CHAPTER-3

• Managing the Information Systems Project

Learning Objectives
• Explain the process of managing an information systems project.
• Describe the skills required to be an effective project manager.
• List project management activities during project initiation, planning,
execution, and closedown.
• Explain critical path scheduling, Gantt charts, and Network diagrams.
• Explain the utility of commercial project management software tools.
 Importance of Project
• Project management may be the most important aspect of systems
Management
development.
• Effective PM helps ensure
• Meeting customer expectations
• Satisfying budget and time constraints
• PM skills are difficult and important to learn.
Pine Valley Application
Project
• System Deciding
Service Request on
(SSR) Systems Projects
• A standard form for requesting or proposing systems development work
within an organization
• Feasibility study
• A study that determines whether a requested system makes economic and
operational sense for an organization
System Service Request
(SSR) is a form
requesting development
or maintenance of an
information system. It
includes the contact
person, a problem
statement, a service
request statement, and
contact information
• Project
Managing the Information Systems Project
• A planned undertaking of related activities to reach an objective that has a
beginning and an end
• Project management
• A controlled process of initiating, planning, executing, and closing down a
project
• Project managerthe Information Systems Project (cont.)
Managing
• Systems analyst with management and leadership skills responsible for
leading project initiation, planning, execution, and closedown
• Deliverable
• The end product of an SDLC phase
Project Management
Activities
Phases of Project Management Process
• Phase 1: Initiation
• Phase 2: Planning
• Phase 3: Execution
• Phase 4: Closedown
PM Phase 1: Project Initiation
• Assess size, scope and complexity, and establish procedures.
• Establish:
• Initiation team
• Relationship with customer
• Project initiation plan
• Agendas for several meetings
• Management procedures
• Developing team communication, reporting procedures, job assignments and roles, project change procedures,
funding and billing procedures
• Project management environment
• Using a case …
• Project workbook
• Recording project information
PM Phase 2: Project
Planning
• Define clear, discrete activities and the work needed to complete each activity
• Tasks
• Define project scope, alternatives, feasibility
• Content and complexity
• What problems/opportunities? Quantifiable results? What to do? How to measure the success?
When are we finished?
• Divide project into tasks: work breakdown structure (phases, activities, tasks)
• How detailed a task shall be? Have a single – identifiable deliverable
• A known method, one person or one group, know predecessor/successor step, be measurable
• Estimate resource requirements (people, money)
• Methods for estimating project size: COCOMO (COnstructive COst MOdel), Function point
estimating
• Develop preliminary schedule
• Develop communication plan
• Determine standards and procedures
• Risk identification and assessment
• Create preliminary budget
• Develop a statement of work
• Set baseline project plan
Planning Detail
Some Components of Project Planning
• Statement of Work (SOW)
• “Contract” between the IS staff and the customer regarding deliverables and
time estimates for a system development project
• The Baseline Project Plan (BPP)
• Contains estimates of scope, benefits, schedules, costs, risks, and resource
requirements
• Preliminary Budget
• Cost-benefit analysis outlining planned expenses and revenues
Some Components of Project Planning (cont.)
• Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Division of project into manageable and logically ordered tasks and subtasks
• Scheduling Diagrams
• Gantt chart: horizontal bars represent task durations
• Network diagram: boxes and links represent task dependencies
Scheduling Diagrams Gantt Chart

Special-purpose project
management software
is available for this.
Scheduling Diagrams Network Diagram

Special-purpose project management

software is available for this.
Preliminary Budget
Spreadsheet
software is
good for
this.
PM Phase 3: Project Execution
• Plans created in prior phases are put into action.
• Actions
• Execute baseline project plan
• Monitor progress against baseline plan
• Manage changes in baseline plan
• Maintain project workbook
• Communicate project status
Monitoring Progress with a Gantt Chart

Red bars indicate critical path, lines

through bars indicate percent complete.
Communication Methods
• Project workbook • Minutes of
• Meetings meetings
• Seminars and • Bulletin boards
workshops • Memos
• Newsletters • Brown bag
lunches
• Status reports • Hallway
• Specification discussions
documents
 PM
• Bring the Phase
project 4:
to an end. Project Closedown
• Actions
• Close down the project.
• Conduct post-project reviews.
• Close the customer contract.
• Gantt Charts
Representing and Scheduling Project Plans
• Network Diagrams
• PERT Calculations
• Critical Path Scheduling
• Project Management Software
Gantt Charts vs. Network Diagrams
• Gantt charts
• Show task durations.
• Show time overlap.
• Show slack time in duration.
• Network diagrams
• Show task dependencies.
• Do not show time overlap, but show parallelism.
• Show slack time in boxes.
Gantt Charts vs. Network Diagrams
(cont.)
Estimating Task Duration
• PERT: Program Evaluation Review Technique
• Technique that uses optimistic (o), pessimistic (p), and realistic (r)
time estimates to determine expected task duration
• Formula for Estimated Time:
• ET = (o + 4r + p)/6
Example PERT Analysis
Critical Path Scheduling
• A scheduling technique whose order and duration of a sequence of
task activities directly affects the completion date of a project

• Critical path: the shortest time in which a project can be completed

• Slack time: the time an activity can be delayed without delaying the
project
Critical Path Example (dependencies between tasks)

PRECEDING ACTIVITIES
indicate the activities that
must be completed before
the specified activity can
begin (see Fig. 3.19 for
time estimates).
Critical Path Example

Network diagram provides graphical illustration of dependencies

between activities (see previous slide).
 Determining the Critical
•Path
Calculate the earliest possible completion time for
each activity by summing the activity times in the
longest path to the activity. This gives total expected
project time.
• Calculate the latest possible completion time for
each activity by subtracting the activity times in the
path following the activity from the total expected
time. This gives slack time for activities.
• Critical path – contains no activities with slack time.
Critical Path Calculation

Early and late time calculations are determined and critical path established. (Note:
Activity #5 can begin late without affecting project completion time).
Critical Path Calculation
(cont.)

Note the slack time in Activity #5.

Using Project Management Software
• Many powerful software tools exist for assisting with project
management.
• Example: Microsoft Project can help with
• Entering project start date.
• Establishing tasks and task dependencies.
• Viewing project information as Gantt or Network diagrams.
Project Start Date
Entering Tasks
Viewing Network Diagram

Hexagon shape
indicates a milestone.

Red boxes and arrows

indicate critical path (no
slack).
Viewing Gantt Chart

Black line at top indicates a summary activity (composed of subtasks).

Diamond shape indicates a milestone.
Summary
• In this chapter you learned how to:
• Explain the process of managing an information
systems project.
• Describe the skills required to be an effective project
manager.
• List project management activities during project
initiation, planning, execution, and closedown.
• Explain critical path scheduling, Gantt charts, and
Network diagrams.
• Explain the utility of commercial project management
software tools.