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Unit of study_

PMGT5850: Project Management Capstone Project

Semester 2, 2022 [Normal evening] - Remote

The capstone project aims to provide students with the opportunity to carry out a defined piece of workplace related research and assessment in a way that fosters the development of practical and research skills relevant to project management. Students will work in small, randomly selected groups on an assigned project for the semester. The concepts covered depend on the nature of the project. The project outcomes will be presented in a report that is clear, coherent and logically structured. The project will be judged on the extent and quality of the student's contribution to original work and particularly how critical, perceptive and constructive he or she has been in assessing his/her work and that of others, in understanding the business or organisational context and needs. Students will also be required to present the results of their findings to their peers and supervisors either face to face or by production of a video or other recorded presentation. The skills acquired will be invaluable to students progressing their careers in project management work.

Unit details and rules

Unit code PMGT5850
Academic unit Project Management
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
None
Prerequisites
? 
ENGG5205 AND ENGG5811 AND PMGT6867 AND ENGG5820 AND (ENGG5812 OR PMGT6812) AND (PMGT5871 OR PMGT6871 OR PMGT5872 OR PMGT6872)
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Louis Taborda, louis.taborda@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Louis Taborda, louis.taborda@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Assignment Final Project Status
Final project status with comparison to plan and Post Implementation Review
10% Formal exam period
Due date: 19 Nov 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 21 Nov 2022
~10+ page doc with required Appendices
Outcomes assessed: LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment Product Report
Professional sponsor report describing/including product/value delivered
20% Formal exam period
Due date: 19 Nov 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 21 Nov 2022
~20+ page doc with Appendices/evidence
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Participation hurdle task Participation Mark
Participation in surveys, tutorials, peer-review and 1-on-1 tutor interview
15% Ongoing
Due date: 19 Nov 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 19 Nov 2022
Cumulative ~1 hour per week for 15 weeks
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Small continuous assessment hurdle task Individual Reflections/ Project Journal
Weekly reflections on Capstone + final submission of a Journal-Portfolio
15% Progressive
Due date: 19 Nov 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 19 Nov 2022
~15 mins/wk to reflect-record experience
Outcomes assessed: LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Assignment group assignment Project Charter
A high-level overview of the project captured as slides or poster format
10% Week 04
Due date: 27 Aug 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 29 Aug 2022
Word/Powerpoint equivalent to ~15 slides
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3
Assignment group assignment Project Plan
Professionally-formatted project plan as a Word document with appendices
15% Week 07
Due date: 17 Sep 2022 at 23:59

Closing date: 19 Sep 2022
~20+ pages
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment group assignment Presentation/seminar + draft poster
Group presentation to sponsor /class with draft poster handout
10% Week 12
Due date: 25 Oct 2022 at 18:00

Closing date: 22 Oct 2022
~15 minutes presentation + Q&A
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO7 LO6 LO5 LO4 LO3 LO2
Assignment group assignment Project poster (final)
Final poster as PPT describing key aspects of capstone project
5% Week 13
Due date: 01 Nov 2022 at 18:00

Closing date: 01 Nov 2022
One A1 (form factor) poster
Outcomes assessed: LO4 LO6
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?
Group assignment with individually assessed component = group assignment with individually assessed component ?

Assessment summary

  • Project Charter: A high-level overview of the project captured in a document and/or slide-deck describing the proposed project including key elements of the management approach proposed. The initial presentation should identify the project team, the client, background / problem statement, key stakeholders, purpose and justification, objectives, proposed management approach / methodology, preliminary risks and issues and proposed deliverables.
  • Project Plan: A detailed plan for the execution of the project providing a clear schedule/ network based on resourcing (human and equipment) and an appropriate cost model, captured in the specified/ approved Project Management tool.
  • Participation:  A series of essential activities to ensure participation in the Capstone including compulsory team formation and peer-evaluation surveys, attendance in class, peer support and reviews and a one-on-one Q&A session with a tutor that aims to ensure that every student has an understanding of their Capstone Project, understands their role(s) in the project team and is actively contributing to achieving the planned outcomes.
  • Presentation / seminar: This will be a 10-15 minute presentation of the project, its results and recommendations, provided either face to face or by submission of a video clip or other form of recorded media agreed with the lecturer. The intended audience for the presentation should be clearly identified and the presentation tailored accordingly. Individual team members’ contribution (and therefore mark) will be differentiated based on the CATME (or equivalent) peer-evaluation tool.
  • Project Poster: This will be a poster based on a template provided which provides a visually appealing summary of key project information.
  • Product Report: This is a professionally presented business report that is to be provided to the project sponsor and should encompass the agreed deliverables; describing or linking to any products that are tangible or online in nature. The report should be understandable by anyone and cover the background / problem statement, purpose and justification, objectives, literature referenced, description of the investigative approach / methodology, risks and issues, with an emphasis on final results and recommendations. Individual team members’ contributions (and therefore mark) will be assessed and differentiated based on the SparkPlus (or equivalent) peer-evaluation tool.
  • Final Project Status: This is an assessment of the project performance with a comparison of "actuals against plan" with a reasonable and justifiable "claim of success" made in which the project's success criteria are evaluated against the project's accomplishments. A Post Implementation Review (PIR) or retrospective of the project needs to be conducted/ documented, discussing how the Capstone was managed and identifying lessons learned for use on future projects. Individual team members’ contribution (and therefore mark) will be differentiated based on the CATME (or equivalent) peer-evaluation tool.
  • Individual Reflections: This is a continuous activity undertaken by each student on a near-weekly basis (minimum 8 structured entries of between 150 to 200 words are expected) where personal experiences are to be diarised. The assessment of this activity will be based on the regularity of submissions (as timestamped), the degree of critical insight of the entries, and the final submission of an individual (digital) journal or portfolio documenting the individual’s project experiences.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

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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.

Text-matching software for Assignment Submission:

As part of the assessment process, text matching software such as Turnitin will be used to identify plagiarism and/or be used for providing feedback.

 Confidential Peer Evaluation:

As part of the group contribution assessment process, collaborative & self-peer evaluation tools (e.g. SparkPlus, CATME, etc.) may be used, either on a confidential or non-confidential basis, to understand contributions and interactions amongst group members. Marks may be adjusted for an individual team member, following on from the peer evaluation process.

Marks Shown in Canvas Not Reliable:

Canvas will be used in this unit but supplemented by the approved Capstone Administration System (CAS). While key assessments will be submitted via Canvas, it cannot be used to determine/ predict a students final marks in this unit because not all assessments are visible to students and group/team marks can change for each individual team member based on the peer-evaluation conducted at the end of the semester.

Recycling Assignments Not Allowed:

Recycling involves submitting (or resubmitting) your own work that has already been assessed without the permission of the lecturer of this unit, and for which you have already been given feedback. Recycling is a form of academic dishonesty and will be handled in line with the coursework policy.

Mark Moderation:

There may be statistically defensible moderation when combining the marks from each component to ensure consistency of marking between markers, and alignment of final grades with unit outcomes.

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

Exceptional project deliverables/ value delivered to sponsor by team with excellent peer-evaluations

Distinction

75 - 84

Excellent project deliverables/ value delivered to sponsor by team with excellent/good peer-evaluations

Credit

65 - 74

Professional project deliverables/ value delivered to sponsor by team with good peer-evaluation

Pass

50 - 64

Adequate project deliverables/ value delivered to sponsor by team with fair peer-evaluation

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.

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.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Multiple weeks Work on project and assessment tasks Independent study (110 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 01 Introduction to the Capstone Project, assessment review and team formation Lecture (2 hr) LO1
Week 02 Team building, project allocations and scoping session Lecture (3 hr) LO1 LO6
Week 03 Sponsor meetings and scope definition Lecture (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 04 Project work Project (3 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4
Week 05 Project work Project (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 06 Project work Project (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 07 Project work Project (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 08 Project work Project (3 hr) LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 09 Project work Project (3 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 10 Project work Project (3 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 11 Project work Project (3 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 12 Presentations and feedback on project Project (3 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 13 Project work / retrospective Project (3 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 14 (STUVAC) Peer-Evaluations + Personal Experience Portfolio Individual study (2 hr) LO3 LO4 LO5 LO7

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance at weekly Capstone briefings and project team meetings with tutors are compulsory – details as specified in Canvas.

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

Selected readings may be provided for critical review and to guide student reflections.

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.

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

  • LO1. initiate and coordinate a critical analysis and investigation of project processes in a specific context
  • LO2. formulate and justify plans or recommendations for achieving project goals and systemic improvement of performance
  • LO3. convey complex ideas, analysis and recommendations in a manner suited to the specific purpose and audience
  • LO4. demonstrate well-integrated critical judgement concerning content, assumptions, uncertainties and inter-connections
  • LO5. demonstrate understanding of theory and practical context with fluent command of specialist language
  • LO6. demonstrate ability to select and apply current and new PM knowledge relevant to purpose and audience
  • LO7. demonstrate understanding of context and of operational implications of plans and recommendations.

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
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

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

Updated with clarifications and improvements around assessments

All correspondence, assessments and/or documentation students create in this unit will need to use the following convention in its title/subject heading: PMGT5850_2022S2_TeamX_ProjectName: Topic

Further information and Team identifiers (X) will be provided in Canvas.

All administrative/ enrolment matters should be directed to: pmgp.admin@sydney.edu.au

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.