Systems Thinking and Engineering for Project Management

(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 2
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
2. Identify different
systems thinking tools
and techniques to aid
project managers solve
project problems.
 System thinking can be determining as the process of identifying the
overall problem associated within a system and the approach that
can be made to solve the problems. System thinking deals with the
entire system and mostly studies the relationship between the
components of the systems (Costa and Lowery 2016). It examines
the entire linkage and the interactions made within the system. The
system thinking tries to solve all the problems within a system. It
tries to achieve the relationship within the subsystems.
 There are many tools that can make the system thinking work. The
tools are categorized into different category. The category of the
tools is brainstorming, dynamic thinking, structural thinking and
computer based tools. The techniques used are completely based on
the analysis of the system and on the design. System engineering
help in understanding the system in a better way and also helps the
management team related to the project in managing the system.
 System thinking comes with sets of tools and concept, by using it the
project managers can easily solve the problems. Certain steps are
involved for solving complex problems with the help of system
thinking. The steps are first understanding the problems, that graph
is drawn on the basis of the analysis, after understanding the
problem a statement is created, the structural planning is done, the
problem then undergo through a deeper analysis, and lastly the
collected information are used for problem solving (Young and
Leveson 2014). The problems can be solved with system engineering
with the use of modelling and simulation. Early detection methods
Costa, A. and Lowery,
L.F.,
2016. Technique
s for teaching
thinking.
Routledge.
Young, W. and Leveson,
N.G., 2014. An
integrated
approach to
safety and
security based
on systems
theory. Commu
n. ACM, 57(2),
pp.31-35.
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(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 2
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
management—
Guidance on
portfolio
management;
Case Study
 Chief Counsel's
Report - Chapter 5
(PDF 700KB),
are also used for designing purpose.
 Project, program and portfolio management altogether helps in
solving the problem and it is true. It helps in different ways the
project management deals with the technical aspects, designing of
the project, the program manager deals with the management of the
project and the portfolio management looks after the organizational
governance. Thus overall it helps in solving problems by managing it
step wise.
 Lots of problem was faced by BP due to the disasters. The problem
faced where related with all the sectors. Starting from the
environment to the economy every sector faced problem. The
problem was how to handle all the related problem and to handle
the financial loss. System engineering and thinking made it easy to
prevent all the probable accidents and to reduce the outcome the
probable accident.
 Chief Counsel Report stated the outcomes of the extra efforts that
was carried towards the mission. The report also stated the cause of
the disaster. The report also discussed the impact of the disaster.
The report states that system thinking played a vital role in
recovering the loss that happened. System thinking with its dynamic
thinking capability helped by finding immediate solution.
Mandatory Readings
 SEBoK Part 2:
Foundations of
Systems
Engineering –
 'Knowledge
3. Assess the relevance
of systems engineering
to project cases.
 The principle of system engineering can be implemented on the
Deep water horizon in many ways. The system engineering helps in
the system safety by having an approach that can predict and
prevent disasters beforehand. The main concern of the principle is to
manage all the disasters. Hence the system engineering is related to
the two BP disasters for predicting the probable accidents (Reader
Reader, T.W. and
O’Connor, P.,
2014. The
deepwater
horizon
explosion: Non-
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(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 2
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: Systems
Fundamentals';
 'Knowledge
Area: Systems
Science';
 'Knowledge
Area: Systems
Thinking';
 'Knowledge
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
and Connor 2014).
 There are many reports and investigation that serve as a relevant
source for the two BP disasters and gives a detailed about system
engineering. Lots of websites, movies and journal are present that
give detail knowledge about the disaster and system engineering.
 System thinking and System engineering helps in predicting the
probable disasters and in preventing it. It also helps in designing and
implementing certain methods to prevent the probable disasters. It
helps in the safety of many plants and it is based on the concept of
the entire linkage of the system.
 Project, program and portfolio management helps in many ways. It
helps by making a well structural plan to face and to prevent
disasters. All of the aspects collaborate together in order to make
and perform a particular strategy.
 There are certain facts that state that system engineering is relevant
and BP can make their investment in system engineering. System
thinking is completely based on providing assistant in predicting the
accidents, it is mostly concerned with the quality, it helps in
management of the accident and identify the causes and closely
analyse all the circumstances (MacKenzie, Baroud and Barker 2016).
Such features of system engineering make it reliable and a good
investment can be made on it for maintaining the safety.
 The attack of the BP was a well-planned attack. BP had a well design
program, project managers and portfolio management. The attack
was somehow planned and it can be clearly seen that the plant had a
well-planned management system and BP had lots of money. System
engineering provided assistant to the BP and helped in maintaining
the after effect of the disasters.
 The chief counsel report consisted of all the causes and impacts of
technical skills,
safety culture,
and system
complexity. Jour
nal of Risk
Research, 17(3),
pp.405-424.
MacKenzie, C.A., Baroud,
H. and Barker,
K., 2016. Static
and dynamic
resource
allocation
models for
recovery of
interdependent
systems:
application to
the Deepwater
Horizon oil
spill. Annals of
Operations
Research, 23
6(1), pp.103-
129.
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(Insert Student Name) / (Insert Student Number) - PPMP20012 Unit Portfolio for Week 2
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
NASA/ESA
Cassini/Huygen
s Mission to
Saturn;
 Project
Management
Case Study;
 Kerzner (2013)
Chapters 17.12-
17.17;
 AS/NZS
15288:2015
Chapter 5;
Optional Readings
 AS ISO
21504:2016
Project,
programme and
portfolio
management—
Guidance on
portfolio
management;
Movies and Web sites
 YouTube:
 "Systems
Engineering"
(by
ThinkTVPBS)
 Modeling the
Management of
the disasters. The way system engineering helped and played its role.
BP had a well idea about system engineering as its plants were well
designed, lots of models and laws was also implemented. The entire
plant was well designed with safety system that consists of all the
knowledge related to system engineering and safety.
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