Capstone project – Ecosystem management training with On Common Country

The final stage of the QUT Master of Business Administration is a 12-week business investigation. This integrated workplace project uses MBA skills to identify a problem and provide recommendations for the solution.

Alex and Noel at On Common Country
Alex and Noel at On Common Country

I received a high distinction for my Learning and Development strategy that provides career opportunities to Indigenous teenagers. This initiative highlighted three recommendations:

  1. A marketing system to attract high school seniors to the course
  2. A multi-stage curriculum for Ecosystem Management and Sustainability training with On Common Country, a Townsville-based vocational education organisation
  3. A placement strategy to provide our students with mentoring, workplace advice and methods to help them integrate into the workforce.

This will provide:

  • Career opportunities for the individual;
  • Skilled labour and improved employee retention for the employer;
  • Employment for young adults in North Queensland, benefitting the community;
  • Experts skilled in conservation, sustainability, tourism infrastructure and water quality management, benefitting the environment.

By collaborating with the Department of Environment and Science, training experts, local Indigenous stakeholders and industry representatives, I built a report to outline the recruitment and training process for school graduates. This design can be implemented to provide 250 North Queensland teenagers with career opportunities, and we can now commence planning for the inaugural class of 2023.

This project had three outcomes:

  • The research proposal,
  • A written Executive Report,
  • A presentation to On Common Country and three stakeholders to describe the scenario and illustrate my recommendations.

The research proposal

GSN590 Assignment 1 - Project plan

Executive plan with recommendations

The Final GSN590 Capstone prokect executive report

A presentation to On Common Country and three stakeholders to describe the scenario and illustrate my recommendations (below or at https://youtu.be/a4reGaUnyAk.)

Tools

Business frameworks

The following modelling techniques were used to develop the business case:

  • Action research spiral (for both my own research and a key recommendation)
  • Journey mapping and Rich pictures (Soft systems methodology) for cause-and-effect mapping
  • Decision tree paths mixed with scenario planning to identify likely outcomes, mixed with storyboarding for creating cartoons for “humanisation”
  • Ethnographic interviewing to develop an understanding of the environment, with 360 degree profiling to build candidate profiles
  • The Cynefin framework for decision-making in unfamiliar operative contexts. This project will involve a steep learning curve in unfamiliar territory.
  • The Mission Model Canvas to outline the training regime and benefits
  • SWOT-TOWS confrontation matrix to consider internal and external strategy
  • PESTLE analysis to identify external influences and environmental positioning (aka PEST or ESTEMPLE)
  • Australian Bureau of Statistics material for quantitative information
  • The 70-20-10 experiential learning framework for hands-on curriculum design
  • The Skills Matrix to identify existing competencies and tracking upskilling progress
  • The TAM/SAM/SOM marketing model and AIDA marketing funnel to identify the audience for recruitment (and marketing the concept,) including channel segmentation for disparate sections of that audience
  • The Value Proposition Canvas to construct a pitch that will appeal to that audience and satisfy their wants and needs while alleviating their fears
  • A Stakeholder engagement canvas and contact roster to identify key players, roles and areas of subject matter expertise

Software and production

  • Microsoft Office including Google Calendar linked to Excel for dynamic Gannt charts
  • Mediawiki (Wikipedia CMS) for data collation and catergorisation
  • WordPress to homogenise research material (including rich media) with a comprehensive search system
  • Microsoft Visio for stakeholder mapping and procedural flow charts
  • Adobe Premiere and Photoshop for content production, including the final video.
  • Microsoft Teams and Zoom for stakeholder engagement
  • Camera setup: Olympus and Sony cameras with offboard microphone

Please reach out if you would like more detail about the research and presentation production.