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The Project Management Context and Processes
The Project Management Context and Processes
1
A Systems View of Project Management
A systems approach emerged in the 1950s to describe a more analytical
approach to management and problem solving
Three parts include:
Systems philosophy: View things as systems, interacting components working within
an environment to fulfill some purpose
Systems analysis: problem-solving approach
Systems management: Address business, technological, and organizational issues
before making changes to systems
2
d e l • What will the laptop project cost the college?
M o • What will support costs be?
er e
p h ms • Will it cost students?
e S st e t
e
r rS m y e n • What will the impact be on enrollment?
Th f o a ge
a n
M Business
• Should the laptop use
• Will the laptop project affect all Macintosh, Windows, or both
students, just traditional students, types of operating systems?
or only certain majors?
• What application software will
• How will the project affect Organizati
Technology be loaded?
students who already have PCs on
or laptop? • What will the hardware
specifications be?
• Who will train students, faculty
• How will the hardware impact
and staff?
LAN and Internet access?
• Who will administer and support training?
3
Project Phases and the Project Life Cycle
5
Product Life Cycles
• Products also have life cycles
• The Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is a framework
for describing the phases involved in developing and
maintaining information systems
• Typical SDLC phases include planning, analysis, design,
implementation, and support
6
Sample SDLC Models
• Waterfall model: has well-defined, linear stages of systems
development and support
• Spiral model: shows that software is developed using an iterative
or spiral approach rather than a linear approach
• Incremental release model: provides for progressive development
of operational software
7
… continued
• RAD model: used to produce systems quickly without
sacrificing quality
• Prototyping model: used for developing prototypes to clarify
user requirements
Spiral Model of Software
Development (Boehm, 1988)
9
Distinguishing Project Life Cycles and
Product Life Cycles
The project life cycle applies to all projects, regardless of the products
being produced
Product life cycle models vary considerably based on the nature of the
product
11
Understanding Organizations
Structural frame: Human resources frame:
Focuses on roles and Focuses on providing
responsibilities, harmony between needs of
coordination and control. the organization and needs
Organization charts help of people.
define this frame.
project
matrix
13
Functional, Project,
and Matrix
Organizational
Structures
14
Organizational Structure Influences on Projects
Organization Type Matrix
Project Functional Weak Matrix Balanced Strong Matrix Projectized
Characteristics Matrix
Project Manager's Little or Limited Low to Moderate High to
Authority None Moderate To High Almost Total
Percent of Performing
Organization's Virtually 0-25% 15-60% 50-95% 85-100%
Personnel Assigned Full- None
time to Project Work
Project Manager's Role Part-time Part-time Full-time Full-time Full-time
Common Title for Project Project Project Project Project
Project Manager's Role Coordinator/ Coordinator/ Manager/ Manager/ Manager/
Project Leader Project Leader Project Officer Program Manager Program Manager
Project Management
Administrative Staff Part-time Part-time Part-time Full-time Full-time
The organizational structure influences the project manager’s authority, but remember to
address the human resources, political, and symbolic frames, too. 15
What Helps Projects Succeed?
• According to the Standish Group’s report CHAOS 2001: A Recipe
for Success, the following items help IT projects succeed, in order of
importance:
• Executive support
• User involvement
• Experienced project manager
• Clear business objectives
16
…continued
• Minimized scope
• Standard software infrastructure
• Firm basic requirements
• Formal methodology
• Reliable estimates
Need for Top Management Commitment
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