Project Management

Definitions:

Project:   A project is an undertaking requiring concerted effort.   In project management circles, a project is usually defined as a temporary effort.  

Project management:  BASICS: Triple Constraintfive different processes |  core competencies  |  Competing Projects Criteria | Why projects FailMS Project Management resources | Other Project Management Links

 System Design - The five major components of a system design are:  User Interface, Data Design, Process Design, Communications and Human Capital

  • System Development  |Decision Support Systems Development tools  Analysis Techniques | SYSTEMS MODELING
  • Development Methodologies - Waterfall (SDLC), RAD, Agile/Xtremme Programming, BPR, RAD
    
  • CASE Tools, Development tools |  HCI Tools | File Formats | Coding Standards
  • Intelligent Agents | Decision Support Systems
  • ARCHITECTURE|SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE :  ADL TOOLS | TOGA Architecture Model
  • 
    STRATEGIC PLANNING:  Benchmarking   Balanced Scorecarding  Boston Matrix  Cliff Bowan's 
  • 
    TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT LINKS | Article Reviews | 
  • GLOSSARIES: 
Systems Analysis

Feasibility Studies

| 

THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECT MANAGEMENT LITTLE RED BOOK - draft (pdf format) - click here

PROJECT MANAGEMENT TRUISMS

Creating a Project Management Communications Plan - click here 

LINKS   - see also


 

 

Project management.  According to A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge —2000 Edition, [Project Management Institute (PMI®) December 2000], project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to a broad range of activities in order to meet the requirements of the particular project.  PMI further outlines five different processes and core competencies required for effective project management - see figure below

 

 


 

 

 

 

 Project Management Core Skills

 

 

 

The Triple Constraint

The triple constraint consists of Cost, Performance/Quality & Budget.  In other words, the total cost of a given project is a function of the scope, the schedule and the desired performance and or quality - How many times have  we been asked to expedite a project, while  sticking to the original scope, budget and cost - the pictures below show that such requests are at best senseless.

 

Original Project Scope An expedited Project may require changes in Scope, performance and or cost - something has to give

 

 

 


Feasibility Studies

 

 

 

Technology feasibility

The assessment is based on an outline design of system requirements in terms of Input, Processes, Output, Fields, Programs, and Procedures. This can be quantified in terms of volumes of data, trends, frequency of updating, etc. in order to estimate whether the new system will perform adequately or not. This means that feasibility is the study of the based in outline.

Economic feasibility


Economic analysis is the most frequently used method for evaluating the effectiveness of a new system. More commonly known as cost/benefit analysis, the procedure is to determine the benefits and savings that are expected from a candidate system and compare them with costs. If benefits outweigh costs, then the decision is made to design and implement the system.

Activity Based or Cost Based Study: It is important to identify cost and benefit factors. Cost and benefits can be categorized into the following categories. Basically it is an analysis of the costs to be incurred in the system and benefits derivable out of the system. In a broad sense the costs can be divided into two types 1. Development costs 2. Operating costs

Time Based Study: Contrast to the manual system management can generate any report just by the click of a mouse

Legal feasibility

Determines whether the proposed system conflicts with legal requirements, e.g. a data processing system must comply with the local Data Protection Acts.

Operational feasibility


Is a measure of how well a proposed system solves the problems, and takes advantages of the opportunities identified during scope definition and how it satisfies the requirements identified in the requirements analysis phase of system development.

Schedule feasibility


A project will fail if it takes too long to be completed before it is useful. Typically this means estimating how long the system will take to develop, and if it can be completed in a given time period using some methods like payback period. Schedule feasibility is a measure of how reasonable the project timetable is. Given our technical expertise, are the project deadlines reasonable? Some projects are initiated with specific deadlines. You need to determine whether the deadlines are mandatory or desirable.

Misc feasibility issues

Market and real estate feasibility
Market Feasibility Study typically involves testing geographic locations for a real estate development project, and usually involves parcels of real estate land. Developers often conduct market studies to determine the best location within a jurisdiction, and to test alternative land uses for a given parcels. Jurisdictions often require developers to complete feasibility studies before they will approve a permit application for retail, commercial, industrial, manufacturing, housing, office or mixed-use project. Market Feasibility takes into account the importance of the business in the selected area.

Resource feasibility
This involves questions such as how much time is available to build the new system, when it can be built, whether it interferes with normal business operations, type and amount of resources required, dependencies, etc. Contingency and mitigation plans should also be stated here.

Cultural feasibility
In this stage, the project's alternatives are evaluated for their impact on the local and general culture. For example, environmental factors need to be considered and these factors are to be well known. Further an enterprise's own culture can clash with the results of the project.

 


 

Why Projects Fail

According to a study published by the Standish Group roughly 50% of all projects costing over $1 million dollars, fail to fully meet the scope of the project as defined by the triple constraint, mostly due for failure to establish SMART  (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound) goals.  Surprisingly however, at the top of the list is failure to involve users and lack of executive management support.  Below is a summary of reasons why projects fail.

 

  • User Involvement                                19%

  • Executive Management Support          16%

  • Clear Requirements                           15%

  • Proper Planning                                   11%

  • Realistic Expectations                          10%

  • Smaller Project Milestones                   9%

  • Competent Staff                                    8%

  • Ownership                                            6%

  • Clear Vision and Objectives                    3%

  • Hardworking, Focus Staff                        3%

 

 

 


 

LINKS 

 

Project Management World Today
www.pmforum.org

This is an on-line publication that contains notices, reports, news and information related to project management from around the world.

International Project Management Association
www.ipma.ch

The IPMA is a nonprofit organization based in the U.K. It promotes PM through its global membership network of national PM associations.

Project Management Center
www.infogoal.com/pmc/pmchome.htm

This site is dedicated to those with an investment in PM. The site brings information together to cut back on Web cruising and provides practical help. It offers the latest news, articles, software, case studies, links, etc.

PMBoulevard
www.pmboulevard.com/home.jsp

This PM Community connects you to others facing the same PM challenges you do every day. You can share ideas, compare notes, ask for help, find out the latest news, purchase materials and access other relevant project management sites.

ProjectZone
www.projectzone.com

The ProjectZone is a community of technology project leaders discovering, learning, inventing, and teaching each other better ways to lead and manage teams and projects. The material on this site is written by project leaders for project leaders as a volunteer effort, and reflects their experiences and opinions.

NewGrange Center for Project Management
www.newgrange.org

The NewGrange Center for Project Management was started in early 1997 as a nonprofit professional organization. Its mission is to further the discussion of project management as a professional discipline. The focus is a hands-on, practical approach to project management to determine what really works, why it works, and how to replicate it consistently.

The Project Manager's Resource Center
www.allpm.com

ALLPM is a site for Information Technology (IT) project management information and resources. It is a clearinghouse of discussion forums, resource links, conference and seminar listings, news releases, contract awards and more.

Project-Manager
www.project-manager.com

This site is an online guide for anyone who must plan, implement and complete a commercial project. Project-Manager is a learning experience. Here you can get professional advice. Upgrade personal skills. Exchange ideas. Above all, get your project up and running on time and within budget. The site also has links to various Product Depots where you may source equipment, machinery and supplies.

 

 


 

BASICS

 

Planning IS staffing – Tech Republic

This Gartner presentation offers help with planning for the IS department of the future.

Download this plan for staffing your IT department

RFQ template for professional services automation (PSA) software, can help you diagnose your clients' PSA software needs, estimate costs, and prepare the way for implementation.  Download this RFQ template for PSA software

End-user computing best practices – Tech Republic

This report outlines key best practices for equipment standardization, lockdown, asset management and policies enforcement

Gartner Institute Presentation: Build master IT project managers  - Tech Republic .  Learn how to build master IT project managers.

IT documentation worksheets

Are you preparing to document the details of your infrastructure and procedures? This workbook download will give you a head start on entering and organizing the information you need.

IT glossary explains computer terms in basic English

Use this list of basic hardware and software terms in your introductory classes to help new users master the fundamentals of computing

Project management advice—free for the listening , Apr 24, 2001,  Jerry Loza

Thirty percent of all IT projects fail. That is one of the opening considerations included in a great audio program being offered to TechRepublic members by Audible.com for free. The Essentials of Project Management, which is a part of the Gartner Group Talking Technology series, is a 42-minute program available over the Internet

IT Project Management Research Findings

Ted Smith, TechRepublic's vice president of community research projects, recently gave this presentation of TechRepublic's research methods and our latest research on project management. Download his PowerPoint presentation

Tech Republics Project Defintiion Template

Description: Meeting project deadlines is of utmost importance to a project management consultant, but proper planning can produce the right result. Download TechRepublic columnist Tom Mochal's project definition template to guide you through the planning stages…Download Now!   

Keep track of problems with project issues log – Tech Republic

Download this project issues log so that you can keep track of problems and make sure that they are resolved quickly—before they destroy your project.

Project change request form

If you're looking for a way to control scope creep in your projects, use this handy change request form.

 

 

 

 


Creating a communications plan

Determine project stakeholders

There can be many types of customers, users, vendors, managers, and stakeholders. First, determine what people or groups of people you want to include in the Communications Plan.

 

Determine the communication needs of each stakeholder

For each of the stakeholders identified above, determine their communication needs. For instance, certain managers will need ongoing status information. Steering committee members need ongoing status reports, plus a dialog on strategy and vision. Your users might need awareness communication, mentoring, question-and-answer sheets, promotional information to build enthusiasm, etc. Especially on large projects, the project team should be creative in determining how, what, to whom, where, and how frequently the communication takes place.

 

Determine how to fulfill the communication needs of each stakeholder

Project communication can take many shapes and forms. In this step, brainstorm how you will fulfill the communication needs for each stakeholder. When possible, look for types of communication that can cover more than one stakeholder's needs.

 

Mandatory: These types of communication are required by your company, your industry, or by law. This information is pushed to recipients. The following are some examples of this type of communication:

·         Project status reports

·         Regular status updates via voicemail

·         Status meetings

·         Meetings with steering committee

·         Regular conference calls and videoconferences with remote stakeholders

·         Government-required reports and other information

·         Financial reporting, such as budget vs. actuals, or any other required financial information

 

Informational: This is information that people want to know or that they may need to know to do their jobs. This information is made available for people to read but requires them to take the initiative or pull the communication for themselves. Following are some examples:

·         Awareness-building sessions that people are invited to attend (These are not meant as training, just to build awareness of the project.)

·         Project paper-based deliverables placed in a common repository, directory, or library that people can access

·         Project information available on a Web site

 

Marketing: These forms of communication are designed to build buy-in and enthusiasm for the project and its deliverables. This information is also pushed to the recipients. Here are some examples:

·         Project newsletters, with positive marketing spin

·         Meeting one-on-one with key stakeholders on an ongoing basis

·         Traveling road shows to various locations and departments to explain the project and its benefits

·         Testimonials from others about the value that was provided

·         Contests with simple prizes to build excitement

·         Project acronyms and slogans to portray positive images of the project

·         Project countdown until live date

·         Informal (but purposeful) walking around to "talk up" the project to team members, users, and stakeholders

·         Celebrations to bring visibility to the completion of major milestones

·         Project memorabilia with project name or image portrayed, such as pins, pencils, Frisbees, cups, T-shirts, etc.

·         Publicizing accomplishments

 

Determine the effort required

Determine how much effort is required for each of the communication ideas the project team has come up with. If the communication is ongoing, estimate the effort over a one-month period. For instance, a status report might only take one hour to create, but it might be needed twice a month. Then, of course, the total effort would be two hours.

 

Prioritize the communication options

Some communication activities provide more value than others. In a previous exercise, you brainstormed lists of communication options. Now you need to prioritize the items to determine which provide the most value for the least cost. If a communication activity takes a lot of time and provides little or marginal communication value, it should be discarded. If a communication option takes little effort and provides a lot of value, it should be included in the final Communication Plan. Of course, if a communication activity is mandatory, it should be included no matter what the cost. If a mandatory activity is time-consuming, you may be able to negotiate with the stakeholders to find a less-intensive alternative.

ABC Project

Communication Plan

Deliverable/Description

Type
Man./Mktg./Info.

Target Audience(s)

Delivery Method

Delivery Frequency

Who Responsible?

Status Reports

Mandatory

Sponsor
Managers
Steering Committee

Paper Status Report Template e-mailed to audience

Monthly

Project Manager

Local Awareness-Building Sessions
Inform people of the project and the deliverables that will affect them.

Informational

Local user community

Stand-up presentations

Schedule twice weekly until all users covered.

Lead Analyst

Remote Awareness-Building Sessions
Inform people of the project and the deliverables that will affect them.

Informational

Remote user community

Webcast presentations

Hold sessions three times a week until all users covered.

Lead Analyst

Project Pins
Pins will be given out to all people attending the awareness presentations to build enthusiasm and brand image.

Marketing

All users, customers, and stakeholders

Hand out to those that attend the awareness presentations.

Send pin in intercompany mail to those that attend Webcasts.

 

Same frequency as awareness sessions

Terry Allen – Project Administrator

 

 

 

 

 

 



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Last modified: February 27, 2010