Delivering Complex Programs

Course aim

To conceive of the defence sector as a complex enterprise comprising multiple components and actors. They will be able to analyse and articulate their place in this enterprise (and that of their organisations) and understand how to effectively manage and deliver capability programmes within defence.

Course content

This course will introduce the components and complexities of the international defence enterprise. Conceptualising defence as a broad public-private partnership involving governments, militaries, industries, civil society, third sector actors, professional services and intelligentsia, we will explore the multiple, and often contradictory, drivers of the defence sector, revealing insights, understandings and critiques of how defence capabilities are generated from within this complicated and amorphous ecosystem. In particular, we will focus upon:

the roles of governments and militaries in articulating military user requirements;
the roles of commercial entities in meeting those requirements through financing, research and development, test and evaluation, manufacturing, systems’ integration and mission support;
the speed and challenges of technological advancement, disruption and assurance;
sovereignty, notions of economic value, system and societal resilience.

We will apply systems’ thinking to the defence enterprise, considering the building blocks of defence capabilities, how these components are originated and where they reside within defence capability architectures. Within a fluid defence enterprise, the importance of constant analysis will be considered and conceptualised as knowledge management for informed decision-making.

Students will learn how to summarize the key elements of the defence enterprise and review the methods, tools and techniques for managing the generation of defence capabilities. Students will be able to scrutinize, analyse and evaluate the condition of the defence enterprise, and its respective components, on completion of the course.

Textbook(s)

Nil

Prerequisite(s)

Nil

Corequisite(s)

Teaching method

Note: These components may or may not be scheduled in every study period. Please refer to the timetable for further details.

Assessment

Reflection, Report

Fees

EFTSL*: 0.125
Commonwealth Supported program (Band 4C)
To determine the fee for this course as part of a Commonwealth Supported program, go to:
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Fee-paying program for domestic and international students
International students and students undertaking this course as part of a postgraduate fee paying program must refer to the relevant program home page to determine the cost for undertaking this course.

Non-award enrolment
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* Equivalent Full Time Study Load. Please note: all EFTSL values are published and calculated at ten decimal places. Values are displayed to three decimal places for ease of interpretation.