Project Management One - Introduction - Lecture One

Roles and Responsibilities of the Project Manager

The overall development, implementation, and day-to-day operations of the project. They need to know the physical constraints of the project - understanding of the strengths and limitations of hardware and software. They are the person that conveys the information and ensure it's completed on time and within budget.

Management Activities: 

• Proposal writing                                    All these elements are involved in Assignment 2.
• Project planning and scheduling. 
• Project costing.
• Reporting writing and presentations.     

• Project monitoring and reviews. 
• Personnel selection and evaluation. 

Project Management in IT - It's about ensuring the user requirements and business requirements are meet in accordance with the requirements of the client.

A project has several characteristics: Temporary, Unique.

Temporary = Definitive beginning and end. Unique = New undertaking, unfamiliar ground.

Why Projects are successful project; requirements and all stakeholders needs have been meet, completed within budget, acceptance by customer, completed within time frame.

Why Projects Fail; improper planning, scope creep, poor requirements gathering, lack of sponsorship, unrealistic planning and scheduling / impossible schedule commitments, Lack of resources. 

The purpose of project management is prediction and prevention

There are three main constraints - Time, Cost, Scope = Quality.

• Scope - The requirements and needs to be identified or unidentified expectations.
• Cost / Resources - People, money, tools.
• Schedule / Time.

Increased Scope = increased time + increased cost.
Tight Time = increased costs + reduced scope.
Tight Budget = increased time + reduced scope.

PM Law Number 2 - When things go well something's been overlooked

PROJECT PLANNING

This is the most time-consuming project management activity. Plans must be regularly revised as new information becomes available.

Key Areas of Project Management:

• Planning
• Time Management
• Scope Management
• Cost Management
• Quality Management
•  Communications Management
• Risk Management
• Change Control Management

 Scope Management is the process to ensure that the project is inclusive of all the work required, and only the work require, for successful completion.

PM Law #3 - If project content is allowed to change freely. The rate of change will exceed the rate of progress.

Time Management - This is the efficient use of scheduling, and management of people, activities on time.
Scope Management - Ensuring the project is inclusive of all work required.
Cost Management - The process required to ensure it's completed within budget.
Quality Management - Is the quality of the product going to meet the needs via, Quality planning, quality assurance, quality control.
Communications Management - This determines the needs of the information flow, collection and storage of project information.
Risk Management - Identification and migration of strategy.

PM Law #4 - Project teams DETEST progress reporting! It manifests their lack of progress :(

Change Control Management - All changes require collaboration and buy in via the project's sponsors signature prior to implementation of the changes.

Six Phases of a project - Enthusiasm, Disenchantment, Panic, Probe for the guilty, Punishment of the innocent, Praise and honors for the non participants.