31247 Collaborative Business Processes
The Complete Study & Assessment Guide · Spring 202631247 Overview
- University of Technology Sydney
- Spring 2026
- Information Technology
- Weekly online lecture and tutorial
- One group wicked-problem project
- Assessed by three assignments
What the subject is about
Collaborative Business Processes at the University of Technology Sydney teaches a team to find a problem worth solving and to work out a solution together. Its welcome page sums up the aim in four C’s: critical thinking, creative problem solving, collaboration and communication.
- Assessed by Assignment 1, an individual problem definition (30%); the group report (30%); and Assignment 3, split into a reflection (10%), a peer evaluation (10%) and a presentation (20%).
- Where marks hide Counts in the group report rubric: five loops in each causal loop diagram, five stocks in the stock and flow model, five ideas and five criteria for the top band.
- Do first Set up a shared work log in Week 1 and date every entry; the reflection and the peer evaluation both draw on it.
What you get in the full 31247 Study & Assessment Guide
- 14 chapters, 69 pages — every assessed topic, week by week
- 43 original practice questions, each with a model answer
- 14 worked examples, solved the way 31247 marks
- 24 computed figures, redrawn from the course’s own numbers
- Before-you-submit checklist for the Assignment 1 (30%) — what markers reward, what costs marks
Free on this page: assessment table, chapter map, one worked example, key terms, FAQ. The rest is in the full study & assessment guide.
How 31247 is assessed
| Component | Weight | Format |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 (individual) | 30% | Identify and develop a wicked problem on your own, with research, stakeholder analysis and diagrams, ending in a problem definition with improvement criteria, constraints and assumptions; presented for tutorial feedback in Weeks 2 to 5 and due in Week 5 |
| Assessment Task 2: Collaborative Project - Group submission | 30% | Group of about five to six; one report of at most 5,000 words (plus or minus 10%) covering modelling, ideas and evaluation, solution analysis, and feasibility and viability; causal loop and stock and flow models only; due Friday 9 October, 11:59pm |
| Assignment 3 - Part 1 Reflection | 10% | Individual reflection on your part in the collaborative process, at most 1,000 words excluding figures and appendices; due Friday 16 October, 11:59pm |
| Assignment 3 Part 2: Intra Team Evaluations | 10% | Individual rating of your own and your teammates’ contributions, with written feedback, through Spark+; due Friday 16 October, 11:59pm |
| Assignment 3 - Part 3: Presentation | 20% | Group presentation of at most fifteen minutes including questions, each member speaking for at least two minutes, in the Week 11 or Week 12 tutorial; slides due Friday 9 October, 11:59pm |
The split of 30% for Assignment 1, 30% for the group report and 40% for Assignment 3 comes from the Week 1 lecture. The Canvas pages give the parts of Assignment 3 as 10 points for the reflection, 10% for the intra-team evaluation and 20% for the presentation, and the group report is marked out of 30 points. The Assignment 1 page itself is not among the materials covered here, so its exact due date is shown only as Week 5; check it in the Assignments menu on Canvas. The lectures for Weeks 9 and 10 add that each member must present their own contribution to the group report in a tutorial to avoid penalties, and the subject says the team’s view of each member’s contribution is taken into account in the final grade. Where details differ, the subject names the Subject Information as the definitive source.
Assessment structure
What other students are asking about 31247
- Where can I find lecture notes or study guides for 31247 at UTS?
- The 31247 study guide in AskSia Library covers Collaborative Business Processes in 14 chapters, with the assessment table, a chapter-by-chapter topic map, key terms and a worked example, free to read on this page.
- Is there a final exam in 31247?
- No final exam is listed in the offering this AskSia Library guide is built from; 31247 is assessed by Assignment 1 (individual) 30%, Assessment Task 2: Collaborative Project - Group submission 30%, Assignment 3 - Part 1 Reflection 10%, Assignment 3 Part 2: Intra Team Evaluations 10%, Assignment 3 - Part 3: Presentation 2.
- What does 31247 cover on root causes, research methods and prisma?
- In AskSia Library's 31247 guide, the Root Causes, Research Methods and PRISMA chapter explains fishbone diagrams, the five-why habit, qualitative and quantitative evidence, systematic reviews with PRISMA (Week 1).
- What does 31247 cover on systems thinking and wicked problems?
- In AskSia Library's 31247 guide, the Systems Thinking and Wicked Problems chapter explains system definition, inputs, process and outputs, system characteristics, complementarity, wicked versus tame problems (Week 2).
- What does 31247 cover on context mapping and process mapping?
- In AskSia Library's 31247 guide, the Context Mapping and Process Mapping chapter explains generative context mapping, journey timelines, process-mapping stages, flowcharts, value and waste, lead time (Week 2).
Current 31247 dates
| Date | Item | Control |
|---|---|---|
| Week 5 (week starting 24 August) | Assignment 1 due | Presented for tutorial feedback in Weeks 2 to 5. |
| 5:00pm, Friday of Week 5 | Group membership closes | Group changes are not accepted after this time. |
| 9 October, 11:59pm | Group report and presentation slides due | One member submits the report through Turnitin. |
| Weeks 11 and 12 (from 12 October) | Group presentations in tutorials | Order agreed with the tutor before the Week 10 tutorial ends. |
| 16 October, 11:59pm | Reflection and intra-team evaluation due | Both are individual submissions. |
Dates are as published in the Canvas assignment pages, the subject schedule and the tutorial activity pages for the Spring 2026 offering. Confirm exact deadlines and submission settings in the live LMS.
What 31247 covers
31247 runs over the Spring 2026 session with a weekly online lecture from Week 1 to Week 10 and tutorials through Week 12. Weeks 1 to 4 define the problem and the people around it, Weeks 5 to 7 build qualitative, semi-quantitative and quantitative models, Week 8 makes the business case, and Weeks 9 and 10 cover ideation, evaluation, scenarios, calibration and agent-based models.
Assignment 1 is due in Week 5, the group report on 9 October, and the reflection and peer evaluation on 16 October.
Defining and Scoping a Wicked Problem
five defining questions, problem analysis, scope, constraints, assumptions and improvement criteria, desirability, feasibility and viability (Week 1)Start with questions, not solutions
The first lecture asks every team to define its problem before reaching for a method.
- What a business process is
- Why the subject insists on collaboration
- The five problem-definition questions
- Information a problem analysis collects
- Scope, constraints, assumptions and improvement criteria
- Desirability, feasibility and viability over time
Root Causes, Research Methods and PRISMA
fishbone diagrams, the five-why habit, qualitative and quantitative evidence, systematic reviews with PRISMA (Week 1)From symptom to cause
A fishbone diagram places the problem in a head at the end of a spine and sorts possible causes onto bones by category.
- Fishbone diagrams and their categories
- Asking why until the root appears
- Primary and secondary data
- Qualitative versus quantitative methods
- Reading a research article critically
- Systematic reviews with PRISMA
Systems Thinking and Wicked Problems
system definition, inputs, process and outputs, system characteristics, complementarity, wicked versus tame problems (Week 2)Looking at the whole
Week 2 treats a problem as part of a system: connected parts working towards a shared purpose, with inputs, a process, outputs, a boundary and an environment outside its control.
- The definition of a system
- Inputs, process and outputs
- Eight system characteristics
- Questions to ask about any system
- The principle of complementarity
- Five properties of a wicked problem
Context Mapping and Process Mapping
generative context mapping, journey timelines, process-mapping stages, flowcharts, value and waste, lead time (Week 2)Two ways to see an experience
Context mapping lets users make artefacts, such as drawings and timelines of their own experience, and then talk about them, which surfaces needs a questionnaire would miss.
- Context mapping as a generative technique
- Sensitising diaries and journey timelines
- Seven stages of a process-mapping exercise
- Four ways to collect journey data
- Flowchart notation
- Value-adding steps and the eight wastes
Stakeholder Analysis and Empathy Mapping
hopes and concerns, the power and interest grid, engagement strategies, empathy map zones, pains and gains (Week 3)Who matters and how much
Stakeholder analysis lists everyone the problem touches, records what each hopes for and fears, and places them on a power and interest grid.
- Hopes and concerns of stakeholders
- Power and interest defined
- Four quadrants and their strategies
- Questions for judging power and interest
- Empathy map zones
- Pains and gains
Participatory Modelling and Group Model Building
participatory modelling defined, the group model building cycle, workshop scripts, interview-based modelling (Week 3)Models built with stakeholders
Participatory modelling combines modelling tools with the active involvement of the people who know the system.
- Participatory modelling defined
- Group model building in system dynamics
- Elicitation, integration, representation and reflection
- Gatekeepers and participant selection
- A workshop script from the safety case
- Interview-based modelling and merging maps
Biases in Group Decision-Making
confirmation, anchoring, framing, groupthink, social loafing, polarisation and escalation of commitment, with remedies (Week 4)How groups go wrong
Week 4 names the biases that distort decisions: confirmation, anchoring and framing, which individuals bring into a group, and groupthink, social loafing, polarisation and escalation of commitment, which appear when people decide together.
Spotting them in your own team
Each bias has a symptom you can observe in a project and a counter-move that reduces it.
- Bias as irrational judgement
- Confirmation, anchoring and framing
- Groupthink and its remedies
- Social loafing and identifiability
- Group polarisation, risky and cautious shifts
- Escalation of commitment
The Facilitator Role in a Modelling Group
process versus content, the facilitator competency model, active listening, paraphrasing, including quiet members (Week 4)Process, not content
The facilitator takes responsibility for how a group communicates so that the others can concentrate on what they are discussing.
- What a facilitator is responsible for
- Roles a facilitator may be asked to play
- Five components of facilitator competence
- Why listening comes first
- Paraphrasing in a modelling session
- Including a quiet member
Conceptual Models, Rich Pictures and Causal Loops
conceptual models and system dimensions, input-throughput-output, rich pictures, causal loop notation, reinforcing and balancing loops (Week 5)From sketch to model
A conceptual model describes a system in words or pictures rather than numbers, built iteratively from the goal of the study and described in spatial, temporal and structural terms.
- What a conceptual model is
- Spatial, temporal and structural dimensions
- Boundaries, variables and parameters
- Input, throughput and output models
- Rich pictures and what to put in them
- Link polarity and loop type
Fuzzy Cognitive Maps and Network Analysis
semi-quantitative modelling, factors and edge weights, building an FCM, out-degree, in-degree and betweenness (Week 6)Adding strength to causes
A fuzzy cognitive map is a causal map whose links carry weights.
- Semi-quantitative modelling
- Factors and weighted edges
- Three steps to build an FCM
- Interpreting an FCM with stakeholders
- Nodes and edges in a network
- Out-degree and in-degree
Stock and Flow Models in System Dynamics
stocks, flows and factors, the stages of a system dynamics study, the SEIR lab model, converting a CLD (Week 7)From influences to quantities
A stock and flow model turns a causal diagram into something that can be simulated.
- Why build a quantitative model
- Stocks, flows and factors
- Stock and flow notation
- Six stages of a system dynamics study
- The four-stock epidemic lab model
- Seven steps to convert a causal loop diagram
Value Propositions, Business Models and Gantt Plans
Gantt implementation plans, value proposition versus mission, slogan and tagline, writing methods, the business model canvas (Week 8)Making the business case
Week 8 turns a solution into a proposal.
- Business considerations in participatory modelling
- Gantt charts as implementation plans
- What a value proposition must say
- Value proposition versus mission, slogan and tagline
- Blank, Moore and HBS writing methods
- The nine blocks of the business model canvas
Ideation, Evaluation Criteria and SAW Selection
SCAMPER and other ideation techniques, concepts, evaluation and improvement criteria, simple additive weighting (Week 9)Generating ideas deliberately
Week 9 gives techniques for producing ideas on purpose: SCAMPER’s seven prompts, analogous inspiration from other industries, and deconstructing an existing solution to rebuild it differently.
- SCAMPER prompts
- Analogous inspiration
- Deconstruct and reconstruct
- Turning ideas into concepts
- Generic evaluation criteria
- Improvement criteria, features and scope
Scenarios, Calibration and Agent-Based Models
scenario development, parameter variation, calibration, agents and statecharts, choosing a method, participatory modelling challenges (Weeks 9 and 10)Using a model to compare futures
Scenario development runs a model under different assumptions to prepare for an uncertain future.
- Scenario development
- The parameter variation experiment
- Calibration against historical data
- Agents, statecharts and transitions
- Emergent behaviour
- Choosing the right modelling method
The subject is hands on and project based. A one-hour lecture is delivered online each week from Week 1 to Week 10, and a two-hour face-to-face tutorial runs from Week 1 to Week 12, where most of the learning happens on case studies and on your own project.
How the weeks build
The first four weeks are about the problem and the people.
Week 1 covers defining a problem, root causes with fishbone diagrams, research methods and PRISMA reviews. Week 2 introduces systems thinking, the properties of wicked problems, and context and process mapping. Week 3 adds stakeholder analysis, empathy maps and participatory modelling, and Week 4 turns to biases in group decisions and the role of a facilitator.
Weeks 5 to 7 build models of rising precision: conceptual models, rich pictures and causal loop diagrams; fuzzy cognitive maps and network analysis; then stock and flow models in system dynamics. Week 8 covers the business case, with the value proposition, the business model canvas and a Gantt implementation plan.
Week 9 teaches ideation, evaluation with simple additive weighting, scenarios and calibration, and Week 10 closes with agent-based modelling and the challenges of modelling with stakeholders.
How it is assessed
All three assignments grow from one project on a wicked problem.
Assignment 1 asks you to identify and develop a problem on your own, Assignment 2 is a group report that models the problem and proposes a solution, and Assignment 3 combines an individual reflection, a peer evaluation and a group presentation. This guide follows the lecture order, works an invented example in every chapter, and ends with practice and a chapter for the final fortnight before submission.
Worked example · free
Simulate the counselling waitlist stock for three weeks
- 1Name the parts: the waitlist is the stock, measured in students; referrals are the inflow and intakes the outflow, both in students per week.
- 1Compute the outflow from its factor: 6 counsellors × 4 intakes = 24 intakes a week.
- 1Net flow = inflow − outflow = 30 − 24 = +6 students a week.
- 1Step the stock forward one week at a time: 120 + 6 = 126, then 132, then 138 after three weeks.
- 1Test the policy: 8 counsellors give 32 intakes a week, a net flow of −2, so the waitlist falls to 118, 116 and 114.
Key terms
- Business Process
- A continuing set of connected tasks an organisation performs to reach a particular outcome, such as getting a product or service to a customer.
- Wicked Problem
- A problem with many causes and effects, no stopping rule and no right or wrong solution, only better or worse ones.
- Improvement Criteria
- The measurable changes that would show a problem is getting better, used later to judge solutions.
- Fishbone Diagram
- A cause-and-effect diagram that sorts possible causes of a problem onto category bones running into a spine.
- PRISMA
- A reporting standard for systematic reviews that records the search and how papers were screened and included.
- Process Map
- A step-by-step picture of a user’s journey through a service, used to find waits, handoffs and waste.
- Power and Interest Grid
- A four-quadrant chart that places stakeholders by their authority over a project and their concern about it.
- Empathy Map
- A shared chart of what a type of user says, does, thinks, feels, hears and sees, with their pains and gains.
- Group Model Building
- A facilitated way of drawing a model together with stakeholders so that their knowledge shapes it.
- Causal Loop Diagram
- A qualitative model of variables joined by signed causal links that form reinforcing or balancing loops.
- Fuzzy Cognitive Map
- A semi-quantitative causal map whose links carry weights showing how strongly one factor affects another.
- Betweenness Centrality
- A network measure of how often a node lies on the shortest paths between other nodes.
- Stock and Flow Model
- A quantitative model in which stocks accumulate or deplete through flows defined by equations.
- Simple Additive Weighting
- A scoring method that multiplies each criterion rating by its weight and adds the results.
31247 FAQ
How is Collaborative Business Processes at UTS assessed?
Three assignments make up the mark. Assignment 1 is an individual problem definition worth 30%. The group report is worth 30%. Assignment 3 is worth 40% and has three parts: an individual reflection worth 10%, an intra-team peer evaluation worth 10%, and a group presentation worth 20%, given in a Week 11 or Week 12 tutorial.
Is there an exam in Collaborative Business Processes?
No. The subject’s help page says there are neither written exams nor quizzes for credit. Every mark comes from the project work: the individual problem definition, the group report, and the three parts of the third assignment. The busiest point is the end of Week 10 and Week 11, when the report, slides, reflection and peer evaluation all fall due.
What is a wicked problem in this subject?
It is a problem with no single cause or effect, no point at which it is finished, and solutions that are better or worse rather than right or wrong. The Week 2 lecture adds that each one is unique and that formulating it is an iterative process. Your whole project is built around one, so test your topic against these properties before you commit.
How many loops and stocks does the group report need?
The rubric’s top band for the problem models asks for five loops, each reinforcing or balancing, correctly drawn and explained in the causal loop diagram, and five stocks with their flows in the stock and flow model. Four of each earns the next band. The solution models and the combined model in Task 2 are counted the same way.
Which software is used for the models?
The tutorials use Vensim for causal loop diagrams, Mental Modeler for fuzzy cognitive maps and AnyLogic for stock and flow, parameter variation, calibration and agent-based models. Calibration needs AnyLogic’s Professional edition, which has a 30-day free licence, so that lab exercise is optional. Miro or Excel can be used for the Gantt chart.
How does the peer evaluation work?
It runs in SPARKPlus through Canvas. You rate yourself, then each teammate, and write feedback that justifies the ratings. Ratings are relative, centred on an equal contribution, so if one person is rated above average someone must be below. Your comments stay anonymous unless the teacher tells you otherwise, and the system excludes the ratings of people who rate themselves too high.
What happens if I miss the group presentation?
The presentation page says a student absent on the day without telling the group and the tutor receives zero, with no marks for helping to prepare the slides. Two of the twenty presentation marks are also for attendance, and two for asking questions or giving feedback to other groups, so stay for the whole session.
Questions students ask in each 31247 chapter
- What should Assignment 1 define?
- The Assignment 2 instructions recap it: a problem area researched through literature, data and stakeholder analysis, shown in diagrams and discussed in tutorials, ending in a problem definition with improvement criteria, constraints and assumptions. Check the Assignment 1 page on Canvas for its own wording. Chapter 01 · Defining and Scoping a Wicked Problem
- Which categories should a fishbone diagram use?
- Choose categories that suit your problem. The lecture’s example uses equipment and tools, process, people, materials and inputs, environment and management, while the tutorial reading on technical education uses personal factors, academics, resources and universities. The point is that every likely cause has a sensible place to go. Chapter 02 · Root Causes, Research Methods and PRISMA
- How do I know if my project problem is wicked?
- Test it against the five properties in the Week 2 lecture. It should be unique to its setting, have no point at which it is finished, need repeated reformulation, have several causes and effects, and have solutions that are only better or worse. A problem that fails most of them is probably tame. Chapter 03 · Systems Thinking and Wicked Problems
- What is the difference between context mapping and process mapping?
- Context mapping explores how people experience a situation, using artefacts they make themselves. Process mapping records the steps of a journey through a service, with times and handoffs, so that waste can be found and removed. The first is about needs; the second is about how a process works. Chapter 04 · Context Mapping and Process Mapping
- What are the four quadrants of a power and interest grid?
- High power and high interest stakeholders are managed closely; high power and low interest are kept satisfied; low power and high interest are kept informed; and low power and low interest are monitored without being overloaded with communication. Chapter 05 · Stakeholder Analysis and Empathy Mapping
- What is group model building?
- It is the participatory form of system dynamics. A facilitator guides a group of people who know the problem through activities that elicit their knowledge, combine it, represent it as a model and reflect on it, so the model belongs to the group. Chapter 06 · Participatory Modelling and Group Model Building
- What is the difference between groupthink and polarisation?
- Groupthink is about agreement: members suppress doubts to keep harmony. Polarisation is about direction: the group ends up more extreme than its members began, either riskier or more cautious. A group can show both at once. Chapter 07 · Biases in Group Decision-Making
- Does the facilitator decide which solution the group chooses?
- No. The facilitator manages how the group reaches its decision and stays neutral on the decision itself. If the facilitator steers the content, the model and the choice stop belonging to the group. Chapter 08 · The Facilitator Role in a Modelling Group
- How do I tell a reinforcing loop from a balancing loop?
- Count the negative links around the loop. None, or an even count, makes it reinforcing; an odd number makes it balancing. You can check by assuming one variable rises and following the loop round: coming back to a rise means reinforcing, coming back to a fall means balancing. Chapter 09 · Conceptual Models, Rich Pictures and Causal Loops
- What makes a fuzzy cognitive map semi-quantitative?
- Its links carry numerical weights, but its factors do not have to be measurable or backed by data. That lets it combine qualitative knowledge with some quantitative information, which is how the Week 6 lecture describes semi-quantitative methods. Chapter 10 · Fuzzy Cognitive Maps and Network Analysis
- How do I tell a stock from a flow?
- Use the units test from the lab. A flow is always a quantity per unit of time, such as people per day; a stock is a quantity you could count at an instant, such as people currently infected. Chapter 11 · Stock and Flow Models in System Dynamics
- What is the difference between a value proposition and a slogan?
- A value proposition explains how the offer solves a problem, what specific benefits it brings and why it beats the alternatives. A slogan is a short, catchy line for a marketing campaign and says none of that. Chapter 12 · Value Propositions, Business Models and Gantt Plans
- How many ideas does the group report need?
- The instructions ask for no fewer ideas than the team has members, each listed with a commentary and the name of the member who proposed it. The rubric’s top band looks for five relevant ideas, each supported by academic evidence. Chapter 13 · Ideation, Evaluation Criteria and SAW Selection
- What does the parameter variation lab show?
- It runs the epidemic model with the contact rate varied from 0.3 to 2 in steps of 0.1, eighteen runs on one chart. The lecture concludes that a higher contact rate makes the infection spread faster. Chapter 14 · Scenarios, Calibration and Agent-Based Models
How to prepare for the assessments
Treat the subject as one project that every week adds a tool to. In Week 1, start a dated work log and keep it going, because the reflection and the peer evaluation both depend on it. Use the first four weeks to pin down your wicked problem: answer the five defining questions, draw a fishbone, map the stakeholders on a power and interest grid, and build an empathy map from real conversations.
From Week 5, redraw your problem each week in the new notation, a causal loop diagram first, then weighted links, then stocks and flows, checking every loop with the counting rule and every flow with the units test. Keep the rubric beside you and count loops, stocks, ideas and criteria before each draft.
When a model will not behave, ask Sia to walk through one loop or one flow with you; it explains the method and checks your reasoning, and the work you submit stays your own.
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