[an error occurred while processing this directive]

FIT5022 Project Management - Semester 2 , 2008

PDF unit guide

Download PDF version Download the unit guide in PDF

Unit leader :

Iqbal Gondal

Lecturer(s) :

Gippsland

  • Iqbal Gondal

Introduction

Unit synopsis

The unit provides both a theoretical and practical overview of processes involved in managing large projects, with particular emphasis on projects common to the information technology industry. Topics include the project life cycle, problem definition, project evaluation, high and low level planning, team building and people management, monitoring and control, reporting and communication, termination and assessment and researching advance topic.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this subject, students will be able to understand the intricacies of project management and will be able to apply these principles to an industry project. The scope will be more towards an IT related project but the general principles will be applicable to any type of project.

Workload

Off campus students need to spend nearly 10 hours per week, to review lecture notes, do text book readings, tutorial questions and participate discussion groups

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

All students who are eligible for entery to the master program level, can do this unit

Relationships

FIT5022 is a elective unit in the master's program.

You may not study this unit and

BUS5150, Translation set GCO5807

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 Iqbal Gondal
Senior Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26669

Contact hours : On-line offering

Lecturer(s) :

Dr Iqbal Gondal
Senior Lecturer
Phone +61 3 990 26669

Contact hours : On line availability

Teaching and learning method

This unit will provide material on line and discussion groups will be used to create on line learning environment.

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.

Unit Schedule

Week Topic Key dates
1 The Project and the Project Manager  
2 Project Start Up  
3 Evaluation of Alternative Proposals  
4 Project Scope Management  
5 Project Time Management  
6 Project Scheduling Technique Assignment 1 18/08/2008
7 Budget and Cash-flow Management  
8 Project Quality Management  
9 Human Resource Management  
10 Project Communication Management  
11 Project Risk Management  
Mid semester break
12 Project Termination Assignment 2 6/10/2008
13 Revision  

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

Text books:

  • Schwalbe K., Information Technology Project Management, 4th Ed. Course Technology (2006)
  • David I Cleland, Project Management, Strategic Design and Implementation, McGraw Hill, Digital Engineering Library
  • Recommended reading:

  • Meredith J.R and Mantel S.J., Project Management a Managerial Approach, 5th Ed. Wiley (2003)
  • Klastorin T., Project Management, Tools and Trade-Offs, Wiley (2004)
  • Gido J. and Clements J.P., Successful Project Management, 2nd Ed., South-Western (2003)
  • Cardle J. and Yeats D., Project Management for Information Systems, 4th Ed., Prentice-Hall (2004)
  • 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

    Text books:

  • Schwalbe K., Information Technology Project Management, 4th Ed. Course Technology (2006)
  • David I Cleland, Project Management, Strategic Design and Implementation, McGraw Hill, Digital Engineering Library
  • Recommended reading:

  • Meredith J.R and Mantel S.J., Project Management a Managerial Approach, 5th Ed. Wiley (2003)
  • Klastorin T., Project Management, Tools and Trade-Offs, Wiley (2004)
  • Gido J. and Clements J.P., Successful Project Management, 2nd Ed., South-Western (2003)
  • Cardle J. and Yeats D., Project Management for Information Systems, 4th Ed., Prentice-Hall (2004)
  • Required software and/or hardware

    Student would use MS project - free trail version - provided with text book to do tutorial exervcises.

    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. 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:

    • Weekly detailed lecture notes outlining the learning objectives, discussion of the content, required readings and  exercises;
    • Weekly tutorial or laboratory tasks and exercises with sample solutions provided one to two weeks later;
    • Assignment specifications and sample solutions;
    • A sample examination and suggested solution
    • Access to past examination papers;
    • Discussion groups;
    • This Unit Guide outlining the administrative information for the unit;
    • The unit web site on MUSO, where resources outlined above will be made available.

    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.

    Off campus student can have access to library http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.

    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. If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle (http://moodle.monash.edu.au) and can bookmark this link to access directly. In Moodle, from the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

    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

    Assessment

    Unit assessment policy

    To pass this unit, a student must obtain :
    • 40% or more in the unit's examination and
    • 40% or more in the unit's non-examination assessment
       and
    • an overall unit mark of 50% or more
    If a student does not achieve 40% or more in the unit examination or the unit non-examination assessment then a mark of no greater than 44-N will be recorded for the unit.

    Assignment tasks

    • Assignment Task

      Title :

      Description :

      Assignment will text concepts of project plan development and financial evaluation of the projects

      Weighting : 20%

      Criteria for assessment :

      Students should show understanding in evaluating the project viability and developing project plan

      Due date : 18/08/2008

    • Assignment Task

      Title :

      Description :

      This assignment will text the concepts of project execution

      Weighting : 20%

      Criteria for assessment :

      Development of a report outlining the status of the project and analysis about the execution of the project

      Due date : 6/10/2008

    Examinations

    • Examination

      Weighting : 60%

      Length : 3 hours

      Type ( open/closed book ) : Closed book

    Assignment submission

    Assignments will be submitted by electronic submission to www.mymonash.edu.au/blackboard. Do not email submissions. The due date is the date by which the submission must be received.

    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.

    There will be no assignment extensions.

    Late assignment

    Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of half marks after cut off date

    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/

    We will aim to have assignment results made available to you within two weeks after assignment receipt.

    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.