1. Project Management PTM721S
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
17 July 2017
Project Management PTM721S
Lesson 2 – Project Management and Information technology (IT)

2. Project management and Information Technology (IT)
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Project management and Information Technology (IT)
A systems view of project management
The three spheres model of project management
Four frames of understanding organisations
Organisational structures
Stakeholder management
Importance of top management commitment
Systems development life cycle
Project management job functions

3. Systems view of project management
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Systems view of project management
Systems thinking – a holistic view of carrying out projects as it relates to the larger organisation
Systems approach – analytic approach to solving complex problems that include using a systems philosophy, systems analysis and systems management
Systems are sets of interacting components with an environment to fulfil some purpose, e.g. human body
Systems analysis – problem solving approach that divides systems into components
Systems management – business, technical and organisation issues associated with making a change to a system

4. Three sphere model for systems management
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Three sphere model for systems management
Business
Cost of technology
Cost of making it available to consumers
Support costs
Impact
Organisational
Who does the project impact mostly?
Training of users
Who will administer support
Technology (OS, application software, hardware specifications)

5. Four frames of understanding organisations
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Four frames of understanding organisations
4 frames – Structural, Human Resource, Political, Symbolic frames
Structural frame – organisational chart focusing on different roles and responsibilities
Human Resource frame – harmony between the needs of an organisation and its employees
Political frame – competition among groups for power and leadership
Symbolic frame – symbols and meanings, e.g. dress code, working hours

6. Organisational structures
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Organisational structures
Functional structure – Its specialties such as engineering, manufacturing, IT, HR. The project managers in these structures report to CEO
Project organisational structure – specific projects consisting of staff with various skills needed to complete projects – Project managers report to CEO
Matrix organisational structure – middle ground between functional and project structures. Personnel report to both functional managers or more project managers

7. Stakeholder management
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Stakeholder management
People involved in/or affected by project activities
Can be internal to organisation or external to organisation
Internal include project sponsor, project team, support staff, internal customers, top management, other project managers
External stakeholders include project’s customers, competitors, suppliers, concerned citizens, government

8. Importance of top management commitment
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Importance of top management commitment
Project managers need adequate resources
Project managers require approval for project needs timely
Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organisation
Project managers need someone to mentor and coach them

9. Project phases and project lifecycle
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Project phases and project lifecycle
Project life cycle – collection of phases
Project feasibility
Concept (management plan, preliminary cost estimate)
Development (project plan, budgetary cost estimate)
Project acquisition
Implementation (work package, definitive cost estimate, performance reports)
Close out (completed work, lessons learned, customer acceptance)

10. Systems development life cycle
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Systems development life cycle
Predictive life cycle – the scope of the project can be clearly articulated and the schedule and cost clearly predicted
Waterfall model - well-defined linear stages of systems development
Spiral life cycle – iterative or spiral approach rather than linear
Prototyping – development of software to clarify user requirements requires heavy user involvement
Rapid application development (RAD) – developers work with evolving prototype
Adaptive software development – projects are mission-driven and component-based using time-based cycles to meet target dates
Extreme programming – in rapidly-changing environment, developers program in pairs for synergy and increase productivity
SCUM-iterative development to address changing requirements. Repetitions are called sprints

11. Project management job functions
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Project management job functions
Define scope of project
Identifying stakeholders
Develop detailed task list with breakdowns
Estimate time requirement
Develop initial project management flowchart
Identify required resources and budget
Evaluate project requirements
Identify and evaluate risks
Prepare contingency plans

12. Project management job functions cntd.
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Project management job functions cntd.
Identify interdependencies
Identify and track critical milestones
Participate in project phase review
Secure needed resources
Manage the change control process
Report project status

13. Skills for a project manager
Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Skills for a project manager
To understand the organisation they work in
Soft skills – strong management, communication, leadership and political skills
Organisational skills – plan, analyse, set and achieve project goals
More effective use of technology as it relates to the project

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Faculty of Computing and Informatics
Thank You.