Chapter 1:

Introduction to Project Management

Information Technology Project Management,

Fourth Edition
 Learning Objectives
 Understand the growing need for better project
management, especially for information
technology projects.

 Explain what a project is, provide examples of

information technology projects, list various
attributes of projects, and describe the triple
constraint of projects.

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 Learning Objectives
 Describe project management and discuss key
elements of the project management framework,
including project stakeholders, the project
management knowledge areas, common tools and
techniques, and project success factors.
 Understand the role of the project manager by
describing what project managers do, what skills
they need, and what the career field is like for
information technology project managers.

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 Learning Objectives
 Describe the project management profession,
including its history, the role of professional
organizations such as the Project Management
Institute, the importance of certification and ethics,
and the growth of project management software.

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 Introduction
 Many organizations today have a new or renewed
interest in project management.
 Computer hardware, software, networks, and the use of
interdisciplinary and global work teams have radically
changed the work environment.

*PMI, The PMI Project Management Fact Book, Second Edition, 2001.

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 Advantages of Using
Formal
Project Management
 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 (less stress).

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 What Is a Project?
 A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to
create a unique product, service, or result.”*
 Operations is work done to sustain the business.

 A project ends when its objectives have been

reached, or the project has been terminated.
 Projects can be large or small and take a short or
long time to complete.
*PMI, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK® Guide) (2004), p. 5.
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 Project Attributes
 A project:
 Has a unique purpose.
 Is temporary.
 Is developed using progressive elaboration.
 Requires resources, often from various areas.
 Should have a primary customer or sponsor.
 The project sponsor usually provides the direction and
funding for the project.
 Involves uncertainty.

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 Project and Program
Managers
 Project managers work with project sponsors, project
teams, and other people involved in projects to meet
project goals.
 Program: “A group of related projects managed in a
coordinated way to obtain benefits and control not
available from managing them individually.”*
 Program managers oversee programs and often act as
bosses for project managers.
*PMI, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge
(PMBOK® Guide) (2004), p. 16.

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 The Triple Constraint
 Every project is constrained in different ways by its:

 Scope goals: What work will be done?

 Time goals: How long should it take to complete?

 Cost goals: What should it cost?

 It is the project manager’s duty to balance these

three often-competing goals.

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 Figure 1-1. The Triple
Constraint of Project
Management

Successful project
management means
meeting all three
goals (scope, time,
and cost) – and
satisfying the
project’s sponsor!

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 What is Project
Management?
 Project management is “the application of
knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project
activities to meet project requirements.”*

*PMI, A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge

(PMBOK® Guide) (2004), p. 8.

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 Figure 1-2. Project
Management Framework

[
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 Project Stakeholders
 Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by
project activities. &
,
-

-
 Stakeholders include:
 Project sponsor
 Project manager ·

 Project team
 Support staff
 Customers
 Users
 Suppliers
 Opponents to the project
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 Project Management
Tools and Techniques
 Project management tools and techniques assist
project managers and their teams in various aspects of
project management.
--,
 Specific tools and techniques include:
 Project charters, scope statements, and WBS (scope).
 Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analyses,
critical chain scheduling (time).
 Cost estimates and earned value management (cost).
 See Table 1-1 for other examples.

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 Project Success Factors*
1. Executive support 7. Firm basic requirements
2. User involvement 8. Formal methodology
3. Experienced project 9. Reliable estimates
manager 10. Other criteria, such as
4. Clear business objectives small milestones, proper
5. Minimized scope planning, competent
6. Standard software staff, and ownership
infrastructure

*The Standish Group, “Extreme CHAOS” (2001).

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 The Role of the Project
Manager
 Job descriptions vary, but most include responsibilities
such as planning, scheduling, coordinating, and
working with people to achieve project goals.

 Remember that 97 percent of successful projects were

led by experienced project managers.

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 Table 1-3. Fifteen Project
Management Job
Functions*
 Define scope of project.  Evaluate project requirements.
 Identify stakeholders, decision-
 Identify and evaluate risks.
 Prepare contingency plan.
makers, and escalation
procedures.
 Identify interdependencies.
 Develop detailed task list (work
 Identify and track critical
milestones.
breakdown structures).  Participate in project phase review.
 Estimate time requirements.  Secure needed resources.
 Develop initial project  Manage the change control
management flow chart. process.
 Identify required resources and  Report project status.
budget.
*Northwest Center for Emerging Technologies, “Building a Foundation for Tomorrow: Skills Standards
for Information Technology,” Belleview, WA, 1999.
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 Suggested Skills for
Project Managers
 Communication skills: Listens, persuades.
 Organizational skills: Plans, sets goals, analyzes.
 Team-building skills: Shows empathy, motivates,
promotes esprit de corps.
 Leadership skills: Sets examples, provides vision
(big picture), delegates, positive, energetic.
 Coping skills: Flexible, creative, patient, persistent.
 Technology skills: Experience, project knowledge.

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 Table 1-4. Most SigniRcant
Characteristics of ESective and
IneSective Project Managers
Effective Project Managers Ineffective Project Managers
• Leadership by example • Sets bad example
• Visionary • Not self-assured
• Technically competent • Lacks technical expertise
• Decisive • Poor communicator
• Good communicator • Poor motivator
• Good motivator
• Stands up to upper
management when
necessary
• Supports team members
• Encourages new ideas
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 Project Management OSice
(PMO)
 A PMO is an organizational group responsible for coordinating
the project management function throughout an organization.
 Possible goals include:
 Collect, organize, and integrate project data for the entire
organization.
 Develop and maintain templates for project documents.
 Develop or coordinate training in various project management
topics.
 Develop and provide a formal career path for project managers.
 Provide project management consulting services.
 Provide a structure to house project managers while they are acting
in those roles or are between projects.

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 Chapter Summary
 As the number and complexity of projects continue to grow, it is
becoming even more important to practice good project
management.
 A project has several attributes, such as being unique, temporary
and developed incrementally.
 A framework for project management includes project
stakeholders, the nine knowledge areas, tools and techniques,
and creating project portfolios to ensure enterprise success.
 Successful project managers must possess and development
many skills and lead their teams by example.
 The project management profession continues to mature as more
people become certified and more tools are created.

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