Year
2024Credit points
10Campus offering
Prerequisites
NilTeaching organisation
2 hours per week for twelve weeks or equivalent.
Unit rationale, description and aim
Project management (PM) embodies concepts and solutions that supports the planning, scheduling, controlling, resource allocation, and performance measurement activities required for successful managerial completion of a project. As such, it is necessary for practitioners to have a comprehensive knowledge of project management from the standpoint of a manager who must organise, plan, implement, and control tasks to achieve an organisation's schedule, budget, and performance objectives. Essential tools and concepts, such as the project charter, scope statement, work breakdown structure, project estimating, and scheduling methodologies are investigated and applied, with underpinning concepts around the nature of a project and the management of risk addressed while respecting the dignity of the human person and team diversity. All tools present students with an organised approach to managing the uncertainties that can lead to undesirable project outcomes by identifying and mitigating risks that can result in cost overruns, delayed schedules, or failure to meet performance standards.
The ultimate aim of the unit is to equip students with practical behaviours in Project Management that are aligned with organisational mission and strategy benchmarked against best national and international standards and practices.
Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
| Learning Outcome Number | Learning Outcome Description | Relevant Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|
| LO1 | Examine the role that projects and project management play in accomplishing an organisation’s strategic objectives, taking into account the various types of organisations project structures, and respect for the human person and team diversity | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC4, GC7 |
| LO2 | Assess major schedule, cost, and performance risk elements and understand the approach for managing risks using qualitative as well as quantitative techniques; | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7 |
| LO3 | Develop a communications and closeout strategy that will maximise the value of the project experience to the organisation and other stakeholders by capturing best practices and lessons learned nationally and internationally | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7 |
| LO4 | Create a comprehensive project plan using appropriate information, project management and other technological tools | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7 |
Content
Topics will include:
· Defining project management/Modern project management
· Organisational strategy & project selection
· Organisation structure and culture
· Managing risk – Application Plan
· Defining the project
· Communications for project management plans
· Estimating project times and costs
· Developing a project schedule
· Scheduling resources and costs
· Monitoring, information systems, and project control
· Project auditing, evaluation, and termination
· Agile Project Management
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This Unit employs a learning and teaching strategy that combines active learning (engaging with online lecture videos, reading, writing and case studies to analyse, synthesise and problem solve) and peer learning methods (engaging with peers and the lecturer via online tools to collaborate, query and elaborate). Weekly live online classrooms will be offered at regular intervals throughout the teaching period to allow students’ synchronous access to their lecturer and peers at defined times or ACU Online 10 week asynchronous delivery mode. Use of applied case studies and scenarios with reference to legislation and standards as well as national and international contexts are used to facilitate applied action learning. The provision of timely student feedback is also a key aspect of the learning and teaching strategy as this allows students to direct future learning behaviours and performance in a meaningful way. The online learning environment can be challenging in terms of encouraging student interaction and participation, and the Unit’s teaching methods have been chosen because they are most likely to support the achievement of learning outcomes and participation by a geographically diverse cohort of students.
ACU Online
This unit uses an active learning approach to support students in the exploration of knowledge essential to the discipline. Students are provided with choice and variety in how they learn. Students are encouraged to contribute to asynchronous weekly discussions. Active learning opportunities provide students with opportunities to practice and apply their learning in situations similar to their future professions. Activities encourage students to bring their own examples to demonstrate understanding, application and engage constructively with their peers. Students receive regular and timely feedback on their learning, which includes information on their progress.
Assessment strategy and rationale
Three assessment items are required in this unit. The first assessment allows students to participate in online discussion forums to understand complex concepts in Project Management through reflection and collaboration. Students then compile a report of their discussion forum posts and responses to illustrate their gradual growth in understanding of the concepts through reflection and discussion with other contributors. The second assessment task is the development of a project communications and closeout strategy. The third assessment item requires students to create a project plan, based on a real project, either current or recently completed, or a fictitious project. However, if they are completing an OHSE degree, the project must be OHSE-related. The plan should demonstrate the use of appropriate project management tools and techniques introduced and investigated throughout the unit.
To pass this unit, students are required to achieve an overall mark of at least 50% and must attempt at all three assessment items. The assessment tasks for this unit are designed to demonstrate their achievement of each learning outcome.
Overview of assessments
| Brief Description of Kind and Purpose of Assessment Tasks | Weighting | Learning Outcomes | Graduate Capabilities |
|---|---|---|---|
Assessment Task 1: Online Discussion Forum Report This task consists of a 1000 word written report. This task requires students to communicate and interact with the cohort of students of varying cultures and background with the aim to illustrate the development of project management concepts and approaches through personal reflection and collaborative discussion capturing the respect of human dignity and team diversity. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Report Artefact: Written Report | 25% | LO1, LO2 | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7 |
Assessment Task 2: Communication and Closeout Plan This assessment task consists of 1250 word written strategy plan. This task assesses students’ ability to develop a communications and closeout strategy that will maximise the value of the project experience to the organisation by capturing best practices and lessons learned nationally and internationally. Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Written Communications and Closeout Plan Artefact: Written plan | 35% | LO3 | GC2, GC3 |
Assessment 3: Creating a Project Plan This assessment task consists of a 1750 word written project plan. This task requires students to create a project plan, based on a real project, either current or recently completed, or a fictitious project. This task requires students to develop and produce a written project plan using appropriate management tools and techniques covered in the unit. However, if completing an OHSE degree, the project must be OHSE-related. The plan should demonstrate the use of appropriate project management tools and techniques, within the context of OHSE, introduced and investigated throughout the unit Submission Type: Individual Assessment Method: Project Plan Artefact: Written project plan | 40% | LO2, LO4 | GC1, GC2, GC3, GC7 |
Electronic submission, marking and return is being used for this unit. Submission will be via Turnitin, and checking for academic honesty and integrity will occur.
Representative texts and references
Association of Project Management http://www.apm.org.uk/
Blair, AA., 2020, Agile Project Delivery A Practical Approach for Corporate Environments Beyond Software Development. Canadian Scholars Press.
Gido, J & Clements, Rose Baker 2017, Successful Project Management, (7th edn), Thomson South-Western.
Info-Systems Executive – IT Project Management Case Studies: http://www.itbusiness.ca/
International Journal of Project Management http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/journaldescription.cws_home/30435/description#description
Larson, EW, Gray, CF, 2021, Project Management: The Managerial Process, McGraw Hill, New York, NY.
Meredith, Jack R. and Mantel, Samuel J. Jr. (2015). Project Management: A Managerial Approach, 10th Edition. Wiley.
Parker, D & Craig, M 2008, Managing Projects, Managing People, Palgrave Macmillan, MS&E Australia. Schwalbe, K 2014, Information Technology Project Management, (7th edn), Course Technology, Mason, OH.
Project Management Institute: http://www.pmi.org/