L577: Design of Information Systems Fall 06 Introduction to project management I. What is project...

L577: Design of Information Systems Fall ‘06

Introduction to project management

I. What is project management

• What is project management?

• Elements of project management

II. The project management process

• The project life cycle


http://businessbookssales.com/ 076455283X.html

Project management is not so difficult


I. Project management

What is it?

It is the planning, scheduling, and controlling of project activities to achieve performance, cost, and time objectives

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product or service

It has a definite beginning and an end

The result of a project is a product or service

Managing a project means taking control and completing it with the least pain, expense, and casualties


“The art of directing and coordinating human and material resources throughout the life of a project by using modern management techniques to achieve predetermined objectives of scope, cost, time, quality and participation satisfaction”

Hendrickson, C. (2003). Project Management for Construction. http:/www.ce.cmu.edu/pmbook/02_Organizing_For_Project_Management.html


Basic principles

They are universal and fundamental to project success

A project is a novel undertaking to create a new product or service the delivery of which signals completion

Projects are constrained by limited resources

They have “owners” or “sponsors”

They begin when resources are dedicated to its specific goal

Early activities include as “concept exploration” and “definition”

Wideman, M. (2000). First Principles of Project Management http://www.pmforum.org/library/PM1stPrn.pdf


TechRepublic.com (2003). The ten commandments of project management


Elements of project management

Basic principles

Cost: can be operationalized in many ways

Financial cost of the project

Management and personnel time

Opportunity costs

Time

Person-hours spent on the project

Quality

The criteria that will be used to determine success of the project


Project management responsibilities

Integration management

Processes required to ensure that elements of the project are properly coordinated

Consists of project plan development, project plan execution, and overall change control

Scope management

Processes required to ensure that all the work required, and only the work required, is included to complete the project successfully

Consists of initiation, scope planning, scope definition, scope verification, and scope change control

The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK). IEEE Std 1490-1998. http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/pmbok.html


Time management

The processes required to ensure the project is completed in a timely way

Consists of activity definition, activity sequencing, activity duration estimating, schedule development, and schedule control

Cost management

The processes required to ensure the project is completed within the approved budget

Consists of resource planning, cost estimating, cost budgeting, and cost control


Quality management

The processes required to ensure that the project satisfies the needs for which it was undertaken

Consists of quality planning, quality assurance, and quality control

Human resource management

The processes required to most effectively use the people involved in the project

Consists of organizational planning, staff acquisition, and team development


Communications management

The processes required to timely and appropriately generate, collect, disseminate, store, and ultimately dispose of project information

Consists of communications planning, information distribution, performance reporting, and administrative closure

Risk management

The processes concerned with identifying, analyzing, and responding to project risk

Consists of risk identification, risk quantification, risk response development, and risk response control


Procurement management

The processes required to acquire goods and services from outside the organization

Requires good relations with companies and individuals in the “supply chain”

It consists of procurement planning, solicitation planning, solicitation, source selection, contract

administration, and contract closeout

Requires clear understanding of costs and timing (how quickly goods and services can be delivered)

Requires common understanding of quality control issues


Basic definitions

Project success depends on the team sharing an understanding of these concepts

Product or service scope

Loosely referred to as “scope”

In a narrower sense this describes the project’s product or service deliverables

Scope of work

Describes the work involved in the design, fabrication and assembly of the components of a projects deliverable into a working product or service

Product or service

The object being built or service being delivered


Basic definitions

Quality

The totality of features and characteristics of a product or service that bear on its ability to satisfy stated or implied needs

Quality grade

A particular attribute of a product or service meeting all minimum project requirements

The product or service may be delivered according to a class ranging from “utility” (purely functional) to “world class”

This is a multi-dimensional construct best expressed at the beginning of a project


Basic definitions

Quality grade

It should use measurable criteria

Meeting key objectives of the project such as the business objectives of the sponsor

Meeting benchmarks on time and on budget

Eliciting satisfaction from client with the project management process

The deliverable is complete, up to standard, is on time and within budget

Reflecting general acceptance and satisfaction with the project’s deliverables on the part of the project’s customer and the majority of the project’s community


Basic definitions

Success

The measure of success (process and product) must be defined at the beginning of the project

This becomes a basis for project management decision making and post-project evaluation

Success needs to be defined in terms of

Deliverables: scope, quality, relevance, effectiveness

Process: time, benchmarks, cost, efficiency

Audience: Howe the client and the users react

The timing of the measurement of success itself should be specified


Assumptions of project management

These apply to the project team

Everyone is working towards the same or similar goals, whatever those might be

Everyone is being honest and accepts accountability

An appropriate level of skill or experience is available as needed

Everyone wants the project to succeed

Everyone agrees to the objectives and accepts the benchmarks

Everyone is clear and agrees on who the customer is


More assumptions

Commitment

There is an equitable commitment between the client and the project team

The team is responsible for developing appropriate strategies, plans and controls for applying the necessary skills and work to carry out the project

“Equitable commitment” means that both parties understand the project

They know the processes and risks involved and willingly undertake the challenge

The client must understand that even with appropriate management controls in place, that risks are shared


Introduction to project management

I. What is project management

• what is project management?

• Elements of project management

II. The project management process

• The project life cycle


II.The project management process

The project life cycle

This aids in maintaining control

Initiating phase

Meeting client and determining overview of the project

Negotiating the basic terms of the contract

Gathering the project team

Planning phase

Begins with project definition

Develop a mission statement for the project

Delegate team roles


The project life cycle

Executing phase

The design, testing and building of the project

Involves complex team activities

Issue: how and when to involve users and clients

Controlling phase

Project roll-out

Live testing and feedback

Change, if necessary

Maintenance and change management

Closing phase


Danish Leadership Institute. (2004). Project Management Services http://www.dieu.com/project_ management/pm-services.asp


QuickTime™ and aTIFF (Uncompressed) decompressor

are needed to see this picture.

http://www.amadeus.co.uk/images/diagrams/projectmanagement.gif

Another view of the project life cycle


http://www.broadcast.ie/images/project_management_process1.jpg

And another view




Initiation phase

Initial meetings with the client to discuss the project

Selling is going on on both sides

Your goal:to understand what the client wants

You want to help the client clearly understand the project that you can deliver

There will be negotiations covering the major project components

This typically include design and process features, costs, resources, personnel, and timelines

May also include negotiating access to people and documents for research


Initiation phase

Projects should be organized around a business model

It specifies the financial and business process implications of a project

IT project teams focus on underlying IT issues

The project manager predicts business outcomes of the project for the client

These have a significant impact on the success or failure of a project

There are business questions that should be considered by every project manager early in a project

The project work plan should address these questions or assert that they are not relevant to the project


Initiation phase

Are direct costs associated with this project?

These include hardware, software, supplies, personnel costs, and contract services

Separate one-time costs from ongoing or permanent costs as an outcome of the project

Are indirect costs associated with this project?

Added workload to staff, long term infrastructure changes or investment, changes to business procedures, and organizational change

Difficult to define in terms of quantity or duration

Try to define the lower and upper limits


Initiation phase

Does the project result in a product or service to be cost recovered from groups or departments?

One-time reimbursement, fees for service (monthly or per use charges) factored into cost recovery

Are there potential savings as a result of this project ?

If not, err on the side of caution and don’t make representations that might mislead a decision maker

A successful project may improve quality or efficiency but not reduce costs or result in added cost

Calculate net savings after taking into account new costs to present an accurate picture to clients

MIT Information Systems. (2002). Project business modelshttp://web.mit.edu/pm/busmods.html


Planning phase

Strategy

A strategy provides a focused set of sequential and progressive phases

Project work should be planned and then executed

The project life cycle has a series of phased milestones

It sets benchmarks through which the project passes following completion of milestones and determines when the project is finished

It can be expanded to suit the control requirements of all types of projects in all areas of project management


Planning phase

Project definition

Setting business, marketing and technical objectives

What will this project do?

Specific and attainable outcomes that can be achieved in a specific time frame

Clear objectives provide guidelines for the team

They are measured empirically and are a basis for accountability

Important: how will you know objectives are met?

There should always be evidence that an objective has been achieved




It is important to have an agreed-upon definition of success

http://www.celoxis.com/html/articles/pmmm.jpg


Planning phase

Defining scope

Set initial scope of the project with the client

Do the work up front to set the boundaries

Remember that scope, time, and cost are linked

Change one and affect the other two

Problem: clients think that making changes is a simple matter of changing markup

What is the client's budget?

What types of look, features, and services does the client want on the site or service?

When does it have to go live?


Planning phase

Outlining the work flow

What is the timeline for the project?

What are the major benchmarks and when should they be achieved?

Clarify the interdependencies among team members

Ensure that everyone knows what is expected of them

Develop a realistic budget

Account for development, personnel, and unforeseen costs


Executing phase

Developing a budget

Budget categories come from work breakdown structure

Each category is a line item

You estimate the cost of each line item

Make the assumptions explicit

Content from client must be in a specific format

Client has a specified amount of time to approve benchmarks and interim deliverables

Designer will deliver a specified number of prototypes for initial approval

Client will provide market research information


Executing phase

Try to account for hidden costs

Getting the team together for meetings

Conference calls

Research while developing IA

Developing supporting documentation

Email and administration

Setting up the development site

This could be an administrative line item that builds in a 10% cushion


Executing phase

Do the research

Understand the organization

What does the existing system do?

What do the key stakeholders want to see in a new system?

Understand the information infrastructure

What is in place and how well is it working?

Understand the intended audience

Identify users

Who are the audiences for the site?


Executing phase

Stating objectives

What is the scope of the assignment?

The objectives

Business and marketing objectives of the project?

What are the short and long term objectives?

The target audience

What are the demographics, psychographics; buying and usage habits; values, attitudes and lifestyles?

Personality

What is the tone and manner; what are the overall personality traits the project must communicate?


Executing phase

Understanding the audience

Research will be necessary in order to identify the range of people who will use the site or service

Understanding who these people are is necessary in order to determine if objectives have been met

Take advantage of existing market research

Build some market research into the budget

Conduct focus groups

The process is similar for intranet audiences

They may vary by department or functional unit


Executing phase

Current mind set

What is the audience’s perception of the company or organization

What does the target audience think about the brand, its products and services?

Selling proposition

What is the company’s key value proposition?

How is this be translated into features of the web site?

Key target audience insight

What is the most compelling thing we want the target audience to think after they experience the project?


Executing phase

“Work breakdown” structure is based on mission statement

Objective# Objective#

Design site Develop navigation

Task Develop site architecture Content list

Subtask Draw wireframe Create scheme

Subtask Client approval IA approval

Subtask Develop prototypes Implement scheme

The team helps break down tasks and estimate time

There are also the generic tasks

IA, site design, navigation development, programming, creation of content, prototyping, testing


Chapman, J. (1997). Work breakdown Structure. http://www.hyperthot.com/ pm_wbs.htm

An example of a generic work breakdown structure


An example of a specific work breakdown structure

St. Norbert College (2003). Project Management http://www.snc.edu/socsci/ chair/333/numbers.html




http://www.spottydog.u-net.com/images/wbs.jpg

Another example of a specific work breakdown structure


Execution phase

The team needs to understand:

Project scope

What is the scope of the assignment?

Project objectives

What are the business and marketing objectives?

What are the design and development objectives?

Short and long-term?

Team responsibilities and timeline

Who does what and when must it be done?

How will we know when it’s done to team standards?



http://www.graphicsbydave.com/


Execution phase

The team also needs to know:

The target audience

What are their demographics and psychographics, values, attitudes and lifestyles?

What are their buying and usage habits?

Personality

What is the tone, look, and feel of the project?

What overall “personality” traits must be communicated?

Key target audience insight

What is the most compelling thing we want the target to think after they experience the project?




http://www.goldfarbconsultants.com/Data/images/psychographic.jpg

Findings of a psychographic analysis


http://www.1000ventures.com/design_elements/selfmade/customers_psychographics_6x4.png

Another psychographic analysis




Implementation phase

The final stage involves rolling out the live project

During the initial rollout, the team should be monitoring the site and working with the client to gather data

This is a phase of live testing and feedback

There will be changes if necessary

The client should be provided with a clear plan for maintenance and updating

Should include change management to accommodate organizational work flow and personnel

Data should be gathered to measure success according to criteria specified in the project charter document


Trade-off

Four core variables of the project management process:

Product scope

Quality grade

Time-to-produce

Total cost-at-completion

These must mutually consistent and attainable

They are measures of internal project management efficiency

If the variables are not mutually consistent and attainable, the commitment is neither equitable nor are key success criteria likely to be met

http://www.wayhome.com/images/graphics/proj_mng.jpg


http://www.personal.psu.edu/faculty/s/j/sjm256/portfolio/kbase/IDD/Corporate/ProjMgmnt&ISD-cmap.jpg

One view of the project management process




Another view of the project management process

http://www.logisticoutsourcing.com/software/images/project-management.gif


Another view of the project management process

Business competencies used

Perceived technical competencies used

Relationship competencies used

IT project implementation success

Haggerty, N. (2000). Understanding the link between IT project manager skills and project success research in progress. 192-195.

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