15350 Professional Project Practice
Warning: The information on this page is indicative. The subject outline for a
particular session, location and mode of offering is the authoritative source
of all information about the subject for that offering. Required texts, recommended texts and references in particular are likely to change. Students will be provided with a subject outline once they enrol in the subject.
Subject handbook information prior to 2021 is available in the Archives.
Credit points: 6 cp
Subject level: Postgraduate
Result type: Grade and marksRequisite(s): ((15312 Project Communication, HR and Stakeholders AND 15319 Project Risk, Procurement and Quality Management AND 15316 Project Scope, Time and Cost Management AND 15310 Project Integration Management) OR 15315 Project Management Principles )
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.
Description
This subject focuses on the professional aspects of project management. It aims to develop an understanding of the importance of professional status through the formal acquisition of knowledge, standard practices and regulations. The subject includes a focus on the role of the project manager in this developing profession through self-regulation, codes of conduct, bodies of knowledge and competency standards. The subject sits within the advanced stream in the Master of Project Management and is of relevance to any students interested in developing their level of understanding and application of the professional practice of managing projects.
Subject learning objectives (SLOs)
On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:
| 1. | Effectively communicate different project management perspectives to meet contextual demands. |
|---|---|
| 2. | Reflect on, and improve, practice through a review of the differences and similarities between a profession and a skilled occupation. |
| 3. | Demonstrate a capacity to effectively use oral communication to present group responses to different scenarios. |
| 4. | Apply foundational project management knowledge to a chosen response for different scenarios. |
| 5. | Source tools and techniques and apply to a Code of Conduct used to manage a project. |
| 6. | Reflect on the impact different scenarios may have on codes of conduct from an organizational perspective |
| 7. | Communicate professional written reports effectively using the literature to support or argue against a stated response. |
Course intended learning outcomes (CILOs)
This subject also contributes to the following Course Intended Learning Outcomes:
- Ability to effectively use written communication in projects at a professional level (Written Communication) (C.2)
- Ability to source and apply tools and techniques to meet contextual demands (Technique Application) (I.1)
- Ability to develop and adapt project management knowledge to meet contextual demands (Knowledge Adaptation) (I.2)
- Ability to apply foundational project management knowledge in projects (Foundational Knowledge) (P.1)
- Ability to manage project activities from an organisational perspective (Organisational Management) (P.3)
- Ability to actively reflect on, and improve, project practice (Practice Improvement) (P.5)
Contribution to the development of graduate attributes
The term CAPRI is used for the five Design, Architecture and Building graduate attribute categories where:
C = communication and group work
A = attitudes and values
P = practical and professional
R = research and critique
I = innovation and creativity
This subject encourages student learning to develop these graduate attributes. The course content, learning strategies and assessment structure is explicitly designed with these attributes in mind.
Teaching and learning strategies
Teaching and learning strategies
Learning activities occur four days with contributing pre and post tasks supporting the subject acquisition of knowledge. The subject reinforces several approaches to learning including lectures, workshops and collaborative tasks supported by a range of online resources.
LECTURES
The delivery of specific knowledge outlining legal principles as they apply to contracts is provided in lecture content. The lecture series will refer to exemplary projects that align to the subject’s overarching themes, activities and learning methods.
WORKSHOPS
The workshops use case studies to show how the application of legal principles apply to contractual agreements. Case studies provide accurate and authentic methods of building knowledge and skill, with specific relationships to industry practice.
COLLABORATIVE LEARNING
UTS staff believe that collaborative peer learning enhances learning. You are required to work in group of two throughout the whole semester. To facilitate this, the presentation assessments are framed in such a way as to encourage group-based learning and confidence in delivering information to peers and industry professionals.
ONLINE LEARNING
There are a number of resources used to support the learning objectives of this subject. These are located at UTSOnline. A detailed overview of the pedagogy and associated tasks and assessment items are included in the subject documents. Selected videos from experts in contract management are also located on UTSOnline and will be accessed throughout the progress of the subject. Significantly, the videos support lectures by providing students with an overview of issues related to the subject content, highlighting important concepts and ideas. Weekly Kahoot quizzes will be used to test learning, also accessible online.
ASSESSMENT
Assessment tasks are undertaken through different formats. Quizzes test understanding, essays outline learning in context, presentations reflect industry practice and effective communication and the final report consolidates theory and practice, applied to a real-world scenario.
FEEDBACK
Students will have several opportunities to receive feedback during the subject. The feedback provided will vary in form, purpose and in its degree of formality:
Formative feedback will be provided during the learning process, typically provided verbally by the subject's teaching staff. It will address the content of work and a student's approach to learning, both in general and more specific ‘assessment orientated’ terms. It is designed to help students improve their performance in time for the submission of an assessment item. For this to occur students need to respond constructively to the feedback provided. This involves critically reflecting on advice given and in response altering the approach taken to a given assessment. Formative feedback may also, on occasion, be provided by other students. It is delivered informally, either in conversation during a tutorial or in the course of discussion at the scale of the whole class. It is the student’s responsibility to record any feedback given during meetings or studio sessions.
Summative feedback is provided in written form with all assessed work. It is published along with indicative grades online at UTS REVIEW. Summative feedback focuses on assessment outcomes. It is used to indicate how successfully a student has performed in terms of specific assessment criteria.
Content (topics)
- Perspectives of a Profession
- Legal Relationships and Fiduciary Obligations
- Professional Performance, Innovation and Risk
- Social Responsibility and Environmental Impacts
Assessment
Assessment task 1: Self Assessment - Pre-Workshop Assignment
| Intent: | To gain an understanding of the similarities and differences between a Profession and a Skilled Occupation from a project managment perspective. | ||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 5 and 6 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.2, I.1 and P.5 | ||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 20% | ||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 2: Report and presentation (oral) - Team Assignment
| Intent: | To consolidate learning from days 1 and 2, including discussion feedback, online quiz results and workshop activities. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.2, I.1, I.2, P.1 and P.3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Group, group assessed | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 30% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Assessment task 3: Report - Individual Assignment
| Intent: | Consolidation of the content understanding related to the subject content, argued effectively and succinctly. | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Objective(s): | This task addresses the following subject learning objectives: 1, 2, 6 and 7 This task also addresses the following course intended learning outcomes that are linked with a code to indicate one of the five CAPRI graduate attribute categories (e.g. C.1, A.3, P.4, etc.): C.2, I.1, P.3 and P.5 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type: | Report | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Groupwork: | Individual | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 50% | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Length: | 3000 words | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Criteria linkages: |
SLOs: subject learning objectives CILOs: course intended learning outcomes |
Minimum requirements
The DAB attendance policy requires students to attend no less than 80% of formal teaching sessions (lectures and tutorials) for each class they are enrolled in to remain eligible for assessment
Project Management students are required to attend 80% of all classes for all enrolled subjects. Achievement of the subject’s aims is difficult if classes are not attended. Where assessment tasks are to be presented personally in class, attendance is mandatory. Pursuant to UTS rule 3.8.2 students who do not satisfy attendance requirements may be refused permission by the Responsible Academic Officer to be considered for assessment for this subject.
Recommended texts
Refer to Reading List on UTS Online under "Subject Documents".
Useful reference books are:
Bailey I and Bell M, (2011) Construction Law in Australia, 3rd edn, Thomson Reuters, Sydney. Davenport, P. (2010) Adjudication in the building industry. Federation Press, Sydney.
Davenport, P. & Durham H. (2013) Construction Claims, 3rd ed., Federation Press, Sydney. Clay R & Dennys, N. (2015) Hudson’s Building and Engineering Contracts. 13th ed., Sweet and Maxwell, London.
Godwin, W (2013) International Construction Contracts – A handbook, Wiley-Blackwell, UK. Minter Ellison “Construction Law Made Easy”: http://www.constructionlawmadeeasy.com/Index
Journals
International Journal of Law in the Built Environment
Australian Construction Law Newsletter, Faculty of Design, Architecture Building and Construction
Law Journal, The Law Book Company.
AustLii (Australasian Legal Information Institute)
Students are expected to read the Acts referred to in lectures and readings. There is an excellent free Internet site, http://www.austlii.edu.au, [search for ‘AustLii’] where all the statute law the student will need is to be found. In AustLii, to search for a Commonwealth Act, select 'Commonwealth', for a NSW Act select ‘NSW’.
Assume that you are searching for the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act 1999 (NSW).
After selecting NSW, select ‘NSW Consolidated Acts’. Select ‘Alphabetical’, then ‘B’ and you will get a list of Acts commencing with ‘B’. Under ‘Building and Construction Industry Security of Payment Act’, you will get the full text of the Act. You can download it free of charge. Similarly, all Commonwealth Acts and regulations and the Acts and Regulations of other states are available free of charge. While you can search directly the name of the Act, the only benefit of the alphabetical search is that sometimes there are several Acts with similar names and, unless you are quite sure of the name of the Act, you might get the wrong Act.
Hard copies of Acts and Regulations can be purchased from the Commonwealth Government Information Centre or the NSW Government Information Centre. But since the Acts are available free on the Internet, students are not required to buy any legislation. Legislation is
frequently amended and hard copies quickly become outdated. AustLii provides the latest consolidated legislation.
In business, searching the law yourself is no substitute for seeking legal advice on a problem but it can be very useful in determining whether you need legal advice, in understanding the legal advice you get and in assessing the standard of the legal advice. At first, reading legislation is not easy but it becomes easier with practice. The lasting value of this course should be an awareness of when law is relevant and where the law might be found.
Important recent court decisions can also be found on the Internet. The 'AustLii' site is a good starting point. All recent High Court decisions and many decisions of State Supreme Courts and other courts and tribunals can be found at the AustLii site. Unfortunately, they are indexed by name not subject matter and unless a student knows the name of a case, a search of free databases is unlikely to be fruitful. The Technology and Construction Court in England deals mainly with construction law cases and is an interesting site to visit.
Students will usually find it easier to access construction law cases by way of law reports, for example, the Building and Construction Law Journal, Construction Law Journal, Building Law Reports and Construction Law Reports.