Chapter 1:

Introduction to Project Management

Information Technology Project Management, Seventh

Edition

Note: See the text itself for full citations.

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Learning Objectives
 Understand the growing need for better project
management, especially for information technology (IT)
projects
 Explain what a project is, provide examples of IT projects,
list various attributes of projects, and describe the triple
constraint of project management
 Describe project management and discuss key elements of
the project management framework, including project
stakeholders, the project management knowledge areas,
common tools and techniques, and project success

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Introduction
 Many organizations today have a new or renewed
interest in project management.
 Computer hardware, software, networks, and the use
of interdisciplinary and global work teams have
radically changed the work environment
 More than 16 million people regard project

management as their profession

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Advantages of Using IT Project Management

 Better control of financial, physical, and human

resources
 Improved customer relations
 Shorter development times
 Lower costs
 Higher quality and increased reliability
 Higher profit margins
 Improved productivity
 Better internal coordination
 Higher worker morale

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 What is an organization?

 Organizations perform/do work.

 It works generally involves either operation or projects,

although the two may overlap.

 Operations and projects share many characteristics;

for example, they are:

 Performed by people.
 Constrained by limited resources.
 Planned, executed and controlled.

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 What is a Project?
 A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to
create a unique product, service, or result”.
(PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition, 2012)
 A project is an assignment/task/job that has to be
undertaken and completed within a set time, budget,
resources and performance specifications designed to
meet the needs of stakeholder and beneficiaries.

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 Projects may involve a single unit of one organization or
may cross organizational boundaries as in joint ventures
and partnering.
 Projects are implemented as a means of achieving an
organization’s strategic plan.
 Examples of projects include:
 Developing a new product or service.
 Effecting a change in structure, staffing, or style of an
organization.
 Designing a new transportation vehicle.
 Constructing a building or facility.

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 Project portfolio management
It refers to the selection and support of projects or
program investments.
Portfolio Management is the process by which a set of
campus problem/opportunities are identified, evaluated,
ranked, matched to available funding, and approved for
implementation

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 Con…
 Project charter :-A document issued by the project
initiator or sponsor authorize the existence of a project
and provides the project manager with the authority to
apply organizational resources to project activities and
it includes
◦ Project scope statement
◦ Project objectives
◦ Project constraints
◦ Projects assumptions

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 Con…
 Project plan – A formal, approved document that
manages and controls project execution.
 A well-defined project plan should be:-

◦ Easy to understand and read

◦ Communicated to all key participants
◦ Appropriate to the project’s size, complexity, and criticality
◦ Prepared by the team, rather than by the individual project
manager

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Stakeholder in an organization
 Project manager:- An individual who is an expert in
project planning and management, defines and
develops the project plan, and tracks the plan to
ensure the project is completed on time and on
budget.
 Work with project sponsors, project teams, and other

people involved in projects to meet project goals.

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Con…
 A project manager must focus on managing three
primary areas to ensure success
 People
 Communications
 Change

 Program managers oversee programs; often act

as bosses for project managers.
 Client or user

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 Project and VS operations
Project is Operation is
 Role ends with project  Routine /repetitive

 Temporary team  Stable organization

 Specialist skills
 Many different skills
 Work repeatable
 Work not done before
 Annual planning cycle
 Time, cost and scope
 Budgets set and fixed
constraints events
 Difficult to estimate time

and budget

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Project Attributes
 A project
◦ has a unique purpose.
◦ is temporary.
◦ is developed using progressive elaboration.
◦ requires resources, often from various areas should have a
primary customer or sponsor
 The project sponsor usually provides the direction and
funding for the project
◦ involves uncertainty

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1.1.2 Problems with IS projects
The Triple Constraint of Project Management

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Con…
 Every project is constrained in different ways by its:
◦ Scope goals: What work will be done?
◦ Time goals: How long should it take to complete?
◦ Cost (budget) goals: What should it cost?
 It is the project manager’s duty to balance these
three often-competing goals.
 Successful project management -means meeting

all three goals (scope, time, and cost) – and

satisfying the project’s sponsor!

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 1.1.3 What is Project Management?
 Project management is “the application of knowledge,
skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet
project requirements”(PMBOK® Guide,4th Edition, 2012)
 Project managers strive to meet the triple constraint

(project scope, time, and cost goals) and also facilitate

the entire process to meet the needs and expectations
of project stakeholders.

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 Con…
 Itis important to note many of the processes within
the project management are iterative.
 Project management is accomplished through the

use of the following 5 processes:

 Initiation
 Planning
 Execution
 Controlling and
 Closure

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 1.2. Stages of Project
1.2.1. The Feasibility Study
1.2.1.1 . The Cost-benefit Analysis

Benefit/cost analysis involves estimating tangible
and intangible costs (outlays) and benefits (returns)
of various project and product alternatives, and
then using financial measures, such as return on
investment or payback period, to assess the relative
desirability of the identified alternatives.

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1.2.2 Planning
Planning processes: devising and maintaining a
workable scheme to meet business needs.
 Planning phase establishes a high-level plan of the

intended project and determines project goals.

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1.2.3. Project Execution
Executing processes: It coordinating people and
other resources to carry out project plans and
produce the products or deliverables of the
project or phase.
The executing process involves taking the
actions necessary to ensure that the work
described in the planning activities will be
completed, the main outcome of which is the
delivery of the actual work of the project.

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1.2.4 Project and Product Life Cycle(PLC)
 The project life cycle serve to define the beginning
and the end of a project.
 The project life-cycle definition will determine
whether the feasibility study is treated as the first
project phase or as a separate, standalone
project.
 The project life-cycle definition will also determine
which transitional actions at the beginning and the
end of the project are included and which are not.

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 Con…

 Project life cycles generally define:

◦ What technical work should be done in each phase
(e.g., is the work of the architect part of the
definition phase or part of the execution phase?).
◦ Who should be involved in each phase (e.g. in
requirements and design).
 Cost and staffing levels are low at the start, higher

toward the end, and drop rapidly as the project draws

to a conclusion.
 The probability of successfully completing the project

is lowest, and hence risk and uncertainty are highest,

at the start of the project.

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 Characteristics of the project life cycle
 A project life cycle(PLC) is a collection of project
phases that defines:
What work will be performed in each phase?
What deliverables will be produced and when?
Who is involved in each phase?
How management will control and approve work
produced in each phase?
A deliverable is a product or service produced or
provided as part of a project.

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 Con…
Document experiences on the project to simplify the
design and execution of campus projects, this project life
cycle is comprised of five project management phases.

Figure : project management phases

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 1. Define

 It is the first phase of the project management life

cycle.
 This phase allows the project sponsor and project

manager to quickly understand the dimensions of the

project and identify alternate approaches
 This phase is the one most when a project is in the

early phases an initial high level Project Proposal

should be created.
 The process is exploratory so It is not advisable to

spend too much effort on scoping the project.

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 2. plan
 This second phase of the project management life cycle
focuses on scoping and planning the project.
 Details about the project are determined, including an

estimated timeline and budget.

 These details are captured in the complete Project

Charter.
 The Project Charter is used to provide greater clarity

on the scope of the project and how the objectives will

be achieved.
 The Project Charter also documents the agreement

between the project manager and the project sponsor

for a successful project completion.

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 If the project is approved on this second iteration,
resources will be assigned and the project will be
launched.
Outputs and Deliverables
 Outputs and deliverables from the plan phase of the

project management life cycle are:

 Sponsor approval
 ITs Manager approval
 Completed Project Charter
 Completed Project Budget
 Assigned and approved project staff resources

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 3. Launch
 This third phase, a specific project governance
structure is established (Executive Sponsor, Project
Sponsor, Steering Committee etc.).
 The project organization is finalized.
 Project team members are cast in their roles and

briefed on the project by the assigned project

manager.
 The project team members refine the project work

plan as necessary and are assigned responsibility for

their specific tasks and deliverables.

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 4. Manage
 The Manage Phase of a project includes all of the tasks
that the project manager and team must do in order to
keep the work of the project moving along as planned.
 This phase runs throughout the life of the project to

keep stakeholders informed and to engage their active

involvement and sponsorship for the project or
program.
 Reporting project status is a critical success factor at

this phase for managing expectations of project

sponsors, the project steering committee,& other key
stakeholders.

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 5. Close
 Program and project management is a temporary
endeavor.
 All programs and projects end.
 The ending needs to be a deliberate and explicit

process to ensure the project closes with the

appropriate hand-offs and knowledge transfer.
 The Close phase is conducted once the project team

has met all deliverable commitments.

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The Close phase is used to:
 Formally end the project.
 Evaluate the project assessing performance

against objectives, budget, and schedule.

 Examine the project for improvements in approach

for future projects.

 Package information for reference by future

projects.

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Product Life Cycles

 Products also have life cycles.

 A systems development life cycle (SDLC)
 It is a framework for describing the phases involved

in developing information.

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The PLC vs the SDLC

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1.3 The Stakeholder of a project
Project stakeholders are individuals and
organization that are actively involved in the
project, or whose interests may be positively or
negatively affected as a result of project
execution or project completion; they may also
use influence over the project and its results.
The project management team must identify the
stakeholders, determine their requirements, and
then manage and influence those requirements to
ensure a successful project.

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1.3.1. All parties of a project

Key stakeholders on every project include:

1. Project manager
2. Customer
3. Performing organization
4. Project team members
5. Sponsor

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1.3.2 The role of project Manager


Project manager the person responsible for working with the
project sponsor, the project team, and the other people involved
in a project to meet project goals.
 Project managers must be comfortable leading and
handling change.
 Project managers need to understand the organization in

which they work and how that organization develops

products and provides services.

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 Con…
 Project managers should also possess general
management knowledge and skills.
 They should understand important topics related:

to financial management, accounting, procurement,

sales, marketing, contracts, manufacturing, distribution,
logistics, the supply chain, strategic planning, tactical
planning, operations management, organizational
structures and behavior, personnel administration,
compensation, benefits, career paths, and health and
safety practices.

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 Skills of project manager
 Project managers need both “hard” and “soft” skills.
◦ Hard skills- include product knowledge and knowing how
to use various project management tools and techniques.
◦ Soft skills include being able to work with various types of
people.

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 Con…
 Communication skills: Listens, persuades /motivate
 Organizational skills: Plans, sets goals, analyzes.
 Team-building skills: Shows empathy, motivates,

promotes.
 Leadership skills: Sets examples, provides vision (big

picture), delegates, positive, energetic.

 Coping skills: Flexible, creative, patient, persistent.
 Technology skills: Experience, project knowledge.

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1.4. Project Management Frame work-G1
Key elements of this framework include
The project stakeholders,
project management knowledge areas,
project management tools and techniques, and
the contribution of successful projects to the
enterprise.

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project management knowledge areas

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1.5 Software tools for Project Management
Project management tools and techniques assist
project managers and their teams for carrying out
scope, time, cost and quality management.
Additional tools can help project managers and
teams carry out human resources, communications,
risk, procurement, and integration management
(e.g. Gantt charts, network diagrams, and critical
path

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 Chapter one Summary
 A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique
product, service, or result
 Project management is the application of knowledge, skills,
tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project
requirements
 A program is a group of related projects managed in a
coordinated way
 Project portfolio management involves organizing and managing
projects and programs as a portfolio of investments
 Project managers play a key role in helping projects and
organizations succeed
 The project management profession continues to grow and
mature

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 Ch1-Assignment
1. What is the similarity and difference between the
project and research?
2. What is the different between the PLC and SDLC?

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