Outline

Overview

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.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	PMGT3858
Academic unit	Civil Engineering
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	PMGT2854
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Ken Chung, ken.chung@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Chris Lawler, chris.lawler@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Annotated Bibliography Annotated bibliography and analysis. See assessment guideline on Canvas.	20%	Week 03 Due date: 13 Mar 2020 at 23:59	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Reflections Reflective responses to content and activities in workshops.	30%	Week 08 Due date: 24 Apr 2020 at 23:59	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Symposium Culmination of workshop activities	30%	Week 11 Due date: 13 May 2020 at 10:00	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Report Report based upon Symposium	20%	Week 13 Due date: 29 May 2020 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

The assessment for the unit is comprised of:

Annotated Bibliography (20%) – This assignment will guide you in reviewing some of the most current research and is a foundation for undertaking critical analysis. You are asked to select from a range of topics and use articles for a set list of journals.

Reflections (30%) - A short set of questions are provided at the conclusion of the weekly workshop and are to encourage you think or reflect on the nature of the activity and to connect the activities with the online content. The questions range in a simple observation of your workshop experience to ones that will require some further research. This is best compiled over the semester.

Symposium (30%) - This group task is the culmination of your weekly workshop activities however it is anticipated your group will spend some additional time outside of class to further research and refine key outputs. Most workshops will require groups to undertake activities that are presented at the Symposium day and are assessed during this session.

Report (20%) - This activity can only be completed once the Symposium has concluded in Week 11. A few weeks prior to the Symposium you will be provided with your role and purpose for this business writing report. You will need to collect information at the event and then complete this final assignment.

More 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
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
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:

For every calendar day up to and including ten calendar days after the due date, a penalty of 5% of the maximum awardable marks will be applied to late work. The penalty will be calculated by first marking the work, and then subtracting 5% of the maximum awardable mark for each calendar day after the due date. Example: Consider an assignment's maximum awardable mark is 10; the assignment is submitted 2 days late; and the assignment is marked as 7/10. After applying the penalty, marks will be: 7 - (0.5 x 2) = 6/10. For work submitted more than ten calendar days after the due date a mark of zero will be awarded. The marker may elect to, but is not required to, provide feedback on such work. Refer to section 7A of Assessment procedures policy available at: http://sydney.edu.au/policies/showdoc.aspx?recnum=PDOC2012/267&RendNum=0

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	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 02	Culture, environment and context	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 03	Approaches, frameworks, methods, methodology and tools	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 04	1. Governance versus management; 2. Standards and guides	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 05	Communicating for governance	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 06	Project approaches - diving deeper	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 07	Developing an enterprise PM method or framework: part 1	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 08	Stability to chaos	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 09	Change, transformation and purpose	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 10	Developing an enterprise PM method or framework: part 2	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 11	Implementing a PM method	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 12	Other: Evaluating your PM method or framework	Workshop (2 hr)
Week 13	1. You; 2. Your role; 3. Your influence	Workshop (2 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

A substantial part of this unit is based on the experiences and outputs from the weekly workshops. This makes regular attendance of high importance.

Please note there is not always a direct relationship between the week’s workshop activity and the online module. However, these become more unified by the time we reach the culminating Symposium (A3) and Report (A4).

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

Readings and lectures are integrated within the material on Canvas. You are expected to study these as part of your independent study time each week.

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. explore the development and effectiveness of PM governance criteria within different organisational contexts and cultures
LO2. demonstrate how the project is aligned with internal reporting and control processes within different project contexts
LO3. critically evaluate PM approaches, propose alternatives or adaptations and communicate appropriately with senior management
LO4. identify and implement change and transformation requirements related to the project
LO5. assess project complexity and its consequences for the approach
LO6. demonstrate understanding of how methodologies are constructed, selected and implemented at an enterprise-wide level
LO7. identify essential differences between methods commonly used in a range of different contexts.

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.

Following feedback from students we have more clearly identified the individual and group contribution that are linked to assessments and workshop activity. The very successful Symposium is being retained with slight modification to make it run even better.

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

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect

Current students

PMGT3858: Adapting to Project Context

Semester 1, 2020 [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

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

Media

Student links

About us

Connect