Units

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Sample subject outline - Semester 2 2013

Note: Subject outlines often change before the semester begins. Below is a sample outline.

Rationale

Project Management is the overall planning, control and coordination of a project, from inception to completion, aimed at meeting a client's requirements in order to complete the project on time, within budget and to the required quality standards. This unit introduces you to project management for built environment, engineering or infrastructure projects, which includes an overview of the framework, processes and key knowledge areas of project management.

Aims

The aim of the unit is to provide you with the key concepts in project management, and to aid you in developing a good understanding of the formalised processes in project management.

Objectives

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

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the framework and process/life cycle of project management as a discipline, from initiation to completion, including planning, monitoring, control and termination;
2. Apply all key functional areas, including project organisation structure, within a project context, indicating the interconnection and integration of all the functions critical to achieve project success;
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the strategic importance of projects and particularly the role of the project manager; and
4. Develop a project plan.

Content

This unit covers the following:

• Key concepts of project management,


• Project management process


• Project life/cycle


• Project scoping


• Stakeholder management


• Developing a project plan


• Project execution


• Project monitoring and control


• Project closure

Approaches to Teaching and Learning

Teaching Mode:
Hours per week: 3
Lectures: 2 hours
Tutorial: 1 hour

Lectures will be held each week (2 hrs), and their purpose is to present main theoretical concepts, identify areas of discussion and debate, and to develop critical inquiry and problem solving skills. You are encouraged to share your experiences of project management within this context. Case studies, presentations and discussions are used in tutorials (1 hr) to allow you to develop your ability to apply theory and practice to workplace situations, and consider the broader implications of management decisions.

Teaching and learning strategies adopted foster an understanding of the challenges relating to the process of managing built environment, engineering or infrastructure projects in a dynamic environment.

Assessment

QUT's Assessment Policy is located at MOPP C/5.1.

The assessment in this unit aims to support your achievement of the learning objectives. Assessment has been designed in order to allow you to: Receive feedback on your learning as you progress toward the development of knowledge, understanding, skills and attitudes (formative assessment); and Demonstrate your learning in order to achieve a final grade (summative assessment).

There are two individual pieces of assessment in this unit:
- A problem solving task (50%)
- Presentation (50%)

All assessments will be marked using criterion referenced assessment (CRA) and returned with feedback to enable you to understand how you are progressing and how your work can be improved.Formative feedback, written and verbal, will be provided during the lecture/ tutorial sessions.

Assessment name: Individual rep on project plan
Description: Develop one part of the project plan. The project brief will be provided in Week 1.
Relates to objectives: 3, 4
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 7

Assessment name: Presentation
Description: Individuals to present their version of the project plan (in the form of detailed slides) and communicate lessons learnt.
Relates to objectives: 1, 2, 4
Weight: 50%
Internal or external: Internal
Group or individual: Individual
Due date: Week 13 during class

Academic Honesty

QUT is committed to maintaining high academic standards to protect the value of its qualifications. To assist you in assuring the academic integrity of your assessment you are encouraged to make use of the support materials and services available to help you consider and check your assessment items. Important information about the university's approach to academic integrity of assessment is on your unit Blackboard site.

A breach of academic integrity is regarded as Student Misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties.

Resource materials

The recommended reading list for the unit are as follows:

Essential Reading:
1. Project Management Institute. 2008. A guide to project management body of knowledge (PMBOK).4th Edition. Project Management Institute.
2. Kerzner, H. 2009. Project management: A systems approach to planning, scheduling and controlling. Hoboken, New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
3. Project Management Institute. 2008. Construction extension to PMBOK. 3rd Edition. Project Management Institute.

Risk assessment statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit. Students in this unit will undertake lectures and tutorials in the traditional classrooms and lecture theatres. As such, there are no extraordinary workplace health and safety issues associated with these components of the unit.

Additional Costs:
There are no extraordinary costs associated with this unit.

Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of semester.

Last modified: 20-Jun-2012