KADUNA STATE UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF COMPUTER
SCIENCE

CSC 417
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
 Course Outline
• Course Code: CSC 417

• Credit Units: 3

• Course Status: Optional

• Course Contents: Introduction to Project Management, Technology Context of Project Management, Project Scheduling, Risk
Management, Change Management, Leadership and Ethics in Project, Project Implementation, Closure and Evaluation.

• References:
- Information Technology Project Management: Kathy Schwalbe Thomson Publication.
- Information Technology Project Management: Providing Measurable Organizational Value by Jack T. Marchewka, Wiley, India.
- Applied software project management by Andrew Stellman & Jennifer Greene.
- Software Engineering Project Management by Richard Thayer, Edward Yourdon WILEY INDIA.

Course Assessment

• Assessments (40%)

• Final Exam (60%)

 Course Contents
• Introduction to Project Management
• Technology Context of Project Management
• Project Scheduling
• Risk Management
• Change Management
• Leadership and Ethics in Project
• Project Implementation, Closure and Evaluation.
 Lecture 1
Introduction to Project
Lecture Contents
Management
• Introduction
- Project Definition
- Project Attributes
- Project Constraints (The Project Management Triangle)

• Project Management
- Project Classification
- Project Management tools and techniques
- Project Success Factors

• The Project Manager

- Responsibilities
- Qualities

• Project life cycle

 Introduction
• Project management has been practiced since early civilization. Until the beginning of twentieth century, civil
engineering projects were actually treated as projects and were generally managed by creative architects and
engineers.

• Project management as a discipline was not accepted. It was in the 1950s that organizations started to
systematically apply project management tools and techniques to complex projects.

• It developed from several fields of application including construction, engineering, and defense activity.

• Two forefathers of project management are:

 Henry Gantt, called the father of planning and control techniques, who is famous for his use of the Gantt chart as a
project management tool; and

 Henri Fayol for his creation of the five management functions (Planning, Organizing, Commanding, Coordinating,
Controlling) which form the foundation of the body of knowledge associated with project and program management.
 Introduction (Cont.)
• All of us have been involved in projects, whether personal projects or in business
and industry.

• Examples of Personal projects include obtaining a degree, writing a

report/assignment, planning a party, planting a garden, etc.

• Industrial projects examples include building construction, provision of electricity

to an industrial estate, building a bridge, designing a new airplane, etc.

• Projects can be of any size and duration. They can be simple or complex.
 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Definition

 A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.”

 A project is temporary: Duration might be just one week or it might go on for years, but every
project has an end date. You might not know that end date when the project begins, but it’s there
somewhere in the future.

 A project is an endeavour: Resources such as people and equipment, need to do the work. The
endeavor is undertaken by a team or an organization, and therefore projects have a sense of being
intentional, planned events.

 A project creates Unique product or service. This is the deliverable for the project and the reason,
why that project was undertaken.
 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Definition (Cont.)

Projects vs Operations

• Projects are different from operations in that they end when their objectives
have been reached or when the project has been terminated.

• Operations is work done in organizations to sustain the business.

• Successful projects do not happen spontaneously; some amount of

preparation and planning happens first.
 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Attributes
• Unique purpose: Every project should have a well-defined objective. E.g Building a house
with different designs.

• Temporary: A project has a definite beginning and a definite end.

• A project is developed using progressive elaboration or in an iterative fashion. They are

often defined broadly when they begin, and as time passes, the specific details of the
project become clearer.

• Resources: A project requires resources, often from various areas. Resources include
people, hardware, software, or other assets.
 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Attributes (Cont.)
• Primary Customer or Sponsor: Most projects have many interested parties or stakeholders,
but someone must take the primary role of sponsorship. The project sponsor usually provides
the direction and funding for the project.

• Uncertainty. Because every project is unique, it is sometimes difficult to define the project’s
objectives clearly, estimate exactly how long it will take to complete, or determine how much
it will cost.

 External factors also cause uncertainty, such as a supplier going out of business or a project team
member needing unplanned time off.
 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Constraints
Undertaking projects need to be performed and delivered under certain
constraints.
Traditionally, these constraints have been listed as scope, time, and cost (Project
Management Triangle) where each side represents a constraint. One side of the
triangle cannot be changed without impacting the others.

The Project Management Triangle

 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Constraints (Time Constraint)

• The time constraint refers to the amount of time available to complete a project. For analytical
purposes, the time required to produce a product or service is estimated using several techniques.

• One method is to identify tasks needed to produce the deliverables documented in a work
breakdown structure or WBS. The work effort for each task is estimated and those estimates are
rolled up into the final deliverable estimate.

• The tasks are prioritized, dependencies between tasks are identified, and this information is
documented in a project schedule.

• The dependencies between the tasks can affect the length of the overall project (dependency
constraint), as can the availability of resources (resource constraint).

• Time is not considered a cost nor a resource since the project manager cannot control the rate at
which it is expended. This makes it different from all other resources and cost categories.
 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Constraints (Cost and Scope Constraints)

Cost
• The cost constraint refers to the budgeted amount available for the project.
• Cost to develop a project depends on several variables including labour rates, material
rates, risk management, plant (buildings, machines, etc.), equipment, and profit.

Scope
• The scope constraint refers to what must be done to produce the project's end result. It
is a requirement specified for the end result.
• The overall definition of what the project is supposed to accomplish, and a specific
description of what the end result should be or accomplish can be said to be the scope
of the project.
• A major component of scope is the quality of the final product.
 Introduction (Cont.)
Project Constraints (Cont.)

The three constraints are often competing constraints;

 Increased scope typically means increased time and increased cost.

 A tight time constraint could mean increased costs and reduced scope.
 A tight budget could mean increased time and reduced scope.

• A further refinement of the constraints separates product 'quality' from scope, and turns quality into a
fourth constraint.

• The amount of time put into individual tasks determines the overall quality of the project. Some tasks
may require a given amount of time to complete adequately, but given more time could be completed
exceptionally.

• Over the course of a large project, quality can have a significant impact on time and cost or vice versa.

• The discipline of Project Management is about providing the tools and techniques that enable the
project team (not just the project manager) to organize their work to meet these constraints.
 Project Management
• Project Management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques
to project activities to meet the project requirements.”

• In simple terms, Project Management is the process of leading the work of a team
to achieve all project goals within the given constraints.

• Knowledge, skills, goals and personalities are the factors that need to be
considered within project management.

• Areas of responsibility for the person handling the project include planning,
control and implementation.
 Project Management (Cont.)
• Projects normally involve the introduction of a new system of some kind and, in almost all cases, new
methods and ways of doing things.

• This impacts the work of others: the "users".

• User interaction is an important factor in the success of projects and, indeed, the degree of user
involvement can influence the extent of support for the project or its implementation plan.

• A project manager is the one who is responsible for establishing a communication in between the
project team and the user. Thus one of the most essential quality of the project manager is that of
being a good communicator, not just within the project team itself, but with the rest of the
organization and outside world as well.
 Project Management (Cont.)
Project Classification

In recent years more and more activities have been tackled on a project basis. The basic approaches to project
management remain the same regardless of the type of project being considered such as:

• Engineering and Construction: These projects are concerned with producing a clear physical output, such as roads,
bridges or buildings. The requirements of a project team are well defined in terms of skills and background, as
are the main procedures that have to be undergone. Most of the problems which may confront the project team
are likely to have occurred before and therefore their solution may be based upon past experiences.

• Introduction of new systems: These projects would include computerisation projects and the introduction of new
systems and procedures including financial systems. The nature and constitution of a project team may vary with
the subject of the project, as different skills may be required and different end-users may be involved.

• Responding to deadlines and change: An example of responding to a deadline is the preparation of an annual
report by a specified date. An increasing number of projects are concerned with designing organisational or
environmental changes, involving developing new products and services.
 Project Management (Cont.)
Tools and Techniques

• Project management tools and techniques assist project managers and their
teams in carrying out work in knowledge areas such as cost management, time
management, change management, and so on.

• For example, some popular time management tools and techniques include
Gantt charts, project network diagrams, and critical path analysis.

• The table below lists some commonly used tools and techniques by knowledge
area.
Knowledge Area Tools and Techniques
Integration Project selection methods, project management methodologies, stakeholder analyses,
Management project charters, project management plans, project management software, change
requests, change control boards, project review meetings, lessons-learned reports
Scope Management Scope statements, work breakdown structures, mind maps, statements of work,
requirements analyses, scope management plans, scope verification techniques, and
scope change controls
Cost Management Net present value, return on investment, payback, earned value management, project
portfolio management, cost estimates, cost management plans, cost baselines
Time Management Gantt charts, project network diagrams, critical-path analyses, crashing, fast tracking,
schedule performance measurements
Human Resource Management Motivation techniques, empathic listening, responsibility assignment matrices, project
organizational charts, resource, histograms, team building exercises
Quality Management Quality metrics, checklists, quality control charts, Pareto diagrams, fishbone diagrams,
maturity models, statistical methods
Risk management Risk management plans, risk registers, probability/impact matrices, risk rankings
Communication Management Communications management plans, kickoff meetings, conflict management,
communications media selection, status and progress reports, virtual communications,
templates, project Web sites
Procurement management Make-or-buy analyses, contracts, requests for proposals or quotes, source selections,
supplier evaluation matrices
 Project Management (Cont.)
Project Success Factors

• The successful design, development, and implementation of information technology (IT) projects is a very
difficult and complex process.
• However, although developing IT projects can be difficult, the reality is that a relatively small number of factors
control the success or failure of every IT project, regardless of its size or complexity.
• Some of the factors that influence projects and may help them succeed are:
- Executive Support
- User involvement
- Experienced project managers
- Limited scope
- Clear basic requirements
- Formal methodology
- Reliable estimates
 The Project Manager (Cont.)

• A Project Manager is a professional who organizes, plans and executes projects while working
within project contraints.

• The project manager is the driving force in the management control loop. This individual seldom
participates directly in the activities that produce the end result, but rather strives to maintain
the progress and productive mutual interaction of various parties in such a way that overall risk
of failure is reduced.

• He/she is often a client representative and has to determine and implement the exact needs of
the client, based on knowledge of the firm he/she is representing.

• In whatever field, a successful project manager must be able to envisage the entire project from
start to finish and to have the ability to ensure that this vision is realized.
 The Project Manager(Cont.)
Responsibilities

• When project managers are appointed, they should be given terms of reference that
define their Objectives, Responsibilities and Limits of authority.

• The objective of every project manager is to deliver the product on time, within
budget and with the required quality.

• Although the precise responsibilities of a project manager will vary from company to
company and from project to project, they should always include planning and
forecasting.

• Three additional areas of management responsibility are: Interpersonal

Responsibilities, Informational Responsibilities and Decisional Responsibilities.
 The Project Manager (Cont.)
Responsibilities(Cont.)
Interpersonal Responsibilities
 Leading the project team.
 Liaising with initiators, senior management and suppliers.
 Being the 'figurehead', i.e. setting the example to the project team and representing the project on
formal occasions.
Informational Responsibilities
 Monitoring the performance of staff and the implementation of the project plan.
 Disseminating information about tasks to the project team.
 Disseminating information about project status to initiators and senior management.
 Acting as the spokesman for the project team.
Decisional Responsibilities
 Allocating resources according to the project plan, and adjusting those allocations when
circumstances dictate (budgeting).
 Negotiating with the initiator about the optimum interpretation of contractual obligations, with the
company management for resources, and with project staff about their tasks.
 Handling disturbances to the smooth progress of the project such as equipment failures and
personnel problems.
 The Project Manager (Cont.)
Qualities/Skills
The Project Manager and his/her team should collectively possess the
necessary interpersonal and technical skills to facilitate control over the various
activities within the project. Such skills include:

Leadership Skills
Communication Skills
Organization and Task Management
Critical thinking and problem-solving skills
Enthusiam
Competence
Integrity
 Project Life Cycle

• The Project Life Cycle refers to a logical sequence of activities to accomplish the project’s
goals or objectives.

• Regardless of scope or complexity, any project goes through a series of stages during its life.
These stages include;

1. Initiation or Starting phase

2. Planning phase
3. Execution phase
4. Closure or Exit phase

Project Life Cycle

 Project Life Cycle (Cont.)

• Project activities must be grouped into phases because by doing so, the project
manager and the core team can efficiently plan and organize resources for each
activity, and also objectively measure achievement of goals and justify their
decisions to move ahead, correct, or terminate.

• It is of great importance to organize project phases into industry-specific project

cycles not only because each industry sector involves specific requirements,
tasks, and procedures when it comes to projects, but also because different
industry sectors have different needs for life cycle management methodology.

• Diverse project management tools and methodologies prevail in the different

project cycle phases.
 Project Life Cycle (Cont.)
Initiation

• The initiation stage determines the nature and scope of the development. If this stage is not
performed well, it is unlikely that the project will be successful in meeting the business’s
needs.
• The key project controls needed here are an understanding of the business environment
and making sure that all necessary controls are incorporated into the project. Any
deficiencies should be reported and a recommendation should be made to fix them.
• The initiation stage should include a plan that encompasses:
- Analyzing the business needs/requirements in measurable goals
- Reviewing of the current operations
- Conceptual design of the operation of the final product
- Financial analysis of the costs and benefits including a budget
- Stakeholder analysis including users, and support personnel for the project
- Project charter including costs, tasks, deliverables and schedule
 Project Life Cycle (Cont.)
Planning and Design

• After the initiation stage, the system is designed.

• Occasionally, a small prototype of the final product is built and tested.

• Testing is generally performed by a combination of testers and end users, and can occur after the
prototype is built or concurrently.

• Controls should be in place that ensures that the final product will meet the specifications of the project
charter.

• The results of the design stage should include a product design that:

- Satisfies the project sponsor, end user, and business requirements.

- Functions as it was intended.
- Can be produced within acceptable quality standards.
- Can be produced within time and budget constraints.
 Project Life Cycle (Cont.)
Execution and Control

• Monitoring and Controlling consists of those processes performed to observe project execution so
that potential problems can be identified in a timely manner and corrective action can be taken,
when necessary, to control the execution of the project.

• The key benefit is that project performance is observed and measured regularly to identify
variances from the project management plan.

• Monitoring and Controlling includes:

- Measuring the ongoing project activities (where we are)
- Monitoring the project variables (cost, effort, scope, etc.) against the project management plan and the project
performance baseline (where we should be)
- Identify corrective actions to address issues and risks properly (How can we get on track again)
- Influencing the factors that could circumvent integrated change control so only approved changes are
Monitoring Project Scope During
The Project
 Project Life Cycle (Cont.)
Execution and Control (Cont.)

• In multi-phase projects, the Monitoring and Controlling process also provides

feedback between project phases, in order to implement corrective or
preventive actions to bring the project into compliance with the project
management plan.

• This is called Project Maintainance.

• Project Maintenance is an ongoing process, and it includes:

- Continuing support of end users

- Correction of errors
- Updates of the software over time
 Project Life Cycle (Cont.)
Execution and Control (Cont.)

• Over the course of any IT project, the work scope may change.

• Change is normal and expected part of the process. It can be the result of necessary design
modifications, differing site conditions, material availability, client-requested changes, value
engineering and impacts from third parties, to name a few.

• Beyond executing the change in the field, the change normally needs to be documented to show
what was actually developed. This is referred to as Change Management.

• When changes are introduced to the project, the viability of the project has to be re-assessed.

• It is important not to lose sight of the initial goals and targets of the projects. When the changes
accumulate, the forecasted result may not justify the original proposed investment in the project.
 Project Life Cycle (Cont.)
Closure
• Closing includes the formal acceptance of the project and the ending thereof.

• Administrative activities include the archiving of the files and documenting

lessons learned.

• This phase consists of:

- Project close: Finalize all activities across all of the process groups to formally close the
project or a project phase.

- Contract closure: Complete and settle each contract (including the resolution of any
open items) and close each contract applicable to the project or project phase.