ICT 312: Management of IT Projects

Lecture 1: Project Initiation, Planning

and Implementation
Dr. Kihoza, Patrick D (PhD)- Lecturer
Faculty of Science and Technology
(CSS Department)

Mobile 0713551987
Email: [email protected]/
 Defining a Project

An expected end date, and

beginning date
Require resources
and planning

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

Deliverables that are

customized*
 Projects Overview
• Projects may involve a single person or thousands
• Projects may be completed in hours, several months or years
• Examples of projects
– Developing a new product or service
– Designing a new vehicle
– Constructing a building
– Running a campaign for political office
– Implementing a new business procedure or process
– And so on …
 Project characteristics
• Four characteristics of projects:
– finite time
– people assigned
– clear roles and responsibilities
– things to deliver
• Have you ever had this feeling about a project?
– not enough time
– too few people
– people not sure what they should be doing
– too much to do

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 Characteristics of IT (Information Technology)

• IT encompasses all forms of technology used to create,

store, exchange, and use information in various forms
• ‘Information’ includes conventional data, voice,
images, multimedia, etc.
• Of central importance are computer, software, and
communications technologies
• Virtually all significant projects are now distributed:
networks of computers communicate only via message
passing
• Distribution poses additional challenges in IT projects:
reliability, availability, security, and information
synchronization
 The Context of IT Projects
• IT projects can be very diverse in terms of size,
complexity, products produced, application area,
and resource requirements
• IT project team members often have diverse
backgrounds and skill sets
• IT projects use diverse technologies that change
rapidly; even within one technology area, people
must be highly specialized
 How do IT projects differ from ‘ordinary’
projects?
• IT products and services possess greater complexity
– IT products and services are intrinsically complex by nature
– Computing + communication + diverse data ⇒ complexity
• IT projects have tight schedules
– Tight schedules are the norm in IT development
– Scheduling is aggravated by a pervasive ‘rush to market’
mentality
• IT is an integral part of enterprise infrastructure
– IT is no longer an auxiliary element of the enterprise
– A business’ success is often critically dependent upon IT support
• IT is permeated by quickly-changing technology
– Technology evolves (and may even become obsolete) during the
lifetime of a major project

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 IT vs Non IT Projects-1
• Mostly deal with software and Software is
Different Stuff
– The biggest difference between software and the
products of other kinds of projects is it's not physical.
Software consists of ideas, designs, instructions and
formulae
• The State of "Doneness“
– The artifacts in software projects often aren't as visible
or well understood as in other projects. Since you can't
kick a chunk of software like a brick, you have to create
ways to see that it's there. Tracking progress is often
the hardest thing in software.
– The end state of a software project is often a lot more
speculative than with other projects.
 IT vs Non IT Projects-2
• Software Production
– Even with visibility into delivery and stable targets software
production often varies wildly and often invisibly, in part
because "software production" can also mean many
different things. So a software project manager must work
actively to understand how production is behaving on their
particular project.
– The production chain from feature to code to executing stuff
varies wildly in throughput, availability, reliability and even
variability itself. Software production varies from one
application technology to another, from one platform to
another, and even between deployments of the same
production chain.
– Producing code varies wildly in the character of the work.
Code production can be mostly any one of: discovery,
investigation, design and creation, generation of code,
integration, or something else.
 IT vs Non IT Projects-3
• Managing the Project
– Managing a software project is more managing and
less administration than in less variable domains.
Managing a software project is a continuous
negotiation with customers and sponsors, but also
with the technical team, suppliers, and support
organizations.
– There aren't any software-only projects. At
minimum software needs some hardware to run on,
and somebody to use it. The hardware must be
specified and deployed, and sometimes invented.
 IT vs Non IT Projects-4
• The Software Project Manager's Job
– A software project manager is employed for a
reason. You are there to manage the project and
support the people who will have to deal with
changing targets, multiple demands, variable
production, accidental (or deliberate) changes to
their world, multitasking, new methods and so on.
– Put your best, most engaged and flexible people
on managing software projects. Let them manage.
Expect a lot from them but support them, or their
job description is inoperative.
 IT vs Non IT Projects-5
• Varied stakeholders
– As IT is a specialized discipline, you’ll find that there are lots
of technical teams involved for something that may look
relatively straightforward to the outsider. Some of the key
teams within IT divisions include:
• Hardware: operating systems, platforms
• Networking: firewalls and connectivity
• Software: applications and interfaces
• Business Intelligence: big data, data warehousing and analytics
• Service Management: contracts and procurement, dealing with
vendors
• Service Desk and field engineers: over the phone and on-site front
line support for end users
• Information security: governance, compliance and data
management
 IT vs Non IT Projects-6
• Complexity
– IT systems can be very simple or very complex. They
can be stand-alone applications or systems of
systems. The general rule though is that an IT project
will turn out to be more complicated than you think.
• Uniqueness
– You are often bringing together teams and technology
in a way that hasn’t been done before – perhaps it’s a
first for your organization, perhaps it’s a first for
anyone, anywhere. Unfortunately you can’t mitigate
that. Someone has to be first.
 IT vs Non IT Projects-7
• More risk
– Risk management is critical on all projects, and IT
initiatives are no different. The difference is that you might
not understand or be able to identify all the technical risks
when the project starts, especially if you’ve not done this
kind of project before.
• Communication requirements
– This is a sweeping stereotype: technical people don’t know
how to talk a language that business users will understand.
However, stereotypes normally have some kind of
grounding in perceived reality, and if you have worked in
IT projects for any length of time you will have come
across technically brilliant engineers with poor business
communication skills.
 IT vs Non IT Projects-8
• Testing and prototyping
– IT projects have a testing phase that is normally the
first thing to get cut when timescales are tight. This is
a huge mistake. Protect your testing phase to the end:
it’s the only point where you really get to see if what
you have designed and built actually works.
• Use prototypes to bring your deliverables to life. It can be
hard to get excited about lines of code or boxes in the
server room. Wireframes, storyboards and prototypes can
be a good way to demonstrate progress and show your
testers what they are going to get.
• Spend enough time preparing great test scripts so that
every eventuality is covered.
 IT vs Non IT Projects-9
• Transition to go live
– The final stage of the project is the transition to go
live. This is when you stop working on a project and
start working on something that is ‘business as usual’.
You put your products live and handover to the
operational team who will be managing the product
going forward.
 Project vs Operations Work
Project Operations
• Purpose: Attain its • Purpose: Sustain the
objective and then business
terminate • Output: Repetitive
• Output: Unique • Ongoing
• Start and end date • Standard product or service
• Unique product or service • Are on-going and intended
• Are directly related to the to sustain the business
achievement of the • Adopt a new set of
organization’s strategic objectives and the work
plan continues
 Project vs Operations work….
• However “ Project” differ from “Operation
work” they have some similarities such as:
• Performed by people
• Constrained by limited resources
• Planned, executed, and controlled
Projects vs. operations/production

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 Projects, Programs, and Portfolios
• Projects
– A project - temporary endeavor + creates a unique product,
service or result.
• Many companies have multiple projects underway at
any given point in time.
– Collectively, these projects are referred to as programs.
• Program management is the management of multiple
projects that share resources, tools, time, and talent.
– A project may or may not be part of a program but a
program will always have projects.
 Project, Portfolio and Program
Management
• Portfolios are collections of projects and/or
programs.
– Portfolio refers to a group of related or non-related
projects or programs. A portfolio can consist of multiple
programs or multiple projects without having a single
program
• Portfolio, program, and project management are
aligned with or driven by organizational strategies.
• Conversely, portfolio, program, and project
management differ in the way each contributes to
the achievement of strategic goals.
Projects, Programs, and Portfolios
Portfolio vs Project Mngt…
Project vs. Program

• Project vs. Program

Project Management
 PMBOK Guide
The Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) is
a set of standard terminology and guidelines (a
body of knowledge) for project management.
 is a formal document that describe established
norms ,methods and practices.
– Guidelines for managing individual projects
– A good practices which applicable to most projects most of the
time
– A common vocabulary within project management professional
– A foundational project management reference
The body of knowledge evolves over time and is presented
in A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(the PMBOK Guide)
 What is Project Management?
• Project management is “the application of
knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project
activities to meet project requirements”
(PMBOK® Guide, Fifth Edition, 2013)
• Software Project Management is the art to
define, plan, execute, and monitor the activities
that will bring software products to existence.
• Project managers strive to meet the triple
constraint by balancing project scope, time, and
cost goals
January 4, 2017 SE 477: Lecture 1 29 of 96
What is Project Management ?

It is the discipline of
planning, organizing, and managing resources
to bring about the successful completion of
specific project goals and objectives
Project Management
 Project Management
• Following are related to Project Management
– Professional Organizations
• Project Management Institute (PMI) (pmi.org)
• Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
• IEEE Software Engineering Group
– Certifications
• PMI’s PMP (Project Management Professional)
– The “PMBOK” – PMI Body of Knowledge
– Tools
• MS Project
• Primavera Project Manager
 Information Technology (IT) Project
Management
• IT project management includes overseeing
projects for software development, hardware
installations, network upgrades, cloud computing
and virtualization rollouts, business analytics and
data management projects and implementing IT
services.
• IT projects involve using hardware, software, and
networks to create a product, service, or result.
 Software Project Management
• a sub-discipline of project management in
which software projects are planned,
monitored and controlled
Management

Project
Management

Software
Project
Management
How Are Software Projects Different?

• Consists of hardware and software.

• Software is [usually] custom written and
one-of-a-kind.
• Hard to determine progress. [One can see
how far the Freedom Tower (World Trade
Center) has progressed. One cannot see how
far a piece of software has progressed]
• Difficult to estimate schedule.
• Difficult to determine cost.
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 Project Management
• Project Management Skills
– Leadership
– Communications
– Problem Solving
– Negotiating
– Influencing the Organization
– Mentoring
– Process and technical expertise
 What is Project
•
Management?
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills,
tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet
project requirements (PMBOK Guide, 2013, p. 3)
• should meet the needs and expectations of stakeholders
for a project.
• Project management is accomplished through the
application and integration of the five key processes
• Project management processes fall into five groups:
– Initiating
– Planning
– Executing
– Monitoring and Controlling
– Closing
 The Project Life-Cycle
(Five Process Groups)
Initiation

Monitoring, Evaluation &

Planning

Control
Implementation

Closure
 Project Phase overlap

Execution
Level
Of
Activity Planning

Initiation Closing
Control

Project Project
Start Finish
TIME

Overlap of Phases in the Project Life Cycle

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Planning
 Managing Project
• Project Manager is the person who is responsible for the
project and will be held accountable for its success or
failure.
• Managing a project includes, but is not limited to:
– Identifying requirements;
– Addressing the various needs, concerns, and expectations of
the stakeholders in planning and executing the project;
– Setting up, maintaining, and carrying out communications
among stakeholders that are active, effective and collaborative
in nature;
– Managing stakeholders towards meeting project requirements
and creating project deliverables;
– Establishing clear and achievable objectives
– Balancing the competing demands of quality, scope, time , cost
and risks.
 Managing Project….
• A program manager provides
leadership and direction for the
project managers heading the
projects within the program
o Management
o involves the practice of
scheduling, planning, budgeting,
and other purely administrative
activities that have predominantly
a task focus. That is, management
deals with the work which must be
done.(Lewis,2008:20)
o Leadership
o is defined as the art of getting
others to want to do what must be
done. A leader influences people
to do the work that must be done.
It involves dealing with
individuals, and requires
knowledge of what makes them
“tick,” in order to be effective. .
(Lewis,2008:21)
 Role of a Project Manager

• Project issues
• Disseminating project • Implementing standard
information processes
• Mitigating project risk • Establishing leadership
• Quality skills
• Managing scope • Setting expectations
• Metrics • Team building
• Managing the overall work plan • Communicator skills

Process People
Responsibilities Responsibilities
 Interpersonal Skills of a Project
Manager
• Leadership,
• Team building,
• Motivation,
• Communication,
• Influencing,
• Decision making,
• Political and cultural awareness,
• Negotiation,
• Trust building,
• Conflict management, and
• Coaching.
Project Manager: Pros and Cons
 Why is there interest in Project
Management?
• Resources Are Limited
• Jobs Are Regularly Underestimated
• Missed Schedules Are Common
• Staff / Support Downtime is a Wasted Resource – Time Lost
Cannot Be Recovered
• To Get the Most For the $$ Invested – Value
• Project Management Can Improve the Way We Do Business –
Plan, Do, Check, Act
• Provides a consistent vocabulary and way to do business

46
 Why use Formal Project Management?
Keep costs, timeframes and resources to budget
Improved customer relations.
Shorter development times.
Lower costs.
Higher quality and increased reliability.
Reduce the chance of a project failing
Improved productivity.
Better internal coordination.
Higher worker morale (less stress)
Project tracking from start to finish; nothing falls through the cracks.
Make things simpler and easier for staff with a single point of contact
running the overall project
Expedited updates and corrections when a challenge occurs
Improvement of overall project management.
Project Management Framework
 Project management tools and
techniques by knowledge area
Knowledge Tools and Techniques
Area/Category
Integration management Project selection methods, project management
methodologies, stakeholder analyses, work requests, project
charters, project management plans, project management
software, change requests, change control boards, project
review meetings, lessons-learned reports
Scope management Scope statements, work breakdown structures, statements of
work, requirements analyses, scope management plans, scope
verification techniques, scope change control
Time management Gantt charts, project network diagrams, critical path analysis,
crashing, fast tracking, schedule performance measurements

Cost management Project budgets, net present value, return on investment,

payback analysis, earned value management, project portfolio
management, cost estimates, cost management plans, cost
baselines
 Project management tools and
techniques by knowledge area
Knowledge Tools and Techniques
Area/Category
Quality Quality metrics, checklists, quality control charts, Pareto diagrams,
management fishbone diagrams, maturity models, statistical methods, test plans

Human resource Motivation techniques, empathic listening, responsibility

management assignment matrices, project organizational charts, resource
histograms, team building exercises
Communications Communications management plans, kick-off meetings, conflict
management management, communications media selection, status and progress
reports, virtual communications, templates, project Web sites

Risk management Risk management plans, risk registers, probability/impact

matrices, risk rankings
Procurement Make-or-buy analyses, contracts, requests for proposals or quotes,
management source sélections, supplier évaluation matrices
 (5)

(10)

(47 processes)
 Project Success

Customer Completed within

Requirements allocated time
satisfied/exceeded frame

Completed within Accepted by the

allocated budget customer
 Project Success
• There are different ways to define a success
project
– The project met the constraints of scope, time, cost,
quality, resources, and risk as approved between the
project managers and senior management.
– The project satisfied the customer/sponsor
– The project produced the desired results
 What Helps Projects Succeed?
o User involvement
o Executive support
o Clear business objectives
o Emotional maturity
o Optimizing scope
o Agile process
o Project management expertise
o Skilled resources
o Execution
o Tools and infrastructure
 Project Failure

Poor
Scope Creep Requirements
Gathering

Unrealistic
planning and Lack of resources
scheduling
What factors influence the success of a
project?
 Consulted literatures
Bainey , Kenneth R.(2004). Integrated IT Project Management: A Model-Centric
Approach. Artech House project management library; Norwood, MA,USA.
Bonham, Stephen S. (2005). IT Project Portfolio Management. Artech House
effective project management series, Artech House; Norwood, MA,USA.
Campbell, Clark A. (2008). The One-Page Project Manager for IT Projects:
Communicate and Manage any Project with a Single Sheet of Paper. John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.;, Hoboken, New Jersey; USA.
Hughes, Bob (2012). Project Management for IT-Related Projects. BCS Learning &
Development Ltd; Swindon, SN2 1FA, UK
Keyes, Jessica (2009). Leading IT Projects: The IT Manager’s Guide. Taylor & Francis
Group; USA
Lewis, James P. (2008). Mastering Project Management: Applying advanced
Concepts-Systems thinking, Control and Evaluation, and Resource
Allocation. ISBN: 0-07-159337-3; Second Edition; McGraw-Hill. USA.
Lientz, Bennet P., Larssen, Lee (2006). Risk Management for IT Projects: How to
Deal with Over 150 Issues and Risks. Butterworth–Heinemann - an imprint
of Elsevier; MA,USA
 Bibliography
Marchewka, Jack T.(2003). Information Technology Project Management: Providing
Measurable Organizational Value. John Wiley & Sons, Inc; New Jersey, USA.
Project Management Institute (2013). A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK). Fifth edition; Newtown Square, PA: Project Management
Institute, Inc.,USA
Schwalbe, Kathy (2011). Information Technology Project Management. Revised 6th
Edition; Course Technology, Cengage Learning. Boston, USA.
Schwalbe, Kathy (2014). Information Technology Project Management. 7th Edition;
Course Technology, Cengage Learning. Boston, USA.
Soriano, José López (2012). Maximizing Benefits from IT Project Management: From
Requirements to Value Delivery. Advanced and Emerging Communications
Technologies Series; CRC Press-Taylor & Francis Group; Florida,USA.
PMP Exam Prep, Rita’s Course in a Book for Passing PMP Exam. Sixth Edition;2008,PMP.