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Monash University

FIT3086 Project management - Semester 2, 2010

Chief Examiner:

Dr Md Mahbubur Rahim, Room H7.44, Level 7, Building H, Caulfield

Contact hours: By appointment (E-mail: mahbubur.rahim@infotech.monash.edu.au, Phone: 99032352)

Lecturer(s) / Leader(s):

Berwick

Mr Daniel Waghorn

Caulfield

Dr Mahbubur Rahim
Senior Lecturer
Phone: +61 3 990 59952 +61 3 990 32352
Fax: +61 3 990 31077

Contact hours: Monday 1pm to 3pm, e-mail: mahbubur.rahim@infotech.monash.edu.au

Clayton

Associate Professor Chung-Hsing Yeh
Associate Professor
Phone: +61 3 990 55808
Fax: +61 3 990 55159

Gippsland

Dr Iqbal Gondal
Senior Lecturer
Phone: +61 3 990 26669 +61 3 990 55203

South Africa

Ms Stella Ouma

Malaysia

Dr Thomas Patrick O'Daniel

Introduction

Welcome to FIT3086 Project Management for Second Semester 2010. This 6 point unit is core to all undergraduate degree programs in the Faculty of IT. The unit has been designed to provide you with an understanding of modern project management. It will provide you with the knowledge to plan and manage projects, understand project accounting calculations and take part in the business activities of your organization.

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.

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit students will be able to:
  • describe the characteristics and phases of a project and its life cycle and explain the role played by the project manager;
  • explain the need for and develop specific goals, detailed plans and control strategies in large scale projects and relate this to the major reasons for the failure of IT projects;
  • explain and use standard project management techniques including Project Networks, Critical Path Analysis and Management, Gantt Charts and Time-Phased Budgets for high and low level project planning;
  • discuss the communication, people handling and team management skills required of a project manager and explain some of the techniques that may be employed;
  • explain the processes involved in selecting and initiating a project and prepare various critical documents required for these processes, including financial justification;
  • explain the importance of resource availability on project plans and develop and manage resource constrained project plans;
  • describe the need for Quality Management in projects and explain, compare and use various techniques currently employed by professional project managers;
  • describe the impact of risk on a project managers decision process, explain how that risk may be managed and/or mitigated and develop an appropriate risk management plan;
  • develop relevant, achievable and measurable project goals;
  • identify and critically discuss the impact on a project of external influences, including organisational structure, and stakeholders;
  • monitor the progress of a project, determine performance against the plan, develop strategies to manage any variation and discuss formal change control processes;
  • produce useful, informative progress reports for various project stakeholders and conduct stage and post project reviews.

Contact hours

2 hrs lectures/wk, 2 hrs laboratories/wk

Workload

For on campus students, workload commitments are:

  • two-hour lecture
  • two-hour tutorial (or laboratory) requiring advance preparation
  • a minimum of 2-3 hours of personal study per one hour of contact time in order to satisfy the reading and assignment expectations.

Unit relationships

Prerequisites

Completion of at least 24 points of IT study.

Prohibitions

FIT2002, BUS2176,CSE2203, GCO3807, MMS2203, CPE2006

Teaching and learning method

Teaching approach

The unit will be conducted as one 2 hour lecture and one 2 hour tutorial or laboratory per session.
  • Copies of lecture slides and tutorial exercises will be made available to all students through the unit website.
Lectures will provide students with the knowledge of fundamental theories and concepts. The tutorials will providestudents with an opportunity to discuss and apply the concepts throughcase studies and problem solving exercises

Timetable information

For information on timetabling for on-campus classes please refer to MUTTS, http://mutts.monash.edu.au/MUTTS/

Tutorial allocation

On-campus students should register for tutorials/laboratories using the Allocate+ system: http://allocate.its.monash.edu.au/

Unit Schedule

Week Date* Topic References/Readings Key dates
1 19/07/10 Introduction to Project Management Schwalbe: Chapters 1 and 3  
2 26/07/10 Project selection Schwalbe: Chapter 2  
3 02/08/10 Project initiation Schwalbe: Chapter 3  
4 09/08/10 Project work breakdown structure Schwalbe: Chapter 4 and Marchewka: Chapter 6  
5 16/08/10 Project activity planning and project networks Schwalbe: Chapter 4 and extra notes will be provided  
6 23/08/10 Project network calculations and project crashing Schwalbe: Chapter 4 and extra notes will be provided  
7 30/08/10 Project crashing calculations and resource scheduling Schwalbe: Chapter 4 and extra notes will be provided Assignment 1 (Project selection, charter and WBS development) Due
8 06/09/10 Project cost management Schwalbe: Chapters 4 and 6, and and extra notes will be provided  
9 13/09/10 Project quality and risk management Schwalbe: Chapters 6 and 7  
10 20/09/10 Project HR, communication and procurement management Schwalbe: Chapters 6 and 7  
Mid semester break
11 04/10/10 Project monitoring, control, and closure management Schwalbe: Chapters 7 and 8, Marchewka: Chapter 14  
12 11/10/10 Project success/failure and contemporary issues Nicholas and Steyn (2008): Chapters: 16 and 18, and extra notes will be referred Assignment 2 (Project case study) due
13 18/10/10 Summary and Revision    

*Please note that these dates may only apply to Australian campuses of Monash University. Off-shore students need to check the dates with their unit leader.

Improvements to this unit

A team of senior academics (responsible for FIT2002) across all campuses are fine tuning the contents of this unit. A new topic on contemporary issues of project management has been added.

Unit Resources

Prescribed text(s) and readings

a) Kathy Schwakbe (2009) Introduction to Project Management, Course Technology, CENGAGE Learning, Second Edition, ISBN 13: 978-1-4239-0220-1

b) Rachel Biheller Bunin, New Perspectives on Microsoft Office Project Introductory, Cengage Learning, Latest edition, ISBN 1-4239-0594-6

Recommended text(s) and readings

a) John M. Nicholas and Herman Steyn (2008) Project Management for Business, Engineering, and Technology: principles and Practice, 3rd Edition, ELSEVIER, ISBN:978-0-7506-8399-9

b) Jack T. Marchewka (2009) nformation Technology Project Management: Providing Mesurable Organizational Value, Third Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

b) Project Management: A Managerial Approach, 6th Edition Jack R. Meredith, Samuel J. Mantel, Jr. ISBN: 978-0-471-71537-5  http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0471715379.html

Required software and/or hardware

MS Project Professional 2007

or

MS Project Professional 2007 Trial Version http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/Browse.aspx?displaylang=en&productID=A1D023A3-F612-4DA2-ACB8-FDA8F850D645#

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

  • Lecture notes
  • Tutorial or laboratory tasks and exercises
  • Assignment specifications and assessment guides
  • A sample past exam paper (partial)
  • Discussion groups 

Assessment

Overview

Examination (3 hours): 60%; In-semester assessment: 40%

Faculty assessment policy

To pass a unit which includes an examination as part of the assessment a student must obtain:

  • 40% or more in the unit's examination, and
  • 40% or more in the unit's total 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 total assessment, and the total mark for the unit is greater than 50% then a mark of no greater than 49-N will be recorded for the unit.

Assignment tasks

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available via "Student Forms" on the Faculty website: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/
You MUST submit a completed coversheet with all assignments, ensuring that the plagiarism declaration section is signed.

Assignment submission and return procedures, and assessment criteria will be specified with each assignment.

Assignment submission and preparation requirements will be detailed in each assignment specification. Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced. You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html.

  • Assignment task 1
    Title:
    Assignment 1: Project selection, charter and WBS development
    Description:
    This is an individual project. Drawing on a case study report, students are required to provide justifications for selecting a project, prepare a charter for the project, develop a work breakdown structure showing major activities and milestones involved in the project, and perform network related calculations.
    Weighting:
    20%
    Criteria for assessment:

    Students must submit calculations to solve each problem which has been handed out. Marks will be given for correct answers.

    Due date:
    3 September 2010 (Week 7, Friday)
  • Assignment task 2
    Title:
    Assignment 2: Project case study
    Description:
    This is an individual assignment. Use MS Project software to plan and control a medium sized project. The case description will be provided.
    Weighting:
    20%
    Criteria for assessment:

    The aim of this assignment is for you to demonstrate your knowledge of MS Project and general project planning and project management principles. Marks will be a professional judgement of to what extent you have demonstrated this knowledge.

    Due date:
    15 October 2010 (Week 12, Friday)

Examination

  • Weighting:
    60%
    Length:
    3 hours
    Type (open/closed book):
    closed book
    Electronic devices allowed in the exam:
    None
    Remarks:
    Normally in three sections.

    Section A composed of several short discussion questions. Students are given choices. Section B includes mini-cases. Students are asked to answer all questions. Section C contains several problem solving exercises. Students are asked to answer all questions.
See Appendix for End of semester special consideration / deferred exams process.

Due dates and extensions

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 not regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Students requesting an extension for any assessment during semester (eg. Assignments, tests or presentations) are required to submit a Special Consideration application form (in-semester exam/assessment task), along with original copies of supporting documentation, directly to their lecturer within two working days before the assessment submission deadline. Lecturers will provide specific outcomes directly to students via email within 2 working days. The lecturer reserves the right to refuse late applications.

A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension must be attached to the assignment submission.

Refer to the Faculty Special consideration webpage or further details and to access application forms: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 10% of the total mark for the respective assignment, as long as the solution has not been published. If an assignment is submitted after the solution has been published, then the assignment may recieve zero (0) marks.

Return dates

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

Appendix

Please visit the following URL: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/units/appendix.html for further information about:

  • Continuous improvement
  • Unit evaluations
  • Communication, participation and feedback
  • Library access
  • Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)
  • Plagiarism, cheating and collusion
  • Register of counselling about plagiarism
  • Non-discriminatory language
  • Students with disability
  • End of semester special consideration / deferred exams
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