1. 2.1 Project Management Context 2.2 Project Management Processes
Topic 2
2.1 Project Management Context
2.2 Project Management Processes
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

2. This week Reading Tutorial Topics 1 & 2
Hand in Weekly Report for topic 2
Template on FTP & WebCT sites.
Diagnostic writing test
Practical exercises.
Skills
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

3. Topic 2 reading Essential Recommended Schwalbe Chapters 2 & 3
PMBOK Chapters 2 & 3
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

4. 2.1 Project Management Context 2.2 Project Management Processes
Topics for today
2.1 Project Management Context
2.2 Project Management Processes
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

5. Learning Objectives At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
Explain the systems view of project management and how it applies to information technology projects
Analyze a formal organization using the structural, human resources, political, and symbolic organizational frames
Explain the differences among functional, matrix, and project organizational structures
Explain why stakeholder management and top management commitment are critical for a project’s success
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

6. Topic 2.1 - Learning Objectives
At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
Explain the concept, development, implementation, and close-out phases of the project life cycle
Distinguish between project development and product development
Discuss the unique attributes and diverse nature of information technology projects
List the skills and attributes of a good project manager in general and in the information technology field
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

7. Projects Cannot Be Run in Isolation
Projects must operate in a broad organizational environment
Project managers need to take a holistic or systems view of a project and understand how it is situated within the larger organization
See example in opening and closing case to illustrate this concept
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

8. A Systems View of Project Management
A systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a more analytical approach to management and problem solving
Three parts include:
Systems philosophy: View things as systems, interacting components working 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
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

9. Three Sphere Model for Systems Management

10. Understanding Organizations
Structural frame: Focuses on roles and responsibilities, coordination and control. Organizational charts help define this frame.
Human resources frame: Focuses on providing harmony between needs of the organization and needs of people.
Political frame: Assumes organizations are coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups. Conflict and power are key issues.
Symbolic frame: Focuses on symbols and meanings related to events. Culture is important.

11. What Went Wrong?
Many enterprise resource planning (ERP) projects fail due to organisational issues. For example, Sobey’s Canadian grocery store chain abandoned its two-year, $90 million ERP system due to organizational problems.
As Dalhousie University Associate Professor Sunny Marche states, “The problem of building an integrated system that can accommodate different people is a very serious challenge. You can’t divorce technology from the sociocultural issues. They have an equal role.” Sobey’s ERP system shut down for five days and employees were scrambling to stock potentially empty shelves in several stores for weeks. The system failure cost Sobey’s more than $90 million and caused shareholders to take an 82-cent after-tax hit per share.*
*Hoare, Eva. “Software hardships,” The Herald, Halifax, Nova Scotia (2001)

12. Many Organizations Focus on the Structural Frame
Most people understand what organizational charts are
Many new managers try to change organizational structure when other changes are needed
3 basic organizational structures
functional
project
matrix
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

13. Basic Organizational Structures

14. Organizational Structure Influences on Projects
The organizational structure influences the project manager’s authority, but project managers need to remember to address the human resources, political, and symbolic frames, too.
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

15. The Importance of Project Stakeholders
Recall that project stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project activities
Project managers must take time to identify, understand, and manage relationships with all project stakeholders
Using the four frames of organizations can help meet stakeholder needs and expectations
Senior executives are very important stakeholders
Stakeholder Analysis
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

16. Example Electronic Warfare Users touch-type experts
End system was designed mouse-driven
Could not used. The system was scrapped.
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

17. For the School of IT website, who are all of the project stakeholders?
Question
For the School of IT website, who are all of the project stakeholders?
List as many as you can on your own for 1 minute.
Compare with a partner for another minute.
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

18. What Helps Projects Succeed?
According to the Standish Group’s report “CHAOS 2001: A Recipe for Success,” the following items help IT projects succeed, in order of importance:
Executive support
User involvement
Experienced project manager
Clear business objectives
Minimized scope
Standard software infrastructure
Firm basic requirements
Formal methodology
Reliable estimates
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

19. Need for Top Management Commitment
Several studies cite top management commitment as one of the key factors associated with project success
Top management can help project managers secure adequate resources, get approval for unique project needs in a timely manner, receive cooperation from people throughout the organization, and learn how to be better leaders
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

20. Need for Organizational Commitment to Information Technology
If the organization has a negative attitude toward IT, it will be difficult for an IT project to succeed
Having a Chief Information Officer (CIO) at a high level in the organization helps IT projects
Assigning non-IT people to IT projects also encourages more commitment
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

21. Need for Organizational Standards
Standards and guidelines help project managers be more effective
Senior management can encourage
the use of standard forms and software for project management
the development and use of guidelines for writing project plans or providing status information
the creation of a project management office or centre of excellence
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

22. How can you tell if a project uses standards or not?
Question
How can you tell if a project uses standards or not?
What types of standards would be useful?
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

23. Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle
A project life cycle is a collection of project phases
Project phases vary by project or industry, but some general phases include
concept
development
implementation
support
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

24. Phases of the Project Life Cycle
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

25. Product Life Cycles Products also have life cycles
The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework for describing the phases involved in developing and maintaining information systems
Systems development projects can follow
predictive models: the scope of the project can be clearly articulated and the schedule and cost can be predicted
adaptive models: projects are mission driven and component based, using time-based cycles to meet target dates
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

26. Example: Waterfall Lifecycle
Predictive Model
Example: Waterfall Lifecycle
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

27. Predictive Life Cycle Models
Waterfall model: has well-defined, linear stages of systems development and support
Spiral model: shows that software is developed using an iterative or spiral approach rather than a linear approach
Incremental release model: provides for progressive development of operational software
Prototyping model: is used for developing prototypes to clarify user requirements
RAD model: is used to produce systems quickly without sacrificing quality
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

28. Adaptive Life Cycle Models
Extreme Programming (XP): Developers program in pairs and must write the tests for their own code. XP teams include developers, managers, and users
Scrum: Repetitions of iterative development are referred to as sprints, which normally last thirty days. Teams often meet every day for a short meeting, called a scrum, to decide what to accomplish that day. Works best for object-oriented technology projects and requires strong leadership to coordinate the work
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

29. Which type of life cycle would be best for:
Question
Which type of life cycle would be best for:
Development of a game
Accounts payable system
Why?
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

30. Project Life Cycles vs. Product Life Cycles
The project life cycle
Applies to all projects, regardless of the products being produced
Product life cycle models
Vary considerably based on the nature of the product
Most large IT systems are developed as a series of projects
Project management is done in all of the product life cycle phases
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

31. Why Have Project Phases & Mangt Reviews?
A project should successfully pass through each of the project phases in order to continue on to the next
Management reviews (also called phase exits or kill points) should occur after each phase to evaluate the project’s progress, likely success, and continued compatibility with organizational goals
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

32. What Went Right?
"The real improvement that I saw was in our ability toin the words of Thomas Edisonknow when to stop beating a dead horse.…Edison's key to success was that he failed fairly often; but as he said, he could recognize a dead horse before it started to smell...as a result he had 14,000 patents and was very successful…In IT we ride dead horsesfailing projectsa long time before we give up. But what we are seeing now is that we are able to get off them; able to reduce cost overrun and time overrun. That's where the major impact came on the success rate.”
Cabanis, Jeannette, "'A Major Impact': The Standish Group's Jim Johnson On Project Management and IT Project Success," PM Network, PMI, September 1998, p. 7
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

33. The Context of IT Projects
IT projects can be very diverse in terms of size, complexity, products produced, application area, and resource requirements
IT project team members often have diverse backgrounds and skill sets
IT projects use diverse technologies that change rapidly. Even within one technology area, people must be highly specialized
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

34. Fifteen Project Management Job Functions*
Define scope of project
Identify stakeholders, decision-makers, and escalation procedures
Develop detailed task list (work breakdown structures)
Estimate time requirements
Develop initial project management flow chart
Identify required resources and budget
Evaluate project requirements
Identify and evaluate risks
Prepare contingency plan
Identify interdependencies
Identify and track critical milestones
Participate in project phase review
Secure needed resources
Manage the change control process
Report project status
*Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies, "Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skills Standards for Information Technology,"Belleview, WA, 1999
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

35. Suggested Skills for Project Managers
Project managers need a wide variety of skills
They should be comfortable with change, understand the organizations they work in and with, and be able to lead teams to accomplish project goals
Project managers need both “hard” and “soft” skills. Hard skills include product knowledge and knowing how to use various project management tools and techniques, and soft skills include being able to work with various types of people
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

36. Suggested Skills for a Project Manager
Communication skills: listening, persuading
Organizational skills: planning, goal-setting, analyzing
Team Building skills: empathy, motivation, esprit de corps
Leadership skills: set examples, be energetic, have vision (big picture), delegate, be positive
Coping skills: flexibility, creativity, patience, persistence
Technological skills: experience, project knowledge
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

37. What makes a good project manager? What makes a good leader?
Question
What makes a good project manager?
What makes a good leader?
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

38. Revision – Questions from Topic 1
Is it enough to be a good project manager or do you need to understand the area you are managing?
For example, could an experience project manager with no IT background manage an IT project?
Or, a documentation project (e.g. putting together a tender) with no tendering experience?
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

39. Effective vs. Ineffective Project Managers
Effective Project Managers Ineffective Project Managers
Lead by example
Are visionaries
Are technically competent
Are decisive
Are good communicators
Are good motivators
Stand up to upper management when necessary
Support team members
Encourage new ideas
Set bad examples
Are not self-assured
Lack technical expertise
Are poor communicators
Are poor motivators
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

40. Summary: PM Context
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

41. Project Management Process Groups
Topic 2.2
Project Management Process Groups
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

42. Topic 2.2 Reading Essential Recommended Schwalbe Chapter 3
PMBOK Chapter 3
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

43. Learning Objectives At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
Describe the five project management process groups, the typical level of activity for each, and the interactions among them
Explain how the project management process groups relate to the project management knowledge areas
Discuss how organizations develop information technology project management methodologies to meet their needs
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

44. At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
Learning Objectives
At the end of this topic, you should be able to:
Review a case study of an organization and identify the project management process groups required to manage an information technology project
Explain the contribution that effective project initiation, project planning, project execution, project control, and project closing makes to project success
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

45. Project Management Process Groups
Project management can be viewed as a number of interlinked processes
The project management process groups include
initiating processes
planning processes
executing processes
controlling processes
closing processes
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

46. Overlap of Process Groups in a Phase
(PMBOK® Guide, 2000, p. 31)
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

47. Revision - 9 Knowledge Areas
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

48. Relationships Among Process Groups & Knowledge Areas
(PMBOK® Guide 2000, p. 38)
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

49. Relationships Among Process Groups & Knowledge Areas
PMBOK® Guide 2000, p. 38

50. Developing an IT Project Mangt Methodology
Just as projects are unique, so are approaches to project management
Many organizations develop their own project management methodologies, especially for IT projects
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan used the PMBOK as a guide in developing their IT project management methodology
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

51. ITPM Methodology See figure in text. Note that
many parts of this approach
map to the PMBOK, but
some activities have been
changed to meet the needs
of the organization.

52. Case Study: JWD Consulting’s Project Management Intranet Site
This case study provides an example of what’s involved in initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing an IT project
You can download templates for creating your own project management documents from the companion Web site for this text
Note: This case study provides a big picture view of managing a project. Later chapters provide detailed information on each knowledge area.
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

53. Project Initiation
Initiating a project includes recognizing and starting a new project or project phase
Some organizations use a pre-initiation phase, while others include items like developing a business case as part of initiation
The main goal is to formally select and start off projects
Key outputs include:
Assigning the project manager
Identifying key stakeholders
Completing a business case
Completing a project charter & getting signatures on it
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

54. Project Initiation Documents
Business case: See pages 74-76
Charter: See pages 77-78, also shown on next two slides
Note: Every organization has its own variations of what documents are required for project initiation. It’s important to identify the need for projects, who the stakeholders are, and what the main goals are for the project
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

55. JWD’s Project Charter
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

56. JWD’s Project Charter
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

57. Project Planning
The main purpose of project planning is to guide execution
Every knowledge area includes planning information (see Table 3-5 on pages 79-80)
Key outputs include:
A team contract
A scope statement
A work breakdown structure (WBS)
A project schedule, in the form of a Gantt chart with all dependencies and resources entered
A list of prioritized risks
See sample documents on pages 83-90, and refer to them later in the course
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

58. JWD’s Project Gantt Chart
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

59. JWD’s List of Prioritized Risks
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

60. The most important output of execution is work results
Project Executing
It usually takes the most time and resources to perform project execution since the products of the project are produced here
The most important output of execution is work results
Project managers must use their leadership skills to handle the many challenges that occur during project execution
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

61. Status and progress reports are important outputs of controlling
Project Controlling
Controlling involves measuring progress toward project objectives, monitoring deviation from the plan, and taking corrective actions
Controlling affects all other process groups and occurs during all phases of the project life cycle
Status and progress reports are important outputs of controlling
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

62. Project Closing
The closing process involves gaining stakeholder and customer acceptance of the final product and bringing the project, or project phase, to an orderly end
Even if projects are not completed, they should be closed out to learn from the past
Project archives and lessons learned are important outputs. Most projects include a final report and presentations
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004

63. Post-Project Follow-up
Many organizations have realized that it’s important to review the results of projects a year or so after they have been completed
Many projects project potential savings, so it’s important to review the financial estimates and help learn from the past in preparing new estimates
ICT 327 Management of IT Projects Semester 1, 2004