IT Project Risk Assessment and Control Or…..

Why bad things happen to good IT projects If everything is going exactly to plan, something somewhere is going massively wrong. uk.freeserve.co.uk/page1.htm

Why Study Risk and IT? If you don't attack the risks, the risks will attack you. “What’s worse than having a pricey project collapse? Knowing it could have been prevented” Risk management key element of project management. July 2008, PMI launched the Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP) SM credential.

Why Study Risk and IT? Complexity Ambiguity/Intangible 90% Syndrome

What is a Project? “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.” PMBOK® p. 5

Characteristics of a Project PMBOK® Temporary Unique Product, Service, or Result Progressive Elaboration What is the difference between projects and operational work?

What is Project Management? “the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements” PMBOK® p. 8

Project Management Includes... PMBOK p. 8 Identify requirements Establish clear and achievable objectives Balance competing demands for quality, scope, time, and cost. Adapt the specifications, plans, and approach to the different concerns and expectations of the various stakeholders.

What are the Project Life Cycle Phases? 1.Wild enthusiasm 2.Disillusionment 3.Confusion 4.Panic 5.Search for the guilty 6.Punishment of the innocent 7.Promotion of the non-participants uk.freeserve.co.uk/page2.htm

Project Life Cycle Phases, according to PMBOK® Initiation Planning Executing Monitoring and Controlling Closing

Project Life Cycle and Product Life Cycle Project Management Project Life CycleProduct Life Cycle SDLC (Analyze, Design, Implement) AgileRAD

Project Management Knowledge Areas PMBOK® 1.Project Integration Management 2.Project Scope Management  There is no such thing as scope creep, only scope gallop. 3.Project Time Management  "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.“ Douglas Adams 4.Project Cost Management 5.Project Quality Management  If an IT project works the first time, it is wrong. uk.freeserve.co.uk/page2.htm

Project Management Knowledge Areas PMBOK® 6.Project Human Resource Management  Managing IT people is like herding cats. 7.Project Communications Management 8.Project Risk Management 9.Project Procurement Management uk.freeserve.co.uk/page2.htm

Common Laws and Principles Associated with Project Management Murphy’s Law – If it can go wrong, it will Parkinson’s Law – Work expands to fill the time available for its completion 80/20 Principle – What 20% sources of risk are causing 80% of your project problems

More Laws and Principles O’Malley’s corollary to Murphy’s Law - If it can’t possibly go wrong, it will. Sod’s Law - It will go wrong in the worst possible way. If there is a 50% chance of something going wrong then 9 times out of 10 it will. A two year project will take three years, a three year project will never finish - (anyone know who's law this is?) Murphy, O'Malley, Sod and Parkinson are alive and well - and working on your project. uk.freeserve.co.uk/page2.htm

Sources of Risks Practices / Processes (following a bad process or badly following a good process) – Technology – People –

Second Life Account NMC Island – Create a Second Life Account on and Educational Island –

References Information Technology Project Management, 4 th edition. Kathy Schwalbe – Murphy’s and Parkinson’s Law The 4-Hour Workweek, Timothy Ferriss – 80/20 Principle “Understanding the ‘90% Syndrome’ in Software Project Management : A Simulation- Based Case Study” the Journal of Systems and Software (8:4), 1988, pp