Course specification for MGT8078

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MGT8078 Portfolio, Program and Benefits Management

Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Springfield
Short Description: Portfolio, Prog & Benefits Mgt
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
School or Department : School of Management and Enterprise
Student contribution band : Band 3
ASCED code : 080315 - Project Management
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Enrolment is not permitted in MGT8078 if MGT8021 has been previously completed.

Other requisites

Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .

Rationale

The project manager must have an excellent understanding of how his/her project aligns with the organisation’s strategy and overall objectives, and how the project is connected to the management of a broader program and portfolio of projects which compete for organisational resources. There are important relationships between the business strategy and the projects, programs and portfolios managed by the organisation. It is critical to have a structured process to decide how individual projects are selected for implementation, and how their benefits will be captured and evaluated.

Synopsis

This course shows how a project or program develops out of the business lifecycle and also feeds into that lifecycle. This course provides participants with an advanced understanding of a body of knowledge in regard to portfolio and program management as applied in professional practice. It also details contemporary program and portfolio management approaches and practically relates them to organisational dynamics and project benefits realization.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course students should be able to:

  1. examine and critically reflect on portfolio, program and benefits management theories and concepts;
  2. analyse, evaluate and synthesise research to investigate the management of project portfolios and programs for the achievement of organisational benefits;
  3. apply knowledge and skills to investigate, resolve and make decisions about aligning project outcomes with organisational objectives;
  4. plan and execute a structured process for selecting projects and ensuring achievement of defined organisational benefits;
  5. use technical and communication skills to justify professional decisions to appropriate audiences.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Project portfolios, programs and benefits 20.00
2. Strategic alignment of portfolio, program and project elements 30.00
3. Portfolio and program management and evaluation 30.00
4. Benefits realisation 20.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=MGT8078)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

There are no texts or materials required for this course.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Summers, J & Smith, B 2014, Communication skills handbook, 4th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane, Queensland.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Directed ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 50.00
Independent ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 115.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
ASSIGNMENT 1 100 30 31 Mar 2020
ASSIGNMENT 2 100 70 05 Jun 2020

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    Online: There are no attendance requirements for this course. However, it is the students' responsibility to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

    On-campus: It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities (such as lectures, tutorials, laboratories and practical work) scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. Courses delivered at Springfield campus are run in block intensive mode as two 2-day workshops during the semester, and NOT as weekly lectures. Teaching blocks will include weekdays and weekend days. Check timetables for workshop dates at .

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks. (Depending upon the requirements in Statement 4 below, students may not have to satisfactorily complete each assessment item to receive a passing grade in this course.)

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    There is no examination in this course.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Not applicable.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Assessment notes

  1. Referencing in assignments:
    Harvard (AGPS) is the referencing system required in this course. Students should use Harvard (AGPS) style in their assignments to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (AGPS) style to be used is defined by the USQ Library's referencing guide at .

Date printed 19 June 2020