Teaching staff:

Trimester 1
Name: John Sing

Short Bio:
As an Adjunct Associate Professor and Business Consultant, John develops and delivers academic and professional development programs for both the public and private sector.

Prior to establishing a small consultancy firm, John had worked for as an executive within the Queensland Public Sector where he was responsible for leading and implementing the Government’s financial and economic reform agenda. This included overseeing the organizations transition from cash based to accrual accounting, financial and management reporting to the CEO and governing board of directors, and project and risk management at the strategic and operational levels.

John has conducted numerous management, leadership, risk, financial and project management courses for industry. He was recruited after having been a full-time academic where he has researched and taught at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the domains of financial accounting, auditing, project and risk management. He is currently involved in the development and delivery of specialized project and risk management programs for finance and engineering professionals working in capital intensive project based organizations. Following the attainment of his Bachelor degree in accounting, John obtained a Doctoral degree in risk from Southern Cross University. He also holds a Master of Accounting degree, Post graduate degree in Education and a Bachelor of Business degree in Accounting.

Email: john.sing@adelaide.edu.au

Singapore timetable

Opening intensive:

Friday 10 February 2017	7pm-10pm
Saturday 11 Febuary 2017	1pm-8pm	Promising entrepreneurs need a drive to succeed and a thirst for knowledge.
Sunday 12 February 2017	9am-4pm

Closing intensive:

Friday 10 March 2017	7pm-10pm
Saturday 11 March 2017	1pm-8pm	Promising entrepreneurs need a drive to succeed and a thirst for knowledge.
Sunday 12 March 2017	9am-4pm

On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

1	Identify the core types of project risks;
2	Use qualitative and quantitative risk assessment methods;
3	Competently use risk simulation techniques and other risk analysis tools/methods and work in a group to create a risk management plan based on the ISO 31000:2009;
4	Identify a range of risk management issues/challenges and the risks as complex systems cascade and be competent to initiate potential actions in response;
5	Demonstrate continued learning and personal development;
6	Recognise ethical, social and cultural issues and their importance for project managers.

Recommended but not required Text books:
Marchetti, A.M (2012) Enterprise Risk Management, Best Practices, Wiley.
Bowden, A., Lane, M., and Martin, J., (2001), Triple Bottom Line Risk Management, Wiley.

There is a wide range of material on the course topic available. The following provides some additional reading guidance if you are interested in reading further on the topic.

Chapman, Chris and Ward, Stephen	1997	Project Risk Management, Wiley
Chorafas, Dimitris	2001	Managing Risk in the New Economy, New York Institute of Finance
Cooper, Robert	2001	Winning at New Products, 3rd Edition, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge Massachusetts
Crawford, C Merle, and Di Benedetto, C Anthony	2000	New Products Management. Irwin McGraw-Hill
Gray, Clifford & Larson, Erik	2000	Project Management, McGraw-Hill
Hardy, Karen	2015	Enterprise RRisk Management, Wiley
Jolly Vijay	1997	Commercialising New Technologies, Harvard Business School Press
Louisot, J-P and Kethcam, Christopher,	2014	Enterprise Risk Management, Wiley
McGrath, Michael	2001	Product Strategies for High Tech Companies, 2nd Edition, McGraw-Hill
Pickford, James	2001	Mastering Risk, Volume 1: Concepts, Financial Times
Smith, Preston G and Reinertsen, Donald	1995	Developing Products in Half the Time, Van Nostrand Reinhold
Van de Ven, Andrew, Polley, Douglas, Garud, Raghu, & Venkataraman, Sankataran	1999	The Innovation Journey, Oxford UP

Library Resources
The University of Adelaide’s Barr Smith Library provides a range of learning resources including texts, journals, periodicals, magazines, and access to online databases and information services. It also offers a virtual library which is accessible via the University’s website. The University Library web page is: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/library/ 
From this link, you are able to access the Library's electronic resources.

Other resources
If you are a member of the PMI (http://www.pmi.org/Membership.aspx) you will “gain exclusive access to PMI publications and our global standards*, networking options with our chapters and online communities of practice, and leadership and volunteer opportunities. You’ll also receive discounts on certification exams and renewals, as well as our professional development offerings.” Student membership is USD$40 to join and USD$30 to renew.

* Log in to access complimentary read-only PDFs of all of PMI's published standards or take advantage of discounts on paperback editions
http://www.pmi.org/PMBOK-Guide-and-Standards/Standards-Library-of-PMI-Global-Standards.aspx

MyUni is the University of Adelaide's online learning environment. It is used to support traditional face-to-face lectures, tutorials and workshops at the University. MyUni provides access to various features including announcements, course materials, discussion boards and assessments for each online course of study (see: https://myuni.adelaide.edu.au)

This course is offered in blended learning mode with the face-to-face component offered as intensives.

As a guide, a 3 unit course comprises a total of 156 hours work (this includes face-to-face contact, any online components, and self directed study).

This is a draft schedule and session dates are a guide only. The timetable may be changed during the course delivery if necessary.

Intensive	Content	Readings
Opening Intensive	The risk management process and why we need to manage project risks	Course notes, text book chapter and additonal readings as provided in class
	Risk management process review - Risk management standard	Course notes, text book chapter and additonal readings as provided in class
	Application of the risk management process in projects	Course notes, text book chapter and additional readings as provided in class
	Discuss assignment 2: examples and tools: Case study	Course notes, text book chapter and additional readings as provided in class
Closing Intensive	Incorporating risk into the schedule.  Identifying and managing stakeholders	Course notes, text book chapter and additional readings as provided in class
	Uncertainty and the project cost contingency determination	Course notes, text book chapter and additional readings as provided in class
	Systemic risk and effective risk management planning	Course notes, text book chapter and additional readings as provided in class
	Discusss assignments 3 & 4: Case studies and additional examples	Course notes, text book chapter and additional readings as provided in class

An overview of the course assessment appears in the following Table. Details appear in the following section:

#	Assessment	Length	Weighting	Due Date	Learning Outcomes
1	Classroom participation	N/A	15%	Ongoing	1-8
2	Individual assignment - project risks	Minimum 3000 words	25%	see MyUni	1, 2, 5
3	Case study - group assignment - risk management application	Minimum 4000 words & risk register	30%	see MyUni	3, 4, 7
4	Individual assignment - risk management plans	Minimum 3000 words	30%	see MyUni	6, 8
	Total		100%

Students must complete all course assessment requirements and must attend lectures to be eligible to pass the course.

Course results are subject to moderation by the ECIC Board of Examiners

Assessment 1: Intensive sessions - Classroom discussion & participation
Weighting: 15%

Task:
Your lecturer will provide you with opportunities to participate in the discussions during each of the intensive classroom sessions.

Discussion topics will be taken primarily from the assigned readings and course material. You are encouraged to actively participate during the classroom sessions and to contribute to the learning environment.

Length and Presentation:
You will be graded on the quality of your participation in class and subsequent discussions to the key topics areas being covered. It is expected that students will substantially participate in all assigned discussions. (Eg: a short response like: yes, I agree with you or simply rephrase others' comments will not really add value. On the other hand, discussions and sharing learnings from your own experiences/ context and actions in applying the techniques will enhance the classroom discussion and learning).

Criteria by which your assessment will be marked:

• Participation based on your own comments/ experiences on the topic covered
• Participation and discussions demonstrate critical thinking and insight.
• Participation indicates you understand the issues and the underlying concepts.
• Student response to classroom activities met minimum substantive expectations.
• Demonstrated appropriate communication style and language choice.

Assessment 2: Individual assignment - Project risks
Weighting: 25%

Submission Details:
Via MyUni.
Submit 1 file only (1 pdf file). Do not zip the file.
The filename must be the SID of the student submitting the file followed by the Assignment Title. For example:
A1164033 - Assignment 2.pdf
The name and student Id must be clearly marked on the first page of the Report.
Failing to meet these rules may result in a penalty of up to 5% being imposed on the individual’s assignment.

Tasks:
Despite the application of risk management (process, tools and techniques) evidence indicates that there still exists a high proportion of project problems experienced during the implementation/execution phase (resulting in schedule delays, cost overruns and/or quality concerns). Clearly simply using the risk management process does not necessarily guarantee project success for the project manager. There needs to be a clear understanding as to the risk management process and understanding of the risks that may impact on the achievement of the project objectives. As a result of the above context and expectations, the following tasks are required to be undertaken:

1. Research, analyse and identify why projects fail. Consider what is deemed to be a project failure. How is success/failure measured? Does your organisation provide metrics for project failure? Provide a definitive list of factors (i.e. hot spots) that you believe are the reasons as to why ‘value’ is eroded and projects fail.
Comment: If as a Project Manager you have a better understanding and can anticipate where and why projects are failing, this should assist in determining which areas require greater focus (and why). 

2. Based on the results from your analysis, provide a suggested approach for how the risk management process and its application can be improved in order to achieve project success.
Hint: If for example, you identify a ‘hot spot’ from 1, to be – ‘poor risk management’ and that this could be a possibility with your project (hence a threat to your project success), then you will need to consider how in you intend to control for this particular threat. What will you need to put in place in order to identify and manage project risks?

Length and Presentation:
A concise management report that is reflective of the 2 key tasks as provided above. Section 1 of your report should contain your research, analysis and findings from task 1. This should then be used as the basis to shape up section 2 of your report.
Suggested length
3000 – 4000 words
Please note: I am providing the suggested length as an indicative guide only. You have complete flexibility in determining your final report deliverable.

Criteria by which your assessment will be marked:

• Demonstrated ability to transfer or apply concepts covered in the course to each of the project components.
• Demonstrated awareness of and insight with regard to project management techniques.
• Demonstrated quality and depth of analysis, problem-solving, and synthesis.
• Demonstrated quality of writing.

Assessment 3: Case study – Group project ‘Risk management in projects’ application.
Weighting: 30% - This is a group assignment (2 members per group)

Submission Details:
Via MyUni.
Submit 1 file only (1 pdf file). Do not zip the file.
The filename must be the SID of the student submitting the file followed by the Assignment Title. For example:
A1164033 - Assignment 2.pdf
The name and student Id must be clearly marked on the first page of the Report.
Failing to meet these rules may result in a penalty of up to 5% being imposed on the individual’s assignment

 
Tasks:
This case study is set outside of Dusty Plains, a small, dusty town near Broome in Western Australia. While the location, and the legal and taxation environment is real, the on-shore Dusty Plains field is hypothetical. It is, however, based on realistic data drawn from similar projects from around the world. In this scenario, your group is working for ‘IOC One’, and is responsible for identifying and managing a myriad of uncertainties with this project. Appropriate and timely decisions are vital to the success of this $600 million, 2 year development and the organisation is looking to your group’s development of the project’s risk register as the project unfolds
 
This is a ‘capstone’ case study and provides you and your partner with an opportunity of drawing on your previously acquired risk management skills and material covered in this course. 

Overall your group is responsible for specifying the project value drivers, project objectives and development of the risk register. This is a complex project and will be a challenge for you as the project manager to ensure successful achievement of the project’s outcomes. Identifying and managing the risks and uncertainties will be critical to your success. The specific tasks to be completed have been listed as part of the case study (See MyUni).

Length and Presentation:
Minimum 4,000 words
 
Criteria by which your assessment will be marked:

• Demonstrated ability to transfer or apply concepts covered in the course to each of the project components.
• Demonstrated awareness of and insight with regard to risk management techniques.
• Demonstrated quality and depth of analysis, problem-solving, and synthesis.
• Demonstrated quality of writing.

Assessment 4: Individual assignment – Developing a project risk management plan
Weighting: 30%

Submission Details:
Via MyUni.
Submit 1 file only (1 pdf file). Do not zip the file.
The filename must be the SID of the student submitting the file followed by the Assignment Title. For example:
A1164033 - Assignment 2.pdf
The name and student Id must be clearly marked on the first page of the Report.
Failing to meet these rules may result in a penalty of up to 5% being imposed on the individual’s assignment. 

Tasks:
Select a project that you are required to manage and develop a formal Risk Management Plan (RMP) . Prepare the structure of your PMP based on your specific requirements (hint: you may need to undertake some research as to the purpose and key elements to include in your PMP). 

It is to be presented as the official RMP for your nominated project, hence it must be concise and professional. While there is no word limit, you must use a common sense approach and be meaningful to you as the project manager. The completed RMP will demonstrate to your senior management or enterprise that you have the capability to manage risks alongside the ‘day to day’ project schedule.

Length and Presentation:
Word format, minimum 3,000 words

Criteria by which your assessment will be marked:

• Demonstrated ability to transfer or apply concepts covered in the course to each of the project components.
• Demonstrated awareness of and insight with regard to project management techniques.
• Demonstrated quality and depth of analysis, problem-solving, and synthesis.
• Demonstrated quality of writing.

All text based assignments must be submitted via MyUni.
Please refer to step by step instructions: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/myuni/tutorials/files/AssignmentStudentSubmission.pdf

There are a few points to note about the submission of assignments:

• Assignment Submission:  Assignments should not be emailed to the instructor; they must be lodged via the MyUni Course site (unless specified to do both). Note that assignments may be processed via TURNITIN, which is an online plagiarism prevention tool.
• Cover Sheet:  Please submit, separate to your assignment, the completed University of Adelaide Assessment Cover Sheet providing details of yourself and your team members (if applicable), your assignment, the course, date submitted, etc. as well as the declaration signed by you that this is your (your team’s) work.  Note that the declaration on any electronically submitted assignment will be deemed to have the same authority as a signed declaration.
• Backup Copy of Assignments:  You are advised to keep a copy of your assignments in case the submitted copy goes missing.  Please ensure that all assignment pages are numbered. If your assignment contains confidential information, you should discuss any concerns with the Course Lecturer prior to submission.
• Extensions of Time:  Any request for an extension of time for the submission of an assignment should be made well before the due date of the assignment to the Course Lecturer.  Normally, extensions will only be granted for a maximum of two weeks from the original assignment submission date.  Extensions will only be granted in cases of genuine extenuating circumstances and proof, such as a doctor’s certificate, may be required.
• Failure to submit: Failure to submit an assignment on time or by the agreed extension deadline may result in penalties and may incur a fail grade.  Note that a late penalty of 5% of the total available marks for that assessment item will be incurred each day an assignment is handed in late (Unless otherwise stated in 'Assessment Related Requirements' or 'Assessment Detail' above).  Assignments handed in after 14 days from the due submission date will fail even if a 100% mark is granted for the work.

Resubmission & Remarking
Resubmission of an assignment for remarking after reworking it to obtain a better mark will not normally be accepted.  Approval for resubmission will only be granted on medical or compassionate grounds.