IT Project Management, Project Failure and Success

1. IT Project Management, Project Failure and Success • Introduction • Projects operate in a broad organizational environment. • Project managers need to use systems thinking: • Taking a holistic view of a project and understanding how it relates to the larger organization. • Senior managers must make sure projects continue to support current business needs.

2. PROJECT • Project – a [temporary] sequence of unique, complex, and connected activities having one goal or purpose and that must be completed by specific time, within budget, and according to specification • Project management – the process of scoping, planning, staffing, organizing, directing, and controlling the development of an acceptable system at a minimum cost within a specified time frame.

3. Poor Expectations Management: • Scope creep – the unexpected and gradual growth of requirements during an information systems project. • Feature creep– the uncontrolled addition of technical features to a system.

4. The art of project management • Technological change • Customer and management expectations • Documentation and communication • Time and resource constraints • Managing people • Organizational change and complexity • Contractors and vendors • Methodologies and tools • Systems development life cycle

5. A Systems View of Project Management • The term systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a holistic and analytical approach to solving complex problems. • Three parts include: • Systems philosophy: View things as systems, which are interacting components that work within an environment to fulfill some purpose. • Systems analysis: Problem-solving approach. • Systems management: Address business, technological, and organizational issues before making changes to systems.

6. MEASURES OF SUCCESS • The resulting information system is acceptable to the customer. • The system was delivered ‘on time.’ • The system was delivered “within budget.” • The system development process had a minimal impact on ongoing business operations

7. CAUSES OF PROJECT FAILURE • Lack of organization’s commitment to the system development methodology • Failure to establish upper-management commitment to the project • Taking shortcuts through or around the system development methodology • Failure to adapt to business change • Insufficient resources

8. Poor expectations management • Premature commitment to a fixed budget and schedule • Poor estimating techniques • Over optimism • Inadequate people management skills

9. FUNCTIONS OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT • Scoping – setting the boundaries of the project, understand context and complexity of the project • Planning – identifying the tasks required to complete the project Information Technology Project Management, Fourth Edition

10. PROJECT MANAGEMENT SKILLS: • Management skills • Leadership skills • Technical skills • Conflict management skills • Customer relationship • Risk and change management

11. PROJECT MANAGEMENT PROCESS • Initiating project • Planning project • Executing project • Closing down project The environment is one of the continual change and problem solving.

12. Overcoming project team difficulties • Promote team work • Convey concepts in meetings/ workshops • Use joint problem solving/ brainstorming • Encourage feedback • Identify roles and responsibilities for each team member • Convey common understanding of the project • Master schedules and critical path • Be visible and available as Project Manager

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