Comprehensive Guide to Project Management Course in MIS

1. Welcome to Project Management • Information Systems Project Management, that is…. • A Capstone Course for Undergrad MIS • INSTRUCTOR: Dr. Burns • Off Hrs: • By appointment: 834-1547, BA E306 • Email: jburns@ba.ttu.edu

2. TEXTS & REFERENCE: • Schwalbe, Information Technology Project Management, 2013, Seventh Edition • Burns, Project and Process Management (will be handed out one chapter at a time) 2012-2013 REFERENCE • Goldratt, Critical Chain, 1997

3. Outline for Today • Objectives • Requirements for Completion • Jobs • Term Project • Burns--Chapter 1

4. Objectives • Present technology of Project Management • Companies have organized around processes and projects, eliminating jobs • MIS Advisory Board has mandated this course • Present contemporary topics • Focus on systems (processes) • Focus on best practices • Focus on rapid completion times • Objectives are listed on front page of your syllabus (today’s handout)

5. Introduction of Lecturer • Taught the course for more than twenty years, from a half dozen different texts • Participated in several projects over many years as both project professional and project manager • Written many papers about Project Management • An active area of writing and research interest

6. Requirements for Completion • Two EXAMS and a FINAL, each worth 16% • Mid-semester report, worth 11% • Term Project, worth 21% • Homework, worth 10% • Class participation, worth 10%

7. GRADING • 90-100 -- A • 80-89.9999 -- B • 70-79.9999 -- C • 97.5 – up -- A+ • 92.5 - 97.5 -- A • 90 – 92.5 – A- • Similarly for • B and C

8. My Expectations of You • Attend class—attendance is noted • Perform reading assignments before coming to class • Do most work in teams—of four • Homework, mid semester report and exams will be completed individually • Tech policy for academic honesty enforced • Assistance for Disabled students

9. You may want to JOIN AITP • AITP stands for American Association of Information Technology Professionals • Application forms are in BA E310, the ISQS Office and online at //aitp.ba.ttu.edu • Its important to affiliate yourself with a professional organization • Dues for the first few years are cheap if you join as a student • Discounts on airlines and hotels • Low interest credit card • It’s the way MIS (and other) majors market themselves to recruiters.

10. You may also want to become involved in PMI –Project Management Institute • Can learn to be credentialed—CAPM and better….PMP • A student chapter is being formed • It’s first meeting will be next Tuesday, Jan 21, 6:30 pm, in BA 103

11. Will you be interviewing this semester?? • All students can self-register themselves at www.rawlscmc.ba.ttu.edu, by clicking on the RawlsCONNECT logo, and then on Students. • Next, create a resume and upload it onto RawlsCONNECT. • Take advantage of the opportunities that are coming up in the CMC through researching the companies coming to campus and preparing yourselves for interviews with them.    

12. Course Deliverables—Page 6-7 of your syllabus • Preliminary proposal (one-page description) due 1-23-14—one week from today • This will not be graded • You must have your teams formed and your project topic decided upon to submit this • Requirements Document due 2-4-14 • Project Plan due 3-11-14 • Proposal due 3-27-14 • Mid-semester Report due 11-18-13 • Won’t be included in your final term project report • Done individually—not in teams

13. More Course Deliverables • Project Earned Value Analysis due 4-24-14 • Final Project due 5-6-14 • Possible Topics are discussed in Handout • Format/Grading is discussed in Handout

14. Project Topics • I have some firms that would be interested in engaging your talents—only two so far… • Taken from past employment involvements • Taken from current involvements • May use extensions of analysis project completed for ISQS 4348 • Based on a prototypical contemporary initiative

15. Term Project Protocol • Performed in groups of four • You get to choose team & topic • Will require a presentation beginning 4-17 and concluding on 4-29

16. Project Expectations • Doesn’t have to be actually performed to completion • Must be completely planned in detail, however • completely Scheduled • completely Resourced • completely Budgeted, costed • Must include Preliminary (one page) and formal proposals as appendices • Must include all course deliverables as appendices except the midterm report • Must consist of at least 50 steps (tasks)

17. Project Format • Title Page • Executive Summary • Body • Description of the Problem • Goal and Success Criteria • Assumptions/Risks • Recommended prescriptive Software Solution • Impediments/Obstacles • Current Status • Lessons Learned • 8-page minimum for the material above • Bibliography • Appendices

18. Appendices • Requirements Document • Revised • Old (with grade sheet and a description of revisions) • Project Plan • Revised • Old (with grade sheet and a description of revisions) • FORMAL PROPOSAL • Revised • Old (with grade sheet and a description of revisions) • Earned Value Analysis • Revised • Old (with grade sheet and a description of revisions) • See Chapter 11 of the copy packet for more details as to format

19. Questions • About course requirements • About project • About exams • About homework

20. What? Contemporary Topics!!??$ • Internet Development • XML/Visual Interdev Projects • Lean-Agile Project Management • Systems Thinking/Integration • Process Improvement, Innovation, Reengineering • Process Impediment Identification and Removal • Process Maturity • AGILE, Scrum, Rup

21. What about SCRUM and RUP? • SCRUM is an Agile technique whereby the total development effort is broken up into time boxes of 30-days duration and something of value is delivered within that time box (every 30 days).

22. The IT Business – the Outlook • Getting somewhat better • Project Management is strong • Some students got up to three offers last semester

23. IT Overseas/Mechanized Sourcing • Much of the programming has gone overseas to India, Ireland, Argentina, China, etc. But this has slowed, even reversed • There is even talk of mechanizing some complex code development work • But there is still a great need for project management, which does not get outsourced or offshored

24. Our Business -- Some Anomalies • Your first real work experience may involve maintenance, not development • It’s still true that you must know how to carve code • Systems Integration is an imperative • Formal analysis is too expensive for some initiatives • Many projects start at the design level and go to construction and execution.

25. What’s the deal with maintenance? • the 1 to 4 rule • 80% of some MIS budgets

26. What is a project? • A specific objective must be completed within certain specifications • Has a definite starting date and end date • Has funding limitations • Consumes resources (money, people, time, equipment) • Made up of activities (tasks) • Accomplished in teams

27. Sequential Work

28. Concurrent Teamwork

29. Characteristics of Projects

30. Sooo What Is a Project, exactly?? • A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to accomplish a unique purpose • As defined by the Project Management Institute • Attributes of projects • Unique purpose • Temporary • Require resources, often from various areas • Should have a primary sponsor and/or customer • Involves risk and uncertainty • Has stakeholders

31. The Project LifeCycle: PMI STAGE 1: Conceptualizing-and-Defining STAGE 2: Planning-and-Budgeting STAGE 3: Executing STAGE 5: Terminating-and-Closing STAGE 4: Monitoring-and-Controlling

32. Project Life Cycle FIGURE 1.1

33. Comparison of Routine Work with Projects Routine, Repetitive Work Taking class notes Daily entering sales receipts into the accounting ledger Responding to a supply-chain request Practicing scales on the piano Routine manufacture of an Apple iPod Attaching tags on a manufactured product Projects Writing a term paper Setting up a sales kiosk for a professional accounting meeting Developing a supply-chain information system Writing a new piano piece Designing an iPod that is approximately 2 X 4 inches, interfaces with PC, and stores 10,000 songs TABLE 1.1

34. How do IT Projects differ from ordinary projects? • Ordinary projects might be projects in construction, aerospace, defense, space, government, etc. • Each IT Project is unique and thus involves more risk • The technology is continually changing • Construction projects have much more definitive requirements, much less risk • There is less visibility

35. How do IT Projects differ from ordinary projects, continued? • There is a tendency to spend too much time on concept definition and analysis in IT projects • There tends to be less organizational maturity in IT projects • Maturity is a big issue here • Watts Humphrey

36. How are IT Projects similar to ordinary projects? • They have all the common basic attributes of projects—starting point, stopping point, duration, finite, temporary, creating a deliverable or product, utilizing resources, accomplished in teams, consisting of steps (tasks), accruing cost, etc. • All projects involve risk, accrue expenditures, involve procurement, human resources, etc.

37. How do IT Projects differ from ordinary projects? • Ordinary projects might be projects in construction, aerospace, defense, space, government, etc. • Each IT Project is unique and thus involves more risk • The technology is continually changing • Construction projects have much more definitive requirements, much less risk • There is less visibility

38. Who does project work? • Accountants—each customer is a ‘project’ • Engineers, Lawyers • Scientists, Administrators • Contractors—electrical, plumbing, AC • For these people project management is not a title but a critical job requirement

39. The Catch-22 in Software Development LIFECYCLE COSTS OVER TIME Cost Development Maintenance Time

40. The Project LifeCycle STAGE 1: Conceptualizing-and-Defining STAGE 2: Planning-and-Budgeting STAGE 3: Executing STAGE 5: Closing and Terminating STAGE 4: Monitoring-and-Controlling

41. Project management involves • Conceptualizing and Defining • Definition of work requirements--WORK BREAKDOWN STRUCTURE--WBS • Planning and Budgeting • Determination of quantity and quality of work • Determination of what resources are needed when • Executing • Actual execution of the project tasks take place here • Tracking progress • Comparing actual to predicted outcomes • Analyzing impact/Making adjustments • Closing and Terminating • Deliver the product. What went right? • What went wrong? What can be learned? • Monitoring and Controlling

42. Successful Project management requires completion of the project • on time • within budget • with the desired performance/technology level • with good customer satisfaction/relations • while using the assigned resources effectively • What is the probability of pulling this off for IT projects????

43. Further elements of success include • with acceptance by the customer/user • without disturbing the main work flow of the organization • without changing the corporate culture • {unless that is the objective of the project}

44. Who does project work? • Accountants—each customer is a ‘project’ • Engineers, Lawyers • Scientists, Administrators • Contractors—electrical, plumbing, AC • For these people project management is not a title but a critical job requirement

45. Why do bad things happen to good projects??? • Ill-defined requirements • Poorly conceived project deliverable • No shared vision of what the project is to accomplish • Poor planning • No schedule • No budget • No concern for quality/risk/procurement • Resources don’t materialize when they are needed • Subcontractors don’t deliver on time • Requirements change • Technology changes

46. Metzger’s List of Software Development Problems • Ill-defined contract • Poor planning • Unstable problem definition • Poor planning • Inexperienced management • Poor planning, training • Political pressures • Poor planning • Ineffective change control • Poor planning • Unrealistic deadlines • Poor planning

47. When is project management necessary? • when jobs are complex • when there are dynamic environmental considerations • when constraints on time and budget are tight • when there are several activities to be integrated • when there are functional boundaries to be crossed

48. Project management encompasses many disciplines • Operations management • Operations research • Psychology • Sociology • Organization theory • Organizational behavior • Systems thinking and management

49. GANTT CHART

50. MS PROJECT Gantt chart