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Project – a planned undertaking of related activities to reach an objective that has a beginning and an end

Deliverable – an end product of an SDLC phase

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PLANNINGPLANNING

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Learning Objectives

List activities of project initiation, project planning, and project management.

Describe the steps involved in the project initiation and planning process.

List and describe various methods for assessing project feasibility.

Explain the process of managing an information systems project and describe the skills of a project manager.

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Identifying and Selecting Systems Development Projects

PROJECT IDENTIFICATION PROJECT IDENTIFICATION & SELECTION& SELECTION

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The Process of Identifying and Selecting IS Development Projects Identifying potential development projects.

Identification from a stakeholder group. Each stakeholder group brings their own perspective

and motivation to the IS decision. Top-down source are projects identified by top

management or by a diverse steering committee. Bottom-up source are project initiatives stemming

from managers, business units, or the development group.

The process varies substantially across organizations.

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Selecting IS development projects. Based on various factors. Consider both short- and long-term projects. Select those most likely to achieve business objectives. Is a very important and ongoing activity.

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INITIATING AND PLANNING INITIATING AND PLANNING PROJECTPROJECT

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The Process of Initiating and Planning IS Development Projects

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Initiating a Project

Project initiation –activities to assess the size, scope, and complexity of the project and to establish procedures to support later project activities

focuses on activities designed to assist in organizing a team to conduct project planning.

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Project Initiation The process of project initiation includes,

establishing and developing:

An initiation team

Organize an initial core of project team members to assist in accomplishing project initiation

A relationship with the customer

A project initiation plan

Define activities required to organize team

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Project Initiation(Cont.)

Management procedures

Develop team communication and reporting procedures

A project management environment

Collect and organize tools that will be used to manage project

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Planning the Project

Project planning –focuses on defining clear, discrete activities and the work needed to complete each activity within a single project

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Elements of Project Planning

Describe project scope, alternatives, feasibility.

Divide project into tasks.

Estimate resource requirements and create resource plan.

Develop preliminary schedule.

Develop communication plan Determine standards and

procedures. Identify and assess risk. Create preliminary budget. Develop a statement of work. Set baseline project plan.

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Describe project scope, alternatives, and feasibility

What problems or opportunities does the project address?

What are the quantifiable results to be achieved?

What needs to be done? How will success be measured? How will we know when we are finished?

Detailed business case for the projectTechnical feasibilityEconomic feasibilityOrganizational feasibility

Compiled into a feasibility study Feasibility is reassessed throughout the

project

Assessing Project Feasibility

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Technical Feasibility:Can We Build It?

a process of assessing the development organization’s ability to construct a proposed system

Users’ and analysts’ familiarity with the business application area

Familiarity with technology Have we used it before? How new is it?

Project size Number of people, time, and features

Compatibility with existing systems

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Assessing Technical Feasibility

The potential consequences of not assessing and managing risks can include the following: Failure to attain expected benefits from the project, Inaccurate project cost estimates, Inaccurate project duration estimates, Failure to achieve adequate system performance

levels, and Failure to adequately integrate the new system with

existing hardware, software, or organizational procedures.

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Assessing Technical Feasibility (Cont.)

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Economic FeasibilityShould We Build It?

a process of identifying the financial benefits and costs associated with a development project.Often referred to as cost-benefit analysis.Project is reviewed after each SDLC phase in

order to decide whether to continue, redirect, or kill a project.

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Organizational FeasibilityIf we build it, will they come?

Strategic alignmentHow well do the project goals align with

business objectives? Stakeholder analysis

Project champion(s)Organizational managementSystem users

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Assessing Other Feasibility Concerns

Operational Does the proposed system solve problems or take

advantage of opportunities? Scheduling

Can the project time frame and completion dates meet organizational deadlines?

Legal and Contractual What are legal and contractual ramifications of the

proposed system development project? Political

How do key stakeholders view the proposed system?

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Project Selection Issue

Approval committee works from the system request and the feasibility study

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Divide the project into manageable tasks

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) – the process of dividing the project into manageable tasks and logically ordering them

Gantt chart – a graphical representation of a project that shows each task as a horizontal bar whose length is proportional to its time for completion

Identifying Tasks Project manager must identify all of the tasks that

need to be accomplished, from beginning through the end of the project, to meet those objectives.

Methodology Using standard list of tasks (SDLC: analysis, design …)

Top-down approach Identify highest level tasks Break them into increasingly smaller units Organize into work breakdown structure

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Estimate resources and create a resource plan The process of assigning projected values for time and effort

(e.g. analysis – 6 weeks, design – 4 weeks, etc) Sources of estimates time and effort

Methodology in useActual previous projectsExperienced developers

Estimates begin as a range and become more specific as the project progresses (e.g. design will be completed on March 22)

Constructive Cost Model (COCOMO) – a widely used method which uses parameters that are derived from prior projects of differing complexity

Staffing Attributes

Staffing levels will change over a project’s lifetime

Using teams of 8-10 reporting in a hierarchical structure can reduce complexity

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Increasing Complexity with Larger Teams

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Develop a preliminary schedule

Work Plan -- List of all tasks in the work breakdown structure, plus

Duration of task Current task status Task dependencies Key milestone dates

Network diagram – depicts project tasks and their interrelationships

Tracking Project Tasks

Gantt ChartBar chart formatUseful to monitor project status at any point in

time PERT Chart

Flowchart format Illustrate task dependencies and critical path

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Gantt Chart

Go to Library

Go to Bookstore

Select and Purchase Book

Skim Book

Write Phase One

Read Book Carefully

Write Phase Two

Task Week 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

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Gantt Chart (an example)

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PERT Chart

Go to Library4 weeks

Select and purchase book

1 weekGo to Bookstore4 weeks

Skim book3 weeks

Write Phase One2 weeks

Read book carefully3 weeks

Write Phase Two3 weeks

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PERT Chart (an example)

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Develop a communication plan Who are the stakeholders for this project?

What information does each stakeholder need? When, and at what interval, does this information need to be

produced? What sources will be used to gather and generate this information? Who will collect, store, and verify the accuracy of this information? Who will organize and package this information into a document? Who will be the contact person for each stakeholder should any

questions arise? What format will be used to package this information? What communication medium will be most effective for delivering this

information to the stakeholder?

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Determine project standards and procedures

During this activity, you will specify how various deliverables are produced and tested by you and your project team.

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Identify and assess risk The goal of this activity is to identify sources of project

risk and to estimate the consequences of those risks.

Project Risk Factors:

Project size -- Team size, organizational departments, project duration, programming effort

Project structure -- New vs. renovated system, resulting organizational changes, management commitment, user perceptions

Development group -- Familiarity with platform, software, development method, application area, development of similar systems

User group -- Familiarity with IS development process, application area, use of similar systems

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A preliminary budget outlines the planned expenses and revenues associated with your project.

Create a preliminary budget

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Developed primarily for the customer

Outlines work that will be done and clearly describes what the project will deliver

Provides a clear understanding of project size, duration, and outcomes

Develop a Project Scope Statement

Project Scope Statement (an example)

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Factors in determining scope Organizational units affected by new system Current systems that will interact with or

change because of new system People who are affected by new system Range of potential system capabilities

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Provides an estimate of the project’s tasks and resource requirements and is used to guide the next project phase – execution

Baseline Project Plan (BPP) is a document intended primarily to guide the development team.

Setting a Baseline Project Plan (BPP)

Building the Baseline Project Plan System description section outlines possible

alternative solutions. Feasibility assessment section outlines issues related

to project costs and benefits, technical difficulties, and other such concerns.

Management issues section outlines a number of managerial concerns related to the project.

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Baseline Project

Plan (an outline)

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Deliverables and Outcomes

Baseline Project Plan (BPP) A major outcome and deliverable from the PIP phase. Contains the best estimate of a project’s scope,

benefits, costs, risks, and resource requirements.

Project Scope Statement (PSS) Describes what the project will deliver. Outlines at a high level all work required to complete

the project.

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Executing the Project

Project execution – the third phase of the project management process in which the plans created in the prior phases (project initiation and planning) are put into action

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Executing the Project (Cont.)

Executing the Baseline Project:

Initiate the execution of project activities, acquire and assign resources, orient and train new team members, keep the project on schedule, and ensure the quality of project deliverables

Monitor project progress against the Baseline Project Plan (BPP)

Communicate the project status

Meetings, status reports, meeting minutes, seminars and workshops, bulletin boards, memos, specification documents,

MANAGING PROJECTMANAGING PROJECT

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Four Key Steps in Managing Projects

Identifying project size Creating and managing the work plan Staffing the project Coordinating project activities

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Key Definitions

Project management is the process of planning and controlling the development of a system within a specified timeframe at a minimum cost with the right functionality.

A project manager has the primary responsibility for managing the hundreds of tasks and roles that need to be carefully coordinated.

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Project Manager

A Project Manager is a systems analyst with a diverse set of skills – management, leadership, technical, conflict management, and customer relationship – who is responsible for initiating, planning, and executing a project.

The project manager’s environment is one of continual change and problem solving.

The project manager’s understanding of the project management process is critical.

Project Manager’s Balancing ActProject Management involvesmaking trade-offs…

Project Size

Pro

ject C

ost

Proj

ect Ti

me

Modifying one elementrequires adjusting the others

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Project Management Activities