User Relationship Management

1
User Relationship Management

• Group 6
• Travis Crooks, Karen Hartsfield, JC Lima, David
  Mancy

2
Agenda

• Overview of URM
• URM the Project Processes
• Initiation
• Planning
• Execution Monitoring
• Closing
• Review of URM
• Questions

3
URM Defined

• The process which deals with shaping and forming
  the information relation between the information
  services function and the user organization
  (Blaauboer)
• Also, it involves taking into account the needs,
  values and capabilities of the users (Wang, et
  al, 2005)

4
URM Project Success Factors

• Prevents/limits scope creep
• Must-haves vs.. Nice-to-haves
• Change process defined
• Distinguish business owner from day-to-day user
  functionality and needs
• Prevents cost overruns
• Steers roles and responsibilities for the project
  team
• Increases degree of quality attained

5
Another View

• Software Developers arent concerned w/Users
  needs/requirements/involvement true or false?

6
False

• A 2003 study conducted by Procaccino, et al,
  found that SW developers rated various
  customer/user centric project drivers as most
  important to the success of projects.

7
Also

• The same study also showed that the SW
  developers were less likely to be concerned with
  time and budget when it came to delivering a
  working, satisfactory product to the user.

8
Project Initiation Process

• Definition
• Tasks
• Opportunities for User Involvement/Relationship
  Management
• Common Problems

9
Initiation Process Definition

• Focuses on activities designed to assist in
  organizing a team to conduct project planning
  (Uskov, 2006, Bradley Univ.).
• Formally a project to begin and links a project
  to the work and to the strategic objectives of
  the organization (Francis, Horine, 2003).

10
Initiation Process Tasks

• Project Manager Assigned
• Key Stakeholders Identified
• Business Case Completed
• Project Charter Completed Signed

11
Initiation Process Project Manager

• Project managers are critical to the success of a
  project.
• Without competent project managers, projects may
  be delayed, under-funded/over budget, or even
  canceled.

12
Initiation Process Key Stakeholders

• Project Sponsor
• End Users
• Technical Team and Advisors
• CEO

13
Initiation Process Business Case

• Business Objective
• Current situation and problem/opportunity
  statement
• Critical assumptions and constraints
• Analysis of options and recommendation
• Preliminary project requirements
• Budget estimate and financial analysis
• Schedule estimate
• Potential risks

14
Initiation Process Project Charter

• Sample project charters
• www.library.ubc.ca/home/ils/projectcharter.html
• www.oorexx.org/charter.html
• www.eclipse.org/technology/technology-charter.html
  

15
Opportunities for User Involvement/Relationship
Management

• Users must be involved early on
• Example WDW One Source

16
Walt Disney World One Source

• Multi-million dollar Intranet project.
• One source for all Cast.
• Disney Reservation Center involved half-way
  through the project.
• Platform developed prior to all end user/project
  stakeholder input.
• One Source went live 12 months after deadline and
  millions of dollars over-budget.

17
One Source The Place to Go to Know
18
Initiation Process Common Problems

• Wrong project manager assigned.
• Key stakeholders not completely identified.
• Business case not well planned.
• Incomplete project charter.

19
Planning

• Cost Management
• Enabling tracking of costs
• Employees
• Travel Expenses
• Time
• Materials
• Facilities / Plants
• Billable / Non-billable

20
Planning

• Resource Management
• Employee Time, Location, Cost per hour
• Know what projects employees are currently
  assigned to
• Track Applicants
• Facility / Plant Management
• Material Management
• Central Source for Project Materials
• Documentation
• Contracts

21
Planning

• Scope Management
• Allows for input from many sources
• Real Time Information
• Use data from similar, past projects
• Procurement Management
• Automate search for suppliers, manufacturers, et
  cetera
• Procurement listings

22
Executing Monitoring Processes

• Executing
• Includes coordinating people and other resources
  to produce the final results.
• Monitoring and controlling
• Includes regularly measure and monitor project
  progress to ensure that project teams meets the
  objective.

23
Executing URM

• Necessary for project manager to
• Establish a relationship with users
• Extract knowledge and feedback from users
  depending on their level of involvement
• Resolve conflicts throughout course of the
  project
• Manage acceptance of rejection of project

24
Factor Model (M. Newman)

• Project manager is responsible for coordinating
  the independent variables to ensure success in
  final product.

25
Monitoring URM

• Ensure developers acquire and retain the skills
  to overcome constraints on interaction with
  users.
• Monitor feedback from users.
• Make sure developers take necessary steps to
  accommodate users requirements.

26
Research model (Jun He)

• Association between User participation and
  System Efficiency/Effectiveness.

27
Closing Process

• Involves
• Gaining stakeholder and user/customer acceptance
  of the final products and services
• Bringing the project to an orderly end
• Includes the knowledge areas of
• Project Integration Mgmt
• Project Procurement Mgmt

28
Closing Tasks

• Formal acceptance
• Archiving project files
• Lessons learned
• Closing contracts
• Support turnover
• Transition plan implementation

29
Opportunities for URM

• Lessons learned
• Acceptance of system
• Documentation of future enhancements not included
  in accepted version
• Support information and planning
• Team closure, disengagement

30
Issues with URM

• Formal acceptance not documented
• Users not involved in support and transition
  planning
• Project documentation and lessons learned not
  made available for reference
• Contracts not closed leaving open issues with 3rd
  parties

31
URM Review

• Defined URM
• URM the Project Processes
• Initiation WDW example of what can go wrong
• Planning
• Execution Monitoring managing resources, user
  requirements and conflict
• Closing vital tasks users need to be involved
  in

32
Questions?
33
Resources

• http//www.projectperfect.com.au/downloads/Info/in
  fo_scope_creep_mgmt.pdf
• http//eprints.eemcs.utwente.nl/5704/01/00000170.p
  df
• http//www.boxesandarrows.com/view/users_in_the_de
  velopment_cycle_effective_project_communication
• Procaccino, Drew and June Verner, Steven
  Lorenzet. Defining and Contributing to Software
  Development Success. Communications of the ACM
  Aug. 2006 79-83.
• Wang, Eric and Sheng-Pao Shih, James Jiang, Gary
  Klein. The Relative Influence of Management
  Control and User-IS Personnel Interaction on
  Project Performance. Information and Software
  Technology 2006 214-220.
• Schwalbe, Kathy. Information Technology Project
  Management. Boston Thompson, 2006.
• http//www.interlabs.bradley.edu/uskov/CS403/Class
  _06/Chapter_5_Part_1.pdf
• Francis, David Horine, Greg PMP Exam Cram 2
  2nd Ed. 2003 Que Publications (ISBN
  0789734621)
• PeopleSoft Enterprise Service Automation
• PeopleSoft Customer Relationship Management
• He, Jun. Knowledge Impacts of User Participation
  A Cognitive Perspective. University of
  Pittsburgh.
• Newman, M. Robey, D. A Social Process Model of
  User-Analyst Relationship. MIS Quartely, Vol 16
  No. 2 (Jun., 1992) pp. 249-266