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FIT5150 Project management - Semester 1 , 2008

Unit leader :

Henry Linger

Lecturer(s) :

Caulfield

  • Henry Linger

Introduction

Welcome to FIT5i50, Project Management. This is a 6 point unit, that is:
  • a core unit in the Corporate IKM professional track in the Master Business Information Systems
  • an elective unit in all FIT Masters, Master of Business and MBA
  • an elective unit in the Master of Business (IT Management)
The unit presents a theoretical foundation of project management and examines project management as knowledge based practice

Unit synopsis

FIT5150 explores core disciplines that contribute to the concepts and principles that inform the project management function and practices. Building on this foundation, a knowledge based view of project management is presented with particular emphasis on reflective practice. The organisation of the project management function into projects, programs and portfolios is examined in the context of maturity models, competencies and organisational capabilities. Case studies will illustrate the theoretical foundations and demonstrate how theory can be incorporated into organisational practices. The unit is designed for students with project management backgrounds

Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of FIT5150, students will:

  • understand project management as knowledge based and reflective practice
  • have knowledge of the core disciplines that underpin project management
  • understand how the core disciplines inform the fundamental principles, concepts and standards that guide project management practices
  • be able to formulate the organising principles of the project management function
  • be able to specify the organisational capabilities to support project management
  • have the skills to design and develop an appropriate management structure for the project management function

    • Workload

    The workload commitments are 12 hours of study per week for 13 weeks, comprising:

    • 3 hours lecture/seminar or OCL equivalent
    • 5 hours of reading and individual study time
    • 4 hours of assignments

    Unit relationships

    Prerequisites

    Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed

    FIT9003 and FIT9006, or equivalent.

    Relationships

    FIT5150 is a:

    • a core unit in the Corporate IKM professional track in the Master Business Information Systemsan
    • an elective unit in all FIT Masters, Master of Business and MBA
    • an elective unit in the Master of Business (IT Management)
    You should also have good understanding of organisational context, including organisational structures and processes, as well as some knowledge of how work is formally organised and coonducted within organisations.

    You may not study this unit and BUS5150 in your degree.

    Continuous improvement

    Monash is committed to ‘Excellence in education' and strives for the highest possible quality in teaching and learning. To monitor how successful we are in providing quality teaching and learning Monash regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. Two of the formal ways that you are invited to provide feedback are through Unit Evaluations and through Monquest Teaching Evaluations.

    One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through Unit Evaluation Surveys. It is Monash policy for every unit offered to be evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys as they are an important avenue for students to "have their say". The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.

    Student Evaluations

    The Faculty of IT administers the Unit Evaluation surveys online through the my.monash portal, although for some smaller classes there may be alternative evaluations conducted in class.

    If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to http://www.monash.edu.au/unit-evaluation-reports/

    Over the past few years the Faculty of Information Technology has made a number of improvements to its courses as a result of unit evaluation feedback. Some of these include systematic analysis and planning of unit improvements, and consistent assignment return guidelines.

    Monquest Teaching Evaluation surveys may be used by some of your academic staff this semester. They are administered by the Centre for Higher Education Quality (CHEQ) and may be completed in class with a facilitator or on-line through the my.monash portal. The data provided to lecturers is completely anonymous. Monquest surveys provide academic staff with evidence of the effectiveness of their teaching and identify areas for improvement. Individual Monquest reports are confidential, however, you can see the summary results of Monquest evaluations for 2006 at http://www.adm.monash.edu.au/cheq/evaluations/monquest/profiles/index.html

    Unit staff - contact details

    Unit leader

    Dr Henry Linger
    Senior Lecturer
    Phone +61 3 990 32260

    Contact hours : By appointment

    Lecturer(s) :

    Dr Henry Linger
    Senior Lecturer
    Phone +61 3 990 32260

    Contact hours : By appointment

    Teaching and learning method

    Teaching of the unit will comprise of formal lecture presentations, and tutorials for discussions and practical excercises.

    The unit will adopt a case study approach to teaching. The seminar will raise significant issues related to the weekly topic. The issues will be canvassed through presentations and discussions based on reading materials and published case studies. Set reading materials will be posted on the Unit website in advance of the scheduled discussion but students will also be encouraged to contribute material that they consider relevant to the topics/issues as well as presenting their personal experiences. Practitioners will be invited to lead specific seminars.

    Off-campus distributed learning or flexible delivery

    The unit will be recorded and available to OCL students through MULO. Seminar discussions will be supported by discussion groups on the MUSO unit website. All students will beencouraged to participate in these discussion groups which will be moderated by teaching staff.

    Copies of lecture slides and other material will be made available to all students through the unit website.

    Communication, participation and feedback

    Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

    It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

    Please Note: The schedule below may be subject to change during the semester. Any such changes will be notified on the unit web site.

    Unit Schedule

    Week Topic Key dates
    1 Introduction  
    2 Reflective practice  
    3 Management theory  
    4 Systems thinking  
    Mid semester break
    5 Complexity theory  
    6 Design theory  
    7 The project management function  
    8 Program management  
    9 Portfolio management  
    10 Project management maturity  
    11 Competencies and skill base  
    12 Knowledge-based practices  
    13 Review-project management as knowledge work  

    Unit Resources

    Prescribed text(s) and readings

    Seminars will be supported with relevant articles, papers and other materials that will be detailed on the unit website. Where appropriate textbooks will also be recommended.

    Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

    Recommended text(s) and readings

    Relevant articles, papers and other readings will be detailed on the unit website.

    Equipment and consumables required or provided

    Students studying off-campus are required to have the minimum system configuration specified by the Faculty as a condition of accepting admission, and regular Internet access. On-campus students, and those studying at supported study locations may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate up to n hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

    Study resources

    Study resources we will provide for your study are:

    All relevant materials and resources will be available to students through the unt web site on MUSO. In addition the unit will make use of the Discussion Groups facility on MUSO and students will be expected to participate in these discussions.

    Library access

    The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching. To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the Library Guide, and if necessary, the instructions for remote access from the library website.

    Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

    All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle.

    You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal (http://my.monash.edu.au).

    Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

    In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

    For example :

    • Blackboard supported browser
    • Supported Java runtime environment

    For more information, please visit

    http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

    You can contact the MUSO Support by: Phone: (+61 3) 9903 1268

    For further contact information including operational hours, please visit

    http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

    Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site:

    http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

    If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle at http://moodle.med.monash.edu.au.
    From the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

    Assessment

    Unit assessment policy

    The unit assessment comprises:

  • Class activities and discussion (or electronic equivalent): 25%
  • Assignment: 25%
  • Formal supervised assessment: 50%
    •  

     In order to pass this unit, a student must gain all of the following:

    • atleast 40% of the marks of the formal assessment component taken as a whole
    • at least 40% of the marks of the assignment and class activity component taken as a whole
    • at least 50% of the total marks for the unit
    Wherea student gains less than40% for either the formal or assignment component, the final result for the unit will be no greater than '44-N'.

    Assignment tasks

    • Assignment Task

      Title : Class Activities

      Description :

      The activities will be specified on Task sheets posted on MUSO. The tasks will include practical exercises and written pieces relating to the issuses raised in the seminars. Students will also be expected to formally participate in certain discussion groups on-line

      Weighting : 25%

      Criteria for assessment :

      Assessment criteria will be specified on Task sheets

      Due date : Will be specified on the Task sheeets

    • Assignment Task

      Title : Case Study Assignment

      Description :

      This a group assignemnt with identifiable individual contributions. The assignment will include a report and class presentation. The assignment will be the analysis of a IKM case study, either of an actual organisation or previously published case.

      The assignment will also be structured so as to ensure that aspects will form part of the formal, supervised assessment. 

      Weighting : Group component - 25%, Supervised component - 50%

      Criteria for assessment :

      Will be specified on Assignemnt Sheet

      Due date : Will be specified on Assignemnt Sheet

    Assignment submission

    On-campus students will submit their assignments to their tutor by 10pm on the due date, with the appropriate cover sheet correctly filled out and attached.

    Off Campus (OCL) students should email their assignments to the teaching assitance assigned to them. The assignments must have the appropriate cover sheet attached and be submitted as a single file. The email must be received by the teaching assistant on the date by which the the submission due.

    Assignment coversheets

    All assessable work must be submitted with an appropriate coversheet. Any work without a covesheet will not be assessed.

    Assignment coversheets can be downloaded from the under the Faculty website by selecting "Student Support and Service" and selecting the "Student assignment coversheet" option from the  "Study and unit resources" list.

    University and Faculty policy on assessment

    Due dates and extensions

    The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

    Extensions for assessment items are due to serious short term circumstances eg. the flu.
    Requests for extensions must be made to the unit lecturer on your campus at least two days before the due date. If this is not possible you will be asked to provide adeqaute reasons for late requests.
    ·
    Students are required to complete an 'Application for extension of time for submission of an assessment task' form which is located at

    http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/

    The form explains clearly under what circumstances the application can be made.
    You will be asked to forward original medical certificates in cases ofillness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary.
    ·
    Special Consideration forms should be used when students are affected by longer term circumstances eg. serious illness. A different procedure applies in these circumstances. Please check the Faculty website for the current policy regarding Special Consideration.

    Late assignment

    Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 10% of the total assignment mark per day, including weekends. Assignments received later than one week after the due date will not normally be accepted.

    Return dates

    Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

    Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

    Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

    Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/about/committees-groups/facboard/policies/studrights.html) and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

    In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

    When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

    Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

    Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

    Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

    Register of counselling about plagiarism

    The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

    Non-discriminatory language

    The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

    Students with disabilities

    Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

    Deferred assessment and special consideration

    Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.