PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 1 IT Ron Williams Information Technology Management Project Management

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 2 IT Ron Williams What Defines a Project? “[A] project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or services. Temporary means that every project has a definite beginning and a definite end. Unique means that the product or service is different in some distinguishing way from all similar products or services.” -Project Management Institute (1996)

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 3 IT Ron Williams Four Components Essential to any Project Common vocabulary: so all team members can communicate effectively Teamwork: to insure all parts of the project come together effectively and correctly Project cycle plan: method and schedule to execute the project Management of the project is needed so that it is coordinated and executed appropriately

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 4 IT Ron Williams The Need for Project Management Standish group: 73% of all software projects are delivered late or fail to meet performance criteria Companies today must –Have more efficient processes (internal & external) to reduce cost –Have more user friendly processes to better serve customers –Reduce the cycle time to design new products and services –Promote innovation Virtually all of this requires the effective design, development, and deployment of IT related projects –Are increasingly more complex –Requires more diversity of skills –That require the close coordination of business skills and technical skills –Can be very costly if not done right

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 5 IT Ron Williams Systems Development Life Cycle (Iterative) Initiation & Feasibility Requirements Definition Functional Design Technical Design & Construction Verification Implementation Maintenance & Review Prototype

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 6 IT Ron Williams Iterative Development System Concept Version “1” Version “2” Version “N” Software Development Process

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 7 IT Ron Williams IT Project Management Skills Integration of people, processes, & technology Identification of requirements – Business and Technical Business processes Organizing Project planning Fitting to existing structure and culture Team building/management Risk and opportunity management Project management Maintaining status Taking corrective action Communications Status Issues Corrective actions Leadership

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 8 IT Ron Williams Project Mangers Must be Multi- disciplined Managers must attend to the following throughout the project life cycle –Technical aspects of the project –Budget aspects of the project –Business aspects of the project

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 9 IT Ron Williams IT Related Project Management Trade- offs Scope vs. Time Cost vs. quality Identified requirements vs. unidentified requirements User needs vs. user expectations Differing needs and expectations vs. diverse stakeholders

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 10 IT Ron Williams Typical Project Manager Activities/Processes Ensuring progress of the project according to defined metrics Identifying risks and assessing their probability of occurrence Ensuring progress toward deliverables within constraints of time and resources Running coordination meetings of the project team Negotiating for resources on behalf of the project

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 11 IT Ron Williams Five Variables Effecting Project Control The nature and number of entities that require control Control standards Control authority Control mechanisms Variance detection

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 12 IT Ron Williams IT Project Risk Assessment Factors Project cost risk (time & money) Project technical risk Opportunity cost risk Vendor performance risk Political risk Intended benefit risk factors: business impact, customer needs, ROI Solution risk factors: flexibility, compatibility

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 13 IT Ron Williams Project Review Questions for Risk Assessment 1. Are we doing the right things? 2. Are we doing it in the best way? 3. How do we know how well we are doing? 4. What impacts are we having on the business? 5. Is the project cost effective? 6. Is there clear accountability for the project? 7. Are key assets protected?

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 14 IT Ron Williams Project Leadership vs. Project Management Process Project Leadership Project Management Process More leadership Needed Less leadership Needed No PM process Team is new to PM process Team does not value process PM process exists Team is fully trained in process Team values process

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 15 IT Ron Williams Projects Fail for Many Reasons Lack of clear objectives & metrics Project was not feasible ( business, technical) Scope too broad or too narrow Scope creep Lack of needed skills Incomplete specifications No control/no framework Lack of management/user involvement Too complex for the culture

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 16 IT Ron Williams When is Project Management Important? Risk or Complexity Size Low High Low High Trivial Projects Low Risk Small Project High Risk Large Project Medium Risk Large Project High Risk Project Mng’t Formality Source Forsberg, Mooz, & Cotterman Visualizing Project Management

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 17 IT Ron Williams Why Complexity Matters

PPTTEST 12/26/ :41 18 IT Ron Williams Four dimensions of success (cf. Shenhar, Dvir and Levy, 1998): Resource constraints: does the project meet the time and budget criteria? Impact on customers: how much benefit does the customer receive from the project? Business success: how high and long are the profits produced by the project? Prepare the future: has the project altered the infrastructure of the org. so future business success and customer impact are more likely?