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School of Management
BUSM4550 CID/Innovation Management
Assessment 2: Group Project
Assessment type: Portfolio of artefacts
Word limit: 2,500 (+/- 10%)
Word count excludes the cover
page, contents list, and reference
list.
Due Date: Before or on Friday of week 10 @ 23:59
(AEST )
Weighting: 50%
Overview
The purpose of this assessment is to allow you to work collaboratively as you demonstrate
competence in the application of core topics covered in the course. Key topics include the use of
Design Thinking (DT) and Lean Startup methodologies, as well as their associated creativity tools
and approaches.
You are required to collaborate in Groups to propose a creative and practical solution for a real –
world, human- centred problem. You will demonstrate that solution by means of an early prototype.
Each Group will produce several project learning artefact s (deliverables). These will demonstrate a
teams progression towards developing a solution to that real -world problem.
Definition
In this course, a project learning artefact is an object of applied learning . It is created by students
during the execution of a project in a way that makes it s relevance clearly visible to others.
For instance, an artefact can portray the application of any tool or method a Group uses in any of
the DT phases, together with the learning they obtained from it. Some possible examples include
areas such as Empathy Mapping, Ishikawa Diagram, La Salle Matrix, Customer Journey, and
Value Proposition Canvas.
Assessment criteria (100 marks equate to 50% of overall course assessment)
This assessment will measure your ability to achieve the following. Specific details for each
criterion are at the end of this document :
1. Complete Phase 1 of the Design Thinking process (30 marks)
2. Complete Phase 2 of the Design Thinking process (15 marks)
3. Complete Phase 3 of the Design Thinking proce ss (40 marks)
4. Identification and discussion of potential ethical issues (5 marks)
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5. Overall quality of work (10 marks)
L earning outcomes
Course Learning Outcomes related to this assessment are :
CLO4 Work individually, and collaboratively with others in applying a range of tools that assist
the creative front end of innovation that leads to problem solving.
CLO 6 Demonstrate learning through presentation and communication skills in a variety of
business and professional contexts.
The Program Learning Outcomes related to this assessment are:
PLO 2
Integrate business knowledge, social intelligence and ethical decision-making in ways
that are inclusive and culturally appropriate to produce outcomes that are impactful,
sustainable and fair.
PLO 4
Reflect on and continuously progress their own professional development, enhancing
their intellectual agility and adaptability as tools for success in ever- changing business
contexts.
PLO5 Coherently articulate technical and conceptual business knowledge that is both
contemporary and interdisciplinary.
A ssessment details
GROUP FORMATION | You are required to form groups of maximum 5 students. Each group will
select a group leader and a deputy group leader , who have responsibilit ies that are specified in the
Process for Guiding Group Work document [see Canvas ]. These roles may be rotated among
members.
Keep in mind that creativity is often stimulated by differences rather than similarities; it thrives in a
conflict of information, ideas and perspectives . Therefore, when forming your groups, please think
about finding group members with different skill sets coupled with diverse backgrounds that reflect
gender balance. R esearch has shown that these factors can help to foster creative thinking and
problem -solving in groups.
TASK | Your group task is to identif y a specific problem and derive a relevant solution . To achieve
this, consider your group as a task force (temporary work unit) within or outside an organisation.
Many of the world’s corporate and non -corporate problems are complex and evolving. They require
new ways of thinking, new methods, and new products/services to solve. They also require
collaborations between individuals with complementary skills.
Thus, in this Assessm ent you are asked to take on the role of active collaborators. Together, your
team will identify a problem and come up with new and useful solutions t hat solve i t.
Hot tip #1
Cooperation is the traditional approach used for most Group assignments.
However, for this module, Groups need to work Collaboratively. The nature of
cooperation is that individual Group members are delegated specific tasks, which
are completed independently of other members. All pieces are then assembled
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together to generate a portfolio or final work piece. Collaboration goes beyond
this as it builds upon collective work around shared inputs. Communication is
vital to allow Groups to cohere and co- create solutions to their chosen problem.
This collaborative, communicative, iterative approach is central to the Design
Thinking methodology required.
STEP 1 | The first step of your challenge is called Problem Identification; you have to choose a
Topi c. Groups are required to identify a real- world organisational problem , OR, a non -organization-
related problem. Whatever problem you select, it must be current, pressing , and have negative
consequences for stakeholders, e.g., the organisation, its employees, or society at large.
For example, organisational topics could range from firms having difficulty in establishing innovation-
supportive cultures within their organisations, to addressing the high staff turnover or attrition rates .
Non -organisational topics could cover aspects such as the disposal of plastic waste, addressing
agricultural land degradation and advocating for healthy soil, etc. The range is wide, your challenge
is to identify a topic that the group feels motivated to work on.
STEP 2 | Groups will dive down to develop a deeper, more empathetic understanding of their
problem and the people who are impacted. Following on from a clear Problem Definition, the task
requires that groups move ahead with ideas to solve the identified problem.
Step 2 requires groups to develop a creative (i.e., new, and useful) and practical idea on how to
solve this problem. Groups must approach their solution using Design Thinking in combination with
Lean Startup principles. This approach is reflected in the assessment criteria.
STEP 3 | Groups must create a lead- generation landing page in which they concisely depict their
solutions to their target audience with a specific Call to Action. Driving real customers/end users to
the landing page falls outside the scope of this assignment, though.
Hot tip #2
This task requires that groups focus their solutions around a human -centred
problem, and the Design Thinking methodology is a most appropriate tool for
this. However, Design Thinking is not the most suitable approach for solving
purely scientific or engineering problems. Therefore, please avoid problems that
require predominantly technical solutions .
Hot tip #3
Pick your topic wisely and discuss it with your tutor first to see whether it is a
suitable and appropriate topic for this course, before you proceed. Try not to
change your project once you have commenced because you will lose valuable
time in doing so. However, if you find early on that you have made the wrong
choice, discuss it with your tutor and make the switch quickly so you can make
up for lost ground.
IMPORTANT NOTES
1. This assessment is designed to provide students the space to demonstrate their mastery of the
DT process and tools covered. This means that it is essential that groups appropriately apply the
tools and techniques taught here as part of this academic course . Good outcomes tend to follow
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good processes, so groups are encouraged to trust in the DT process. It is good advice to invest
the groups energy in the process, rather than overly focus on the quality of the eventual
solution.
2. The assessment limits itself to the first three phases of the DT process. Each phase is
introduced in the weekly Modules in Canvas. For the best project experience, students are
encouraged to keep pace with their learning. There is no requirement to complete phase 4 for
this project; there is no grade in the rubric either.
3. For a topic to be acceptable, it will have a clearly identified problem, as well as a set of people
who are impacted by it. The following set of Topics will not be accepted:
Bullying, any topic related to the wellbeing of employees including workplace stress, negative
effects of social media, multicultural work environments.
TOOLS AND METHODS
Groups must use tools and methods taught on this course that cover the first three phases of the DT
process. When used effectively, they will help groups apply their learni ng towards developing a
proposed solution.
The tools are listed in the table below, and groups need to understand that those marked as
Compulsory must be provided as part of their portfolio. For tools marked as Optional, groups can
choose which are the relevant ones to provide.
The quality of artefacts provided will be judged as part of the grading process. Grading will also
factor in the relevance of these artefacts, i.e., the decisions a group makes to include, or omit,
specific optional tools.
DT Phases Tools / Methods Compulsory /
Optional Marks
1
Discovery Problem Identification
(with Secondary research
summary ), Problem Statement, Empathy mapping,
Pro blem Mind Map Compulsory
30
Journey mapping, Value chain analysis,
Visualisation, Storyboarding, Personas,
Root -Cause Analysis (Ishikawa, 5 WHYs, Pareto),
etc. Optional
2
ideation Brainstorming (any form of divergent thinking, such
as La Salle Matrix), Decision making
(convergent
thinking); Value Proposition Canvas Compulsory
15
Visualisation, Concept Development, etc. Optional
3
Experimentation Customer pitch (
written narrative only, Strategyzer
style), B -M-L table, MVP (visual presentation),
Lead- generation landing page Compulsory
40
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Link -up with Resource- Constrained Innovation,
Link -up with SDGs Optional
N/A Ethical considerations Compulsory 5
N/A Overall quality of work 10
Submission of this Assessment will not be in the format of a typical management report. Instead,
groups must logically organise and submit their portfolio of artefacts in one Word document.
To provide ongoing evidence of progress, it is essential that each group use the Files section on
Canvas for their group to maintain an up -to -date portfolio of their draft artefacts. This will allow their
Tutor the potential to provide formative feedback during each workshop. It will also afford Tutors the
ability to judge a groups progress as well as evaluate the authenticity of that work.
DOCUMENT STRUCTURE
Structure your submission document as follows:
1. Cover Page
You must include the following on your cover page:
BUSM4550/1/3 Innovation Management; Date; Tutor name
Assessment 2: Group Project; Project title
Group Name (Tutorial X Group Y); Full names and student numbers of all group members
Clickable hyperlink to Landing Page
Word count (count excludes cover page, contents page, Reference list)
2. Table of Contents ( provide descriptive numbered headings for each phase,
sub- headings (for each artefact), and page numbers)
3. Artefacts Present each artefact on a new page sequentially according
to phase in a logical progression, using the following format:
a) Purpose: Briefly explain your rationale for using this tool/method
b) Implementation: Describe in short how your group used this tool/method
c) Output: What information was forthcoming from implementing this tool/method?
Include easy viewable graphs, images, or t ables.
d) Insights: What are the main learnings or insights you gained from having used
this tool/method?
How does this assist your group in progressing towards the
proposed solution?
FURTHER EXPLANATORY NOTES REGARDING THE USE OF TOOLS / METHODS
Secondary research
Groups will conduct secondary research as part of the Problem Identification and Definition
phases to learn as much as possible about the problem identified and its consequences. To achieve
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this, they will use scholarly and professional literature, as well as use other routes, such as reading
journal articles, books, magazine articles referring to news, and TED Talks .
A full reference list must be included at the end of the summar y and will include a minimum of 5
references from recent scholarly work (2014 -2021) . The remaining References can be non -scholarly
work s. References should be formatted using RMIT Harvard style (or Harvard style if using
Endnote). The list should be in alphabetical order by family name, and not listed by numbers or
bullet points. The reference list is not included in the word count.
Problem Statement
This is an essential part of the Design Thinking process, as it helps you set out the problem with
clarity, and in an actionable way. All projects must therefore use the template provided as part of
their submission to identify the problem that the group is working on. The Problem Statement also
importantly allows you to bring focus to the customer or end- user(s) that is experiencing the
problem.
Empathy Mapping
Using this tool, groups must use a series of prompts to identify their target group’s thoughts,
feelings, motivations, desires, and needs in a way to gain a deeper insight into their customers.
Mind Map
Groups will submit a mind map that summarises the various facets or sub- sets of the problem they
face. That map will clearly indicate which part(s) of the problem the groups is attempting to derive a
solution for.
Brainstorming
Groups will inevitably brainstorm to generate ideas on numerous occasions, especially during
divergent phases of the creative process. Any form of brainstorming that has been covered on this
course is acceptable. Groups will apply these amongst other things, to derive as many as possible
ideas for solving the problem.
Decision-making
Groups will also need to engage in convergent thinking as they shrink their list of ideas generated
into a relevant and more workable set. This is an evaluation process that requires critical thinking.
Groups need to explain the methodology followed during convergence, as well as the rationale used
to select the idea(s) implemented in their selected solution.
Value Proposition Canvas (achieving Problem-Solution fit)
The VPC sets out very clearly who the customer is that is impacted by the problem, together with
proposals that address that problem. Groups must provide a VPC that specifically zooms in on their
target audience, there associated problem, and your teams proposed solution. As expressed in the
course materials, your VPC represents the problem -solution fit in the Lean Startup scheme of
things. Be specific as you describe your solutions features and functionality, keeping in mind that
high level, or generic offerings are not acceptable.
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Customer pitch
Selling the idea to senior management is an inevitable part of any innovation process. Groups
must therefore consider how to convince others to buy into their proposed solution. We have
provided the Strategyzer template which must be used to develop your customer pitch. Apply the
template to provide the written narrative as -if you were delivering your pitch. That said, you are not
required to deliver any pitch as part of this project.
MVP and B-M-L Table (achieving Product -Market fit)
Conceptually develop and describe or depict your minimum viable product(s) (MVPs), one or more
of which must appear on your landing page for the purpose of explaining your solution to your target
audience. The actual testing of an MVP falls outside the scope of this assignment, however, for
planning purposes, you must identify your main assumptions and show what experiments you plan
to run with appropriate MVPs, including the metrics you will use to validate or invalidate your
assumptions.
If your MVP or part thereof takes the form of a short film, please adhere to the following principles:
1. Films can be produced as a documentary, role- play, news report or any other creative
manner that succeeds in explaining your solution to the intended audience and clearly
communicates your message.
2. It is optional for group members to appear in the film. If you decide to include people, they
must be members of your group. No members of the public or students form another group
may appear in your film.
3. The group members must agree to being filmed.
4. Films can be recorded outdoors but limit the inclusion of passers by as much as possible as
their consent is not obtained.
5. The film should avoid sensitive/inappropriate topics (e.g., topics that incite hatred or glorify
unlawful behaviour, etc.)
6. Include your film on your landing page and ensure it is viewable.
Lead-generation landing page
This must be a live web page where potential customers/users can learn about your solution and
register their interest should they wish to do so. Incorporate an MVP of your solution or an early
prototype of your solution in its current state of development with a specific Call to Action (CTA).
Ethical considerations
With any innovative change, it is likely that ethical issues or dilemmas may crop up. As part of risk
management, groups should reflect to identify any ethical aspects that may arise as a result of their
proposed solution. They will also need explain how to address these in order to mitigate and
manage the potential likely risks.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Feedback mode: Feedback will be provided using Canvas/Turnitin’s inline marking tool, a Rubric,
and general comments .
Turnitin Similarity Percentage: The Turnitin Similarity Percentage is an indicator of the similarity of
your paper with other assignments. This link gives you information on how to interpret the similarity
report.
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Equity Contribution Policy (EOC)
All members of a group need to read and sign the EOC agreement (see Canvas) . The team leader
must then upload this as a separate document to the report onto Canvas before or on the deadline
for assessment 2. A special link will be created in the Assignment 2 portal to enable this.
Online collaboration
As you may not always have the opportunity to meet your group members face -to -face to
collaborate on this Assignment , using online tools (e.g., Skype, WhatsApp, Google docs, email, etc)
are essential. Think of yourselves as a task force working in a virtual environment which is typical of
teams globally.
A task force represents a miniature work organization tasked with achieving a goal. They can be
found in scientific and consulting units or work organizations that are temporary in nature. All
members of the task force must work towards solving a given problem within a given budget and
time frame, and in this task collaborat ing virtually using online tools. This is a good opportunity to
refine your technology skills to practice and develop means and ways of effective collaboration
online.
First things first!
Have you formed a group in Canvas?
Y ou must form teams of five (5) students (minimum and maximum) from your tutorial group. At
times it will be inevitable to have four students in a team, but for such cases permission must be
obtained from the tutor. A special case must be put forward to the Course Coordinator by
students wanting to complete the assignment individually. Only cases with exceptional
circumstances will be considered. The same required output will be expected from each team
and the same marking rubrics will be applied to each project, irrespective of team size.
We encourage you to start forming teams by week 3 at the latest. It is your responsibility to
register your team on Canvas in the ‘Assignment 2’ tab in the People section. It is essential that ,
in order to be awarded the collective group mark, you must be enrolled into the team. Failure to
do so will result in a zero mark even if you have contributed to the report.
To help you find a team, regular workshop attendance and getting to know fellow students
during activities are highly recommended. The deadline for aligning yourself with a group of your
choice is 5 pm on Friday of week 4. If you are not part of a team by then, your tutor will assign
you to a team in week 5. Remember that you should be active in only ONE group and group
members must be from the same tutorial.
Submission
This is a group assignment and hence only the group l eader is required to submit this
assignment and the EOC on behalf of the other group members.
Font: Ariel or Calibri 12 -point
Format: Word documents in either .doc or .docx formats . Assignments submitted in pdf
format will not be graded.
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Keep a screen shot of the submission time in case this is required by the assessor.
Turnitin
Assignments and other assessments must be submitted through the CANVAS assessment
submission system (Turn itin) in WORD format . Submitted assignments that do not have a similarity
score will not be graded.
Turnitin Similarity Percentage: The Turnitin Similarity Percentage is an indicator of the similarity of
your paper with other assignments. This link gives you information on how to interpret the similarity
report.
If you are checking the similarity score multiple times, allow sufficient time for the Turnitin system
to reset before you make another attempt at obtaining a similarity score. Make sure you obtain
your final similarity score well in advance of the assignment deadline in order to avoid a penalty for
late submission.
Do NOT attempt to obtain a similarity score by first submitting it to Turnitin via another course as
this will result in you achieving a very high similarity score when you eventually submit your
assignment for this course.
Referencing guidelines
Use RMIT Harvard
referencing style for this assessment.
You must acknowledge all the courses of information you have used in your assessments.
Refer to the RMIT Easy Cite
referencing tool to see examples and tips on how to reference in the
appropriated style. You can also refer to the library referencing page for more tools suc h as
EndNote, referencing tutorials and referencing guides for printing.
Academic integrity and plagiarism
Academic integrity is about honest presentation of your academic work. It means acknowledging
the work of others while developing your own insights, knowledge, and ideas.
Plagiarism covers a variety of inappropriate behaviours, including:
Failure to properly document a source
Copyright material from the internet or databases
Collusion between students
You should take extreme care that you have:
Acknowledged words, data, diagrams, models, frameworks and/or ideas of others you have
quoted ( i.e., directly copied), summarised, paraphrased, discussed or mentioned in your
assessment through the appropriate referencing methods
Provided a reference list of the publication details so your reader can locate the source if
necessary. This includes material taken from Internet sites
If you do not acknowledge the sources of your material, you may be accused of plagiarism
because you have passed off the work and ideas of another person without appropriate
referencing, as if they were your own.
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RMIT University treats plagiarism as a very serious offence constituting misconduct.
For further information on our policies and procedures, please refer to the University website.
Assessment declaration
When you submit work electronically, you agree to the assessment declaration.
Do NOT submit this declaration via Canvas.
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Rubric
HD DI CR PA NN DNS
1. Overall quality of work
presented
Cover page with all relevant
information; Table of
Contents; logical flow of
content; No spelling mistakes
and grammatical errors;
Tables and figures
appropriately numbered and
referred to; Appropriate
headings- and sub- headings
appropriately numbered;
sources appropriately cited;
Reference list provided (RMIT
Harvard / Harvard style).
10 marks
Fully meets all the
required criteria.
Excellent quality of work.
Meets most of the
required criteria.
Very good quality of
work.
Some of the criteria
are not being met.
Good quality of
work.
Several criteria are
not being adhered to.
Very average quality
of work.
An unacceptable
number of criteria
are not being met.
Poor quality of work.
One or more of the
following
items/practices are
missing:
Cover page
TOC
Citation of
sources
Reference list
2. DT Phase 1 – Discovery
Appropriate choice of tools
and usage;
Relevant and enough
contextual information
provided from reputable
sources (at least 5 recent
scholarly sources);
Ascertained and presented
sufficient understanding of
problem in terms of identified
customer/user needs;
Problem clearly defined.
30 marks
Excellent application of
compulsory and optional
tools; Secondary
research consulted
reputable sources; is
exceptional and very
clearly portrays the full
scope of the problem.
Good application of
compulsory and
optional tools;
Secondary research
consulted reputable
sources; is very good
and portrays the full
scope of the problem.
Reasonably good
application of
compulsory tools;
some compulsory
tools were not used,
certain optional
tools should have
been
used, but were
not. Secondary
research done, but
source quality is
questionable;
portrays only some
aspects of the
problem.
Poor application of
tools; Some optional
tools should have
been used but were
not. Secondary
research is poorly
done and/or sources
are of questionable
quality; portrays the
problem poorly.
Very poor
application of tools;
No optional tools
have been used.
Secondary research
has no credibility
and/or sources are
of questionable
quality; portrays the
problem in a very
unconvincing way.
One or more
compulsory tools
have not been used.
No attempt at using
optional tools.
No evidence of
secondary research.
Problem description
lacks any credibility.
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3. DT Phase 2 – Ideation
Followed relevant process
with choice of tools that are
appropriate to the situation;
Appropriate tool usage;
Sufficient number and quality
of ideas generated;
Sound justification for choice
of final solution.
15 marks
Excellent demonstration
of divergent and
convergent thinking and
tools to arrive at
preferred solution;
Excellent portrayal /
description of
chosen/preferred
solution.
Good demonstration
of divergent and
convergent thinking
and tools to arrive at
preferred solution;
Good portrayal /
description of
chosen/preferred
solution.
Provided a
demonstration of
divergent and
convergent thinking
and tools to arrive at
preferred solution,
but process lacks
rigour; Portrayal /
description of
chosen/preferred
solution is provided
but there is much
scope for
improvement.
Poor demonstration
of divergent and
convergent thinking
and tools to arrive at
preferred solution;
Poor portrayal /
description of
chosen/preferred
solution.
Use of divergent
and convergent
thinking is below
expectation.
Very unclear what
proposed solution is
about.
No evidence of
divergent and
convergent thinking
or the use of any
tools to arrive at
preferred solution;
No portrayal /
description of
chosen/preferred
solution.
4. DT Phase 3 –
Experimentation
Appropriate use of
compulsory tools and good
choice of optional tools and
usage;
Presentation of MVP on
landing page;
Design of appropriate
scientific experiments and
identification of appropriate
metrics.
40 marks
Excellent choice and
description of first MVP;
The assumptions are
carefully defined and
experiments and metrics
very well designed.
Landing page is
exceptional and meets
all its objectives.
Good choice and
description of first
MVP; The
assumptions are
reasonably well
defined, and
experiments and
metrics seem
appropriate, but could
be improved.
Landing page is
impressive and
succeeds in its
purpose.
Fair choice and
description of first
MVP; The
assumptions could
have been better
defined, and
experiments and
metrics seem to be
workable, but could
be much improved.
Landing page is
reasonable and
mig ht succeed in its
purpose.
Questionable choice
and unclear
description of first
MVP; The
assumptions are
poorly defined, and
experiments and/or
metrics do not seem
totally appropriate.
Landing page is
poorly designed and
it is questionable if it
will succ eed in its
purpose.
Wrong choice of
MVP and/or poor
description of first
MVP; Some
assumptions have
been identified, but
not well done.
Experiments are
poorly designed.
Landing page is
very poorly done.
No MVP identified
or described; No
assumptions, or
experiments or
metrics identified.
No landing page
provided.
5. Ethical considerations
Identified possible ethical
issues and dilemmas arising
from the solution; proposed
ways of mitigating them.
Excellent identification
and discussion of the
possible ethical issues
arising from the solution
and have proposed very
good suggestions for
mitigating them.
Identified and
discussed possible
ethical issues arising
from the solution and
have proposed
sensible ways of
mitigating them.
May not have
identified and
discussed all the
possible ethical
issues arising from
the solution and
may or may not
Some obvious ethical
issues have not been
identified and
discussed. Proposed
ways of mitigating
identified issues are
not convincing.
Poor identification
and discussion of
potential ethical
issue.
Poor mitigation
offered.
Failed to discuss
the possible ethical
issues arising from
the solution and
failed to propose
ways of mitigating
them.
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5 marks
have proposed
ways of mitigating
them.