Project Management and BPM Overview

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Questions and Answers

What is the primary purpose of project identification in an organization?

To evaluate the company’s profitability

To enhance employee involvement in decision-making

To build a system addressing a specific business need (correct)

To develop marketing strategies for existing products

Which of the following is a step in the Business Process Management (BPM) cycle?

Redefining the organization's mission statement

Creating ways to improve valuable steps in the process (correct)

Systematic assessment of existing technology

Eliminating all steps in the process

What does Business Process Reengineering (BPR) primarily focus on?

Fundamental changes to how the organization operates (correct)

Systematic analysis of business workflows

Incremental updates to existing processes

Elimination of all manual processes

Who typically serves as the primary point of contact for the project team during a project?

The project sponsor (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does Business Process Automation (BPA) primarily involve?

Technology replacing manual processes (C) Signup and view all the answers

Which factor might trigger the identification of a project within an organization?

Emerging technologies providing new competitive advantages (C) Signup and view all the answers

What best describes the concept of Business Process Improvement (BPI)?

The redesign of processes for enhancing workflows (B) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary goal of defining and mapping steps in a business process within BPM?

To better understand and improve process efficiency (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary role of a project sponsor in a system selection process?

To provide insights on business value (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes tangible value in a project?

Value that can be quantified and measured easily (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does the 'business need' element of a system request document refer to?

The reasons prompting the project initiation (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is included in the 'special issues' section of a system request document?

A catchall category for additional relevant information (D) Signup and view all the answers

What is the next step after the approval committee reviews a completed system request?

To conduct a feasibility analysis (D) Signup and view all the answers

Why is feasibility analysis important in project management?

It identifies risks that must be managed if the project is approved (D) Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following elements is NOT typically found in a system request document?

Project milestones (A) Signup and view all the answers

What does intangible value in a project refer to?

Value that results from difficult-to-measure benefits (B) Signup and view all the answers

What are the three key areas typically assessed in a feasibility analysis?

Technical feasibility, Economic feasibility, Organizational feasibility (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does technical feasibility primarily evaluate?

The compatibility with existing technologies (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which question does economic feasibility aim to answer?

Should we build the system? (A) Signup and view all the answers

Which element is NOT typically considered in assessing technical feasibility?

Projected financial returns (B) Signup and view all the answers

What does a cash flow analysis in economic feasibility involve?

Estimating returns over time (C) Signup and view all the answers

What is the result of evaluating the three feasibility factors?

A feasibility study deliverable (B) Signup and view all the answers

Why is familiarity with technology an important aspect of technical feasibility?

It helps ensure a smoother development process. (D) Signup and view all the answers

What does ongoing support costs refer to in economic feasibility?

Recurring costs incurred after system installation (B) Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Project Identification and Initiation

A project begins when a need (problem or opportunity) is recognized within an organization.
Examples include: developing a new marketing campaign, targeting new customers, improving stakeholder relationships, or addressing decreased market share/profits.
Business needs can also stem from opportunities to use IT or emerging technologies like cloud computing, RFID, and Web 2.0 effectively.

Business Process Management (BPM)

Many information systems (IS) projects stem from the need to improve business processes.
BPM is a methodology for continually enhancing end-to-end business processes.
The BPM process involves:
- Defining and mapping business processes
- Identifying and improving value-added steps
- Eliminating or consolidating non-value-added steps
- Creating and adjusting electronic workflows
Business Process Automation (BPA) leverages technology to replace manual processes.
Business Process Improvement (BPI) creates new or redesigned processes to enhance and use new technologies.
Business Process Reengineering (BPR) fundamentally changes how an organization operates.

A project sponsor is a person or group with a vested interest in the project's success.
They guide the project's direction and act as a point of contact for the project team.
The project's scope or size determines the type and level of sponsor involvement.
Sponsors are crucial for understanding and assessing a project's business value.
- Tangible value is quantifiable, like cost reductions or increased productivity.
- Intangible value is difficult to measure, yet can still be valuable to the organization.

System Request

A system request documents the rationale and expected benefits from a new system.
Key elements typically include:
- Project sponsor details
- Description of the business need
- Specific system requirements
- Potential business value estimation
- Potential problem areas
The system request is reviewed by an approval committee to decide whether to proceed with a project.

Feasibility Analysis

Feasibility analysis determines both project viability and the risks involved.
- Technical feasibility assesses the system's design and implementation feasibility within the organization's IT capabilities.
- Economic feasibility examines the costs and benefits of the system and answers the question "Should we build it?"
- Organizational feasibility evaluates the project's fit within the organization's structure.
Risks are involved and their impact on the project's success needs to be considered.
The analysis includes identifying, evaluating and potentially mitigating risks.
Feasibility analysis typically involves a cost-benefit analysis, which estimates potential benefits and costs over time.
A cash flow analysis is performed to visualize the movement and balance of cash through the project.

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Description

This quiz explores the fundamentals of project identification and initiation, emphasizing how business needs arise and the importance of business process management (BPM). Learn about the methodologies used to enhance processes and the role of technology in automating business tasks. Test your knowledge on defining, mapping, and improving business processes.