Students

BUSA8031 – Business Analytics Project

2026 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Stefan Trueck
stefan.trueck@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
MGMT8040 and BUSA8000
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit provides a platform for students to exercise the knowledge and skills that they have gained in previous units in the Master of Business Analytics. The major component of the unit is a project, where students will actively engage with a significant problem or set of problems in the area of analytics. Group work engages students in the challenges of interpersonal communication, task allocation, coordination and control. Students will gain an insight into the analytical problems faced by organisations and be able to contextualise their graduate capabilities into the final business project. The unit will consider key issues, concepts and frameworks of analytics ethics, and social responsibility, and how these can be applied to policy and practice. The class is conducted through lectures, workshops and discussions where students will develop an analytical solution around the client partner's specified information-based problem. Throughout the unit, the emphasis is on the analysis process: identifying information needs, acquiring the necessary information, interpreting it and using it as the basis for strategic recommendations.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: Successfully work in teams and reflect on teamwork strategies in achieving group objectives.
  • ULO2: Recognise and apply different perspectives on organisation problems in order to best frame possible solutions.
  • ULO3: Design and conduct an organisational and industry analysis to assess and resolve contextual constraints of a client organisation.
  • ULO4: Deliver an effective and well-justified data analytic solution.
  • ULO5: Examine Business Analytics contribution to individuals, organisations and society and predict the ethical implications relating to the use of data analytics for these stakeholders.

General Assessment Information

Late Assessment Submission Penalty (written assessments) 

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a late assessment submission penalty will be applied. 

If you submit your assessment late, 5% of the total possible marks will be deducted for each day (including weekends), up to 7 days. Submissions that are more than 7 days late will receive a mark of 0.

Example 1 (out of 100): If you score 85/100 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 5 marks and receive 80/100.

Example 2 (out of 30): If you score 27/30 but submit 20 hours late, you will lose 1.5 marks and receive 25.5/30.

Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical concern.  

For any late submissions of time-sensitive tasks, such as scheduled tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, and/or scheduled practical assessments/labs, students need to submit an application for Special Consideration.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due Groupwork/Individual Short Extension AI Approach
Professional practice: Reflection report 25% No 27/03/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
 Professional practice: Client briefing report 30% No 08/05/2026 Individual Yes Open AI
Professional practice: Business advisory report 45% No Week 13 Individual and Group No Open AI

Professional practice: Reflection report

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 27/03/2026
Weighting: 25%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to reflect on your 1) professional development in the Business Analytics domain, and 2) enable you to work on your portfolio of skills you started on preparation and applying for jobs in business analytics.

You will produce a personal report and/or job application documents to reflect on your professional self-awareness, critically evaluate your skills and knowledge, enhance your ability to showcase your skills, and get ready for job market.

Skills in focus:

  • Critical thinking and problem solving 
  • Discipline knowledge
  • Work readiness
  • Communication skills

Deliverable(s): Written reports and/or Job Application Documents [1,000-1,500 words]

Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Successfully work in teams and reflect on teamwork strategies in achieving group objectives.
  • Deliver an effective and well-justified data analytic solution.
  • Examine Business Analytics contribution to individuals, organisations and society and predict the ethical implications relating to the use of data analytics for these stakeholders.

 Professional practice: Client briefing report

Assessment Type 1: Professional task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 08/05/2026
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual
Short extension 3: Yes
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is to develop your skills in analysing and recommending data/business analytics solutions to enterprises, providing a foundational experience in offering data and technology solutions to organizations.

You will use your skills in business analytics to evaluate technologies, understand their capabilities and benefits, and apply principles and frameworks in addressing complex organizational problems.

Skills in focus:

  • Discipline knowledge
  • Critical thinking and problem solving 
  • Global, ethical and environmental citizenship 
  • Digital skills

Deliverable(s): Written Report [2,000-3,000 words]

Individual assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Recognise and apply different perspectives on organisation problems in order to best frame possible solutions.
  • Deliver an effective and well-justified data analytic solution.
  • Examine Business Analytics contribution to individuals, organisations and society and predict the ethical implications relating to the use of data analytics for these stakeholders.

Professional practice: Business advisory report

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 45 hours
Due: Week 13
Weighting: 45%
Groupwork/Individual: Individual and Group
Short extension 3: No
AI Approach: Open AI

The purpose of this assessment is for you to experience a real-world analytics project by working collaboratively to solve a client organisation’s business problem.

You will work in teams to apply the knowledge and skills developed throughout your Master of Business Analytics degree. Your team will deliver a professional report and presentation to communicate your findings and recommendations.

Skills in focus:

  • Discipline knowledge
  • Collaboration and communication 
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Digital skills
  • Work readiness

Deliverable(s): Written Report (30% - Group) [max 5000 words] and Presentation (15% - Individual, each group is 25 minutes, each student will present 5-6 minutes)

Individual and group assessment
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Successfully work in teams and reflect on teamwork strategies in achieving group objectives.
  • Recognise and apply different perspectives on organisation problems in order to best frame possible solutions.
  • Design and conduct an organisational and industry analysis to assess and resolve contextual constraints of a client organisation.
  • Deliver an effective and well-justified data analytic solution.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • Academic Success for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation.

3 An automatic short extension is available for some assessments. Apply through the Service Connect Portal.

Delivery and Resources

1.5 hours lecture and 1.5 hours workshop/tutorials as per the University timetable. All in-person.

No specific mandatory textbook. Lecture slides and the reading material will be released on iLearn throughout the semester.    

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit connect.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Academic Success

Academic Success provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via the Service Connect Portal, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Unit information based on version 2026.03 of the Handbook