Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Ian Krycer
Contact via 0425 314455
By Appointment
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MBiotech or MBiotechMCom or MLabQAMgt or PDDipLabQAMgt or PGCertLabQAMgt
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit consists of a number of essential project and risk management themes, agile development methodologies and team management. Topics include project definition, roles and responsibilities, resource management, time and cost estimation, project planning, project control and reporting, measuring project success and post-implementation review. Microsoft Project 2010 is used to assist with resource allocation, costing and scheduling. The International Standard, ISO 31000, gives us excellent guidance on risk management. Agile methodologies are particularly relevant given the complexity and rapid change that characterise R&D projects. Finally, the unit considers understanding organisational culture, politics and how to manage local and global teams.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Final Examination | 50% | Exam Week |
Project Plan Presentation | 10% | Week 12 |
Project Plan Report | 20% | Week 12 |
Successful Complex Projects | 10% | Week 7 |
Microsoft Project 2013 | 10% | Week 4 |
Due: Exam Week
Weighting: 50%
Three hour open book exam covering the entire contents of the unit.
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 10%
You are to present your findings, for your section, of the Project Plan.
Due: Week 12
Weighting: 20%
A series of biotech and chemistry R & D projects will be allocated amongst the groups. Your team are consultants recommending your project and risk strategy to secure a go-ahead from the client organisation. Your focus is on the project context and business benefits, process/methodology and risk management plan to suit your project and client organisation. Groups will present to their ‘clients’ in Weeks 12 and 13.
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 10%
You are to write a well researched and referenced essay (2000 to 3000 words) on the topic of scientific project success. Numerous complex laboratory, pharmaceutical, biotech or medical device research or development projects suffer from planning problems, cost overruns and even total failure. What are the factors that contribute to a project’s success and how can the major risks be mitigated? Use at least 10 references, half of which must be from academic journals. These references need to be in addition to any class readings referenced.
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 10%
You are given the tasks, resources and schedule for a project which need to be entered into MS Project 2010 or 2013. You are required to answer a series of questions on the resource requirements, critical path, schedule and costs associated with this project.
Recommended Texts and Reading Material
Students are expected to purchase and read the following textbook. As the final exam is open book, it is strongly recommended that each student has a copy of the textbook:
Erik Larson et al, ‘Project Management: The Managerial Process’ 1st Edition (2014), McGraw Hill. This book should be available from the University Co-op Bookstore.
The following text books are suggested as recommended reading. Copies are available from the references and general sections of the library.
The class Web site, hosted on the iLearn server, will have copies of lecture handouts and additional recommended reading material: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/
Satisfactory Performance
Please note that satisfactory performance in all of the assignments and especially in the final exam constitute a necessary pre-requisite for passing this unit.
Late assignments: All late assignments will attract the penalty of having the maximum possible mark reduced by 10% per day late, including weekends. In other words, this means that an assignment that is ten elapsed days late can only attract zero marks, even if it is perfect.
Attendance at all classes is compulsory. You are advised to submit a legitimate and verifiable absence note to the lecturer if you are unable to attend a class, for whatever reason. In the first instance, an email will suffice, however, backup documentation, such as a doctor’s certificate, might be required.
Session |
Lecture Topic |
References |
1 Week 31 7/8/14
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Course Structure Modern Project Management Aligning the Project with Organisational Strategy
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Unit Outline Larson 1-3 and Readings
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2 Week 32 14/8/14 |
Defining the Project – Scope, WBS, Responsibilities Introduction to MS Project
Hand out Assignment One (Individual Assignment) ‘MS Project 2013 for Schedule, Resources and Costing’
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Larson 4 Microsoft website Erik Larson Videos
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3 Week 33 21/8/14 |
Estimating Project Times and Costs Developing a Project Plan
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Larson 5 Larson 6 and readings
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4 Week 34 28/8/14 |
Progress Management and Evaluation Project Success Criteria
Assignment One Due (5:00 pm) 28/8 |
Larson 13 Thomsett, 7, 9 and Readings
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5 Week 35 4/9/14 |
Risk Management ISO 31000 (2009)
Hand out Assignment Two (Individual Assignment) Essay on ‘Project Success and Risk Mitigation’
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Larson 7 ISO 31000 (2009) |
6 Week 36 11/9/14 |
Project Audit and Closure Agile Project Management
Hand out Assignment Three (Group Assignment) ‘Technology Project Management Plan’
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Larson 14 Larson 17 and Readings
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7 Week 37 18/9/14 |
Leadership Team Management
Assignment Two Due (5:00 pm) 18/9 |
Larson 10 Larson 11 and Readings
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8 Week 40 9/10/14 |
Virtual Teams and Outsourcing Governance
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Larson 12 Larson 16
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9 Week 41 16/10/14 |
Organisational Culture Organisational Politics
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HubSpot Case Study Larson 10, 12 and Readings
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10 Week 41 23/10/14 |
Managing in a Global Environment Social Responsibility and Managerial Ethics Life is a Journey |
Robbins 4 Robbins 5 and Readings
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11 Week 42 30/10/14 |
Group Major Project Tutorials
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12 Week 43 6/11/14 |
Group Presentations Assignment Three Due (5:00 pm) on 6/11
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Class assessment |
13 Week 44 13/11/14 |
Revision Tutorial |
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Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Pass All Assessment Items
In order to achieve a pass grade in the unit, you will need to achieve a satisfactory result in each assessment item, especially the final exam.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Our postgraduates will be able to demonstrate a significantly enhanced depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content knowledge in their chosen fields.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of utilising and reflecting on prior knowledge and experience, of applying higher level critical thinking skills, and of integrating and synthesising learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments. A characteristic of this form of thinking is the generation of new, professionally oriented knowledge through personal or group-based critique of practice and theory.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be capable of systematic enquiry; able to use research skills to create new knowledge that can be applied to real world issues, or contribute to a field of study or practice to enhance society. They will be capable of creative questioning, problem finding and problem solving.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be able to communicate effectively and convey their views to different social, cultural, and professional audiences. They will be able to use a variety of technologically supported media to communicate with empathy using a range of written, spoken or visual formats.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will be ethically aware and capable of confident transformative action in relation to their professional responsibilities and the wider community. They will have a sense of connectedness with others and country and have a sense of mutual obligation. They will be able to appreciate the impact of their professional roles for social justice and inclusion related to national and global issues
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our postgraduates will demonstrate a high standard of discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgment. They will have the ability to make informed choices and decisions that reflect both the nature of their professional work and their personal perspectives.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Four standards, namely HD, D, CR, P summarize as many different levels of achievement. Each standard is precisely defined to help students know what kind of performance is expected to deserve a certain mark. The standards corresponding to the learning outcomes of this unit are given below:
Grade | LO 1 and LO2 | LO 3 and LO4 | |
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Technical Project Skills | Advanced Project Management Skills | Generic skills | |
HD | Apply techniques and knowledge in new contexts, show breadth and depth of understanding of quality evaluation, estimation measurement, project risk planning and measurement. Can use MS Project to solve problems with high accuracy. | A sound grounding in how projects can be managed in regards to quality assurance, risk assessment and people management.. Able to apply these techniques and knowledge in new contexts. | Demonstrate leadership, creativity,critical thinking and analysis skills. Enthusiastic in acquiring new knowledge in the project management area. Demonstrate capability in applying new project management knowledge to solve real-world problems. Conduct team work effectively and play a key role in moving the whole project team forward. |
D | Apply techniques and knowledge in some new contexts, show breadth and depth of understanding across most of the topics including: quality evaluation, estimation measurement, project risk planning and measurement. Can use MS Project to solve problems, with limited errors. | A sound grounding in most topics related to how projects can be managed in regards to quality assurance, risk assessment and people management. Able to apply these techniques and knowledge in some new contexts. | Demonstrate some leadership occasionally. Show creativity, critical thinking and analysis skills. Have the capability in applying project management knowledge to solve real-world problems. Collaborate with team members well and finish assigned tasks on time and with good quality. |
CR | Show breadth of understanding across most of the topics including: quality evaluation, estimation measurement, project risk planning and measurement. Have fundamental knowledge about how to use MS Project, but with some non-major errors. | Understands some aspects of how projects can be managed in regards to quality assurance, risk assessment and people management. | Demonstrate analysis skills in some occasions. Know how to apply project management knowledge to solve some of the real-world problems. Able to finish assigned tasks on time and with good quality most of the time. |
P | Can reproduce definitions and ideas, show some breadth of understanding of the topics including: quality evaluation, estimation measurement, project risk planning and measurement. Some knowledge about MS Project with a few major misunderstandings or mistakes. | Can reproduce some definitions and ideas, show some breadth on issues in quality assurance, risk assessment and people management. | Demonstrate limited analysis skills. Can apply project management knowledge to solve limited real-world problems. Able to finish all assigned tasks on time and with acceptable quality. |
Grading
At the end of the semester, you will receive a grade that reflects your achievement in the unit
In this unit, your final grade depends on your performance in each part of the assessment. For each task, you receive a mark that combines your standard of performance regarding each learning outcome assessed by this task. Then the different component marks are added up to determine your total mark out of 100. Your grade then depends on this total mark and your overall standards of performance.
This means that you may fail the unit if you do not submit satisfactory submissions for the assignments and do not perform satisfactorily in the exam.
Department of Computing expectations are that students have to perform satisfactorily in the final exam as well as in their internal work/assignments.
Obtaining a grade higher than a Pass (P) in this unit will require a student to obtain (in addition to the above):