfolio meaningful.

With each weeks portfolio that you submit you do not include the writing that you made for a prior week. Instead you use the same portfolio template using only the section for the week you are writing about. In other words each week’s portfolio is a reflection upon that week. You should however, revisit the whole of the unit learning outcomes each week. The portfolio for any previous week is a reflection of your insights and thoughts for that week. Once you upload the portfolio then leave it for that week. Over the duration of the unit you will find that there is a development and change of your ideas as you study the material. You will then have opportunity at the end of the unit to consolidate everything and show how you have gained the insights that the unit is seeking to provide. At the end of the unit you should review your weekly portfolios and consolidate them into a single submission. You should make a personal reflection in this submission. This is the assessment that gets marked.

It is to your benefit to have the personal discipline to make sure that you do not get behind. If you are allocating 12 hours per week for the unit then there is plenty of time for the portfolio. If you find that one week you slip then ok, but the unit is fundamentally planned so that you need to allocate 12 hours each week. Two hours lost in one week means that you need to do 14 hours the next!

The unit is straight forward, but there are lots of web sites to visit and material to download. The set readings are only part of the story and you won’t be able to do the unit with just the set readings. Unfortunately, much of the material is written from a North American perspective. You will need to consider other industry sectors and also to be able to translate the learning outcomes into an Australian or other cultural perspective. Therefore, you will need to download other files and visit web sites to be able to gather the material you need in your portfolio.

There are no bonus points for getting the portfolio perfect from the first week! In fact the portfolio for the first week is much more likely to be an amateurish attempt. It is unlikely that you’ll really know what you’re doing in the first and second week, and if you pretended you do then it would be hard to believe you anyway! Understanding and familiarity will only develop over time. As you do the portfolios’ each week and keep revisiting the learning outcomes and adding the unit material then you will gain insights required. Unless you do that on a weekly basis you won’t have the appropriate perspective to make the journey and reach the destination by the end of the unit.

Consolidated Portfolio

You will be provided with a template for the consolidated portfolio due at the end of the unit. Since you’ll have made your own journey studying during the unit then the material that you will want to include in this portfolio will be unique for you. Your final portfolio will explain how you have developed your understanding of the learning outcomes and the topics with each week’s study.

There are a number of ways you can provide a consolidated portfolio. It is up to you to decide which way work the best for you. You final portfolio MUST be made as a single submission. For example:-

  1. You could merge all your submissions into one and provide a single big file.
  2. You could alternatively zip all of the previous portfolios into one and use a single ‘master’ portfolio to refer back to each week.

You must NOT use an index and numbering system to identify material from prior week’s leaving each portfolio on the unit web site.

Whatever way that you do it; the final portfolio is the important one! It’s important that you make it clear to the marker what your consolidated portfolio refers to otherwise you may not get the marks you expect.

An analogy for the final portfolio is that you can imagine that you are going before an examination board at the end of the unit and presenting to them a complete portfolio of your journey through the unit. You will hand each board member a package that they should then be able to read and from it appreciate everything that you have done and learned during your work life and the unit.

Referencing

Ensuring you have accurate references is important and will allow the marker to easily identify where your portfolio maps to the unit or other peer reviewed material. Also you need to show how you have made critical reflection on the material and added your own unique insights.

Referencing should be made according to CQU’s Harvard referencing guide. To locate the guide then Google “CQU Harvard referencing” and download the PDF file for the current year.

It is as a consequence of your references and academic proficiency with critical analysis that you will be able to gain MAXIMUM MARKS.


Assessment Due Date

Review/Exam Week Friday (16 Feb 2018) 5:00 pm AEST


Return Date to Students

Exam Week Monday (12 Feb 2018)


Weighting
30%

Assessment Criteria

Your assignment will be assessed on the extent and quality to which it meets each of the following criteria.

  1. Evidence in regular weekly portfolios of meeting the graduate attributes? (20%)
  2. Qualitative reflections of each of the unit learning outcomes? (40%)
  3. Quantitative achievement of the unit topics? (20%)
  4. Clarity of expression, grammar and spelling? (5%)
  5. Strict conformity to CQUniversity Australia Harvard Referencing Guide (author-date)? (5%)
  6. Document clarity and presentation format? (10%)


Referencing Style

Submission
Online

Learning Outcomes Assessed
  • Describe the operation of diverse and complex government and non-government project contractural arrangements relevant to a range of managed services, ICT, and build agreements.
  • Analyse common arguments using logic, persuasion and influence factors as commonly applied to conflicting and/or competing stakeholder agendas.
  • Differentiate methods of project negotiation, conflict management, and stakeholder engagement across projects consisting of differing technology standards and asset lifecycles.


Graduate Attributes
  • Knowledge
  • Communication
  • Cognitive, technical and creative skills
  • Research
  • Self-management
  • Ethical and Professional Responsibility

Academic Integrity Statement

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?