Project management and information systems

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Project management and information systems I.
What is project management? Basic
definitions Assumptions of project
management II. The project management process
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I. Project management What is it? It is the
planning, scheduling, and controlling of project
activities to achieve performance, cost, and time
objectives A project is a temporary endeavor
undertaken to create a unique product or
service It has a definite beginning and definite
end The result of a project is a product or
service This result is different in some
distinguishing way from similar products or
services Managing a project means taking control
and completing it with the least pain, expense,
and casualties
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Basic principles They are universally fundamental
to project success A project is a novel
undertaking to create a new product or service
the delivery of which signals completion Projects
are constrained by limited resources They have
owners or sponsors They begin when resources
are dedicated to its specific goal Early
activities include as concept exploration and
definition Wideman, M. (2000). First
Principles of Project Management
http//www.pmforum.org/library/PM1stPrn.pdf
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Product scope Loosely referred to as
scope This term is used in the narrower sense
as the definition that describes the projects
product deliverables Scope of work Describes the
work involved in the design, fabrication and
assembly of the components of a projects
deliverable into a working product Product Inc
ludes the delivery of a service
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Quality The totality of features and
characteristics of a product or service that bear
on its ability to satisfy stated or implied
needs Quality grade A particular attribute of a
product or service meeting all minimum project
requirements The product or service may be
delivered according to a class ranging from
utility (purely functional) to world class
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Project Success This is a multi-dimensional
construct best expressed at the beginning of a
project It should use measurable criteria
Meeting key objectives of the project such as
the business objectives of the sponsor
Eliciting satisfaction with the project
management process The deliverable is
complete, up to standard, is on time and
within budget Reflecting general acceptance and
satisfaction with the projects deliverable on
the part of the projects customer and the
majority of the projects community
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What a project manager needs Experience managing
a digital project Understanding of budgeting,
scheduling, resource allocation Writing,
presentation, and communication skills Ability
to set agendas and lead meetings Ability to make
decisions under pressure A strong orientation to
detail Good time management Some experience
with web development
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Work structure breakdown Integration
management The processes required to ensure that
elements of the project are properly
coordinated Consists of project plan
development, project plan execution, and
overall change control Scope management The
processes required to ensure that all the work
required, and only the work required, is
included to complete the project
successfully Consists of initiation, scope
planning, scope definition, scope verification,
and scope change control
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More competencies Time management The processes
required to ensure the project is completed in
a timely way Consists of activity definition,
activity sequencing, activity duration
estimating, schedule development, and schedule
control Cost management The processes required
to ensure the project is completed within the
approved budget Consists of resource planning,
cost estimating, cost budgeting, and cost
control
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Quality management The processes required to
ensure that the project satisfies the needs for
which it was undertaken Consists of quality
planning, quality assurance, and quality
control Human resource management The processes
required to most effectively use the people
involved in the project Consists of
organizational planning, staff acquisition, and
team development
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Communications management The processes required
to timely and appropriately generate, collect,
disseminate, store, and ultimately dispose of
project information Consists of communications
planning, information distribution, performance
reporting, and administrative closure Risk
management The processes concerned with
identifying, analyzing, and responding to
project risk Consists of risk identification,
risk quantification, risk response development,
and risk response control
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Procurement management The processes required to
acquire goods and services from outside the
organization It consists of procurement
planning, solicitation planning, solicitation,
source selection, contract administration, and
contract closeout Project managers divide
projects into several phases This is the
project life cycle This aids in maintaining
control Initiating phase Controlling
phase Planning phase Closing phase
Executing phase
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Assumptions of project management These apply to
the project team Everyone is working towards the
same or similar goals, whatever those might
be Everyone is being honest with one another An
appropriate level of skill or experience is
available as needed Everyone wants the project
to succeed Everyone is clear and agrees on who
the customer is
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Commitment There is an equitable commitment
between the client and the project team The team
is responsible for developing appropriate
strategies, plans and controls for applying the
necessary skills and work to carry out the
project Equitable commitment means that both
parties understand the project They know the
processes and risks involved and willingly
undertake the challenge The client must
understand that even with appropriate
management controls in place, that risks are
shared
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Success The measure of success (process and
product) must be defined at the beginning of the
project This becomes a basis for project
management decision making and post-project
evaluation Success needs to be defined in terms
of Deliverables scope, quality, relevance,
effectiveness Process time, benchmarks, cost,
efficiency The timing of the measurement of
success itself should be specified
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Trade-off There are four core variables of the
project management process Product scope, quality
grade, time-to-produce and total
cost-at-completion These must mutually
consistent and attainable. They are measures of
internal project management efficiency If these
variables are not mutually consistent and
attainable, the commitment is neither equitable
nor are key success criteria likely to be met
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Strategy A strategy provides a focused set of
sequential and progressive phases Project work
should be planned and then executed This
sequential process forms the basis of the project
life cycle It can be expanded to suit the
control requirements of all types of projects in
every area of project management The life cycle
is a series of phased milestones It
determines when the project starts It sets
investment or control gates through which
the project passes following completion of
milestones and when the project is finished
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Control Control follows from strategy, which
determines what is going to be done and when
Control establishes how it is going to be done
and by whom Control is established in policies
and procedures These include the projects
assumptions, justification and reference
baseline for each core variables It is a basis
for progress measurement, comparison and course
adjustment Good policies and procedures define
responsibilities and roles clearly, delegate
authority, and set processes for managing change
in the product scope and scope of work
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Single-Point Responsibility A single channel of
communication exists between the client and the
project manager It is used for all decisions
affecting product scope Free and transparent
communication is indispensable for coordination
of a complex set of project activities This
principle is necessary for effective and
efficient administration of the project The
client may be more than one person, but must
speak through a primary representative with
access to the clients resources The project
team must also have a single representative
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Cultural Environment The ability of a project
team to produce results both effectively and
efficiently is dependent upon the cultural
environment Management must provide an informed
and supportive environment to ensure that the
team is able to work to the limits of its
capacity. This environment encompasses both
internal and external project relations and
values Internally, the management style of the
team leader must be suited to the type of project
and its phase in the project life
cycle Externally, the management of the
organization in which the project takes place
must be supportive and the environment free of
obstacles.
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Characteristics of web projects Project manager
is not always the client manager They serve this
function in traditional projects The project life
cycle is accelerated Sometimes called death
march projects Using new and often untested
technologies May involve a steep learning
curve Expect scope expansion during
implementation and roll-out This will involve
costs ( and time) The pricing model is not
clear Varies geographically and with complexity
of the project
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More There are no clear standards for managing
web projects Standards are a sign of maturity in
the profession Team roles are more fluid They
are still being worked out, but there are some
clear distinctions Clients to not have a good
understanding of the nature of web
development They are not willing to bear the
costs of the project This is especially apparent
during the pre-design phases The project
managers role is expanded compared to
traditional project management Especially if the
manager is also the IA
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Project management and information systems I.
What is project management? Basic
definitions II. The project management process
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The process of project management Begins with
project definition Develop a mission
statement Setting objectives What will this
project do? These are specific and attainable
outcomes that can be achieved in a specific
time frame They can be measured Important
how will you know when you have fulfilled the
objective Clear objectives provide guidelines
for the rest of the team
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Identify users Who are the audiences for the
site? Some research will be necessary in order
to identify the range of people who will use the
site Understanding who these people are is
necessary in order to determine if objectives
have been met Take advantage of existing market
research Build some market research into the
budget Conduct focus groups The process is
similar for intranet audiences They may vary
by department or functional unit
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Set initial scope of the project Its worth
doing the work up front to set the
boundaries Scope, time, and cost are linked
Change one and affect the other two Problem
clients think that making changes is a simple
matter of changing markup What is the clients
budget? When does it have to go live? What are
the main tasks to be accomplished? This involves
a work breakdown structure Mission
statement Objective Task Subtask
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Main tasks There are also the generic tasks
Information architecture, site design, navigation
development, creation of content, testing To
break down the tasks, discuss them with the
team Design site Develop
navigation Task Develop site architecture
Set up content list Subtask Draw wireframe
Create scheme Subtask Client approval
IA approval Subtask Develop prototypes
Implement scheme Estimate the time for each
activity
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Developing a budget Budget categories come from
the work breakdown structure Each category
is a line item You estimate the cost of each
line item Make the assumptions explicit
Content from client must be in a specific
format Client has a specified amount of time
to approve benchmarks and interim
deliverables Designer will deliver a specified
number of proptotypes for initial approval
Client will provide market research information
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Try to account for hidden costs Getting the team
together for meetings Conference calls Research
while developing IA Developing supporting
documentation Email and administration Setting
up the development site This could be an
administrative line item that builds in a 10
cushion
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The scope document Stating objectives What is
the scope of the assignment? The objectives What
are the business and marketing objectives of the
project? What are the short and long term
objectives? The target audience What are the
demographics, psychographics buying and usage
habits values, attitudes and lifestyles?
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Personality What is the tone and manner of the
site? What are the overall personality traits
the project must communicate? Current mind set
of audience What does the target think now
relative to the brand, its products and current
project, if applicable? Selling proposition What
is the value proposition of the site? Key target
audience insight What is the most compelling
thing we want the target to think after they
experience the project?