Project Management Introduction

Introduction to Project Management

• This chapter will cover the different concepts related to project management
• Using these, develop a comprehensive project plan

Specific Objectives

• Understand the growing need for better project management, especially for information technology projects
• Explain a project, give examples of IT projects, list attributes, and describe the triple constraint
• Describe project management and discuss key elements like stakeholders, knowledge areas, tools and techniques, and success
• Discuss the relationship between project, program, and portfolio management as well as what they contribute to enterprise success
• Understand the role of the project manager by describing managers tasks, important skills, and what the career field is like for information technology project managers
• Describe the project management profession, its history, the influence of organizations like the Project Management Institute, the value of certification and ethics, and advancement of project management software

Introduction

• Many companies have new or renewed interest in project management
• IT advancements dramatically changed the work space leading to new opportunities

Advantages of Using Formal Project Management

• Better control of financial accounts, physical resources, and human resources
• Better 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 are things done to sustain the business
• Projects end when their objectives have been met or have been terminated
• Projects can be large or small and take varying amounts of time

Examples of IT Projects

• Help desk or technical worker replaces ten laptops
• Software team adds something to an internal software application
• College campus upgrades its technology infrastructure
• A company task force chooses a VoIP system

Media Snapshot: Where IT Matters

• In 2006, Baseline Magazine published “Where I.T. Matters: How 10 Technologies Transformed 10 Industries” as a retort to Nicholas Carr's ideas
• VoIP transformed the telecommunications industry and broadened internet access
• GPS has changed the farming industry
• Digital supply chain has evolved the entertainment industry's distribution

Project and Program Manager

• Project Managers collaborate with project sponsors, project team, and other parties to meet goals
• A program is group of related projects managed together to produce benefits beyond individual management
• Program managers oversee programs, and often act as bosses

The Triple Constraint of Project Management

• A successful project must meet scope, time, and cost goals while satisfying the project's sponsor
• Project management applies skills and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements
• Managers strive to meet the triple constraint by balancing project scope, time, and costs
• TIME - Project managers must estimate time to complete a project using tools such as PERT or critical path methods
• SCOPE - Scope must be identified during the planning phase; if it is not properly defined then the expansion is known as scope creep which can cause a project to fail
• COST - Project managers are responsible for estimating, budgeting and controlling costs so they stay in budget

Project Management Framework

• A stakeholder is an individual, group, or organization affected by the project's outcome with a vested interest.
• Stakeholders can greatly impact the project ranging from positive to negative
• Stakeholders can be within or outside of the organization
• Stakeholders include the project sponsor, project team, support staff, customers, users, suppliers, and opponents

Nine Project Management Knowledge Areas

• Knowledge areas describe key competencies that project managers need to develop
• There exists four core knowledge areas to lead to goals (scope, time, cost, quality).
• Also, four facilitating knowledge areas to achieve those goals (human resources, communication, risk, stakeholder, and procurement management
• Integration management, affects, and is also impacted by all knowledge areas
• All knowledge areas are important

Project Management Tools and Techniques

• Project management tools help managers and their teams in project management
• Tools include project charters, scope statements, WBS, Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis, and value management
• Super Tools
• Tools with high use and high potential for improving project success
• Including software for task scheduling, scope statement, requirement analysis, and lessons learned
• Tools Already Used Extensively
• Tools extensively used that have been found to improve project importance
• Including progress reports, kick-off meetings, Gantt charts, and chance requests

The Project Success

• Projects that meet scope, time and costs goals also satisfy customers and sponsors

What Helps Projects Succeed?

• Executive support and user involvement
• Experienced project manager with clear business objectives
• Minimized scope of standard software infrastructure
• Firm basic requirements and a formal methodology
• Reliable estimates

Program and Project Portfolio Management

• A program is group of related projects managed for benefits and control unavailable from managing individually
• Program managers provide leadership and direction towards related initiatives
• Infrastructure, application development, and user support are common programs

Project Portfolio Management

• Organizations group related projects and programs as a portfolio contributing to enterprise success
• Portfolio managers help people invest by analyzing projects from a strategic perspective

Best Practices and Skills

• Project projects are driven by strategy and engaging stakeholders
• Skills include comfort with change, organizational understanding, and ability to lead

The Role of the Project Manager

• Job description vary, but consist of planning, scheduling, coordination and teamwork
• 97% of successful projects were led by experienced project managers
• Skills are needed to influence success factors

Suggested Skills for Project Managers

• Project Management Body of Knowledge
• Knowledge of application area, standard and regulations, and project environment
• General management and soft skills

Ten Most Important Skills and Competencies for Project Managers

• People skills and listening skills
• Leadership
• Integrity and strong ethics
• Verbal and team communication
• Builds trust
• Conflict and resolution management
• Problem-solving and critical thinking
• Understanding and balancing priorities

Different Skills Needed in Different Situations

• Large projects need leadership, experience, planning and people skills
• Uncertain projects need management, expectation and planning skills as well as leadership
• Innovative projects need leadership and vision

Importance of Leadership Skills

• Project managers need to use leadership, long-term goals, and day-to-day details to succeed in projects
• They also often take of the role of both leader and manager

Project Management Profession Skills

• These are growing and changing at a rapid rate
• It is helpful to understand societies and advancements in the project management industry

History of Project Management

• Some people argue that building the Egyptian pyramids was a project
• Most people consider the Manhattan Project to be the first project to use "modern" project management
• Having a separate project manager and a technical manage

Chapter Summary

• Projects are temporary endeavors taken to create a unique product of service
• Project management is the application of tools and knowledge to meet requirements
• A program is a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way
• Project mangers help play a key role in organizations that succeed
• The project management industry will continue to grow and evolve

Module 2: The Project Management and IT Context

• Understand different organizations
• Plan a project with different organizational characteristics

Project Management Systems

• Describe system to information
• Understand organizations and culture
• Explain management and success
• Learn project phase and life cycle
• Discuss technology and project

Understanding Organization

• Many enterprise resource planning projects fail due to organizational issues
• Sunny Marche; “The problem of building an integrated system that can accommodate different people is a very serious challenge. You can't divorce technology from the sociocultural issues. They have an equal role.”
• Sobey's ERP system shut down for five days and lost upwards of $90 million

Systems View of Project Management

• Systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a more analytical approach to management and problem solving
• Includes Systems Philosophy, Analysis, and Management
• Philosophy is an overall model for thinking
• Analysis requires defining the scope of the system to be studied
• Management addresses business and other issues before changes

Understanding the Organization

• Structural Frame: Focuses on roles and responsibilities, coordination and control
• Human Resources Frame: Focuses on providing harmony between the needs of the organization and the needs of people
• Political Frame: Assumes organizations are coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups
• Symbolic Frame: Focuses on symbols and meanings related to events. Culture is important

Project Phases and Life Cycle

• Work will vary in each phase
• Deliverables will be produced at different times
• Each phase involves different personnel
• Management will control and approve work produced in each phase
• A deliverable is a product or service produced or provided as part of the project
• During project development needs are lowest
• During project execution resources are need the most
• Ensuring that project requirements are meet

Phases of the Traditional Project Life Cycle

• Project Feasibility, Acquisition, Concept, Development, Implementation, and lastly closing out
• Deliverables include a management plan and preliminary estimates
• Products come with their own life cycles
• SDLC is frameworks for describing the maintenance of system
• Systems can follow project life cycles and software development

The Context of the IT Projects

• IT projects vary in size, products, area of application, and recourses
• Team often have diverse backgrounds and skill sets
• Must be specialized in the same technologies

Recent Trends Affecting IT Project

• Globalization: lower trade and political barriers and the revolution
• Outsourcing: Organization acquire goods and/or sources are outside
• Virtual teams: People in all spaces connecting through technology

Module 3: Project Integration Management

• Understand the importance of project schedules and good project time management
• Define activities as the basis for developing project schedules
• Describe how project managers use network diagrams and dependencies to assist in activity sequencing
• Explain how various tools and techniques help project managers perform activity duration estimating
• Use a Gantt chart for planning and tracking schedule information, find the critical path for a project, and describe how critical chain scheduling and the Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) affect schedule development
• Discuss how reality checks and people issues are involved in controlling and managing changes to the project schedule

Approaches to Improving Schedule

• Set Project Management standards
• Encourage Stakeholder commitment and create project plan
• Be detailed on WBS and have task dependencies
• Have time estimation and management, document and follow standards
• Have skilled resources in the project

Importance of Managing Schedules

• First part to go wrong due to many variable and dependencies
• Need flexible, time dependent and team collaboration
• There are many types of schedules for projects

Types of Schedules

• Network diagram, Gantt Chart and Milestone
• Also use WBS is most common technique to give tasks dependencies
• Can be used of the scheduling

Project Schedule Problems

• Communication errors can affect schedule and time
• Poor planning can affect quality control.
• Poor risk management can add delays and increase cost
• Improper resource allocation can harm project by improper project.

Activity Sequencing

• Need activities by defining project activities
• Use AON, show activities relationships in a preferred technique
• Work for critical path and critical chain

Problems in managing schedules

• People skills are important but planning can prevent many issues
• Stakeholder communication increases time.
• Changes lead to scope costs and time

Approaches to improve projects and time

• Use templates/ best practices for projects
• Keep a consistent plan and keep stakeholders informed
• Manage time effectively

Project Management Integration Processes

• Use stakeholders to make a charter and authorize the project
• Use stake holders as people who benefit to make a preliminary statement
• Coordinate planning to create documentation, create project plan
• Oversee project and see all meetings and requirements are met

Factors to Choosing a Project

• Stakeholders, strategic planning, project selection
• Predict trends for long term objectives
• SWOT analysis and realistic goals.

Best methods of selection

• Look at important aspects such as the plan with the most money or impact
• Need well developed process for strategic plan
• Must have goal, process and project alignment

Key Methods For Project Selection

• SWOT can help create strategies.
• Weighted scoring can determine selection.
• Budgets increase profits and efficiency.
• Balance needs with budget with strategy.

Preliminary Planning

• Should have the right tools and have resources.
• Have skilled workers and stakeholders.
• Should be an organized project

Project Charting

• After a project is chosen, it needs to be organized.
• Have specific goals and directions for the project
• Have agreement between stakeholders.

Preliminary Scope Statement

• Make sure the scope is well known and developed.
• Have it prevent creeping in any issues
• Be updated whenever.
• Make sure you do not skip any processes.

Project Execution

• Have people managing performance.
• Have enough money for people and be spent well
• Those that do the project should help also
• Input for realistic input

Monitor and Controlling Project

• Monitor projects, and see if you prevent it or check how to improve,
• collect data and measure performance and help project and stakeholders

Business Case

• Is important to know the importance of projects
• Helps with the communication with what's important
• Prepare with the business opportunity, risk and costs

Writing a great Business Case

• Purpose statement about how project should convey influence
• be interesting and concise
• Provide realistic goals for a better future
• Need stakeholders, sponsors, and the right people to contribute to make it successful

Summary of the Project and Communication

• Can be great by having a sponsor with the right communication to influence
• Follow the right steps and make sure that documentation help move the project

Module 4: Project Scope Management

• This chapter will cover the elements that make good scope management important
• Explain processes and contents of a scope management plan
• Develop the process for project scope statement using the project charter and preliminary scope statement
• Work on the scope definition and define what is involved
• Importance of scope verification and its relations
• Approaches for preventing scope-related problems
• Describe the software and methods with which scope can help
• Make sure that data can be transferred and converted from legacy storage
• Scope can be well documented
• Proper scope management can help all the work stay in budget and have fewer issues

Scope of Project Management

• Manage processes with defining and managing with deliverables
• Project should be able to produce product with scope management

Scope Implementation

• Need scope planning
• Review the charter and statement with other scope
• Must be manageable with small components
• Should have acceptance of product
• Monitor changes and control project scope

Scope Planning

• Include descriptions of how WBS and other changes can be achieved
• Need proper scope statement from project charter and preliminary.

Preliminary Planning Scope Statement

• Need basis for all statements and make available for all to see
• Need a work breakdown structure by ensuring requirements are met
• Sponsor makes sure the project is meeting all goals by doing reviews.

Managing Scope Prevention

• Have a statement to review and have experts to work on
• Make sure all changes have been properly requested following processes
• Prevent scope creep.

Scope Definition

• Create preliminary statement, documentation with stakeholders,
• Make more clear and specific.

Project Charted Changes

• Scope includes updates
• It can be implemented in the business
• It can bring product to the people
• It can have new servers to make. more efficient.

Creating WBS

• grouping all projects in one site with proper work on project scope
• Project can be managed and scheduled well over the time.
• Breaking down project deliverables into smaller, manageable items

Methods of WBS

• Help with the data and the scheduling with many aspects.
• Gantt chart helps with charts and other processes
• Use guidelines similar to help prep

WBS Top and Bottom-up

• Can be specific with thoughts mapped out
• Be very difficult to have verify scope and minimize changing scopes
• The validation makes sure that stakeholder is able to verify product.

Scope changes

• Control all changes to the scope because to reduce risk and save money and proper budget balance.
• You should consider the use guidelines

Best practice

• Keep scope realistic. Don't go way beyond scope and keep projects on time.
• Use off-the-shelf options
• Follow steps

Summary of Scope of Management.

• Make sure the project all the processes and work required should be well done and proper.

Modulde 5: Project Time Management

• Develop It Project Plan for IT terms
• Understand importance and time Describe project managers dependencies
• Explain activity estimation
• Understand planning and schedule

Importance of Project Schedules

• Manage time and flexibility
• Have least amount of conflict with goals

Schedules Conflicts

• Cultural differences can make conflicts and deadlines can be a negative to that.
• Team needs to be together

Project Time Management

• Needs identifying stake holders who need do what with project deliverables.
• Review relationships between project tasks and time.
• Resources should be estimated and tasks should be completed faster and better.

Activity Attributes

• Important dates
• Need be able to monitor progress

Activity Sequencing

• Review each of the activities
• Make sure that have to manage the path

Creating Diagraphs

• Have all activities start at node 1 with arrows
• Do not have arrows cross that should face right.

Resource Estimating

• Must have an idea on who would be to each activity.
• Also see the organizations history with the project
• Hierarchical structure must be identified

Activitiy Durations

• This makes planning and time estimate better
• This helps look at task with greater detail

Good schedule

• Should be done with best process to be complete in set timeline
• Use charts and data to estimate well