IT Portfolio and Program Management

Unit Code:HIT8431

Credit Points	Duration	Contact Hours	Campus	Prerequisite	Corequisite
12.5 Credit Points	1 Semester	36 Hours	Hawthorn	HIT7407 Information Systems Project Management	Nil

Related Course/s:

A unit of study that may be undertaken as part of the Master of Information Technology Project Management , and the Master of Information Technology. Students who have completed the necessary pre-requisites may also take this as an elective in any Masters level degree program.

Aims & Objectives:

This unit aims to develop a sound understanding of the differences between IT projects, IT programs and IT portfolios and the relationship between these. It will focus on organisational projects and their characteristics, IT programs in organisations and effective governance and reporting, and the selection of IT projects, IT portfolio balancing and IT portfolio governance and reporting in organisations..
After completing HIT8431 IT Portfolio and Program Management you should be able to:
• Define and clearly understand the concepts of IT projects, IT programs, and IT portfolios
• Understand the role, establishment, responsibilities and management of Project Management Offices in organisations
• Appreciate the relationship between business processes and enterprise project management
• Demonstrate an understanding of governance of IT projects, programs and portfolios
• Identify causes of failure in IT projects and programs, the role of the PMO in avoiding failure, and the contribution of sound governance to the prevention of failure
• Distinguish between project risk and operational risk, and understand the bases of IT project, IT program and IT portfolio risk management

Teaching Methods:

This unit is delivered through lectures, seminars and tutorials and/or online delivery.

Assessment:

Group Project Presentation and Report, Individual Project Report, Final Examination

Generic Skills Outcomes:

Swinburne University of Technology works to produce higher education graduates who are capable in their chosen profession. Learners bring to Swinburne University of Technology a diverse wealth of experiences and graduate with individual understandings, abilities and attitudes.
Within this context it is the intent of unit HIT8431 IT Portfolio and Program Management, that students develop the following key generic skills:

• teamwork skills
• analysis skills
• problem solving skills
• communications skills
• ability to tackle unfamiliar problems
• ability to work independently

Content:

• Distinguishing and defining IT projects, IT programs and IT portfolios
• IT project structures in organisations
• The relationship between IT project characteristics and industry sector
• Project roles, including stakeholder roles
• IT Project, program and portfolio governance and reporting
• Evaluation of IT projects, programs and portfolios
• The Project Management Office: its role, creation, management and contribution
• Enterprise Project Management
• Managing people in IT projects, including teams and stakeholders
• Managing risk in IT projects, programs and portfolios
• Delivering benefits from IT projects

References:

Kaplan, J. (2009) Strategic IT Portfolio Management: governing enterprise transformation. Kaplan Publishing, USA.
Maizlish, B. (2005) IT Portfolio management: unlocking the business value of technology. Wiley, USA.
Levine, H.A. (2005) Project portfolio management: a practical guide to selecting projects, managing portfolios and maximising benefits.
Jossey Bass, USA.PMI (2008) The standard for program management. 2nd ed. Project Management Institute, USA.