Learning Outcomes & Evidences

This document provides a summary of the learning outcomes and supporting evidences for the Systems Thinking & Engineering course. It covers topics such as project, program, and portfolio management, system thinking tools and techniques, systems engineering, project objectives, decision making and knowledge management, electronic systems for project management, change management, and contemporary developments in project management.

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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
6/7/2019

Learning Outcomes & Evidences
Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Summary of Outcomes..........................................................................................................................2
Learning Outcomes...............................................................................................................................3
LO1...................................................................................................................................................3
Summary.......................................................................................................................................3
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................3
LO2...................................................................................................................................................3
Summary.......................................................................................................................................3
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................4
LO3...................................................................................................................................................4
Summary.......................................................................................................................................4
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................4
LO4...................................................................................................................................................4
Summary.......................................................................................................................................4
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................4
LO5...................................................................................................................................................5
Summary.......................................................................................................................................5
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................5
LO6...................................................................................................................................................5
Summary.......................................................................................................................................5
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................5
LO7...................................................................................................................................................5
Summary.......................................................................................................................................5
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................6
LO8...................................................................................................................................................6
Summary.......................................................................................................................................6
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................6
LO9...................................................................................................................................................7
Summary.......................................................................................................................................7
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................7
LO10.................................................................................................................................................7
Summary.......................................................................................................................................7
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
Evidences.......................................................................................................................................8
Discussion & Conclusion......................................................................................................................8
References.............................................................................................................................................9
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
Introduction
There were ten weekly portfolios that were prepared for each week during the course
comprising of the topic as Systems Thinking & Engineering along with project, program, and
portfolio management. There were a number of references that were used and referred to
during the course. These included the SEBoK guide, project management methodologies,
ISO guidelines, and several others. The weekly portfolios included the learning outcomes of
the unit and the weekly learnings. The references and the details of the reading materials were
also specified. The document includes the summary of all of these learning outcomes and
also provides the supporting evidences of the same.
Summary of Outcomes
Project, program, and portfolio are considered the same; however, these are three different
terms with different meaning. The management guidelines for each of these areas are also
different and vary from one another. The guidelines under system thinking provide the ability
to integrate systems approach and system science for the purpose of management. There are
numerous tools under Systems Engineering and System Thinking which are used for the
purpose of project, program, and portfolio handling. The use and selection of the project
management applications and methods is done for the enhancement of project knowledge
management and decision making activities. There are electronic systems that have been
released for the purpose of project, program, and portfolio management. The replacement of
the manual systems shall be done with the electronic ones for effective handling and
management. Performance measurement and change management are the two necessary
activities in a project. There are different tasks and principles included under project
management to manage these key activities and areas. The project management applications
are relevant as there are numerous areas under the large-scale projects, such as budget,
schedule, changes, communication, etc. that are collectively managed in the projects. There
are different development and management methodologies developed for effective project
organization and handling. Some of these include scrum methodology, lean development, and
future driven development.
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
Learning Outcomes
LO1
Summary
There is a difference between project, program, and portfolio management. A project is made
of various sub-systems and provides a specific set of outputs. A program is composed of
numerous activities that are carried out in a specific period of time. Systems thinking are an
approach that provides the project leaders and the managers with the ability to streamline the
project tasks and activities. Portfolio management is also significant for the projects as the
enhanced level of control and monitoring can be performed by the application of portfolio
management. The guidelines under system thinking provide the ability to integrate systems
approach and system science for the purpose of management (Dolog, Thomsen, & Thomsen,
2016).
Evidences
Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK) is the guide published by IEEE
computing society that provides an insight in to system thinking and its application in project
and portfolio management. The difference between project, program, and portfolio is also
specified in the guide.
LO2
Summary
There are a number of system thinking tools and techniques that have been developed and
these may be utilized by the project managers to solve the project issues and problems. Some
of these tools include decision matrix, influence diagram, affinity diagram, functional
analysis, and various others. Affinity diagram is one such tool that allow multi-tasking in the
projects, such as development of the ideas, resolution of the complex project issues, and
planning innovative approach and concepts for the project. Effective analysis is a tool that
provides the ability to list out all the causes behind the project issues and determine the
impact of the same on the project functions and timeline. The application of these tools in the
projects provides the ability to understand the project issues and form relationships so that the
problems can be resolved (Zeigler & Zhang, 2015).
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
Evidences
The SEBoK guide provides an explanation of these tools and there are also project
management journals published illustrating the use of the tools, such as affinity diagrams,
influence diagrams, effective analysis, and etc. for resolving the project issues.
LO3
Summary
Systems engineering is a relevant concept to project cases. The application of systems
engineering in the project facilitates the adequate utilization of the technical environment and
the associated project risks are also mitigated. The success of the project is not based on one
element or one resource. There are numerous internal and external factors that have an impact
on the project progress and contribute towards the success. Systems engineering provide the
ability to determine these factors and allow the project manager to effectively manage the
same (Li, 2015).
Evidences
There are research articles and journals that are published and support these learning
outcomes. Also, these instances are verified in the project execution and project handling
activities experienced.
LO4
Summary
Systems Engineering approach is closely associated with System Thinking and these are
applied and utilized by the project, program, and portfolio managers in order to handle and
manage the project tasks and activities. There are specific methodologies and concepts
included under the domain of Systems Engineering which is used to integrate the varied set
of activities for effective project organization. It is also the responsibility of the project
manager to ensure that the concepts and methodologies are applied to the projects (Keating,
2014).
Evidences
The fundamental concepts of the unit along with the research work referred also confirm the
learning outcomes. There are Systems Engineering and Project Management journal referred
that support this idea.
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
LO5
Summary
The projects are associated with two sets of objectives. These include internal and external
project objectives. The project management applications, principles, and methods shall be
selected in such a manner that all of the project objectives are fulfilled. It is also the
responsibility of the project leader and the manager to make sure that the project management
applications selected are effective and adequate to handle the project tasks and activities (Too
& Weaver, 2014).
Evidences
SEBoK guide, project management concepts published by Kerzner, guidelines published by
ISO, and numerous websites, such as SAP, IBM, etc. also support the idea.
LO6
Summary
There are numerous elements that are involved in the success of a project. The two primary
elements and requirements include decision making and knowledge management. The use
and selection of the project management applications and methods is done for the
enhancement of project knowledge management and decision making activities. There are
numerous factors involved in the project at the internal and external levels. These factors
along with the project variables and risk areas are identified by the project management
applications and principles. These are then utilized to make integrated and adequate project
decisions (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).
Evidences
The fundamental concepts of the unit along with the research work referred also confirm the
learning outcomes. There are Systems Engineering and Project Management journal referred
that support this idea.
LO7
Summary
There are electronic systems that have been released for the purpose of project, program, and
portfolio management. Earlier, manual systems were used for the management of these and
there were significant performance and execution issues associated with these systems.
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
However, the release of electronic systems has provided the ability to overcome the
drawbacks related with the manual systems. All of the organizations are now shifting towards
the electronic systems as they provide the automation of the management activities. There are
numerous benefits offered by the electronic systems over the manual ones, such as faster
processing of the operations, reduction in the costs, online data storage activities, and easier
maintenance of the system.
Evidences
The guides published for project, portfolio, and program management also define and suggest
the use of electronic systems over the manual counterparts. The latest versions of these
guides also include the details of the benefits that may be achieved.
LO8
Summary
There are changes that come up in the projects and it becomes necessary to determine the
mechanisms that may be used to handle these changes. The application of the project
management systems can be done for the purpose of change handling and management. The
project management application systems can assist and guide the project managers to
effectively manage the project changes. Performance measurement and change management
are the two necessary activities in a project. There are different tasks and principles included
under project management to manage these key activities and areas. There is a project plan
developed so that all of the project areas are in sync and managed effectively. The selection
of the resources is also facilitated by project management so that the resources are selected on
the basis of their skill sets. The performance of these resources is managed by allotting them
with the responsibilities matching with the skills and keeping a track of the same.
Communication is also considered as an important activity under project management and
there are guidelines included to manage the internal and external project communications.
These also lead to the management of the performance and the changes in the project.
Evidences
There are different project management methodologies that are defined and all of these
methodologies provide guidelines to manage the project performance and changes. These are
included with integration from the management of other project areas, such as
communication and resource management.
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
LO9
Summary
In the ninth week, the learning that was obtained revolved around the significance of project
management in the industrial sector and projects. There are project management applications
and principles that are implemented in order to manage the complexities in the large-scale
industrial projects. The project management applications are relevant as there are numerous
areas under these projects, such as budget, schedule, changes, communication, etc. that are
collectively managed in the projects (Stoshikj, Kryvinska & Strauss, 2014). There are also
automated applications that are developed for each of the project areas. For example,
Monday.com is the application which is used to manage the project communications.
Clarizen is another application which is used to manage the project management tasks and
activities.
Evidences
The industrial cases and projects were used to determine the learning outcomes that are
specified above. There are research articles and journals that are published and support these
learning outcomes. Also, these instances are verified in the project execution and project
handling activities experienced.
LO10
Summary
There are contemporary developments that have taken place in the field of project, portfolio,
and program management. The week provided with the lessons to utilize the developments
for the effective management of project, portfolio, and program management. Apart from
these lessons, it also provided the ability to enhance the personal and professional skills. The
synchronization between ideation and revolution shall be done in order to achieve the desired
results. There are different development and management methodologies developed for
effective project organization and handling. One such example is the scrum development
approach under the agile set of methods. The methodology provides numerous benefits in
terms of ad-hoc development, adaptive handling of the processes, easier management of the
changes, and maintenance of customer relations. There are also other methodologies, such as
lean development & management. It focuses on the elimination of wastes and customer
collaboration for enhanced quality and continuous improvement. Future driven development
is one of the latest approaches that consider the needs of the present and also undertake the
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
changes that may come up in the future during the development processes (Lappe & Spang,
2014).
Evidences
The guidelines published for these methodologies along with the information available on the
web channels support these learning outcomes.
Discussion & Conclusion
The learning outcomes and their summaries for all the ten weeks support the idea that project,
portfolio, and program management are the three key areas that shall be managed. The
integration of these management principles and applications shall be done with the Systems
Engineering and Thinking approach. This will lead to the effective management of the risks
and will ensure that the technical environment is developed and easily handled. There are
also numerous development methodologies that are in place and these shall be used for the
purpose of handling specific project areas.
It is required that the exploration of the latest concepts and techniques under management,
development, and systems engineering is done with the integration of all of these concepts for
adequate project handling and organization.
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Learning Outcomes & Evidences
References
Dolog, P., Thomsen, L. L., & Thomsen, B. (2016). Assessing problem-based learning in a
software engineering curriculum using Bloom’s taxonomy and the IEEE software
engineering body of knowledge. ACM Transactions on Computing Education
(TOCE), 16(3), 9.
Keating, C. B. (2014, June). Governance implications for meeting challenges in the system of
systems engineering field. In 2014 9th International Conference on System of Systems
Engineering (SOSE) (pp. 154-159). IEEE.
Kerzner, H., & Kerzner, H. R. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning,
scheduling, and controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Lappe, M., & Spang, K. (2014). Investments in project management are profitable: A case
study-based analysis of the relationship between the costs and benefits of project
management. International Journal of Project Management, 32(4), 603-612.
Li, D. X. (2015). Engineering informatics: state of the art and future trends. Frontiers of
Engineering Management, 1(3), 270-282.
Stoshikj, M., Kryvinska, N., & Strauss, C. (2014). Efficient managing of complex programs
with project management services. Global Journal of Flexible Systems
Management, 15(1), 25-38.
Too, E. G., & Weaver, P. (2014). The management of project management: A conceptual
framework for project governance. International Journal of Project
Management, 32(8), 1382-1394.
Zeigler, B. P., & Zhang, L. (2015). Service-oriented model engineering and simulation for
system of systems engineering. In Concepts and Methodologies for Modeling and
Simulation(pp. 19-44). Springer, Cham.
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