Title: Managing a Portfolio of IT Projects: Corporate and Personal
1Chapter 10
Its like going out to dinner EVERY night!
- Managing a Portfolio of IT Projects Corporate
and Personal
2Agenda
- Why Project Management Essential Tension
- Implementation and Risk
- The Project Risk Categorization
- The Portfolio Approach What is a Portfolio?
- Project Management Approaches 2x2
- Adaptive Methods
3The Essential Tension
Discipline (Control)
Agility (Creativity)
4Problem Statement
- What tools are at our disposal through which we
can control project factors that increase the
risk that implementation of IT will be
inappropriate, useless, or harmful?
Tools
5Implementation
IDEA
USE
Needs analysis, feasibility, logical design,
design, coding, testing, integration,
installation, training
Cost/Unit Time
Time
6Implementation Risk
The probability that returns will not reach
expectation.
Risk is also related to the variance in
perceptions of returns over time the higher the
variance, the higher the risk.
7What Are We So Worried About?
- The root of the neurosis stems from the system
development life cycle
Usage Apply the solution to reduce the problem
Analyze What does the problem look like?
Design What does the solution look like?
Implement Create the solution
If implementation fails, the costs are very
significant
The problem is analyzed to see if there are any
feasible solutions
8Feasibility
- There are four components
- Cost Will the solution cost too much? Can we
afford any of the possible solutions? - Schedule Can the solution be implemented in time
(so that new problems arent created)? - Technology Is there a technological solution
that actually works (without making new
problems)? - Will Do we have the guts to implement and the
will to enforce appropriate usage?
9Three Sources of Risk
- Size (amount of work)
- Experience (our expertise)
- Volatility (definition, stability)
Size influences the amount of workwe have to
dooverall. Less work means less chance for
variability
10Calculus of Project Risk
Lack of Structure
Technology or Gap
11Risk Sources vs. Feasibility
COST
SCHEDULE
TECH-NOLOGY
WILL
SIZE
INEX-PERIENCE
VOLA-TILITY
12Risk Categories
If we can make the technology behave, no problems!
Double Triple Whammy! Big Problems!!
Low
High
Mod
Low
Low
High
SizeSmall Large
VolatilityLow High
Technologyproblems trumpcontrolattempts!!
Low
Mod
See Fig. 10.3 for details
Technology GapSmall Large
13Project Management Approaches 2x2 Tools
The essence of formalization is programming (
control) a surrogate action.
Formalization overcomes lack of control, through
plans and procedures
FORMALIZATIONPLANNING CONTROL
Integration overcomes lack of knowledge through
internal sharing and lack of stability through
external sharing
INTERNAL EXTERNAL INTEGRATION
See Table 10.2 for details
The essence of integration is communication (
sharing) a surrogate for trust.
14Matching Tools to the Job
High structure Low Volatility
StructureLow High
External IntegrationInternal Integration
Internal Integration
Project Size really doesnt matter much in
selection of management tools
Technology GapLow High
External IntegrationResults ControlFormal
Planning
Formal PlanningResults Control
15Adaptive Methodologies
- Adaptive methods are specific to SDLC phases
16Prototyping
Initial Prototype
Analyst makes improvements
17Prototyping Risks
What if initial guessis very very wrong ?
What if analyst doesnt listenor hears
incorrectly or is incompetent?
18Summary of Issues
- Essential Tensions
- Management Role
- Technology Options
- Complexity
- Agility, adaptability
- Role of Knowledge, Communication, Trust
- Control and Risk
- Infrastructure, Platformability