Relevance of Systems Thinking to Project Management

(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 1
Week 1 Topic: Explain the relevance of systems thinking to PM.
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
Mandatory Readings
 SEBoK:
'Introduction to
SEBoK'
 SEBoK:
'Introduction to
Systems
Engineering';
 SEBoK: Part 7:
Systems
Engineering
Implementation
Examples
 Kerzner (2013)
Chapters 2.1; 2.6 -
2.8; 2.21;
 AS/NZS
15288:2015
Introduction;
Optional Readings
 AS ISO
21504:2016
Project,
programme and
portfolio
management—
Guidance on
portfolio
management;
1. Explain the
relevance of
systems thinking to
the project,
program and
portfolio manager.
It is analyzed from the study that focuses on the unit’s fundamental objectives,
system thinking, system engineering as well as project program as well as
portfolio management that system thinking is one of the important approach to
integration that is mainly dependent on the belief that components part of the
system will generally act quite differently when isolated from the environment
of the system or other parts of the system.
From the readings, it is learnt that system engineering is one of the
interdisciplinary field of engineering management that generally reflects on how
to design as well as manage the complex systems over the life cycle. In addition
to this, it is learnt that program management is one of the management of
various related projects.
Moreover, it is found that there are number of challenges that the organization
faces. Furthermore, it is learnt from the entire course that student will be able
to learn about the various system engineering as well as system management in
order to properly organizing the complex projects for identifying the
implementation of the system for managing the entire information flow for
supporting effective knowledge as well as decision making. From the entire
study, student will be able to learn about different PPPM application system
that are generally implemented as a mix of various manual procedures.
Furthermore, it is analyzed that various types of contemporary developments
with the help of international knowledge base as well as modelling techniques
are generally studied for allowing the students to properly learn about the
questioning that mainly occur within the project, program and environment.
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H.
R. (2017). Project
management: a systems
approach to planning,
scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley &
Sons.
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(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 1
Week 2: Identify different systems thinking tools and techniques to aid project managers solve project
problems.
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
Mandatory Readings
 Part 1: SEBoK
Introduction -
'Introduction to SE
Transformation';
 Part 1: SEBoK
Introduction -
'SEBoK Users and
Uses';
 Part 6: Related
Disciplines -
'Knowledge Area:
Systems
Engineering and
Project
Management'
 Kerzner (2013)
Chapters 2.1; 2.6 -
2.8; 2.21;
 AS/NZS
15288:2015
Introduction;
Optional Readings
 AS ISO
21504:2016
Project,
programme and
portfolio
management—
2. Explain the
relevance of
systems thinking to
the project,
program and
portfolio manager.
It is found that the readings help in providing insight into the learning
outcomes which further helps in reflecting that system thinking is quite
necessary for all the complex issues including the project management, quality
management as well as portfolio management. It is found that PMBOK, six
sigmas as well as TQM generally have strong roots within system thinking as it is
considered as one of the important way that helps in creating proper long term
problems for minimizing the unintended consequences.
As system thinking generally focuses on spark innovation by properly
encouraging different types of questions in order to expose different possibilities
as well as options that are generally not seen when the different components
are generally looked individual. Moreover, it also helps in properly identifying as
well as managing the relationships as well as dependencies. Moreover, it is
found that it further helps in improving communication and assist in reducing
business silos due to the attentiveness in context to interdependence.
In addition to this, it is found that system thinking plays an important role in
context to both the program as well as portfolio management. This is because
that it helps in providing understanding about the entire picture as well as helps
in solving the real issues that are associated with the project. Moreover, system
thinking is considered as one of the powerful approach in order to properly
understand the nature of the situations in order to improve results and
furthermore helps in eliminating bloat.
Kivilä, J., Martinsuo, M.,
& Vuorinen, L. (2017).
Sustainable project
management through
project control in
infrastructure projects.
International Journal of
Project Management,
35(6), 1167-1183.
Badewi, A. (2016). The
impact of project
management (PM) and
benefits management
(BM) practices on project
success: Towards
developing a project
benefits governance
framework. International
Journal of Project
Management, 34(4), 761-
778.
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(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 1
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
Guidance on
portfolio
management;
Case Study
 Chief Counsel's
Report - Chapter 5
(PDF 700KB),
Week 3: Assess the Relevance of Systems Engineering to Project Cases.
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
Mandatory Readings
 SEBoK Part 2:
Foundations of
Systems
Engineering –
 'Knowledge
Area: Systems
Fundamentals';
 'Knowledge
Area: Systems
Science';
 'Knowledge
Area: Systems
Thinking';
 'Knowledge
3. Identify different
systems thinking
tools and
techniques to aid
project managers
solve project
problems.
From the study that was undertaken I have learnt that there are a number of
system thinking tools as well as techniques that are generally helpful for the
project managers in order to resolve the issues as well as challenges. It is found
that the system thinking tools and techniques mainly include matrix diagram,
influence diagram, rich picture as well as sequence diagram.
It is found that rich picture of the picture that is used by the project team teams
for capturing the views on the situation on the other hand, it is found that a
sequence diagram helps in depicting the integration between various objects in
a quite sequential order. In addition to this, it is found that influence diagram is
one of the compact graphical as well as mathematical representation of a
decision related situation.
Moreover, it is found that an influence diagram is one of the tool that helps in
properly identifying as well as capturing the important relationship as well as
influences that generally exists between various elements of the system.
Badewi, A. (2016). The
impact of project
management (PM) and
benefits management
(BM) practices on project
success: Towards
developing a project
benefits governance
framework. International
Journal of Project
Management, 34(4), 761-
778.
Kerzner, H. (2017).
Project management
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(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 1
Reading samples Learning
outcomes of the
unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
prior unit readings and assignments
Supporting
documentation
including any
prior learning
Area:
Representing
Systems with
Models';
 Part 6: Related
Disciplines –
 'Knowledge
Area: Systems
Engineering
and Industrial
Engineering';
 'Knowledge
Area: Systems
Engineering
and Specialty
Engineering';
 Part 7: Systems
Engineering
Implementation
Examples:
 How Lack of
Information
Sharing
Jeopardized the
NASA/ESA
Cassini/Huygen
s Mission to
Saturn;
 Project
Management
Case Study;
 Kerzner (2013)
Chapters 17.12-
Furthermore, it is found that matrix diagram is one of the tools that allows the
project team in properly identifying the presence of strengths as well as
relationship between two or more lists of items and helps in providing proper
compact on the way of properly representing many to many relationships of
different strengths. In addition to this, the utilization of tree diagram is one of
the tools that helps in allowing the project team in properly organizing a large a
number of ideas as well as opinions in a very much meaningful structure.
metrics, KPIs, and
dashboards: a guide to
measuring and
monitoring project
performance. John Wiley
& Sons.
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