Chapter 3 IS Project Management

Transcription

1 Chapter 3 IS Project Management Homework for chapter 3: - Exercises 14 and 15 - Due Date: 2/22 at 11:59pm Definition -A project is a planned undertaking of related activities to reach an objective. -Project management is a controlled process for initiating, planning, executing, and closing down a project (i.e., the science of managing a project). -The project manager is the individual responsible for managing the activities involved in completing a project. Projects managed through four distinct phases: initiation, planning, execution, and close down. Project initiation includes those activities that -assess the size, scope, and complexity of the project and -establishes procedures to support later project activities. Project planning defines clear, discrete activities and the work needed to complete each activity within a single project. Project execution puts the plans created in prior phases into action. Project close down brings a project to an end. Project workbook and work breakdown A project workbook is a repository for all project documentation. A work breakdown structure refers to the process of dividing the project into manageable tasks and logically ordering these tasks to ensure a smooth evolution between tasks. When developing a work breakdown structure, the project manager must carefully consider his resources. The work breakdown structure is stored in the project workbook. Information system projects -are undertaken to take advantage of business opportunities or to solve business problems. -Providing an innovative service to customers through the creation of a new system exemplifies taking advantage of an opportunity.

2 -Enhancing an existing system processes data so that more accurate or timely information is provided to users exemplifies solving a business problem. Project manager activities and skills The common activities and skills of a project manager are highlighted in Table 3-1. Although a case can be made for each project management skill listed in the table, effective oral and written communication is likely the most fundamental skill for a project manager to master. Without effective communication skills, the ability to successfully complete activities is curtailed. Project initiation has five major activities: (1) establishing the project initiation team; (2) establishing a relationship with the customer; (3) establishing a project initiation plan; (4) establishing management procedures; and (5) establishing the project management environment and project workbook. Establishing the project initiation team organizes an initial core of project team members to assist in accomplishing the project initiation activities. Establishing a relationship with the customer builds a cooperative and trusting partnership with the customer. Establishing a project initiation plan defines the necessary activities required to organize the initiation team while they are working to define the scope of the project. Establishing management procedures focuses on developing team communication and reporting procedures, job assignments and roles, project change procedures, and determining how project funding and billing will be handled. Establishing the project management environment and project workbook creates the repository for all project correspondence, inputs, outputs, deliverables, procedures, and standards of the project team.

3 Project Planning The activities performed by the project manager during project planning include: (1) describing project scope, alternatives, and feasibility; (2) dividing the project into manageable tasks; (3) estimating resources and creating a resource plan; (4) developing a preliminary schedule; (5) developing a communication plan; (6) determining project standards and procedures; (7) identifying and assessing risk; (8) creating a preliminary budget; (9) developing a Statement of Work; and (10) setting a Baseline Project Plan. Describing project scope, alternatives, and feasibility develops an understanding of the content and complexity of the project by gaining answers to and agreement on the following types of questions: What problem or opportunity does the project address? What are the quantifiable results to be achieved? What needs to be done? How will success be measured? How will we know when we are finished? After defining the scope of the project, the next objective is to identify and document general solutions for the current business problem or opportunity and assess each solution for feasibility so that a choice can be made as to which to consider during subsequent SDLC phases. Dividing the project into manageable tasks: identifies specific tasks and then logically orders them to ensure a smooth evolution between tasks. Estimating resources and creating a resource plan: approximates resource requirements for each project activity and uses this information to create a project resource plan. Developing a preliminary schedule: uses information regarding tasks and resource availability to assign time estimates to each activity in the work breakdown structure. This assignment will allow for the creation of target starting and ending dates for the project. Developing a communication plan: outlines the communication procedures between management, project team members, and the customer. Determining project standards and procedures: specifies how various deliverables are produced and tested. Identifying and assessing risk: examines sources of project risk and estimates the consequences of those risks. Risks might arise from the use of new technology, resistance to change, availability of critical resources, competitive and regulatory actions, and team member inexperience with technology or the business area.

4 Creating a preliminary budget: means outlining the planned expenses and revenues associated with the project. The focus of developing a Statement of Work: to create a document that outlines all work that will be done and makes clear what the project will deliver. The focus of setting a Baseline Project Plan: to develop an initial plan that reflects the best estimate of the project s tasks and resource requirements and is used to guide the next project phase: execution. Project execution activities include: (1) executing the Baseline Project Plan; (2) monitoring project progress against the Baseline Project Plan; (3) managing changes to the Baseline Project Plan; (4) maintaining the project workbook; and (5) communicating the project status. The focus of executing the Baseline Project Plan: to put the Baseline Project Plan (e.g., the execution of project activities, acquire and assign resources, orient and train new team members, keep the project on schedule, and assure the quality of project deliverables) into action. The focus of monitoring project progress against the Baseline Project Plan: to compare the actual progress of the project to that projected in the Baseline Project Plan. If the project gets ahead of (or behind) schedule, adjustments to resources, activities, and budgets can be made. The focus of managing changes to the Baseline Project Plan: to alter the Baseline Project Plan as events (e.g., a slipped completion date of an activity) occur. The focus of maintaining the project workbook: to update the project workbook, which contains project-related information. The focus of communicating the project status: to inform all interested parties, systems developers, managers, and customers, about how the project is progressing. Table 3-2 summarizes project team communication methods. Table 3-2 rates each method in terms of formality and use (informing, resolving issues, or keeping permanent records). The following table lists the communication methods from Table 3-2 and provides an example of the type of information that might be shared among team members for each method.

5 Team Communication Methods and Corresponding Examples Communication Methods Project Workbook Meetings Seminars and Workshops Project Newsletters Status Reports Specification Documents Minutes of Meetings Bulletin Boards Memos Brown-Bag Lunches Hallway Discussions Examples Official system documentation, such as data flow diagrams or entity relationship diagrams, interview notes Review project schedule Techniques and methods to be used in subsequent project phases Introduce new team members, explain upcoming project activities Project activity completions and issues Form designs, program structure charts Decisions made on alternative system designs Project status, awards for team members Guidance to team members, personnel appraisals Information from trade shows attended by team members, ideas about articles read on systems analysis and design Answers to questions, advice on how to deal with problems The project closedown activities performed by the project manager are: (1) closing down the project, (2) conducting post-project reviews, and (3) closing the customer contract. The focus of closing down the project is to conclude the project. The objective of conducting post-project reviews is to assess the strengths and weaknesses of project deliverables, the processes used to create them, and the project management process. The focus of closing the customer contract is to ensure that all contractual terms of the project are met. Critical path scheduling a scheduling technique where the order and duration of the sequence of project activities directly affect the completion date of a project. Applicable project characteristics include: (1) well-defined activities that have a clear beginning and end point; (2) activities that can be worked on independently of other activities; (3) activities that are ordered (or can be ordered); and

6 (4) activities that when completed serve the purpose of the project. Critical Path Scheduling: scheduling technique whose order and duration of a sequence of task activities directly affect the completion date of a project. Gantt is a specific, graphical technique for representing projects, showing each task activity as a horizontal bar whose length is proportional to its time for completion. Network diagramming is a specific, graphical technique for representing projects by depicting project activities and their interrelationships. Slack time is the amount of time that a single activity can be delayed without delaying the completion date of the project. Gant chart steps The steps involved in making a Gantt chart are: (1) identify each activity to be completed in the project; (2) determine time estimates and calculate the expected completion time for each activity; (3) determine the sequence of the activities and precedence relationships among all activities; and (4) construct the Gantt chart. Network chart steps The steps involved in making a Network diagram are: (1) identify each activity to be completed in the project; (2) determine time estimates and calculate the expected completion time for each activity; (3) determine the sequence of the activities and precedence relationships among all activities; and (4) construct the Network diagram.

7 Project planning versus project management Project planning typically occurs during the project initiation and planning phase of the SDLC. Project management occurs during all phases of the SDLC; however, different project management activities occur during different SDLC phases. OOAD Object Oriented Analysis and Design 1. schedule the completion of the hard problems first in an OOSAD project is to mitigate the risk of the project: focus on design and implementation towards these specific technical requirements. Also, project is a component-based system, the completion of these base components allows them to be used and further fine-tuned throughout the entire project. 2. -No planning too much up front in an OOSAD project is possible so little is known about the system in the early iterations. -allow for the changing stakeholder requirements - plan as you go in as much as you know where you are headed and what resources are available to you. -each of the slices is in itself an encapsulated project and hence you aren t really failing to plan for the entire project at the beginning you are simply planning for each iteration as it comes.

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