IT Project Management Advantages

Advantages of Using Formal Project Management

• Better control of financial, physical, and human resources
• Improved customer relations
• Shorter development times
• Lower costs
• Higher quality and increased reliability
• Higher profit margins
• Improved productivity
• Better internal coordination
• Higher worker morale (less stress)

What Is a Project?

• A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result
• Operations is work done to sustain the business
• A project ends when its objectives have been reached, or the project has been terminated
• Projects can be large or small and take a short or long time to complete

Examples of IT Projects

• A help desk or technical worker replaces laptops for a small department
• A small software development team adds a new feature to an internal software application
• A college campus upgrades its technology infrastructure to provide wireless Internet access
• A cross-functional task force in a company decides what software to purchase and how it will be implemented
• A television network develops a system to allow viewers to vote for contestants and provide other feedback on programs
• A government group develops a system to track child immunizations

Project Attributes

• A project has a unique purpose
• A project is temporary
• A project is developed using progressive elaboration
• A project requires resources, often from various areas
• A project should have a primary customer or sponsor
• The project sponsor usually provides the direction and funding for the project
• A project involves uncertainty

Project and Program Managers

• Project managers work with project sponsors, project teams, and other people involved in projects to meet project goals
• A program is a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not available from managing them individually
• Program managers oversee programs and often act as bosses for project managers

The Triple Constraint

• Every project is constrained in different ways by its scope, time, and cost goals
• The project manager’s duty is to balance these three often-competing goals

Project Management Profession

• Professional societies such as the Project Management Institute (PMI) have grown significantly
• There are specific interest groups in many areas, such as engineering, financial services, health care, and IT
• Project management research and certification programs continue to grow

Project Management Certification

• PMI provides certification as a Project Management Professional (PMP)
• A PMP has documented sufficient project experience, agreed to follow a code of ethics, and passed the PMP exam
• The number of people earning PMP certification is increasing quickly
• PMI and other organizations are offering new certification programs

Ethics in Project Management

• Ethics is an important part of all professions
• Project managers often face ethical dilemmas
• In order to earn PMP certification, applicants must agree to the PMP code of professional conduct
• Several questions on the PMP exam are related to professional responsibility, including ethics