This chapter discusses some of the components involved in understanding the project environment, such as using a systems approach, understanding organizations, managing stakeholders, matching product life cycles to the project environment, understanding the context of IT projects, and reviewing recent trends that affect IT project management.
Chapter 2: The Project Management Context and Processes adopted from PMI’s PMBOK 2000 and Textbook : Information Technology Project Management (author : Dr. Kathy Schwalbe) contents • Three Sphere Model – system philosophy, system analysis and system management • Project Life Cycle – Concept, development, implementation and support • • • • • • • Project life cycle vs product life cycle Management reviews in project phases organization structure Success factors in project management Project Management job functions : 15 Skill required in project manager Project management process: – initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing • PM processes vs knowledge areas Chapter 2 Projects Cannot Be Run In Isolation • Projects must operate in a broad organizational environment • Project managers need to take a holistic or systems view of a project and understand how it is situated within the larger organization • See example in opening and closing case to illustrate this concept Chapter 2 A Systems View of Project Management • A systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a more analytical approach to management and problem solving • Three parts include: – Systems philosophy • View things as systems, interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose – Systems analysis • problemsolving approach – Systems management • Address business, technological, and organizational issues before making changes to systems Figure 21. Three Sphere Model for Systems Management Project Life Cycle and Project phases • A project life cycle is a collection of project phases • Project phases vary by project or industry, but some general phases include – – – – concept development implementation support Chapter 2 Figure 22. Project Life Cycle and Project Phases Product Life Cycles • Products also have life cycles • The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing and maintaining information systems • Typical SDLC phases include planning, analysis, design, implementation, and support Chapter 2 Sample SDLC Models • Waterfall model: has welldefined, linear stages of systems development and support • Spiral model: shows that software is developed using an iterative or spiral approach rather than a linear approach • Incremental release model: provides for progressive development of operational software • RAD model: used to produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality • Prototyping model: used for developing prototypes to clarify user requirements9 Figure 23. Spiral Model of Software Development (Boehm, 1988) 10 Recognize the Importance of Project Stakeholders • Recall that project stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project activities • Project managers must take time to identify, understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders • Using the four frames of organizations can help meet stakeholder needs and expectations • Senior executives are very important stakeholders Chapter 2 19 Table 22. What Helps Projects Succeed? • According to the Standish Group’s report CHAOS 2001: A Recipe for Success, the following items help IT projects succeed, in order of importance: – – – – – – – – – Executive support User involvement Experience project manager Clear business objectives Minimized scope Standard software infrastructure Firm basic requirements Formal methodology Reliable estimates Chapter 2 20 Need for Top Management Commitment • Several studies cite top management commitment as one of the key factors associated with project success • Top management can help project managers secure adequate resources, get approval for unique project needs in a timely manner, receive cooperation from people throughout the organization, and learn how to be better leaders Chapter 2 21 Need for Organizational Commitment to Information Technology (IT) • If the organization has a negative attitude toward IT, it will be difficult for an IT project to succeed • Having a Chief Information Officer (CIO) at a high level in the organization helps IT projects • Assigning nonIT people to IT projects also encourage more commitment Chapter 2 22 Need for Organizational Standards • Standards and guidelines help project managers be more effective • Senior management can encourage – the use of standard forms and software for project management – the development and use of guidelines for writing project plans or providing status information – the creation of a project management office or center of excellence Chapter 2 23 Table 23. Fifteen Project Management Job Functions* • Define scope of project • Identify stakeholders, decision makers, and escalation procedures • Develop detailed task list (work breakdown structures) • Estimate time requirements • Develop initial project management flow chart • Identify required resources and budget • • • • • • • • Evaluate project requirements Identify and evaluate risks Prepare contingency plan Identify interdependencies Identify and track critical milestones Participate in project phase review Secure needed resources Manage the change control process Report project status *Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies, "Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skills Standards for Information Technology,"Belleview, WA, 1999 24 Suggested Skills for a Project Manager Communication skills: listening, persuading Organizational skills: planning, goalsetting, analyzing Team Building skills: empathy, motivation, esprit de corps Leadership skills: sets example, energetic, vision (big picture), delegates, positive Coping skills: flexibility, creativity, patience, persistence Technological skills: experience, project knowledge Chapter 2 25 Table 23. Most Significant Characteristics of Effective and Ineffective Project Managers Effective Project Managers Ineffective Project Managers • Sets bad example • Leadership by example • Not selfassured • Visionary • Lacks technical expertise • Technically competent • Poor communicator • Decisive • • • • Good communicator Good motivator Stands up to upper management when necessary Supports team members • Encourages new ideas • Poor motivator 26 Project Management Process Groups • Project management can be viewed as a number of interlinked processes • The project management process groups include – – – – – initiating processes planning processes executing processes controlling processes closing processes Chapter 2 27 Figure 25. Overlap of Process Groups in a Phase (PMBOK Guide, 2000, p. 31) 28 Table 25. Relationships Among Process Groups, Activities, and Knowledge Areas 29 Table 25. Relationships Among Process Groups, Activities, and Knowledge Areas 30 Developing an IT Project Management Methodology • Most projects are unique – approaches to project management are also unique • Many organizations develop their own project management methodologies – especially for IT projects – Example: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan used the PMBOK as a guide in developing their IT project management methodology Chapter 2 31 Figure 26. IT PM Methodology See figure in text. Note that many parts of this approach map to the PMBOK, but some activities have been changed to meet the needs of the organization 32 Summary • Three Sphere Model – system philosophy, system analysis and system management • Project Life Cycle – Concept, development, implementation and support • Organization structure – functional, project and matrix • Success factors in project management – many, but most important is management support • Project Management job functions : 15 – define, identify, develop, estimate… participate and report • Skill required in project manager – communications skill, organizational skill, team building, leadership skills, coping skill and technical skill • Project management process: – initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing 33 ... the use of standard forms and software for project management – the development and use of guidelines for writing project plans or providing status information – the creation of a project management office or center of excellence Chapter 2... of interlinked processes • The project management process groups include – – – – – initiating processes planning processes executing processes controlling processes closing processes Chapter 2 27... also encourage more commitment Chapter 2 22 Need for Organizational Standards • Standards and guidelines help project managers be more effective • Senior management can encourage – the use of standard forms and software for project