Outline

Overview

In this unit, students confront the challenge facing truly pioneering companies which is to develop customer-centric products and services that are aligned with the company strategy. This unit recreates the intense, team environment of a business unit undergoing innovation. Students integrate the skills, knowledge and experience acquired throughout the MBA Program to bring a real prototype to market. The prototype may take the form of a product (software or physical) or service. Design thinking methodologies are applied to demonstrate understanding of the challenges facing strategy implementation. Students work in teams with tight milestones. To do this successfully, students must use the skills gained throughout the MBA program and critically reflect on the implications and impact of their learning.

Unit details and rules

Unit code	SMBA6201
Academic unit	Management Education
Credit points	6
Prohibitions ?	None
Prerequisites ?	SMBA6001
Corequisites ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	No

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Christopher Murphy, christopher.murphy@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Presentation	Group presentation Oral presentation	20%	- Due date: 24 Feb 2022 at 18:00 Closing date: 03 Mar 2022	25 minutes
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Group product review Prototype	30%	- Due date: 24 Feb 2022 at 18:00 Closing date: 03 Mar 2022	3000 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Program essay Essay	25%	- Due date: 04 Mar 2022 at 17:00	2500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Lean design essay Essay	25%	- Due date: 11 Mar 2022 at 17:00	30 pages
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ?

Assessment summary

Group presentation: You will be required to present your capstone project to an assessment panel equivalent to a board-level audience within a multi-business organisation. Given that this is a postgraduate unit, it is expected that all members will contribute equally in preparing the presentation and in responding to questions. However, not all members are required to orally deliver the final presentation.
Group product review: Groups will be required to produce a basic prototype product or service in response to the challenge identified in the capstone unit. This product may be presented visually in the form of drawing, front-end digital designs, or basic service enactment, but must be something that a prospective customer can physically engage with and respond to. A peer evaluation (for both the group presentation and group product review) will need to be completed at the end of the assessment.
Program essay: The reflective essay requires you to reflect on your learning experience across the entire MBA program to date. In the essay, you should identify the key skills, knowledge and attributes developed during the MBA program and explain how these skills, knowledge and attributes, along with other insights and experiences encountered during the program, have affected your professional, leadership and management development.
Lean design essay: You will be required to compose an individual design workbook that encompasses the research methodologies, processes and feedback captured during the capstone project.

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
-	Kick-off meeting (Thursday 4 Novmber 2021)	Presentation (3 hr)
	Review problem statement and develop customer problem definition (Saturday 6 November 2021)	Workshop (8 hr)
	Refine customer problem definition and interviewing (Sunday 7 November 2021)	Workshop (8 hr)
	Brainstorming and ideation (Saturday 13 November 2021)	Workshop (8 hr)
	Product-market fit and design testing (Saturday 20 November 2021)	Workshop (8 hr)
	Finalise design and presentation (Saturday 27 November 2021)	Workshop (8 hr)
	Final presentation (Thursday 2 December 2021)	Presentation (4 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: Note that MBA classes 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). A unit requirement is 80% class attendance, and those who drop below this level may not pass the unit.
Readings: Students are expected to have read all readings presented on Canvas IN ADVANCE of the commencement of the unit. These will not be covered during the unit, but the principles will be taken as assumed knowledge. In addition, students are expected to have completed the "Design strategy: Design thinking for business strategy and entrepreneurship" online course available via Coursera.

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

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library eReserve, available on Canvas.

Maurya, A. 2012, Running Lean, Iterate from Plan A to a Plan that works, 2nd ed., O'Reilly Media, Inc, CA.
There is a MOOC that forms part of the compulsory pre-reading for SMBA6201 Design Strategy: MBA Capstone. The online course was designed by the Founder of our MBA Capstone, Associate Professor Eric Knight, Course Coordinator Christopher Murphy and MBA Alum Dr. Carla Harris. You need to enrol in “Design strategy: Design thinking for business strategy and entrepreneurship” via the following link: https://www.coursera.org/learn/design-strategy (please use your university email address to register) and you have until 7 July 2021 to complete the course.

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. identify target customers for a new business
LO2. interview customers and get feedback on basic prototype businesses
LO3. work and communicate in a team to address business challenges.

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

Required readings

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

SMBA6201: Design-led Strategy: MBA Capstone

Intensive February, 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

Required readings

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