Outline

Overview

The Leading Project Management unit of study equips students with the knowledge and skills to affect successful organisational change by leading efforts to improve project management practice in their organisations. The unit provides an understanding of project management methodologies that are deployed by organisations (including PMBOK) - their body of knowledge and their management. The effective leadership of projects and of the organisational change that ensues from their implementation is the focus of this unit. Through a number of key industry speakers, the unit develops an understanding of the complexities of managing projects and programs (groups of projects) - with particular attention on why projects frequently fail. Successful project outcomes that are critical to the survival and growth of todays businesses depends on good project leadership. The Leading Project Management unit of study equips students with the knowledge and skills to affect successful organisational change by leading efforts to improve project management practice in their organisations. The unit provides an understanding of project management methodologies that are deployed by organisations (including PMBOK) - their body of knowledge and their management. The effective leadership of projects and of the organisational change that ensues from their implementation is the focus of this unit. Through a number of key industry speakers, the unit develops an understanding of the complexities of managing projects and programs (groups of projects) - with particular attention on why projects frequently fail. Successful project outcomes that are critical to the survival and growth of todays businesses depends on good project leadership.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	SMBA6108
Academic unit	Management Education
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	SMBA6001
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Bradley Rolfe, bradley.rolfe@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Bradley Rolfe, bradley.rolfe@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Group report Written report	30%	- Due date: 17 Apr 2022 at 17:00 Closing date: 27 Apr 2022	10000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Group presentation Oral presentation	20%	- Due date: 19 Mar 2022 at 17:00 Closing date: 29 Mar 2022	25-35 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Individual assignment Reflective report	50%	- Due date: 06 Mar 2022 at 17:00 Closing date: 16 Mar 2022	2000 words
Outcomes assessed:
= group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Individual Assignment

Individuals will submit a 2000 word report critically examining a particular facet of project management practice within their organisation. This will be worth 50% of the overall assessment. Individuals may choose from a range of topics for their report. These topics will be handed out on the first day of lectures and will include such areas as risk management, project selection and business case analysis, project management information systems and project governance.

Assessment Criteria

1. Clarity of writing and presentation

2. Demonstration of breadth of research

3. Quality of analysis of the chosen data

4. Application of the course concepts to the analysis

5. Strength of the recommendations made

Group Report

The group assignment will be carried out in teams of 4-5. It is a major assessment item for the unit and will constitute 30% of the overall mark. The team will be asked to carry out a review of a project (either in execution or close-out phase) in an organisation of your choice. Teams for the assignment will be formed on the first day of lectures. The purpose of the group report will be to critically review the chosen project in the context of the project management principles and frameworks learnt during the course. The assignment should be written from the point of view of a consulting group asked to perform a review of the project. An example of the kinds of questions asked could be: What is working well on the project and what is not? Are internal processes and procedures being followed? If not, why not? If they are, are they achieving the desired results? What more could the company do to support projects within its organisational structure? The team will be expected to interview key stakeholders on the project including, but not limited to the project manager, the project owner or sponsor and at least one of the end users of the product or service the project was delivering. The team will also need to review the relevant project documentation including, but not limited to project plans, business cases, schedules, requirements, designs and test cases. The report is to be no more than 10,000 words in length (excluding appendices).

Assessment Criteria

1. Clarity of writing and presentation

2. Demonstration of breadth of research

3. Quality of analysis of the chosen data

4. Application of the course concepts to the analysis

5. Strength of the recommendations made

Group Presentation

On the last day of lectures, the group will also provide a presentation of their interim Group Report to the rest of the class (i.e. a progress report as the final Group Report is not due until the last week of term). The presentation will be worth 20% of the overall assessment. The presentation should be no more than 25 minutes in length. 10 minutes will be provided for questions from the rest of the class and the lecturer at the end.

Assessment Criteria

1. Clarity of presentation

2. Demonstration of familiarity with the research

3. Quality of response to questions from the group

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:

A penalty of 10% per day will be applied to late submissions.

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
-	1. The art of getting things done: an introduction to the concept of “project management”; 2. Why do projects fail?; 3. The theory versus the practice of project management; 4. Team formation and group assignment workshop	Workshop (4 hr)
	1. Do you want it fast, good, or cheap?: the theory of project management, part 1; 2. The initiating and planning phases of the project - the balancing of time, scope, and cost.	Workshop (4 hr)
	1. Keeping the ship afloat until you reach shore: the theory of project management, part 2; 2. The executing and closing phases of the project - managing people, tasks, and change to achieve the project objectives	Workshop (4 hr)
	1. Who’s who in the zoo?: the human side of project management; 2. The project team, the project executive, and project stakeholders; 3. Roles and responsibilities in the project environment	Workshop (4 hr)
	1. A project is as good as the company it keeps: the project in the organisation; 2. Projects, programs of work, and the project portfolio; 3. Project management standards and the project maturity framework	Workshop (4 hr)
	1. Knowledge is power: supporting the project through the project management information system (PMIS); 2. The requirements traceability matrix (RTM) - the risks, actions, issues and decisions (RAID) log - the integrated master schedule (IMS)	Workshop (4 hr)
	1. Playing the game: managing the social, political, and environmental context of the project; 2. Who are your stakeholders, what do they want, and how do you keep them satisfied?; 3. The increasing challenge of stakeholder management in a ‘connected’ world	Workshop (4 hr)
	Looking out for “black swans”: managing risks to the project and managing the risk of the project to the organisation - system versus non-systemic risks, and the impact of highly improbable events	Workshop (4 hr)
	1. Keeping it all together - managing third parties in the project environment; 2. Outsourcers, suppliers, regulators, contractors, and partners; 3. The concept of the ‘federated project’	Workshop (4 hr)
	Emerging themes in Project Management: The Agile Manifesto - ‘Critical Project Management’ – Radical Project Management. Project Management as profession, practice or trade? Presentation of Group Reports.	Workshop (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: Note that MBA classes held at the CBD campus are not systematically recorded and 100% class attendance is expected for each unit of the MBA program. If there are extenuating circumstances as to why you are not able to attend a particular class, please contact your unit coordinator as soon as possible, and also notify your group members (if the unit has a group work component).

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. apply project management principles to any organisation or firm
LO2. examine the supporting structures of projects within an organisation, and understand the opportunities and constraints those structures enable
LO3. negotiate the human elements of project management, and develop an appreciation of the complex inter-relationships between competing stakeholder interests.

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.

No changes have been made since this unit was last offered.

Additional information

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

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

SMBA6108: Leading Project Management

MBA Session 1, 2022 [Block mode] - Remote

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