Wachemo University

College of Engineering and Technology

School of Computing and Informatics
Department of Information Technology

Information Technology Project Management

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Contents
Importance of IT Project Management
The Stakeholder of a Project
Project Management Framework
Software Tools for Project Management

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 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO IT PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

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Why you study IT PM?

 Failure of many IT Projects.

 The United States Internal Revenue System was to abandon its tax
system modernization program after having spent $4 billion; (business
rule may change)

 The state of California spent $1 billion on its non-functional welfare

database system;

 The €339 million United Kingdom air traffic control system was
reported as being two years behind schedule;

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Cont.…

 There are large numbers of projects going to failure or

terminating prematurely.
 For example, there are documents indicating that in 1995 there were
16.2% IT projects which were successful and 31% failed before
completion costing over $81 billion in the US.

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Importance of IT Project Management

 Organizations perform work.

 Work generally involves either operations 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 or service.
 Projects are often implemented as a means of achieving an
organization’s strategic plan.
 Operations and projects differ primarily in that operations are
ongoing and repetitive while projects are temporary and
unique.

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Cont.…

 For many organizations, projects are a means to respond to

those requests that cannot be addressed within the
organization’s normal operational limits.
 Projects are undertaken at all levels of the organization.
 They may involve a single person or many thousands.

 Their duration ranges from a few weeks to more than five

years.
 Projects are critical to the realization of the performing
organization’s business strategy because projects are a means
by which strategy is implemented. 8
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.
 Building a water system for a community in a developing
country.
 Implementing a new business procedure or process.
Example of IT projects
 A new reservation system developed for airlines
 Development of new software or enhance existing systems to
perform many business functions as projects, etc.

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Attributes of a project
 unique purpose
 temporariness
 require resources, often from various areas
 should have a primary sponsor and/or customer

 involve uncertainty

 An effective project manager is crucial to a projects success.

 Project managers work with the project sponsors, the project
team, and the other people involved in a project to meet project
goals.

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The Triple Constraint

 To create a successful project, a project manager must consider

scope, time, and cost and balance these three often-competing
goals. Every project is constrained in different ways by its:
Scope: What work will be done as part of the project?

Time: How long should it take to complete the project?

Cost: What should it cost to complete the project? What is

the projects budget?

It is the project manager’s duty to balance these three often

competing goals.

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The Triple Constraint of Project Management

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Causes of Project Management Failure

 Bad Communications
 Poor schedule or resource Management (mismanagement)
 Weak requirements definitions (leads to inadequate planning)
 Inadequate planning, assumptions, risks, or resources
 Use of new or unproven technologies/methods
 Ineffective (or nonexistent) quality controls
 Managing multiple projects at once or multi-tasking resources
 Scope creep or poor impact analysis
 Lack of qualified resources
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What is Project Management?
 PM is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and
techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.
 To make a project happen on time and within budget to
deliver the needed scope and quality.
 PM is accomplished through the use of the processes such
as: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing.
 The project team manages the work of the projects, and the
work typically involves:
Competing demands for: scope, time, cost, risk, and
quality.
Stakeholders with differing needs and expectations.
Identified requirements.

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Advantages of Using Formal PM

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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The Stakeholder of a Project

 Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project

activities.
Project sponsor

Project manager

Project team

Users

Suppliers

Opponents of the project.

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Project Management Framework

 The tasks and activities done during managing a certain

project as well as the knowledge areas that any project
manager needs to carry out his/ her task.

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9 Project Management Knowledge Areas

4 core knowledge areas lead to specific project objectives

(scope, time, cost, and quality)
4 facilitating knowledge areas are the means through
which the project objectives are achieved (human
resources, communication, risk, and procurement
management
1 knowledge area (project integration management) affects
and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas.

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Software Tools for Project Management

 Project management tools and techniques assist project managers

and their teams in various aspects of project management.
 Some specific ones include
 Project Charter, scope statement and WBS(Work break down
structure) (which assists in managing scope)
 Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis, (which
assists in managing time)
 Cost estimates and earned value management (which assists for
cost management)

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