Teaching staff

Trimester 3
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 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 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 both private and public sector organisations in Australia, North America, Europe and Asia Pacific.  He was recruited to industry after having been a full-time academic where he has researched and taught at both undergraduate and post graduate levels in the domains of financial accounitng, auditing, project and risk management.  He is currently involved in the development and delivery of governance for directors, project management, finance, financial accounting and risk management programs in a number of national and international destinations.  He is also currently delivering post graduate aweard courses in finance and project management.

Following the attainment of his Bachelor degree in accounting, John obtained a Doctoral degree in risk from Southern Cross University.  He also holds a Masters of Accounting degree, and a Post Graduate degree in Education.

Email: john.sing@adelaide.edu.au   

Opening intensive:
Friday, 18th September 2015       7pm to 10pm
Saturday, 19th September 2015   1pm to 8pm
Sunday, 20th September 2015     9am to 4pm

Closing intensive:
Friday, 23rd October 2015            7pm to 10pm 
Saturday, 24th October 2015       1pm to 8pm
Sunday, 25th October 2015         9am to 4pm 

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
4	Competently work in a group to create a risk management plan based on the ISO 31000:2009
5	Identify a range of risk management issues and challenges
6	Identify the risks as complex systems cascade and be competent to initiate potential actions in response
7	Demonstrate continued learning and personal development
8	Recognise ethical, social and cultural issues and their importance for project managers

Text book:
Adrian Bowden, Malcolm Lane and Julia Martin, (2001), Triple Bottom Line Risk Management, Wiley.

Kendrick, Tom	2009	Identifying and Managing Project Risk (2 ed.)
Vose, David	2008	Risk Analysis – A Quantitative Guide (3 ed.)
Helbing, Dirk	2013	Globally networked risks and how to respond, Nature 2 May, 2013, p51-59.

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 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 on line components, and self directed study).

Course note, text book chapter and additonal readings as provided in classCourse note, text book chapter and additonal readings as provided in classCourse note, text book chapter and additonal readings as provided in classThis 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
	Establishing 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

Assessment No.	Form of Assessment/ Collaborative Task	Length (in word count)	Weighting	Due Date	Learning Outcome
1	Classroom participation	N/A	10%	N/A	All
2	Individual assignment - project risks	Minimum 3000 words	30%	see MyUni	1,5,6,7,8
3	Case study - group assignment - risk management application	Minimum 4000 words & risk register	30%	see MyUni	1,2,3,5,6,7,8
4	Individual assignment - risk management plans	Minimum 3000 words	30%	see MyUni	2,4,8
	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: 10%
Due Dates: Based on all intensive sessions

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

Scope:
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 participation and involvement will be marked:
Discussion:
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.

Learning objectives with this assessment (refer to section 2.1): All

 
Assessment 2: Individual assignment - Project risks

Weighting: 30%
Due Date: see MyUni

Submission Details:
Only submissions uploaded via MyUni will be accepted. If you fail to do so, you will receive no marks for your assignment.
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.


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:

Tasks

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?

Deliverables:

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.

Assessment criteria
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.

Learning objectives with this assessment (refer to section 2.1): 1,5,6,7,8



Assessment 3: Case study – Group project ‘Risk management in projects’ application. 

Weighting: 30% - This is a group assignment (2 members per group)
Due Date: see MyUni

Submission Details:
Only submissions uploaded via MyUni will be accepted. If you fail to do so, you will receive no marks for your assignment.
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).

 
Assessment criteria
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.

Learning objectives with this assessment (refer to section 2.1): 1,2,3,5,6,7,8 



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

Weighting: 30%
Due Dates: see MyUni

Submission Details:
Only submissions uploaded via MyUni will be accepted. If you fail to do so, you will receive no marks for your assignment.
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). 

Deliverables:

The RMP is to be in Word. 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. 

Assessment criteria
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.

Learning objectives with this assessment (refer to section 2.1): 2,4,8