Outline

Overview

Projects are a common way to coordinate activities in organisations. While traditional methods follow a planning logic and work well under stable conditions when intended outcomes are well understood, innovation and entrepreneurial activity requires a different logic. Agile project methods offer an alternative that values continuous change, flexibility, time-to-market, interactive learning and self-organisation over rigorous planning and control. In this unit students learn the ethos, principles, and methods of agile project management. Students experience hands-on a range of agile and team work techniques as applied in practice. Learning revolves around practical class room activities and be applied in project.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	BUSS4902
Academic unit	Business Information Systems
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	Students must meet the entry requirements for the Bachelor of Advanced Studies (Advanced Coursework), including completion of a pass undergraduate degree and a major in a business subject area
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Maegan Baker, maegan.baker@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Maegan Baker, maegan.baker@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 1 Journal	5%	Week 04 Due date: 18 Mar 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 20 Mar 2023	350-400 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 2 Journal	5%	Week 05 Due date: 25 Mar 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 27 Mar 2023	350-400 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 3 Journal	5%	Week 06 Due date: 01 Apr 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 03 Apr 2023	350-400 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 4 Journal	5%	Week 07 Due date: 08 Apr 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 10 Apr 2023	350-400 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 5 Journal	5%	Week 08 Due date: 22 Apr 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 24 Apr 2023	350-400 words
Outcomes assessed:
Small continuous assessment	Weekly learning journal 6 Journal	5%	Week 09 Due date: 29 Apr 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 01 May 2023	350-400 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Agile group project report Written report	30%	Week 12 Due date: 20 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 03 Jun 2023	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual reflective learning essay Reflective essay	40%	Week 13 Due date: 27 May 2023 at 23:59 Closing date: 10 Jun 2023	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Group project

For the group project, you will be required to demonstrate your iterative development and application of agile project management tools and techniques through a novel applied project, composed of a report on an accompanying digital media output.

Individual essay

For the individual essay, you will be required to critically reflect on the application of tools and techniques from the unit, and describe how your personal approach to project managment in business may be influenced by the perspectives gained across the unit as a whole.

Learning journals

For the six learning journals, you will be required to reflect on the practical implementation lessons you have learned from applying the agile tools and techniques learned in the workshop session for the particular week in which the learning journal is due.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Distinction	75 - 84	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Credit	65 - 74	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Pass	50 - 64	Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see sydney.edu.au/students/guide-to-grades.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

The Assessment Procedures 2011 provide that any written work submitted after 11:59pm on the due date will be penalised by 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. If the assessment is submitted more than ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded. However, a unit of study may prohibit late submission or exclude late penalties only if expressly stated below. PLEASE NOTE: Learning journals will not be accepted after the 6am Monday deadline. This is critical as the learning journals will be discussed and built upon each week in class.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

You may only use artificial intelligence and writing assistance tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator, and if you do use them, you must also acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section.

Studiosity is permitted for postgraduate units unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 1	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 02	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 2	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 03	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 3	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 04	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 4	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 05	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 5	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 06	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 6	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 07	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 7	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 08	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 8	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 09	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 9	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 10	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 10	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 11	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 11	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 12	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 13	Agile project management and design thinking workshop 13	Workshop (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

This is a highly interactive class with a significant number of practical, hands-on activities. There is an expectation that students will make every endeavour to attend all sessions, as critical skills with direct relevance to the assesssments will be introduced, practiced, and progressively built upon in class across the entire study period.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

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

LO1. demonstrate knowledge of the key principles of Agile projects, and the differences between these and traditional project management values
LO2. describe and apply foundational Agile project management practices
LO3. describe and apply foundational design thinking practices
LO4. reflect critically about key issues in Agile project management and communicate these reflections effectively
LO5. engage effectively in team-based Agile project management and design thinking practices
LO6. communicate and problem-solve in group work situations in accordance with Agile project management and design thinking practices
LO7. understand the principles of people-centric design and project work.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

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

Approaches to content delivery were reviewed based on student feedback, and in-class activities were modified to take this into account.

Additional information

More information can be found on Canvas.

Business School Policies

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

BUSS4902: Agile in Business

Semester 1, 2023 [Normal evening] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect