This capstone project management course analyses the environment within which complex projects are defined and delivered, including organisational, political, financial and legal aspects: detail and dynamic complexity of projects are analysed through case studies, building appreciation of reasons for projects succeeding or failing and how major projects might be better managed. The demands of Parliament and Government with respect to corporate governance and impositions on the management of major projects. Economic and financial considerations in the determination of project viability are analysed. The law underpinning contracts is canvassed together with the design of forms of agreement, remedies available and options for dispute resolution.

The additional information below reflects the most recent offering and may be subject to change.

This course develops the knowledge and skill necessary for you to successfully manage complex projects with consideration of their context and the key areas of budget, business and technical.

1. In the management of a project budget you will:
• understand legal responsibility to manage money
• understand the relationship between cost, schedule and technical performance
• formulate delivery options on the basis financial and economic viability
• understand the drivers of cost.
2. In the management of business aspects of a project you will:
• develop skills to lead people working together to deliver business outcomes
• develop skills to successfully manage people, money and technical delivery in combination
• be able to identify constraints on and enablers to business decision outcomes.
3. In the management of the technical aspects of a project you will:
• be able to identify technical needs and how these are managed throughout the lifecycle of the project
• be able to deliver technical performance outcomes
• understand issues involved in trading off costs, schedule and technical performance to deliver a balanced project.

Distance Mode

There are three assessment items in this course in the form of written assignments.
Assignment 1. Project Analysis 20%
Assignment 2. Corporate Governance, Knowledge Management & Contracts 35%
Assignment 3. Comparison of Major Projects 45%

Prescribed Texts:
Morey, D, Maybury, M & Thuraisingham, B eds 2002, ‘Knowledge Management: Classic and Contemporary Works’, MIT Press
Anderson, G & Roskrow, B 1994, The Channel Tunnel Story, E & FN Spon, London.
Duxbury, R 2000, Nutshells: Contract Law, 5th ed, Sweet & Maxwell, London.

Recommended Texts:
McLucas, A C 2003, Decision Making: Risk Managements, Systems Thinking and situation Awareness, Argos Press, Canberra, Australia.
Rogers, M 2001, Engineering Project Appraisal: The Evaluation of Alternative Development Schemes, Blackwell Science Ltd.

You are expected to utilise a library, ADFA bookshop, community sources and online sources to obtain additional resources.