Project Management Portfolio: Systems Thinking and Project Success

This project management portfolio examines the critical role of systems thinking in achieving project success, program management, and portfolio management. It explores the application of systems thinking to solve project problems and manage complexities, drawing upon real-world examples like the Deepwater Horizon and Texas City disasters to highlight the consequences of inadequate systems thinking. The portfolio delves into the overlapping concepts of systems thinking and project management, emphasizing their collaborative approach to problem-solving and the importance of a lifecycle approach. The assignment analyzes the relevance of systems thinking to project managers, the unit's objectives, and the impact of systems engineering. The portfolio also emphasizes the need for a thorough understanding of the different features within a project and how the total outcomes of a project needs to be determined right at the beginning. The document emphasizes how systems thinking can be applied to the discipline that encourages a person to see a total evaluation of something rather than evaluating the integrated portions of the entire system.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT.
Project Management
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
Learning outcomes.....................................................................................................................2
a. i. Summary......................................................................................................................2
ii. Evidence.............................................................................................................................3
b. i. Summary.........................................................................................................................3
ii. Evidence.............................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................5

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Introduction
System thinking is defined as a framework for visualizing partner instead of the static
snapshot, for visualizing interrelationships instead of things. It consists of a set of rules
which is applicable over several fields such as physical, engineering, the management or
social sciences (Williams & et al, 2017). System thinking is a method of thinking critically,
which examine the relationships between different parts of the systems, which helps to
understand a condition for making the right decision. A system consists of several
components that are interacting and affecting each other. System engineering combines both
the engineering and the engineering management concept, which focused on the design part
of the complex system and the control of the system over the life cycle. The system
engineering approach uses various functionlities of systems thinking. The project consists of
interrelated tasks that should execute over the fixed period with an estimated cost associated
with other limitations (Archibald & Archibald, 2016). A program can be define as a set of
instruction.
Learning outcomes
a. i. Summary
From the above discussion, it has found that the utility of the system thinking is
essential relevance and the portfolio manager and project manager can measure it to help the
method of system thinking. In the modern business industry, the complexity may arise due to
several difficulties related to the complex structure of the business, other issues related to
business and also various organizational factors.

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ii. Evidence
The main reason behind several problems within an organization is the complex structure
of the organization. The method of system thinking capable of solving the issues associated
with the environmental factor and interconnected business, both the external and the internal
factors. These helps the manager of the project, manager of the program and portfolio
manager to identify several difficulties and the solutions provided by the method of system
thinking.
b. i. Summary
It has observed from above learning that interrelated fields of engineering process
focusing on project management and design of a specific project over the entire life-cycle for
the specific system.
ii. Evidence
The project management initiating the planning behind the entire task to control,
execute and terminate the individual phases for achieving specific goals associated with the
specified time and cost.
Discussion
Both the system thinking concept and the project management concept overlap. The
system thinking approach provides several facilities in problem solving and framing the

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various relationships and prospective. The system thinking approach manages complex
problems in a project. Project management is associated with system engineering (SE) with
different system approaches which help to solve complex structure (Nagamachi, 2016).
Nowadays system engineering and the project managers are using the concept of system
thinking that is used to development of a large project plan and manages comprehensive
research. Although SE and project management share various approaches such as a life cycle
approach to conceptually design the project, implement the project and system. The system
thinking approach manages different part of the system, interacting and interrelated between
one or more system, grouping independent and interrelated parts from the unified and
complex project. A system receives input from the environment and then transfer the data
into preferred outputs. The project management strategy involves the demonstration of the
project, design and implantation of the project and the evaluation of the project that is the
project must be completed with estimated cost and within an estimated time period (Nicholas,
2017).

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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
unit readings and assignments
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.
The objective of this week’s topic is to make sure you have a
understanding of
 The unit’s fundamental objectives: According to the learning, it has
found that the fundamental objective of the unit is to acknowledge the
of systems thinking and its essential relevance that should be consider
the project manager, portfolio manager and program manager with the
of the systems thinking procedure. The project complexities arise due
various problems identified within the business and it has also been fo
that these complexities are due to the complex business structures, the
personal issues within the business and also the organizational factors.
have been considered as the primary factor behind every problem with
organizations for handling a particular project and how the procedures
systems thinking may have the probability of solving all these problem
considering the interconnected business and environmental factors, bo
internal and external ones. These identified problems and their solutio
the help of systems thinking is what the unit is focusing on for finding
solution to the problems and letting the project managers, portfolio ma
and program managers identify the solution to the problem with the he
systems thinking.
 Systems Thinking: The concept of Systems Thinking can be applicab
the discipline that encourages a person to see a total evaluation of som
rather than evaluating the integrated portions of the entire system. The
that has been followed through in this reading assignment also followe
wholesome idea that has been represented in understanding the wholes
idea behind any project, program or portfolio that feasibly handles the
interconnectedness behind the systems to establish the unique characte
the systems. It does not reject the interconnected or isolated aggregatio
the parts that comprise the entire system but it also makes it easier to
understand what the outcome of the entire system must be working as.
example, the conflict or concert between the different parts of the syst
understand the total outcome is understandable by utilizing the system
thinking procedures to understand how these parts of the single system
in forming the whole unique character of the entire system.
 Systems Engineering: This is the learning where it has been found ab
total interdisciplinary field of the engineering process that has been fo
on the design and the management of a particular system over the enti
cycle of that particular system. The development and the assortment o
particular study is dependent on the different types of the system think
principles that are used for the understanding the wholesome idea behi
system. Therefore, it is also understandable that the primary idea of th
concept behind systems engineering follows through the concept regar
systems thinking. The design and management of the systems from the
internal factors and the wholesome concept of the system is designed
feasibly into the two factors. The idea is delivered through the establis
of both the factors for the proper understanding of a project, portfolio

6PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Reading samples Learning outcomes
of the unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
unit readings and assignments
process.
 Project, Program and Portfolio management: The unit describes th
concept behind project management, program management and the
differences between the three concepts. The concept of project manage
is declared as the practice that initiates the planning behind the entire t
and the and the execution, with controlling, and closing phases that the
individual teams need to follow for the achievement of specific goals b
on the success criteria and the specified budget and time. The managem
of the programs is another concept that specified how the project can b
managed with the identification of the different projects, their relation
each other and then the management of the several related projects for
sole intention of improving the overall organizational performance. W
on the other hand, portfolio management is related to the decision mak
process that is related to the investment policy and investment mix for
identifying the investments made to the policies delivered with the bal
of the risks that have been found to be arising and mitigated with the h
the performances of the organization, the balancing of the risk, utilizat
the resources to mitigate the risks is all utilized for the portfolio manag
procedure. This has been finalized for the understanding of the mixes
policies followed by the different projects running through a single
organization.
 The Deepwater Horizon and Texas City disasters: The Deepwater
Horizon Oil Spill disaster is considered as a huge project failure and
considered as the largest disaster in the oil industry that has been due t
oil spill in the marine environment in the Gulf of Mexico. It has been
investigated that the misleading of the government about the testing ph
the vessels were the primary problems that were detected in this partic
problem. Where, on the other hand, the Texas City disaster has been a
accident followed by the industrial problems at the Port of Texas City
Galveston Bay, which is still considered to be the deadliest of the indu
accidents that has been considered in the history of United States. This
occurred due to a non-nuclear explosion as fire was found to be started
camping station of SS Grandcamp registered under the French naval fl
detonating cargo of about 2,200 tons of aluminium nitrate. The chain
reaction started the explosions in other nearby ships as well causing
explosions in other nearby oil storage facilities as well.
 The challenges that face organisations like BP, it’s partners and th
broader community: The organisations are found to be facing a lot o
problems in managing the projects which is clearly seen by the way in
the organisations cannot understand the proper and feasible way of han
the projects. The failing of this project is the proof that there is no prop
understanding of system engineering or system thinking.
In this portfolio please reflect on the readings (1st column) and the le
outcome (2nd column). Ask yourself in what way does the readings p

7PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Reading samples Learning outcomes
of the unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
unit readings and assignments
insights into the learning outcome? Maybe they don’t! What ar
thoughts?
I believe that with the readings that I have gone through in both the first a
second column, I understand that there is least understanding of how a
can be understood with the help of identifying the different features w
project and how the total outcomes of wholesome project needs to be fi
Since there was no system thinking, it was difficult for integrati
consequences of the parts of the project that could go wrong affecting the
project as a whole.
Are there other insights that you can make from other units that yo
studied? Or your work and life experience?
Understanding this project have made me understood that the total outcom
project needs to be estimated write the beginning of the point, when the pr
in its planning phase. write the initiation phase it needs to be identified
project can be continued and what are the outcomes that can be calculate
all the integration of the different little parts of the projects. This is beca
entire project is affected by the outcome of this integrated work to be don
the project.
Mandatory Readings
 SEBoK:
'Introduction to
SEBoK'
2. Identify different
systems thinking
tools and
techniques to aid
project managers
The objective of this week’s topic is to ask questions about how systems th
can be implemented. To achieve this, we need to have a good understandin
 What systems thinking is and what it is trying to achieve. You mig

8PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Reading samples Learning outcomes
of the unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
unit readings and assignments
 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;
solve project
problems.
want to review back to last week’s readings and material
As far as I have gone through the topic and concept of system thin
understand that this is trying to achieve the idea of having the outcome
result with the help of different system thinking tools so that a person
identify the outcome of any project with the range of functional ways.
It is trying to achieve the different outcomes that a project can bystand ad
to different situations where both the success and the failure of the projec
to be identified by utilizing the benefits of the system thinking tools.
 Secondly what tools and techniques can be used to make systems
thinking work? In fact, this is the purpose of systems engineering
which is a comprehensive way of implementing systems thinking;
There are different tools and techniques that can help in achieving
direction and ideation of making a system thinking work to initially iden
outcomes of a project in various ways. This can include the too
brainstorming, the tools for dynamic thinking, the tools for structural thin
well as the computer-based tools used in system thinking.
System thinking gives rise to the further proceed to system engineering w
the primary purpose of system thinking as a whole. The different utilisa
system thinking tools are also extremely important for the purpose of s
engineering that can be also forward it with the help of the system thinking
Brainstorming is one of the primitive ways by which cause and effect esti
can be made of a project so that the identification of the different project w
between the primary project can be identified.
 How with systems thinking and systems engineering project mana
might solve problems?

9PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Reading samples Learning outcomes
of the unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
unit readings and assignments
The system thinking and system engineering can help project manag
solving problems that can arise so that they can be ready with the mit
strategies whenever the risk arises.
 The conventional project management thinking says that Project,
Program and Portfolio management is a solution to solving projec
problems. But is it really?
System thinking gives rise to the conventional management of program, p
and portfolio management which is extremely important for every organisa
it gives rise to the identification of resources and resource managem
managing risk, calculating the success and failure of a project and ideate
much of the project has used up the resources of the organisation.
 Think of the problems that BP have faced with The Deepwater Ho
and Texas City disasters. Did systems thinking and systems engin
help them?
Both of the problems that has been faced by Deepwater Horizon and Tex
disasters have already been marked as accidents. System thinking and
engineering at that point of time was thought about but not a range by whi
could manage the accidents that occurred. This is mostly an outcome
accident that it was so message that any risk mitigation strategy was not
for the projects.
 How about the Chief Counsel’s Report? Does it show that BP had
good idea about systems thinking?
According to the chief counsel report, it was found that the business proc
not have a well-established and informative idea about system thinking and
why the idea of having development of proper system thinking method
and the ways by which the outcomes of the project were calculated w
understanding the occurrence of any risk makes it easier to understand t

10PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Reading samples Learning outcomes
of the unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
unit readings and assignments
system thinking procedure was not follow to its best use.
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;
3. Assess the
relevance of
systems
engineering to
project cases.
The objective of this week’s topic is to ask questions about how valu
Systems Engineering to Project Management and the project cases
considering. The big case we have been looking at has been BP and Tex
then Deepwater Horizon. We now have a basic understanding of S
Engineering, Project, Program, and Portfolio Management, so we c
ourselves:
 Does Systems Engineering have any relevance to the two BP
catastrophes?
The key elements of a successful project planning include the system engi
procedures and the two catastrophic situations that had already taken pla
the Deepwater Horizon and Texas City disasters where already term
accidents. Any system engineering was extremely level when to understan
the different deliverable task between the project would have managed a
since in both the cases there were explosive and oil fillings involved. I
have been better if the different integrated parts of work within the proje
understood so that the wholesome effect of the risk mitigation strategy
have been identified before the project was on board.
 Are there any sources that might claim there is relevance, for exam
SEBoK?
The SEBoK provides the sources that this is irrelevant example where
thinking should have been implemented so that the system engineering
project procedure could have been handled in a much better way.
 How with systems thinking and systems engineering project mana

11PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Reading samples Learning outcomes
of the unit
Learnings from your weekly study, experience, this and
unit readings and assignments
might solve problems?
A project can benefit a lot with the help of system thinking and
engineering as most project managers only understand the determinis
linear view of a project utilizing different appropriate tools like Gantt ch
string activities. If there lies a much more complex structure of a projec
need to develop several techniques so that this complexity can be manage
is feasibility done by utilizing the system thinking and system engin
procedure.
 Does Project, Program and Portfolio management provide any
relevance? Either in conjunction or not with Systems Engineering
System engineering can provide a better view of perspective to p
management, project management and program management at the same
the idea of portfolio management is including in a system engineering pro
as well. Handling a project gives rise to handling of several similar p
continuing to form a program. These programs are handled and analyse
whole so that it the outcome can also be identified for a project po
management. portfolio management is the system thinking which is hand
system engineering for handling the integrated works like program and
management.
 How do we know these things? What proof do we have? How stro
it? Would the strength of the proof encourage the board of BP to
in these solutions?
The proof of handling all these is found in different examples that a lead b
SEBoK that has numerous examples of how unidentified risk has arrive
program and project and how it has caused the failure of the entire project
these are real world examples, this encourages that system thinking and