Overview
This unit will equip you with the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage project execution and closure, ensuring that projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the satisfaction of stakeholders. You will learn about various activities involved in executing a project plan, such as managing project resources, monitoring project progress, and controlling project risks. You will learn about the importance of communication and collaboration among team members and stakeholders during the project execution phase. You will be able to identify the practical application of project monitoring, control systems, and the management of issues, such as scope creep, risk, quality, and baseline changes, arising during the execution. You will also learn about the importance of proper project closure, including finalizing deliverables, conducting post-project evaluations, and documenting project outcomes.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Postgraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
| Assessment Task | Part Weighting (% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Project Control Report (40% of unit ) | |||
| Project Control Report (Practical Assessment) | 100% of 40% | Low | AI-Assisted (Guided Collaboration) |
| 2. Report & Presentation (40% of unit · 2 parts ) | |||
| Part 1 – Critical Analysis Report (Written Assessment) | 40% of 40% | Low | Custom or Task-Specific AI Use |
| Part 2 – Presentation (Presentation) | 60% of 40% | Medium | No Gen AI Use |
| 3. Online Quiz (20% of unit ) | |||
| Online Quiz (Online Quiz(zes)) | 100% of 20% | Low | Custom or Task-Specific AI Use |
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of 'pass' in order to pass the unit. If any 'pass/fail' tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully ('pass' grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the 'assessment task' section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE qualitative feedback
Students valued the use of short quizzes during lectures, noting that they kept the class engaged, encouraged active thinking, and made the sessions more interactive and enjoyable, while also reinforcing the material learned.
Continue to maintain short in-class quizzes as a regular engagement tool to reinforce learning. Could introduce gamified activities to engage students engagement
Feedback from SUTE qualitative feedback
Students expressed concern that uneven team contributions can unfairly affect individual grades and highlighted the importance of academic results for their long-term outcomes.
Use peer evaluation or individual reflection reports to recognize different levels of contribution within group projects. Schedule progress checkpoints or brief updates to help identify and address issues of non-participation early in the group assessment.
- Explain the processes applied during project executing and closing.
- Examine and apply project monitoring and control processes to ensure that the project is effectively managed, and status is accurately reported.
- Discuss and analyse project closure activities.
- Appraise the success of a project and provide recommendations to improve performance on future projects based on the lessons learned.
This unit will satisfy one of the core requirements for the Australian Computer Society (ACS) accreditation in the postgraduate Information and Communication Technology (ICT) courses. This unit is also part of an accreditation package granted by the ACS. The unit contributes to the required number of academic study units for students wishing to undertake professional certification with the Project Management Institute's (PMI) professional qualifications, such as CAPM or PMP.
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) recognises the Skills Framework for the Information Age (SFIA). SFIA is adopted by organisations, governments and individuals in many countries and provides a widely used and consistent definition of ICT skills. SFIA is increasingly being used when developing job descriptions and role profiles. ACS members can use the tool MySFIA to build a skills profile.
This unit contributes to the following workplace skills as defined by SFIA 8 (the SFIA code is included)
- Project Management (PRMG)
- Audit (AUDT)
- Risk Management (BURM)
- Governance (GOVN)
- Quality Management (QUMG)
- Stakeholder Relationship Management (RLMT)
- Change Control (CHMG)
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
(40% of unit )
Practical Assessment
|
||||
|
2.
Assessment 2
(40% of unit · 2 parts
)
Part 1 -
Written Assessment
Part 2 -
Presentation
|
||||
|
3.
Assessment 3
(20% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
|
||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Knowledge | ||||
| 2 - Communication | ||||
| 3 - Cognitive, technical and creative skills | ||||
| 4 - Research | ||||
| 5 - Self-management | ||||
| 6 - Ethical and Professional Responsibility | ||||
| 7 - Leadership | ||||
| 8 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||
| 9 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
There are no required textbooks.
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
- MS Teams
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
g.chaudhry@cqu.edu.au
o.dawoud@cqu.edu.au
Week 1 - Overview of project execution and closure
Begin Date: 09 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Outline
- Overview
- Assessments
- Project life cycle
- Governing a project
- Executing a project
- Closing a project or phase
- PMBOK vs PRINCE2
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
The lecture will start with an overview of the unit and the assessments. It will cover the project life cycle, particularly the executing and closing phases.
The students will then work on inquiry-based learning on a range of given scenarios and multi-choice questions and participate in interactive discussions.
Week 2 - Project performance management
Begin Date: 16 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Outline
- Project performance management
- Performance metrics (PRINCE2)
- Performance themes (PRINCE2)
- Project performance management (PMI)
- Project performance management (Kerzner)
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will focus on project performance management, exploring various approaches to managing project performance within different frameworks.
The students will then engage in inquiry-based learning by working through a range of scenarios, answering multiple-choice questions, and participating in interactive discussions.
Assessment 2: The students will start forming groups within their respective classes.
Week 3 - Earned value management
Begin Date: 23 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Outline
- Earned value analysis
- Earned value analysis (PMI)
- Earned value management (PRINCE2)
- Earned value management (Australian Standards)
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will focus on earned value management (EVM) and its related concepts.
The teacher will then go through a few exercises on using EVM for project progress reporting. The students will engage in inquiry-based learning by working on a variety of scenarios, answering multiple-choice questions, and participating in interactive discussions.
Week 4 - Project control systems
Begin Date: 30 Nov 2026Module/Topic
Outline
- Project control systems
- Control scope, schedule, and costs
- Integrated change control
- Controlling a stage
- Control processes
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will cover the control systems used in project management, along with various change management approaches from key reference works.
The teacher will then present practical examples of how different project control systems are applied, followed by exercises for students to complete. Students will also engage in inquiry-based learning by working through scenarios, answering multiple-choice questions, and participating in interactive discussions.
Week 5 - Project audits and quality management
Begin Date: 07 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Outline
- Project audit and quality
- Manage and control quality
- Quality management system and audits
- Quality theme and control
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
The lecturer focuses on project audits, quality management processes, quality audits, etc. from various reference works.
The teacher will then engage the students in a class exercise. The students also work on inquiry-based learning on a range of given scenarios and multi-choice questions and participate in interactive discussions.
Assessment 2: Groups must be finalised this week with the approval of the teacher.
Week 6 - Project governance
Begin Date: 14 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Outline
- Corporate and project governance
- Project governance principles, types and frameworks
- Governance of portfolios, programs and projects
- Governance of complex projects
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
The lecturer will focus on project governance, exploring the principles of good governance and the associated framework.
The teacher will then lead students in a situational class activity. Students will also engage in inquiry-based learning, working through various scenarios and multiple-choice questions, and participate in interactive discussions.
Assessment 2: Any group conflicts must be resolved by the end of this week.
Mid-Term Break
Begin Date: 21 Dec 2026Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Week 7 - Project resource and procurement management
Begin Date: 04 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Outline
- Project resource management
- Acquire, and control resources
- Acquire, develop, and manage teams
- Project procurement management
- Conduct and control procurement
- Contract types in procurement
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
The lecture will cover the processes, tools, and techniques involved in managing project resources and procurement.
The teacher will then facilitate a group activity. Students will also engage in inquiry-based learning, working on various scenarios and multiple-choice questions while also participating in interactive discussions.
Assessment 2: One-page infographic summary must be submitted this week.
Week 8 - Project communication and risk management
Begin Date: 11 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Outline
- Project stakeholder engagement
- Manage and monitor stakeholders
- Project communications management
- Manage and monitor communications
- Project risk management
- Monitor and control risks
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will cover topics related to stakeholder management and communication, as well as risk identification and assessment.
The students will then work on exercises involving risk identification, analysis, stakeholder engagement, and communication, using a provided project document or research paper. Students will also engage in inquiry-based learning through various scenarios, multiple-choice questions, and interactive discussions.
Project Control Report Due: Week 8 Friday (15 Jan 2027) 6:00 pm AEST
Week 9 - Project work, delivery, and knowledge management
Begin Date: 18 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Outline
- Direct and manage project work
- Monitor and control project work
- Manage product delivery
- Project knowledge management
- Manage project knowledge
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will cover topics on monitoring and controlling project work, managing product delivery, and managing project knowledge and its transformation.
The students will then work on managing project work, delivery, and knowledge using a provided project document or research paper. They will also engage in inquiry-based learning through a variety of scenarios, multiple-choice questions, and interactive discussions.
Week 10 - Project closure, reviews, and lessons learned
Begin Date: 25 Jan 2027Module/Topic
Outline
- Closing a project or phase
- Authorising project closure
- Project failure and success
- Project reviews and lessons learned
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will explore the processes involved in closing a project or phase, including post-project reviews and capturing lessons learned.
The students will then engage in exercises such as analyzing a provided project closure report to identify lessons learned. Additionally, they will participate in inquiry-based learning through various scenarios, multiple-choice questions, and interactive discussions.
Week 11 - Professional responsibilities of project managers
Begin Date: 01 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Outline
- Morality, ethics and corporate culture
- Professional responsibilities
- Professional ethics and code of conduct
- Industry codes of conduct
Chapter
Readings
- To be provided on the Moodle website
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will discuss the professional responsibilities of project managers.
Assessment 2: Due this week
Oral presentations also start this week
Critical Analysis Report Due: Week 11 Monday (1 Feb 2027) 10:00 am AEST
Presentation Due: Week 11 Monday (1 Feb 2027) 10:00 am AEST
Week 12 - Unit review
Begin Date: 08 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Outline
- Summary and review of the topics covered during the term.
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Workshop activities
This lecture will provide an overview of the topics covered throughout the term.
Oral presentations continue this week.
Online Quiz Due: Week 12 Friday (12 Feb 2027) 6:00 pm AEST
Review/Exam Week
Begin Date: 15 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Exam Week
Begin Date: 22 Feb 2027Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1. Project Control Report ( 40% of unit )
Practical Assessment
This assessment item is an individual assignment worth 40% of the unit marks.
You are required to consider project event-driven and time-driven controls. You need to examine and analyse a case study in a real-life context and produce the project control report. The templates for the project control report will be provided on the Moodle website, which conform to the project progress and control requirements outlined in project management standards. You will be graded based on your analysis, and quality of the project control report.
Purpose
- The primary purpose of this assessment item is to help you develop skills in compiling project control report.
- The secondary purpose of this assignment is to allow you to consider the role of project control report within a project life cycle.
- The assignment will also allow you to enhance your analysis and written communication skills; particularly in the areas of structured assignment writing.
Your submission must be made using the given case study, and project control report template.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment; hence, submissions must be made on Moodle by the specified deadline.
The reattempt of this assessment is not allowed.
Week 8 Friday (15 Jan 2027) 6:00 pm AEST
Assessment marks and feedback will be released in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy and Procedure.
Your assignment will be assessed based on the extent and quality to which it meets each of the following criteria:
- A comprehensive overview of the case study (project) and its objectives (10%)
- A comprehensive evaluation of the project progress status using earned value management (40%) which includes:
- Evaluation of the cost and schedule status using variance analysis
- Evaluation of project budget status using estimate at completion, to complete performance index, etc.
- Evaluation of project schedule status using forecast completion date etc.
- A comprehensive analysis of escalation recommendation (40%) which includes:
- Clear, specific issue that exceeds project tolerance identified using precise EVM data (e.g., SPI, CPI, EV, AC).
- Insightfully explains why the issue matters, referencing impact on time, cost, scope, or stakeholders.
- Provides 3 realistic solutions.
- Best option clearly selected and justified based on cost, time, and risk, and what is your recommendation and lessons learned.
- Clarity of expression, grammar, spelling, references, etc. (10%)
- Explain the processes applied during project executing and closing.
- Examine and apply project monitoring and control processes to ensure that the project is effectively managed, and status is accurately reported.
- Appraise the success of a project and provide recommendations to improve performance on future projects based on the lessons learned.
2. Report & Presentation ( 40% of unit · 2 parts )
Part 1 - Written Assessment
This component of Assessment 2 is a group work worth 40% of Assessment 2 and contributes 16% to the overall unit marks.
The purpose of this assessment is to help you develop and demonstrate your understanding of project management concepts, principles, and theories, particularly related to project execution and closing phases. You are required to examine a given real-life case study and produce a report that provides a critical analysis of project control approaches to ensure the project's successful completion and stakeholders’ influence. The report should include a demonstration of the range of control systems and an evaluation of their application and whether or not a poor application of the control systems and lack of stakeholder management has contributed partially or fully to the project's failure. The report should also include recommendations to improve performance on future projects based on the lessons learned from the case study.
For this assessment, you will work in groups of 3-5 students within your own class in consultation and approval of your tutor. Online students may collaborate with other online students or complete the assessment individually with the approval of the Unit Coordinator. You must finalise your groups by the end of Week 5. Further details will be provided on Moodle.
This assessment requires academic research and critical engagement with project management literature. You are expected to:
- use the project management standards (e.g. PMBOK, PRINCE2)
- cite peer-reviewed journal articles where relevant
- integrate academic evidence into your analysis and discussion.
The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment; hence, submissions must be made on Moodle by the specified deadline.
The reattempt of this assessment is not allowed.
Week 11 Monday (1 Feb 2027) 10:00 am AEST
Assessment marks and feedback will be released in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy and Procedure.
The critical analysis report will be generally assessed on the quality of the work presented, the extent and coverage of the key aspects, and the understanding of the issues involved. You will be assessed based on the quality of your research, analysis, reflection, and written/oral communication.
Written report - Marks distribution (scaled to 16 marks):
- Executive summary (5%)
- Project infographic summary (10%)
- Introduction (10%)
- Control systems used (10%)
- Analysis of cost/schedule overruns, etc. (15%)
- Relationship between overruns and stakeholders (15%)
- Analysis of possible actions for success (15%)
- Conclusion (5%)
- Self-reflection (5%)
- Quality of report (10%)
- Discuss and analyse project closure activities.
- Appraise the success of a project and provide recommendations to improve performance on future projects based on the lessons learned.
Part 2 - Presentation
This component of Assessment 2 is a group presentation worth 60% of Assessment 2 and contributes 24% to the overall unit marks.
As part of this assessment, each group must submit a set of presentation slides alongside the completed critical analysis report. In addition, all group members must participate in an oral presentation that highlights the key aspects of the critical analysis report.
The presentation is intended to provide each group member with an opportunity to demonstrate their understanding of project management concepts, reflect on the knowledge and skills developed throughout the term, and showcase effective presentation and communication skills. All group members are expected to contribute equally to the preparation and delivery of the presentation.
- On-campus students are required to deliver their presentations during the workshops in Weeks 11 & 12, while online students will present via Zoom.
- The presentation must cover all aspects of the critical analysis report and be limited to 15 slides, excluding the title slide and reference list.
- All group members must attend the workshop and contribute equally to the oral presentation.
- The presentation should be 14 to 16 minutes in duration, followed by questions and answers.
- Presentations that finish significantly under or over the allotted time may incur a mark deduction.
- Students who are absent from the oral presentation will receive zero marks for this assessment component.
- Oral presentations will be assessed and graded individually.
- The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment; hence, submissions must be made on Moodle by the specified deadline.
- The reattempt of this assessment is not allowed.
Week 11 Monday (1 Feb 2027) 10:00 am AEST
Assessment marks and feedback will be released in accordance with the University's Assessment Policy and Procedure.
Presentation - Marks distribution (scaled to 24 marks):
- Quality and relevance of the presentation content (group marks) - 20%
- Quality of delivery and evidence of understanding of the presentation content (individual marks) - 50%
- Response to questions during Q & A (individual marks) - 20%
- Presentation manners: tone, eye contact, fluency, etc. (individual marks) - 5%
- Timing including Q&A (group marks) - 5%
- Discuss and analyse project closure activities.
- Appraise the success of a project and provide recommendations to improve performance on future projects based on the lessons learned.
3. Online Quiz ( 20% of unit )
Online Quiz(zes)
This assessment item involves an online quiz that is worth 20% of the unit marks. The quiz will evaluate your knowledge and understanding of topics and material covered during the term.
- Only one attempt will be allowed for the quiz.
- You will be given a specific timeframe to complete the quiz.
- The quiz will cover content from Weeks 1 to 10 and must be completed in Week 12.
- The quiz will consist of 40 questions with a time limit of 40 minutes.
- Once you start the quiz, the timer will begin to count down and cannot be paused.
- You must finish your attempt before it expires (open attempts will automatically be submitted).
- The quiz will cover the content from the lectures, tutorials, recommended readings, and MCQs.
- The quiz will consist of multiple-choice questions that will be randomly selected from a pool of questions from the weekly topics.
- The 72-hour grace period does not apply to this assessment; hence, the quiz must be completed within the specified time frame.
- The reattempt of this assessment is not allowed.
Week 12 Friday (12 Feb 2027) 6:00 pm AEST
Week 12 Friday (12 Feb 2027)
Marks will be released after each online quiz has been closed.
- Each question carries equal marks, and there are no penalties for incorrect answers.
- The online quiz will be marked by the Moodle computer program upon submission.
- Explain the processes applied during project executing and closing.
- Examine and apply project monitoring and control processes to ensure that the project is effectively managed, and status is accurately reported.
- Discuss and analyse project closure activities.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
