Hardware Replacement Project 1

Hardware Replacement Project

Student Name

Axia College, University of Phoenix

Introduction

The IT department is implementing a new customer relationship management (CRM)

solution to its corporate offices. The current hardware is outdated, and cannot support the

new CRM application; therefore it must be replaced before the new CRM can be

implemented.

There are five major variables of project management that are involved in hardware

replacement; scope, time, cost, quality and risk. I will be discussing these variables and

how they are associated to the hardware replacement project. I will be discussing things

that should be considered that will bring the best value business value as well as the risks,

approach, factors that may put the project at risk, and strategies to minimize these risks. I

will also summarize the best practices for this IT project.

Project Management

The degree of change required needs to be evaluated at the onset. Processes need to be

actionable and economic. “Project management activities include planning the work,

assessing risk, estimating resources required to accomplish the work, organizing the

work, acquiring human and material resources, assigning tasks, directing activities,

controlling project execution, reporting progress, and analyzing the results” (Laudon and

Laudon, 2009). There are important human resource implications, such as managing

expectations created by the project concerning time, costs, and results. The five major

variables during the execution phase of project management activities are cost, schedule,

scope, risks, and quality. The variable must be balanced in the planning stages. One must

consider the desired objectives vs. the realistic estimate, what can be done to reduce the
 Hardware Replacement Project 1

risks. The scope and time are adjusted to stay in balance with costs. By meeting the

project scope, cost, time, and quality objective, the project success will probably be met.

Costs

The costs are based on the time needed to complete the project, times the cost of the

required human resources. Costs also include work space as well as new software and

hardware. A budget is then put into place and monitored by project management.

Scope

The scope defines things that are not included in the project such as training, and

networking equipment to bring it all together. Project management has many phases and

identifies work to be done to ensure a successful completion of the project, and must

address all five variables.

Time

The time of a project is time needed to complete the project. Project Management

defines the time needed for to complete the all major components of the project. The

components are broken down into tasks and activities of the project. By identifying all

components of the project the time needed can be established. The planning time should

start with a larger time frame because it can always be shortened, but not easily

lengthened without adding to the costs.

Quality

Quality measurement of how precise the end result satisfies objectives specified by

management. The quality forecasts improved organizational functioning, managerial

decisions, and judges the accurateness, and how quick the information is processed by the

new system. This also includes user-friendliness.

Risks

Risk refers to problems that could threaten the completion of the project such as not

meeting deadlines, the quality of the project, or stop the project completely. The level of

risks is affected by the size of the project, the project structure, and how knowledgeable

the technical, and project staff are. The larger the project, the higher the risk; how much

the project costs, the size of team needed, and how many systems, departments, for

example, will be affected. The risk is also higher if the required information needed for

the project is not clear and concise.

Considerations for Best Business Value

The considerations that must be applied when selecting projects that deliver the best

business value are costs and benefits, and what relation they have to the organization’s

information systems proposal. There are benefits that can be estimated into costs and

those that cannot be, but could have a financial bearing in the future phases of the project.

The company should also consider the system they are purchasing to ensure the system

will deliver the desired results; avoiding future unplanned expenses. Training should also

be considered. There will be more business value and more return, long-term if the

organization invests in training up front, and training should be designed to the various

users, and their requirements. Maintenance is another post-implementation expenditure

that should be considered to deliver the best business value. If one purchases a high-

maintenance system, it may not be cost-effective, depending on the company size.

Factors That Influence Project Risk

There are many factors that could influence project risks. The first factor I believe can

influence risks is inadequate implementation preparation. To alleviate these, executions

should at first consider proven implementation methodologies, approaches and processes,

such as a known project team with record of roles and responsibilities, a scope that is

clear and concise, specific multi-phase process supported by a detailed plan. Another risk

factor is user acceptance. User rejection is often a challenge in project implementations.

Improvement techniques for this challenge include strong management support, initial

participation from users. A third factor could be inadequate bandwidth. Bandwidth

considerations must be considered in advance of implementation. Processing times and

document size must be considered to ensure ample bandwidth. Another factor to consider

is that slow performance could result in user frustration.

Strategies to Minimize Project Risks

Strategies I would recommend for minimizing this project’s risks would be:

1. In-depth training and involvement of end users. People are the bridge between

themselves and all inert features of a work place; therefore it is the human that is

most crucial to the success or failure of efforts to change the way an organization

functions. How people react to change dictates the success. Everyone must be

onboard and knowledgeable of the system.

2. Recruiting of Project Managers. The team should be made up of members that are

highly seasoned in technical and project management. They should be able

recognize potential problems when they arise as well as knowing how to outline

the different phases needed to implement the system, using the necessary tools,
 Hardware Replacement Project 1

and documentation. If this is not an internal option, then I would consider

outsourcing the project.

Summary

I believe setting realistic goals and periodically measuring the progress of the project

are vital to the project’s success. A company should not be impatience in regard to

implementing the CRM system. Set realistic goals, starting with the amount of time it

will take to install, and roll out their new CRM software. Additionally, one should have a

way to measure success; gnatt charts, and PERT charts. Periodic checks are needed to

ensure are pre-defined goals are being met.

I would also recommend using organizational management analysis (OMA) because it

is a crucial part of organizational expansion. The use of an OMA would also provide an

analysis of organizational development precedence and identifies organizational training

needs. In using the OMA a baseline measurement should be created that would footprint

the progress in organizational development activities.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I have covered the five major variables of project management; scope,

time, cost, quality, and risk related to the scenario of implementing a new CRM system. I

have discussed considerations that must be applied when selecting projects that deliver

the best business value. I have also covered factors that influence the project’s risk, and

the strategies I would recommend for minimizing this project’s risks. Finally, I identified

some of the best practices for managing this project.

References

Laudon, Kenneth C., & Laudon, Jane P. (2009 by Pearson Education, Inc.). Essentials of
Management Information Systems (8th ed).,: Prentice Hall.