IMS9300 IS/IM FUNDAMENTALS

1. IMS9300 IS/IM FUNDAMENTALS Project Management; Working in teams; Conflict resolution; Negotiation in teams.

2. What is project management? • “Project Management is the process of planning, directing, and controlling the development of an acceptable system at a minimum cost within a specified time frame” Whitten et al. (2001) • On time • On budget

3. Why project management? • Project management is necessary because of: • the number of people involved • the number of tasks to be done • the extent of the interaction between the tasks and people • the complexity of the interactions between the tasks and people

4. Project management activities • Defining tasks and the dependencies between them • critical path • Allocating people and resources to tasks • Scheduling, resource sharing, skill sharing • Monitoring progress of project against plan • monitoring • Taking remedial action when things don’t go according to plan • intervention

5. Basic process of project management • Select systems development methodology • Plan the project tasks • Estimate the resources and time required to complete individual phases of the project • Staff the project team • Organise and schedule the project effort(tasks/time/ people/technical resources) and therefore cost • Control the project development (directing the team, controlling progress, replan, restaff, .... )

6. Some Project Management Tools and Techniques • Deliverables - to check what has been done. Binary deliverables. • Milestones - to check where we have got to (and how far to go) • PERT Charts - to show the connections between tasks (Whitten p.130) • Gantt Charts - to show progress on tasks (milestones) (Whitten p.131) • Project support software – eg. Ms. Project, graphical output

7. Planning the project • The project plan • it establishes intermediate tasks en route to the project’s objectives • Staffing • choose team members, match skills to task, training for team members, morale (idleness, overburden) • Project control • well-defined requirements, estimated rate of progress, reporting (at detailed and overall levels), review performance against plan.

8. The Project Manager’s contribution • order – point of reference, metrics (measurements) • method – company’s favoured project methodology • planning – coordination, preparation, critical path • support – monitor, aid, re-planning • control – warn, intervene, smooth over, fix

9. Teams (in systems development) • systems development is complex – many people and tasks must be coordinated and controlled • teams are commonly organised on a project basis – together for one project then divided for the next • team membership can include various stakeholders - IT managers, systems analysts, users, business managers, programmers, and other specialists at various points in the project.

10. Teams in systems development ctd. A team is a group where: • members are operating within a charter • members see themselves as having specified roles • members see the team as accountable for achieving specified organisational goals • the team provides a forum where the members interact, relationships develop, a common approach emerges, goals are reached (Dwyer 1997 chap 10)

11. Working in teams • team leader (or project manager) - responsible for organising work on the project • everyone else is nominally equal • team skill set – determined by the nature of the project • team size - large enough for specialist skills, large teams are difficult to manage, teams within teams are common

12. Team success • team success depends on • team’s skills- how the group is assembled • team’s effort - participation and productivity • team management - the leader must be organised, informed, with good communication and human relations skills

13. Characteristics of good teams • diversity • tolerance • communication • trust • put the team first • reward structure (Hoffer et al p 17, p 57)

14. Group decision making • professional work involves many decisions • with group work decisions impact others • meetings allow group decision making • democratic decisions • agreed and equitable load sharing • review of strategy • formal authorisations

15. Group membership • group membership presumes competence • address your knowledge and skills shortfalls • in your specific, delegated tasks • in related areas • in your general ability and skill levels

16. Why Conflict/Negotiation in IS Projects? • Conflict management and negotiation are central to IS development: - Provision of a service to a client - Non-standard products - Development for a mass audience - Products which significantly change the way people work - Team-based multi-disciplinary development process - Rapidly-changing technological and theoretical base - Externally-based development support

17. Parties to Conflict/Negotiation for the IS Professional • The client - wants something from us • The users - uses what we provide • Fellow IS professionals - participate in the process • Project management - direct and manage resources • External groups who are contributing to the project - provide services and support

18. Strategies for Conflict/Negotiation • Avoiding/ignoring • Withdrawing/giving in • Competing/bullying • Collaborating • Compromising

19. Common Precursors to Conflict/Negotiation • Failing to establish realistic expectations • Failing to understand the other’s viewpoint • Failing to communicate effectively • Failing to define responsibilities • Failing to deliver what had been promised

20. The IS Professional: Key Issues for Conflict/Negotiation • Our responsibilities as professionals • Our role as negotiators/conflict managers • The nature of our specialist knowledge

21. Key Issues in Conflict/Negotiation: The IS Professional’s Standing • Status of IS professional as a professional • Far-reaching impacts of work on people and organisations • The nature of professional and ethical responsibilities • Refer to future lectures on professionalism

22. Key Issues in Conflict/Negotiation: The IS Professional’s Role • Nature of role determines nature of conflict management and negotiation tasks • Refer to earlier lecture on multiplicity of roles • Rate of change of role

23. Key Issues in Conflict/Negotiation: The IS Professional’s Knowledge • Specialised knowledge - unavailable/inaccessible to laymen • Technical knowledge - ‘scientific’/’rational’ • Nature of knowledge - fragmented/partial/ever-changing

24. The IS Professional in Negotiation/Conflict • ‘That’s not my problem; I’m a technical person’ • ‘It should work if you do it properly’ • ‘That’s just the way the system operates’ • ‘There’s no point getting upset about it’

25. Conflict resolution Indicators of conflict: • discomfort: things do not feel “right” • incidents: e.g. a sharp exchange occurs • misunderstandings: motives, facts are confused (mindreading) • tension: relationships affected by negative attitudes, fixed opinions- “I’m sick to death of Harry!” • crisis: normal functioning is affected, extreme reactions are contemplated – eg. quitting

26. Why does Conflict Occur? • differences in values, attitudes, traditions, prejudices • different goals • expectations not being fulfilled • different work practices • responses to incidents • misunderstanding • competition • feelings of anger, of disappointment, of being offended

27. Responses to conflict • Effective communication is essential: active listening • Assertive behaviour is best: state and uphold your views whilst respecting those of others • Aggressive behaviour is not constructive: it involves dominating and winning at all costs • Submissive behaviour is not constructive: it involves an inability to promote a point of view and one’s own needs and goals

28. Negotiation • Negotiation is a process in which two or more people attempt to resolve differences, discuss problems and arrive at an agreement • Style: personal style will affect the way in which an individual negotiates and can be classified according to ways in which the individual uses/experiences power and psychological barriers • Strategies:win-win, win-lose - each strategy has a different outcome and relies on different styles of communication

29. Stages in the Negotiation Process • Plan - establish clear objectives before engaging the other parties • Select appropriate time and setting - cool heads • Set the Context- establish trust and confidence via listening skills, establish the areas of common ground, ensure all parties feel equal and safe • Define needs - establish the needs of each party by listening

30. Stages in the Negotiation Process • Discuss - deal with one issue at a time, clarify and summarise the content, feelings and ideas which are, and have been, communicated • Negotiate - brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate those options, select those that everyone can agree to, implement the solutions • Action plan – make sure the solutions are implemented as agreed

31. Conflict resolution options • Compromise – (win-win) will it last? • Collaboration – (win-win) will it continue? • Competition – (win-lose) revenge? • Accommodation – (lose-win) “thin end of the wedge”? • Avoidance – (no resolution) repeat?

32. References • SCHWALBE, K. (2004) 3rd ed., Information Technology Project Management, Thomson Learning, Inc. Massachusetts. Chapter 1. • MARTIN,E., BROWN, C.V., DE HAYES, D.W., HOFFER, J.A. and PERKINS, W.C. (2002) International ed., Managing Information Technology, Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey. Chapter 12