PMQ503 Managing Projects as an Integrated System
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | PMQ503 |
|---|---|
| Equivalent(s): | PMN503 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $2,174 |
| Pre-2021 CSP student contribution | $1,703 The pre-2021 commonwealth supported place (CSP) contribution amount only applies to students enrolled in a course prior to 2021. To learn more, visit our Understanding your fees page. |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $3,576 |
| International unit fee | $5,472 |
Unit Outline: Session 1 2026, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | PMQ503 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | PMN503 |
Overview
This unit explores systems thinking and a systems approach towards all project performance domains. Understanding of a systems approach will help project managers to have an integrated understanding of the project. This will achieve better outcomes and value for the customers and project stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Select and apply appropriate methods, tools and techniques to manage projects with a systems approach.
- Examine the full range of stakeholders impacting or being impacted by the project and how projects fit within the organisational and ongoing business environment.
- Analyse the interactions, interdependencies and consequences that the project performance domains have on one another.
- Apply systems thinking theory to inform project management planning and decision making.
- Reflect on the process of working in teams to identify personal engagement, leadership and participation.
Content
This unit will cover:
- Systems thinking concepts
- Interface with other organisational Systems
- Identifying and including diverse stakeholders
- Quality
- Health and safety
- Project environment
- Planning/assurance/control
- Multiple business environments
- Relationship with risk
- Performance measurement;
- Tools & techniques
- Systems integration
- Systems thinking research
Learning Approaches
This unit will be delivered fully online. In this unit, you will learn by engaging in active and reflective learning through:
- participating in class/online discussions
- engaging with online learning materials
- reading book chapters, scholarly and industry articles
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester including:
- Rubrics provided to show the expected standard for each criteria in an assessment item.
- Feedback comments on assignments returned to you via Canvas.
- Collaborate and Discussion sessions providing extensive question and answer opportunities with peers and teaching staff.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessments in this unit:
- Case Study – In this assignment, you will develop your knowledge and skills in applying a systems approach in the planning and execution of an integrated project. You will do this by critically reviewing and analysing a completed project.
- Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report – For this assignment, you will be given a project opportunity scenario, which is fictional and is based on real-world and simulated data and information. You will collaboratively develop a project management plan (PMP). You will then use this collaborative experience to reflect on your understanding and explanations of systems thinking and system management.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Case Study
You will assume the role of a project analyst to critically analyse the success or a failure to applying systems view/thinking such as inputs/outputs based processes, causal loop analysis, interactions and interrelationships between different project elements and project management processes to manage or deliver a project to achieve the intended project outcomes.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report
In this assignment, you will be given a project opportunity scenario, which is fictional and is based on real world and simulated data and information. You will cooperate with a team to jointly complete the shared tasks and specific tasks allocated to you to collectively produce a coherent, integrated project management plan.
Following this, you will individually reflect on your understanding of system thinking as applied to the project. Your reflection will discuss the interactions, interdependencies and consequences that the project performance domains have on one another, making reference to the systems thinking literature. In particular, you should consider how this occurs as a complex chain of cause and effect, and how describing a specific issue within a system's context naturally involves analysing complexities within that system.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no prescribed resources required for this unit. There are however recommended texts stipulated below. Further, additional resources will be made available through the unit's Canvas site and QUT Readings as relevant to each unit module.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
PMI, 2021, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Seventh Edition, Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, PA.
PMI, 2023. Process Groups: A Practice Guide, Project Management Institute, Newton Square, PA.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no extraordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.PQ15 Graduate Certificate in Project Management
- Apply contemporary project management methodologies to projects of different types and complexities
Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report - Identify internal/external stakeholders and apply the principles of communication management to maintain business relationships
Relates to: ULO2, Case Study - Formulate approaches to effectively manage individuals in a project team environment for successful project outcomes.
Relates to: ULO5, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report - Apply appropriate tools, methods and techniques to plan and execute projects
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, ULO4, Case Study, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report
PQ20 Master of Project Management
- Appraise and adapt contemporary project management methodologies to projects of different types and complexities
Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report - Communicate, negotiate and manage diverse stakeholders to ensure successful project outcomes
Relates to: ULO2, Case Study - Synthesise and apply leadership and team development theory across dynamic and complex project environments
Relates to: ULO5, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report - Create project plans to effectively deliver strategic business and organisational objectives
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, ULO4, Case Study, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Reflective Report
Unit Outline: Session 3 2026, QUT Online, Online
| Unit code: | PMQ503 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Equivalent: | PMN503 |
Overview
This unit explores systems thinking and a systems approach towards all project performance domains. Understanding of a systems approach will help project managers to have an integrated understanding of the project. This will achieve better outcomes and value for the customers and project stakeholders.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Select and apply appropriate methods, tools and techniques to manage projects with a systems approach.
- Examine the full range of stakeholders impacting or being impacted by the project and how projects fit within the organisational and ongoing business environment.
- Analyse the interactions, interdependencies and consequences that the project performance domains have on one another.
- Apply systems thinking theory to inform project management planning and decision making.
- Reflect on the process of working in teams to identify personal engagement, leadership and participation.
Content
This unit will cover:
- Systems thinking concepts
- Interface with other organisational Systems
- Identifying and including diverse stakeholders
- Quality
- Health and safety
- Project environment
- Planning/assurance/control
- Multiple business environments
- Relationship with risk
- Performance measurement
- Tools & techniques
- Systems integration
- Systems thinking research
Learning Approaches
This unit will be delivered fully online. In this unit, you will learn by engaging in active and reflective learning through:
- participating in class/online discussions
- engaging with online learning materials
- reading book chapters, scholarly and industry articles
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You will receive feedback in various forms throughout the semester including:
- Rubrics provided to show the expected standard for each criteria in an assessment item.
- Feedback comments on assignments returned to you via Canvas.
- Collaborate and Discussion sessions providing extensive question and answer opportunities with peers and teaching staff.
Assessment
Overview
There are two assessments in this unit:
- Case Study – In this assignment, you will develop your knowledge and skills in applying a systems approach in the planning and execution of an integrated project. You will do this by critically reviewing and analysing a completed project.
- Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral – For this assignment, you will be given a project opportunity scenario, which is fictional and is based on real-world and simulated data and information. You will collaboratively develop a Project Management Plan (PMP). This will be followed by an interactive oral where you will explain the collaborative PMP development process, teamwork process and reflect your understanding and explanations of systems thinking and system management as they apply to the development and integration of the PMP.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Case Study
You will assume the role of a project analyst to critically analyse the success or a failure to applying systems view/thinking such as inputs/outputs based processes, causal loop analysis, interactions and interrelationships between different project elements and project management processes to manage or deliver a project to achieve the intended project outcomes.
You will explain your findings by a video presentation with PowerPoint.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See Canvas for specific guidelines.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
Assessment: Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral
In this assignment, you will be given a project opportunity scenario, which is fictional and is based on real world and simulated data and information. You will cooperate with a team to jointly complete shared tasks as well as specific tasks allocated to you, with the goal of producing a coherent and integrated Project Management Plan (PMP).
Following this, for the interactive oral component of the assessment, you will explain the collaborative PMP development and teamwork processes and reflect on your understanding and explanations of systems thinking and systems management as they apply to the development and integration of the PMP. You will discuss and explain aspects such as the interactions, interdependencies, and consequences that the project performance domains have on one another. You should consider how this interactions form a complex chain of cause and effect, and how addressing a specific issue or aspect within a system's context naturally involves analysing complexities within the system and how these effects cascade to other aspect/s or domains of the project.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised for the PMP (the written report of this assessment). See Canvas for specific guidelines. The use of GenAI is prohibited for the interactive oral.
The PMP (written report) is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions. However, the late submission period does not apply to the interactive oral, and no assignment extensions are available for this component. You are required to attend synchronously for this assessment task.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no prescribed resources required for this unit. There are however recommended texts stipulated below. Further, additional resources will be made available through the unit's Canvas site and QUT Readings as relevant to each unit module.
Resource Materials
Recommended text(s)
PMI, 2021, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Seventh Edition, Project Management Institute, Newtown Square, PA.
PMI, 2023. Process Groups: A Practice Guide, Project Management Institute, Newton Square, PA.
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no extraordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.PQ15 Graduate Certificate in Project Management
- Apply contemporary project management methodologies to projects of different types and complexities
Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral - Identify internal/external stakeholders and apply the principles of communication management to maintain business relationships
Relates to: ULO2, Case Study - Formulate approaches to effectively manage individuals in a project team environment for successful project outcomes.
Relates to: ULO5, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral - Apply appropriate tools, methods and techniques to plan and execute projects
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, ULO4, Case Study, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral
PQ20 Master of Project Management
- Appraise and adapt contemporary project management methodologies to projects of different types and complexities
Relates to: ULO3, ULO4, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral - Communicate, negotiate and manage diverse stakeholders to ensure successful project outcomes
Relates to: ULO2, Case Study - Synthesise and apply leadership and team development theory across dynamic and complex project environments
Relates to: ULO5, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral - Create project plans to effectively deliver strategic business and organisational objectives
Relates to: ULO1, ULO3, ULO4, Case Study, Collaborative Project Management Plan and Interactive Oral