Introduction to Project Management What is a Project? A project: Is a temporary attempt undertaken to create a unique product or service; Normally involves several people performing interrelated activities; and Mainly focus on the effective use of resources to complete the project in an efficient and timely manner. Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

Introduction to Project Management Defining a Project A project has a unique purpose. Every project should have a well-defined objective. A project is temporary. A project has a definite beginning and a definite end. A project requires resources, often from various areas. Resources include people, hardware, software, or other assets. A project should have a primary customer or sponsor. Most projects have many interested parties or stakeholders, but someone must take the primary role of sponsorship. The project sponsor usually provides the direction and funding for the project. A project involves uncertainty. It is sometimes difficult to clearly define the project’s objectives, estimate how long it will take to complete, or how much it will cost. Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

What is Project Management? Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements. Knowledge areas of project management: Project integration management – an influencing function that affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas. Four core knowledge areas Four facilitating knowledge areas Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

What is Project Management? (Cont.) Four core knowledge areas Project scope management Defining and managing all the work required to complete the project successfully Project time management Estimating how long it will take to complete the work; Developing an acceptable project schedule; and Ensuring timely completion of the project Project cost management Preparing and managing the budget for the project Project quality management Ensuring that the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs for which it was undertaken Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

What is Project Management? (Cont.) Four facilitating knowledge areas Project human resource management Making effective use of the people involved with the project Project communications management Generating, collecting, disseminating, and storing project information Project risk management Identifying, analyzing, and responding to risks related to the project Project procurement management Acquiring or procuring goods and services for a project from outside the performing organization Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

Introduction to Project Management Who are Stakeholders? Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project activities and include: Project manager – working with all the project stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations Project sponsors (including the customers and users for the product) – paying for the project Project team – knowing exactly what work they must do and when they need to do it Support staff – supporting other stakeholders Suppliers – expecting exact details on what items they need to provide, where and when to deliver those items Opponents or Competitors – interrupting the project or slowing the project progress Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

Project Phases and Project Life Cycle Since projects operate as part of a system and involve uncertainty, it is good practice to divide projects into several phases. Project phases vary by project or industry. A project life cycle is a collection of project phases, each of which must be successfully completed before moving on to the next. Some general phases include: Concept focusing on planning (project feasibility) Development Implementation focusing on delivering the actual work (project acquisition) Close-out Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

Introduction to Project Management Project Phases Concept Phase Management plan Briefly describe the project through a summary plan, which describes the need for the project and basic underlying concepts Preliminary (rough) cost estimate 3-level work breakdown structure (WBS) Create and define an overview of the project work Develop a deliverable-oriented document or “deliverable” that defines the total scope of the project A deliverable is a product, such as a report, presentation or segment of software code, produced as part of a project. Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management

Introduction to Project Management Project Phases (Cont.) Development Phase Project plan in more details Budgetary (more accurate) cost estimate More thorough (6+-level) WBS Implementation Phase Last work package as required Definitive and very accurate cost estimate Performance reports to stakeholders Close-out Phase Completed work Lessons-learned report Document the project team’s experiences on the project Customer acceptance of the entire project Information Technology Project Management (3rd Edition) Chapter 1 Introduction to Project Management