Project Management in Information Systems

IT 352: Information Systems Analysis and Design

• Course taught by Haifa Alhasson in 2020
• Course covers Information Systems Analysis and Design

Brief List of Topics

• Overview of Information System development environment
• Managing the Information Systems Project
• Identifying and Selecting Systems Development Projects
• Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects
• Determining system requirements
• Structuring System Process Requirements
• Designing information systems
• System Implementation
• Maintaining Information Systems

Chapter 3: Managing the Information Systems Project

• Learning Objectives:
  • Explain the process of managing an information systems project
  • Describe skills required for effective project management
  • List and describe project manager skills and activities during initiation, planning, execution, and closedown
  • Explain critical path scheduling and Gantt charts/network diagrams
  • Explain how commercial project management software can assist in managing project schedules

Importance of Project Management

• Project management is crucial for systems development
• Effective project management ensures customer expectations are met and budget/time constraints are satisfied
• Project management skills are challenging but essential

Managing the Information Systems Project

• Project: A planned undertaking of related activities to achieve an objective with a defined beginning and end
• Project Manager: Systems analyst with diverse skills (management, leadership, technical, conflict management, customer relations) who is responsible for initiating, planning, executing, and closing a project

Pine Valley Application Project

• Example project involving order filling, invoicing, and payroll systems at Pine Valley Furniture

Managing the Information Systems Project (cont.)

• Systems development projects are undertaken to take advantage of business opportunities and solve business problems
• Deliverable Product: The end product of an SDLC phase

Project Management Activities

• A project manager manages numerous activities including technological change, systems development lifecycle, organizational change and complexity, customer and management expectations, the art of project management, contractors and vendors, documentation and communication, managing people, time and resource constraints, and methodologies and tools

Phases of Project Management Process

• Phase 1: Initiation
• Phase 2: Planning
• Phase 3: Execution
• Phase 4: Closedown

PM Phase 1: Project Initiation

• Assess project size, scope, and complexity, establishing procedures
• Establish initiation team, relationship with customer, project initiation plan, management procedures, project management environment, and project workbook

PM Phase 2: Project Planning

• Define clear project activities and the required work to complete each activity
• Tasks: Define project scope, alternatives, feasibility, divide project into tasks, estimate resource requirements, develop preliminary schedules and communication plans, determine standards, identify and assess risk, create preliminary budget, develop statement of work, and create baseline project plan

Planning Detail

• Level of project planning detail should be high initially, with less detail as the project timeline extends

Some Components of Project Planning

• Statement of Work (SOW): Contract between IS staff and customer
• The Baseline Project Plan (BPP): Contains scope, benefits, schedules, costs, risks, and resource requirements
• Preliminary Budget: Outlines planned expenses and revenues; Cost- benefit analysis
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS): Dividing the project into manageable tasks
• Scheduling Diagrams: Gantt chart (horizontal bars representing task durations) and network diagram (boxes and links representing task dependencies)

Scheduling Diagrams Gantt Chart

• Gantt chart visually displays project tasks, durations, and task dependencies in a project management software such as Microsoft project

Scheduling Diagrams Network Diagram

• Network diagram illustrates task dependencies with rectangles or ovals and relationships through arrows in project management software such as Microsoft project

Estimating Task Duration

• PERT: Program Evaluation Review Technique that determines expected task duration using optimistic, pessimistic, and realistic time estimates

• Formula: Expected time (ET) = (optimistic + 4 * realistic + pessimistic) / 6

Example PERT Analysis

• Example PERT Table that shows time estimates (optimistic, realistic and pessimistic) and the expected times for a specific project

Critical Path Scheduling

• Scheduling technique where the order and duration of task activities directly affects the completion
• Critical path: The shortest time a project can be completed
• Slack time: The time a task can be delayed without delaying the project

Critical Path Example

• Table showing the dependencies between activities in a project

Critical Path Example (Network Diagram)

• Network diagram showing dependencies between project activities

Determining the Critical Path

• Determine earliest and latest possible completion times for each activity
• Identify slack time for each activity
• Critical path is the path with no slack time

Critical Path Calculation

• Network diagram with earliest and latest expected completion times for each activity

Critical Path Calculation (cont.)

• Activity slack time calculations for the project with all activities showing if they are on the critical path

• Activity #5 is not on the critical path

Using Project Management Software

• Many project management software tools exist, with examples such as Microsoft project offering features like:
  • Entering project start dates
  • Establishing tasks and dependencies
  • Visualizing project information as Gantt or Network diagrams

Project Start Date

• Setting a project starting date in Microsoft Project

Entering Tasks

• Entering tasks and assigning task relationships in Microsoft Project

Viewing Network Diagram

• Viewing project information as a network diagram in Microsoft Project.
  • Showing milestones and critical paths

Viewing Gantt Chart

• Viewing project activities' progress versus planned activities in a Gantt chart in Microsoft project
• Identification of summary activities using black lines, and milestone activities using diamond shapes

Summary

• Chapter summary outlining topics covered, such as project management processes, skills, and activities. Including critical path scheduling, Gantt and network diagrams, and project management software

This quiz explores the essential roles and skills of project managers in information systems projects. Test your knowledge on project definitions, scheduling tools, and methodologies such as PERT and Critical Path Scheduling. Understand the importance of managing project timelines effectively.