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Unit of study_

PMGT5891: Project Risk Management

Semester 2, 2020 [Online] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit is delivered in multiple modes (online and weekly). Please ensure that the correct mode is selected before checking the detailed content. The aims of this course are to develop students' understanding and ability in applying project risk management skills in project environments. The course enables the students to apply best practice techniques and methods commonly used by industry in project risk management. The competencies developed through this unit cover and go beyond the competencies in Risk areas as outlined in the competency standards by the Australian Institute of Project Management and Project Management Institute in the USA, respectively. The unit aims to develop students ability to understand and conceptualise risk management issues, and analyse and apply risk management techniques using concepts and frameworks from the underpinning literature. - Ability to establish risk management plans, policies and integrate them with other project plans, organisation and align them to the business case - Ability to understand the sources of potential risks (including but not limited to political, organisational, psychological and technical risks) and to use risk management tools and techniques to identify, assess, evaluate, and prioritise risks - Ability to simulate the potential effects of risks on schedule, cost and other performance dimensions using sensitivity analysis, decision tree analysis and simulation techniques. - Ability to track, monitor and control risks and actions to achieve project objectives and the business case - Ability to close risks for an optimal outcome

Unit details and rules

Unit code PMGT5891
Academic unit Project Management
Credit points 6
Prohibitions
? 
PMGT6891
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

None

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Gerard McGarry, gerard.mcgarry@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Final exam (Take-home extended release) Type E final exam hurdle task Final exam - Take home
The take-home exam covers the main topic areas from the course.
40% Formal exam period 48 hours
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Participation group assignment Discussion forum
Short submission based on case.
10% Multiple weeks 4 discussion forums worth 2.5 marks each
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Assignment group assignment Group assignment
Group assignment based on case study.
30% Week 06
Due date: 02 Oct 2020 at 23:59
Approx. 20 pages not including appendix.
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO4 LO2
Presentation group assignment Group presentation
Reflective presentation on case study.
20% Week 10
Due date: 06 Nov 2020 at 23:59
10min presentation + ppt slides.
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
hurdle task = hurdle task ?
group assignment = group assignment ?
Type E final exam = Type E final exam ?

Assessment summary

Group assignment (30% written and 20% presentation) is designed to give you some practical exposure to some of the techniques and tools. Both assignments will be performed in teams. The assignment details and the case study used are posted separately.

Discussion forums (10%). There are also 4 online discussion forums. All students are required to participate in the discussion forums. These forums will be based around case studies where you will be asked to consider what went wrong, or in one case what went right. There is a strong tendency for technical people to focus on the obvious technical risks in projects, and not as much on the less obvious and more people focused risks. The case study discussions should give you an opportunity to explore these issues.

Final exam - Take Home (40%) – The exam will be ‘take-home’. The exam questions will be posted online and you will have 48 hours to respond. You must get 50% in the final exam to pass the unit, regardless of the sum of your individual marks.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

Group assignment (30% written and 20% presentation) is designed to give you some practical exposure to some of the techniques and tools. Both assignments will be performed in teams. The assignment details and the case study used are posted separately.

Discussion forums (10%). There are also 4 online discussion forums. All students are required to participate in the discussion forums. These forums will be based around case studies where you will be asked to consider what went wrong, or in one case what went right. There is a strong tendency for technical people to focus on the obvious technical risks in projects, and not as much on the less obvious and more people focused risks. The case study discussions should give you an opportunity to explore these issues.

Exam (40%) - The final exam will be a ‘take-home exam’. You be given questions to answer and have 24hours to submit a response. You will be able to use any resources avaliable to you but must complete individually.

You must get 50% in the take-home exam to pass the unit, regardless of the sum of your individual marks.

 

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:

IMPORTANT: - Late penalty for assignments is 5% per day. After 10 days late (with special consideration) an assignment gets 0. - 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. - The University has authorised and mandated the use of text-based similarity detecting software Turnitin for all text-based written assignments.

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
Ongoing Independent study guided by the online content and lectures. You are expected to undertake 8-10 hours per week of independent study in addition to the workshops. Online class (100 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5
Week 01 1. Introduction to Risk Standards: AS/NZS ISO 31000 and PMBoK; 2. Definitions,terminology, process, RBS, risk plans and basics of risk management Online class (3 hr) LO1
Week 02 1. Introduction to Risk Standards: AS/NZS ISO 31000 and PMBoK; 2. Definitions,terminology, process, RBS, risk plans and basics of risk management Online class (3 hr) LO1
Week 03 1. Overview of tools used in risk management; 2. Interviews, questionnaires, scoring models, checklists, FMEA, Delphi, PERT, decision stress, sensitivity analysis, Monte Carlo and introduction to probability Online class (3 hr) LO2
Week 04 1. Overview of tools used in risk management; 2. Interviews, questionnaires, scoring models, checklists, FMEA, Delphi, PERT, decision stress, sensitivity analysis, Monte Carlo and introduction to probability Online class (3 hr) LO2
Week 05 1. Approaches to dealing with risk in projects; 2. Contingency plans (and fallback plans) Online class (3 hr) LO3
Week 06 1. Developing contingency reserves: EMV, probability, impact assessment, removing the overlap between individual risks; 2. Project reserves: why are they used Online class (3 hr) LO3
Week 07 1. Unknown unknowns: and Black Swans or the extreme unpredictable events; 2. Psychological errors in estimating (Kahneman and Tversky et al); 3. Introduction to probability; 4. Opportunity management Online class (3 hr) LO3
Week 08 1. Problem with scoring models: ways to improve; 2. Calibration of estimators; 3. Critical Chain scheduling; 4. Value of additional data Online class (3 hr) LO3
Week 09 Modeling: decision trees, PERT and sensitivity analysis, Delphi, Monte Carlo technique Online class (3 hr) LO2 LO3
Week 10 Modeling: decision trees, PERT and sensitivity analysis, Delphi, Monte Carlo technique Online class (3 hr) LO2 LO3
Week 11 1. Utility theory and the organisations risk appetite; 2. Allocation of risk between parties Online class (3 hr) LO2 LO3
Week 12 1. Risk reporting; 2. Risk contingency usage, risk triggers; 3. Capturing lesson learned Online class (3 hr) LO4

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance is mandatory for all face-to-face students. 

IMPORTANT:

- Late penalty for assignments is 5% per day. After 10 days late (with special consideration) an assignment gets 0.

- 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.

- The University has authorised and mandated the use of text-based similarity detecting software Turnitin for all text-based written assignments.

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 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. Establish risk management plans, policies and integrate them with other project plans, organisation and align them to the business case.
  • LO2. Understand the sources of potential risks (including but not limited to political, organisational, psychological and technical risks) and to use risk management tools and techniques to identify, assess, evaluate, and prioritise risks
  • LO3. Simulate the potential effects of risks on schedule, cost and other performance dimensions using sensitivity analysis, decision tree analysis and simulation techniques
  • LO4. Track, monitor and control risks and actions to achieve project objectives and the business case
  • LO5. Close risks for an optimal outcome.

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.

Additional video / audio tutorials to help understanding of class material. Some material now marked as optional.

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.