ENGGEN 303 : Innovation and Business Cases

Engineering

2025 Semester One (1253) (15 POINTS)

Course Prescription

Introduction to theory and practice of managing projects, innovation, product development and service delivery. Students work in interdisciplinary teams to complete a project based on a complex real-world systems scenario. Project management and innovation topics are integrated with design studies covered in previous courses, and extended to wider business issues of risk and opportunities, entrepreneurship, financial management, and regulatory issues.

Course Overview

Background
Creative and innovative problem-solving is a key skill that engineers need to develop, apply, and continually practice. Engineers frequently engage in problem-solving for challenges around product development, process improvement, logistics, and societal problems. Engineers also need to be action-oriented and move from an idea through to a validated opportunity and bring it to fruition. To achieve this objective, engineers increasingly need to have skills in developing, assessing, and translating solutions into useful action plans and business proposals to attract investment, and gain users and support from stakeholders.

Course Description
This course will cover (I) Creativity and Innovation, (II) Problem Space Exploration and Solution Ideation,  (III) Business Case Development & Analysis, and (IV) Project Management Fundamentals. These concepts will be explored through a specific problem initiated through the lens of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) framework to identify an innovative solution and see it through the innovation process. This includes the exploration of the problem space, development of a problem statement, ideation including the role of creativity,  constructing a business case, and developing an implementation plan. You will learn how to understand a problem, identify solutions, and assess the value of an opportunity through to a business case demonstrating tangibility and impact. These learnings are applied in the development of a consumer-centric innovation.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: ENGGEN 199, 204

Capabilities Developed in this Course

Capability 2: Sustainability
Capability 3: Knowledge and Practice
Capability 5: Solution Seeking
Capability 6: Communication
Capability 7: Collaboration

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate the innovation process from problem space exploration through solution ideation. (Capability 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1)
  2. Examine and assess opportunities for innovation in the context of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. (Capability 2.1 and 5.1)
  3. Identify and apply the important and relevant financial and social considerations in developing a business case. (Capability 2.1, 5.1 and 6.1)
  4. Demonstrate collaborative teamwork and how to assess and improve team and individual performance through giving and receiving feedback. (Capability 6.1 and 7.1)
  5. Develop and demonstrate strong project management skills. (Capability 3.2 and 6.1)
  6. Develop, design and justify an innovation that addresses a problem identified by and of importance to the team. (Capability 5.1 and 7.1)
  7. Prepare and present a business case for an innovation project that shows consideration and critical assessment of the project's economic viability, technical feasibility, desirably and sustainability. The report and presentation includes a comprehensive project management plan for the innovation's delivery. (Capability 2.1, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type Percentage Classification
Tests 20% Individual Coursework
Tutorial Participation and Assignments 20% Individual Coursework
Projects 60% Group Coursework
Assessment Type Learning Outcome Addressed
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Tests
Tutorial Participation and Assignments
Projects

A passing mark is 50% or higher, according to University policy.

All assessments are due by the submission time listed on Canvas. Late assessments will not be accepted. Special circumstances must be submitted via the contact form, and any extensions are only at the discretion of the teaching team.

Marks are typically released within three weeks of the assignment's due date. Marks can be queried for two weeks after the grade is posted on Canvas unless otherwise stated via Canvas Announcement. All mark queries must be submitted via the contact form.

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15-point course, and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15-point course that they are enrolled in.

For this course, you can expect 2 hours of lecture content, a 1-hour tutorial, 3 hours of individual work and 4 hours of team project work outside of tutorial.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Attendance is required at scheduled tutorials to complete components of the course. You must attend the tutorial in which you are enrolled. All students will be placed in a team as part of their tutorial and are expected to engage and contribute fully.
Lectures will be available as recordings. Other learning activities, including tutorials, will not be available as recordings.
The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Health & Safety

Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy.

Students must ensure they are familiar with their Health and Safety responsibilities, as described in the university's Health and Safety policy.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Based on the 2024 SET results, students found the overall experience of the innovation project challenging, insightful, and enjoyable. Students found the active learning through the project in tutorials engaging, out-of-class meetings construcitve,  and collaboration platforms useful and easy to interact with.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework, tests and examinations as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against electronic source material using computerised detection mechanisms. Upon reasonable request, students may be required to provide an electronic version of their work for computerised review.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and your assessment is fair, and not compromised. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the University Website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course you may be asked to submit your coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. The final decision on the completion mode for a test or examination, and remote invigilation arrangements where applicable, will be advised to students at least 10 days prior to the scheduled date of the assessment, or in the case of an examination when the examination timetable is published.