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Project Management2

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LiRose Smith
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29 views3 pages

Project Management2

Uploaded by

LiRose Smith
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Project Attributes

 Time Frame - Because a project is a temporary endeavor, it must have a definite


beginning and end. Some projects must begin on a specific date, and the date of its
completion must be estimated. On the other hand, some projects have an
immovable date that defines when the project must be completed. In this case, it
becomes necessary to work backward to determine a date when the project should
start. Regardless, a project ends when all the promised work is completed and the
organization’s expectations are met, or it can be terminated prematurely when the
work or expectations cannot be met. While a project is temporary, the product,
service, or system created by the project can have either a brief or lasting impact.

 Purpose - Projects are undertaken to accomplish something. A project must also


create something unique. This could be a new product, service, system, or an
enhancement to an existing product, service, or system. For IT projects, this could
include engineering or building a custom solution or integrating and implementing an
existing third party’s product or system. Regardless, a project must have a clear goal
that defines the value of the project to the organization. This is important for setting
expectations, defining the work to be done, setting a direction for the project team,
and developing a schedule and budget. A clear (and measurable) project goal can
be used after the project is completed to evaluate its overall success.

 Ownership - A project can have many stakeholders that include people, groups, or
other organizations that have a vested interest in the project’s success or failure. In
many cases, the product, service, or system will be developed for stakeholders other
than those involved directly with the project team. Projects are undertaken within an
organization support internal customers such as a high-level manager, often called a
sponsor, a business unit, or a group of users, while external projects developed by
third parties such as consultants or other IT-service providers support external
customers, often called clients. At the completion of most projects, ownership of the
product, service, or system is transferred from the project team to the customer,
client, or user group.

 Resources - All projects require resources. Resources include time, money, people,
facilities, and technology. Although resources provide a means for achieving the
project’s goal and completing the work, they can be a constraint as most
organizational resources are limited. Subsequently, project resources must be
managed and controlled to ensure a project achieves its anticipated organizational
value to its internal or external customers.
 Project Roles - All projects require people with skill sets that include both technical
and non-technical (soft) skills. The technical skills required will be determined largely
by the product, service, or system that is to be built or implemented. On the other
hand, nontechnical or soft skills can be just as important to the success of the
project. These skills focus more on interpersonal skills such as the ability to
communicate not only with fellow team members, but also with users, customers, or
the client.

 Risks and Assumptions - All projects include an element of risk, and some projects
entail more risk than others. Risk can arise from many sources, both internal and
external to the project. For example, internal risks may arise from the way the project
work is estimated to cost or the time to be completed. Another internal risk could be
a key member of the project team leaving in the middle of the project to take another
job. External risks, on the other hand, could arise from dependencies on other
contractors, project teams, or suppliers. Assumptions are different forms of risk that
are introduced to the project as a result of forecasts or predictions. They are what we
use to estimate schedule and budget. For example, a project manager may need to
hire a programmer. While estimating the project’s budget, the project manager may
make an assumption that this programmer’s salary will be $75,000 a year. If this
assumption is too low and the programmer is hired for more than $75,000 a year,
then the project’s budget will be higher than what the project manager estimated and
the project may run the risk of being over budget.

 Interdependent Tasks - The work to deliver a product, service, or system requires


many interdependent tasks or activities. For example, a network cannot be installed
until a server and other hardware is delivered, or important requirements cannot be
incorporated into the design of a product or an application (app) unless a key
customer or user is interviewed. Often the delay of one task can affect other
subsequent, dependent tasks. As a result, the project’s schedule may slip, and the
project will not meet its planned deadline. In addition, projects can be characterized
by progressive elaboration whereby the details of a project become clearer as more
information becomes available. For example, the features and functionality of a new
smartphone app may be defined at a high or an abstract level early on in the project
but become defined in much greater detail later on as the project team and
user/customer work more closely together during the design phase.
 Organizational Change - New products, services, or systems are planned
organizational change. Change must be understood and managed because a project
can alter how people work or how they related to one another. Because not
everyone likes or is in favor of the change, the potential for resistance and conflict
exists. This is where a new IT-based product or solution could end up being a
technical success but an organizational failure. Subsequently, the potential value of
the project may not be fully realized.

 Organization Environment - Projects operate in an environment larger than the


project itself. Organizations choose or select projects for a number of reasons, and
the projects chosen can impact the organization (1). It is especially important for the
project manager and team to understand the organization’s culture, environment,
politics, and structure. These organizational variables influence the selection,
funding, and support of a project. The project team must understand the
organizational variables and the political climate within the organization so that
potential issues that could impede the project can be recognized and handled
appropriately.

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