University of Sydney Handbooks - 2019 Archive

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Bachelor of Project Management

Bachelor of Project Management

Award requirements

To qualify for the award of the Bachelor of Project Management, a candidate must complete 144 credit points, comprising:
(a) 84 credit points of degree core units of study as set out in the table below;
(b) A major (48 credit points) from the list of majors from the table below or from Table S in the Shared Pool for Undergraduate Degrees;
(c) Optionally, a Table A minor (36 credit points), noting that specified core units may be cross counted in Table A minors
(d) and additional electives from Table A as may be necessary to gain credit to complete the requirements of the degree.
Majors
Table A majors available in this course are:
Construction
Built Environment
Minors
Table A minors available in this course are:
Project Controls
People and Change

Degree Core

The degree core units of study required for this course are listed below.
1000-level units of study
ENGG1850 Introduction to Project Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials, Laboratories Assessment: Through semester assessment (50%) and Final Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Organisations today are heavily reliant on projects as part of their daily operations. A project is a temporary endeavour undertaken with limited resources to achieve organisational goals that are linked to broader organisational strategies and missions. Project management is therefore the process of planning, scheduling, resourcing, budgeting and monitoring the various phases of a project.
"Introduction to Project Management" is an introductory course that teaches students essential principles and concepts of project management, its application and related technologies. Students will learn about the project organisation, its structure, and role of the project manager, project sponsor and project committee. In addition, students will also learn how to identify business problems that require project-based solutions, how to select and evaluate projects, develop a business case, and manage the project at a basic level.
At completion of the course, students will have a high-level understanding of project management concepts, which equips them with basic technical and managerial skills required for project-based organisations.
ENGG1860 Project Initiation and Scope

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: lectures, tutorials Assessment: through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Projects need to be set up to succeed from the start. This includes careful consideration of the purpose of the project and how this breaks down through work, deliverables and responsibility. This Unit of Study addresses the techniques required to design a successful project. It provides the foundation for more detailed planning and execution. Upon completion of this course, students will develop thinking and listening skills, while demonstrating initiative and drive to achieve project related outcomes.
ENGG1863 Effective Project Communication

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: lectures, tutorials Assessment: through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Project management is a rapidly growing profession applied across all industries. This subject provides an overview of project management and its relationship to program and portfolio management and the broader business context. The Unit introduces students to variations in project management as interpreted and applied in different industries. It will cover the nature of the project management profession, project career paths and the graduate qualities sought by employers. It introduces the primary professional standards and project management terminology. Projects are constructed and progressed through communication. Effective communication can save a poor project just as much as poor communication can undermine previously successful implementation. This Unit of Study covers the essential skills of effective project communication and sets students up to exercise influence through interpersonal skills and construct patterns of communication suitable to the demands of different projects. This unit will help students develop critical thinking and source and use information in their decision making. Students will focus on personal integrity and reliability as well as self awareness.
ENGG1865 Project Time, Cost and Resources

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures, tutorials Prohibitions: CIVL3805 Assessment: through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Project management requires complex planning decisions with regards to schedules, budgets and resources in both traditional and agile environments. This unit of study introduces students to tools, methods and approaches such as the work breakdown structure, milestone planning, precedence diagram, Gantt charts and critical pathways. These tools and techniques help project managers balance time, cost and resources; and understand the impact on the schedule, budget and resource allocation associated with potential risks.
PMGT1711 Systems Thinking in Projects

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures, tutorials Assessment: through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
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.
PMGT1852 Facilitation and Stakeholder Engagement

Credit points: 6 Session: Intensive June,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assumed knowledge: ENGG1850 Assessment: through semester assessment (50%) and final exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Effective stakeholder management and communication play a vital role in the success of projects. Project managers and leaders often express that stakeholder management, leadership and communication are often the most sought-after competencies. This unit of study focuses on the process of stakeholder identification; defining their roles and responsibilities; understanding their organisation mission, vision and overall strategic objectives; alignment and prioritisation of specific project needs and requirements; with emphasis on stakeholder engagement/analytic methodologies such as analysing stakeholder influence, reliance, collaboration and communication networks. The unit of study will also cover aspects of psychology, emotional intelligence, communication techniques and leadership qualities required for effective performance in project management roles.
2000-level units of study
ENGG2855 Project Acceptance

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Laboratories, Tutorials Prerequisites: PMGT1852 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Project Acceptance offers a specific, succinct, step-by-step project quality management process. It offers an immediate hands-on capability to improve project implementation and customer satisfaction in any project domain and will help maintain cost and schedule constraints to ensure a quality project. This unit introduces tools and techniques that implement the general methods defined in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge-Third Edition (PMBOK) published by the Project Management Institute (PMI), and augment those methods with more detailed, hands-on procedures that have been proven through actual practice. This unit is aimed at providing students an explicit step-by-step quality management process, along with a coherent set of quality tools organised and explained according to their application within this process that can be applied immediately in any project context. It further introduces a Wheel of Quality that codifies in one complete image the contributing elements of contemporary quality management. It also help in understanding the process for establishing a new quality tool, the pillar diagram, that provides a needed capability to identify root causes of undesirable effects.
ENGG2851 Project Analytics

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Summer Main Classes: Lectures, Tutorials, Laboratories Prerequisites: ENGG1860 OR [ENGG1850 AND (MATH1021, MATH1002, MATH1023, MATH1005) OR (MATH1011, MATH1013, MATH1014, MATH1015)] Assessment: Through semester assessment (50%) and Final Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Project Management Data analytics (DA) provides extensive coverage related to examining raw data with the purpose of drawing conclusions about that information. It is used in many industries to allow companies and organisation to make better business decisions and in the sciences to verify or disprove existing models or theories. Here, we focus our effort on providing in-depth knowledge and skills to students focusing on inference, process of deriving a conclusion based solely on what is already known by the project manager.
PMGT2854 Executing Projects

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Laboratories, Tutorials Prerequisites: ENGG1860 OR ENGG1850 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
What is concurrent engineering? What are the different components? Why do we need to get products to market fast? What really matters? Starting with a vision, creating great teams that work and creating processes that work effectively around the teams. Teams need to complement processes, and processes need to complement teams. Individuals and teams also evolve processes. In fact great systems are those that can evolve and adapt without a centralised management. The artist that creates a great system is the one that can make a sustainable design.
PMGT2821 Project Conflict Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures, tutorials Prerequisites: PMGT1852 Assessment: through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
All projects exist in the context of conflicting priorities. Conflict can start from the point of inception when there may be different ideas about what should be achieved in a project. It can continue through negotiation of contracts to deliver the work, to robust discussion as to what counts as acceptable upon delivery. This Unit develops students' ability to anticipate, understand and ameliorate conflict, reaching negotiated agreements that are acceptable to all parties. Unexpected conflict crises also arise requiring project managers to mediate an outcome that allows the project to move forward. This unit helps students understand multiple perspectives of stakeholders, build interpersonal skills and integrity to resolve conflicts in a constructive manner.
PMGT2822 Reframing Projects

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: lectures, tutorials Prerequisites: ENGG1863 OR PMGT1852 Assessment: through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The possibilities inherent in any project are constrained by the assumptions that we, and other stakeholders, bring to it. This Unit of Study focuses on techniques, such as design thinking, for reframing our understanding of what is possible in any given project in order to enhance value. Upon the completion of this course, students will develop skills to think diversely, take action in ambiguity and ensure projects deliver value to all stakeholders.
PMGT2711 Critical Thinking for Projects will be available from 2020
3000-level units of study
PMGT3858 Adapting to Project Context

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Prerequisites: PMGT2854 OR ENGG2852 Assessment: Through semester assessment (50%) and Final Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
Complex projects have always existed, but their frequency and importance are increasing in a complex, intertwined world. 'Complex' is qualitatively different from 'complicated. ' Complex projects are characterised by a web of interactions between their elements that lead to non-linearity, emergence, adaptiveness and other novel features. That is to say, they behave as Complex Adaptive Systems, and they should be managed as such. The majority of projects demonstrate some degree of complexity. The traditional model of projects is expressed in standard methodologies such as PMBoK, Prince2, and MS Project. While absolutely necessary as a basis for effective project management, the limitations of these methodologies become evident when uncertainty - structural, technical, directional or temporal - begins to intrude on a project. In these situations, a systemic pluralist approach is to be preferred. Project management then becomes less like painting by numbers, and more like selecting from a rich and broad palette of methods, tools and techniques. Such competencies can make a substantial difference, in a complex world with an unacceptably high rate of project failure.
ENGG3854 Legal Aspects of Projects

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2,Summer Main Classes: Lectures, Laboratories, Tutorials Prerequisites: PMGT2821 OR (ENGG2850 AND ENGG2852) Prohibitions: CIVL3813 or CIVL4813 Assessment: Through semester assessment (50%) and Final Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
In this unit, we draw on examples on project negotiation and contracting from "real-life" business situations and provide practical information on what to do and what not to do. Student would be exposed to the complexity involved in negotiation and contracting from initiation to formalization of final form of contract which is agreed upon and executed by all parties. Students will be taught how to understand each party's interests and then working towards reaching a common goal. In particular, dealing with complex characters including situations will be covered.
We will provide a basic understanding of commercial contracts and all their ramifications every step of the way. This unit also explains the basics of commercial contract law, highlights how to spot potential issues before they become a problem and then how to work with a lawyer more effectively if things go wrong which is intended for corporate managers rather than lawyers. This unit further contains coverage on forming contracts, restitution, contract interpretation, modification and dispute resolution. We also discuss remedies, performance, and third-party beneficiaries.

Electives

2000-level units of study
ENGG2850 Project Cost and Finance

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials, Laboratories Prerequisites: ENGG1850 OR (ENGG1865 AND [24 cp of BPM core 2000 level units]) OR (30 cp of any 2000 level units of study) Prohibitions: CIVL3812 OR CIVL2812 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This is a theory and case study based unit providing students with a unified approach to the analysis of project value, supported by explicit methods for ranking and selection of projects on the basis of returns and sensitivity. The unit uses "Project Finance" as a vehicle for descibing the fundamentals of project management financing and contrasts it with "Direct Financing", a more traditional approach to funding projects.
3000-level units of study
PMGT3856 Sustainability and Knowledge Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
The concepts of sustainability and corporate responsibility are gaining importance in our globalised economy. They have been increasingly influencing business and project objectives and it is becoming imperative that they are incorporated into the practice of project management.
This unit of study embraces this new reality by providing students with an expanded understanding of value creation and how this is delivered through projects. The emphasis is on using projects to deliver value not only in terms of economic capital but also developing social capital and preserving natural capital. These will be underpinned by an appreciation of the standards, principles and frameworks that exist, both in Australia and internationally, to govern the preservation of the environment and increase the development of social capital.
Case studies will be used to create learning processes as students consider and confront the dilemmas that project managers face as they strive to deliver shareholder value, whilst considering social and environmental impacts these projects may have. Cases discussed in this unit will allow students to explore both the opportunities and pitfalls companies and non-government organisations face in targeting sustainability issues and how their values and core assumptions impact their business strategies.
Concepts such as corporate responsibility, the triple bottom line, the business case for sustainability, supply chain management and responsible purchasing and knowledge management will be discussed and students will consider how these influence project delivery.
PMGT3857 International Project Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Laboratories, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) day
This unit provides specific guidelines for achieving greater international project success. It addresses the need for modern techniques in project management geared and suited to international projects. It provides opportunity to students to have orientation towards lessons learned from failures and problems in international projects, and suggest alternative solutions for project issues. The critical success factors for managing international projects together with management issues related to vendors and outsourcing across national boundaries are also discussed. It further deals with managing businesses effectively address cross- cultural, social, and political issues.
Additional 3000-level electives will be available from 2020.

Project Management Honours

A candidate for Honours in Project Management must enrol in the following Honours Project units:
PMGT4850 Project Management Honours Project A

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Research, Lectures, Meetings Prerequisites: Students are required to achieve a minimum 65% average mark in the 2000-level and 3000-level or higher units of the normal BPM program to be eligible for entry to Honours. Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: It is expected that the Thesis will be conducted over two consecutive semesters and that the majority of students will start in Semester 1. Commencement in Semester 2 requires permission of Thesis coordinator (who may consult the Undergraduate or Program Director)
The ability to plan, systematically conduct and report on a major research project is an important skill for Project Managers. The most important deliverable in PMGT4850 and PMGT4851 is a formally written, academic-based research thesis. This is a major task that is to be conducted over the year in two successive units of study of 12 credit points each. Students will build on technical competencies previously obtained from years 1, 2 and 3 of the BPM course, as well as make use of the academic writing and communication skills they have developed.
In PMGT4850, students are required to plan and begin work on a research project, in consultation and close supervision by an academic staff member. Some of the projects will be experimental in nature, while others may involve computer-based simulation, design or literature surveys. In this unit, through close supervision and independent research, students will learn how to examine published and experimental literature and data, write reviews of literature, set down specific and achievable research objectives, organise a program of work and devise an experimental, developmental, or exploratory program of research using specific research methods or a combination of them (e. g. qualitative interviews, surveys, statistical analysis, mixed-method, etc. ).
In PMGT4851, students are required to have completed most of their literature review and be in the "execution" phase of their research. This is where the bulk of the investigative work and data collection/analyses/validation takes place and much of the writing of the final thesis begins to eventuate.
From both units, the skills acquired will be invaluable to students undertaking project management work as it broadens their repertoire of skills including critical thinking, ability to ask good questions, ability to think "outside the box", critical review of existing literature, research and analytical skills and written and oral presentation. Students are expected to take the initiative and learn to be independent thinkers when pursuing their research project.
PMGT4851 Project Management Honours Project B

Credit points: 12 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Meeting, Research Prerequisites: Students are required to achieve a minimum 65% average mark in the 2000 and 3000 level units of study in the normal BPM program to be eligible for entry to Honours. Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Supervision
Note: Department permission required for enrolment
Note: It is expected that the Thesis will be conducted over two consecutive semesters and that the majority of students will start in Semester 1. Commencement in Semester 2 requires permission of Thesis coordinator (who may consult the Undergraduate or Program)
The ability to plan, systematically conduct and report on a major research project is an important skill for Project Managers. The most important deliverable in PMGT4850 and PMGT4851 is a formally written, academic-based research thesis. This is a major task that is to be conducted over the year in two successive units of study of 12 credit points each. Students will build on technical competencies previously obtained from years 1, 2 and 3 of the BPM course, as well as make use of the academic writing and communication skills they have developed.
In PMGT4850, students are required to plan and begin work on a research project, in consultation and close supervision by an academic staff member. Some of the projects will be experimental in nature, while others may involve computer-based simulation, design or literature surveys. In this unit, through close supervision and independent research, students will learn how to examine published and experimental literature and data, write reviews of literature, set down specific and achievable research objectives, organise a program of work and devise an experimental, developmental, or exploratory program of research using specific research methods or a combination of them (e. g. qualitative interviews, surveys, statistical analysis, mixed-method, etc. ).
In PMGT4851, students are required to have completed most of their literature review and be in the "execution" phase of their research. This is where the bulk of the investigative work and data collection/analyses/validation takes place and much of the writing of the final thesis begins to eventuate.
From both units, the skills acquired will be invaluable to students undertaking project management work as it broadens their repertoire of skills including critical thinking, ability to ask good questions, ability to think "outside the box", critical review of existing literature, research and analytical skills and written and oral presentation. Students are expected to take the initiative and learn to be independent thinkers when pursuing their research project.
Candidates for Honours in Project Management must select 24 credit points from the following list of electives:
PMGT5875 Project Innovation Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials, E-Learning Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Block mode, Online
Innovation is widely-recognised as a major driver of economic growth. Yet innovation projects can be difficult to manage: they typically involve a high level of uncertainty, and many organisations are unsatisfied with the level of innovation they achieve. In this unit of study, we focus on issues in the management of innovation projects at the individual project level, organisational level and across networks of organisations. Since a systematic approach can and does improve our effectiveness in managing innovation, we begin by exploring several different process models of the stages through which innovation projects are managed. We discuss context and challenges which impact such projects, as well as the concepts of creativity and intellectual property management. Using focused case studies, we analyse best practice in the structures and processes that organisations can provide to enable innovation, as well as to support the search, selection, implementation, dissemination, feedback and evaluation stages of their innovative projects. We also examine the impact of networks on innovation (e.g. collaboration networks), national innovation policies and systems, and trends towards open innovation.
PMGT5876 Strategic Delivery of Change

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Seminars, E-Learning Prohibitions: WORK6026 Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Online, Block mode
Welcome to PMGT5876 Strategic Delivery of Change. This course is designed to foster and promote critical thinking and the application of good theory to inform good practice in the strategic delivery of organisational change. The philosophy underpinning this course is design thinking and storytelling. You will learn quite a bit about these ideas over the duration of the course, and why it is increasingly important to change management. The course develops capabilities that will differentiate you from the average project manager and change agent, and which are in high demand in forward thinking organisations: be they in private, public or third sector.
PMGT5879 Strategic Portfolio and Program Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials, E-Learning Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Online, Block mode
This unit specifically addresses the selection and prioritisation of multiple programmes and projects which have been grouped to support an organisation's strategic portfolio. The allocation of programmes of work within a multi-project environment, governing, controlling and supporting the organisation's strategy, are considered. The aim is to formulate and manage the delivery of the portfolio of strategies using programme management. Students will learn and practice the issues to be considered in selecting an effective organisation portfolio and how to implement a Portfolio Management Framework. Also they will encounter the many conflicting issues facing Program Managers as they seek to implement organisation strategy through programs and learn how to balance these to obtain desired outcomes.
PMGT5886 System Dynamics Modelling for PM

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials Assessment: Through semester assessment (100%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Online
Students should achieve an understanding of dynamical systems methods applied to complex adaptive systems (CAS). CAS is a new approach to engineering and management that studies and models how relationships between parts give rise to collective and dynamic system-level behaviours, for example, in communication and transport networks, megaprojects, social and eco-systems. Effectively implemented, the methods can dramatically improve a manager's effectiveness in today's complex and interconnected business world, by helping to predict and evaluate indirect effects of actions and policies. This course provides managers with many practical quantitative tools to enhance individual, team, and organisational learning, change, and performance.
PMGT6867 Quantitative Methods: Project Management

Credit points: 6 Session: Semester 1,Semester 2 Classes: Lectures, Tutorials, E-Learning Assessment: Through semester assessment (50%) and Final Exam (50%) Mode of delivery: Normal (lecture/lab/tutorial) evening, Online
Methods studied in this unit are used in a wide range of project management tasks and problems. The unit explains why and where particular methods are used and provides examples and opportunities to apply these methods in practice. This unit will also facilitate the understanding of the mechanics of these methods and their underlying theory.
Notes
1. The Honours program is completed as an additional year. Students are required to achieve a minimum 65% average mark in the 2000-level and 3000-level or higher units of the above program to be eligible for entry to Honours.
2. Students undertaking the Honours program may enrol in alternative postgraduate Project Management units with permission of the Program Director.


For a standard enrolment plan for Bachelor of Project Management visit CUSP https://cusp.sydney.edu.au