Outline

Overview

Traditional approaches to project management and design work well under stable conditions, when intended outcomes are well understood. Yet, under conditional of market disruption, in innovation projects, new product development or for start-up businesses, traditional methods are often restrictive and inflexible. Agile Project Management and Design Thinking offer alternative approaches that value continuous change, flexibility, time-to-market, interactive learning and self-organisation over rigorous planning and design processes. In this unit, students will learn the ethos, principles, and methods of agile project management and design thinking. Students will experience hands-on techniques such as design thinking, learn management and Scrum as applied in practice. Learning will revolve around practical activities, insights from experienced guest speakers and case studies representing various industries.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	INFS6032
Academic unit	Business Information Systems
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Dirk Hovorka, dirk.hovorka@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Dirk Hovorka, dirk.hovorka@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Stefanie Knippschild, stefanie.knippschild@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Small continuous assessment	Learning journals Written journal	30%	Multiple weeks	350 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Agile project delivery Project Delivery	25%	Week 12	Multiple media/parts/timing
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Essay Written essay	30%	Week 13 Due date: 06 Nov 2022 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Agile activities Participation	15%	Weekly	Multiple parts/times
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Learning journals: The purpose of the journal is to help students keep up to date with the required work and provide students and the unit coordinators with timely feedback on student learning progress. The journal is an integral part of the agile delivery of the core part of this unit. You will reflect on each week's topic utilising a set of brief instructions provided via Canvas for each of the learning journal submissions. Assessment of the weekly learning journal submissions will consider both grasps of the week's topic, but more importantly the degree of self-reflection and engagement with the topic.
Agile activities: The agile learning sessions are built around hands-on activities whose learning outcomes depend on the active participation of each student. It is paramount that students pay attention to the purpose of each activity and show initiative in applying themselves to the task at hand.
Agile project delivery: The objective of the agile project is to use the knowledge and practical skills in agile projects and design thinking acquired in this unit of study to apply to a real-world problem. The focus of this project is in applying appropriate techniques and practices in creating the desired project outcome represented in diagrams, video and textual elements. While the outcome as such is not unimportant, the focus of this assignment and its assessment is on the application of the agile project management and design thinking techniques.
Essay: The purpose of the essay is to demonstrate grasp of the agile philosophy and principles, as well as the agile project management and design thinking practices and techniques. The focus of the essay will lie in synthesising the learnings derived from the unit of study.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

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.

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	Introduction and overview	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 02	Practices, principles and philosophy of agile project delivery	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 03	Practices, principles and philosophy of design thinking	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 04	Agile learning session 1	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 05	Agile learning session 2	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 06	Agile learning session 3	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 07	Agile learning session 4	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 08	Agile learning session 5	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 09	Agile learning session 6	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 10	Agile learning session 7	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 11	Case study: TBA	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 12	Case study: TBA	Lecture (3 hr)
Week 13	Synthesis and wrap-up	Lecture (3 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: All lectures and seminars are recorded and will be available on Canvas for student use. Please note the Business School does not own the system and cannot guarantee that the system will operate or that every class will be recorded. Students should ensure they attend and participate in all classes.

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.

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 their differences to 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 design thinking and communicate your reflections effectively
LO5. engage effectively in team-based agile project management and design thinking practices
LO6. communicate effectively 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 practices.

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.

The unit has had slight content changes based on feedback. Assessments and wgts have not changed.

Additional information

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

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

INFS6032: Agile Project Methods

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal day] - 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

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