Organisational Processes

This subject is not offered in 2013.

120 hours

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For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Central to the way IT serves business and organisations is the idea of process. This subject provides an introduction to the process perspective both in theory and in practice. At the theory level, this entails the fundamental concepts of processes and related management approaches: Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Business Process Re-engineering, and Knowledge Management. At a skills level, the subject will develop proficiency in process modelling using Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Workflow Models (WfMs). To produce elegant models with explicit assumptions is an important skill that will be learned. Students will also learn key principles for designing and applying efficient, effective and robust processes, including: triage, task elimination, parallelism, batch versus continuous, contact reduction, segregation of duties and control checks. The subject will include a survey of process‐oriented technologies such as Enterprise Systems and workflow.

The subject has the following objectives:

• For students to understand the process perspective on organisations and its significance to the discipline of Information Systems.

• For students to develop creative and reflective skills in the use of modelling for Information Systems analysis and design.

Subject-level learning outcomes

At completion of the subjects student will:

• know the key process concepts and understand the importance of processes for the way organisations work and the way they are designed;

• understand significant historic and contemporary design approaches to organisational processes that underlie current thinking and practice in Information Systems: Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, Business Process Re-engineering, and Knowledge Management;

• understand the vulnerability of processes and the controls needed to protect them;

• have developed skills in process modelling using Data Flow Diagrams (DFDs) and Workflow Models (WfMs), including the skill to interpret ambiguous situations and to produce elegant models, with explicit assumptions;

• know and be able to apply design principles for improving process efficiency and effectiveness.

Completion of this subject will contribute to the follow course-level learning outcomes:

• the ability to demonstrate advanced independent critical enquiry, analysis and reflection;

• in-depth knowledge of their specialist area;

• a high level of achievement in writing, research or project activities, problem-solving and communication;

• critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning;

• have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment;

• able to initiate and implement constructive change in their communities, including professions and workplaces.

• Group Project Analysis Report (including a presentation), 2,000 words, due week 6 (15%)
• Group Project Design Report (including a presentation), 2,000 words due week 12 (25%)
• 2 hour exam at the end of semester, during the examination period (60%)

None - reading will be posted in the library's online repository

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This subject is not available as a breadth subject.

On completion of this subject students should:

• Be able to undertake problem identification, formulation and solution
• Have a capacity for independent critical thought, rational inquiry and self-directed learning
• Have a profound respect for truth and intellectual integrity, and for the ethics of scholarship
• Be able to present work in written form; and
• Be able to present work orally and answer questions about it