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INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT
MANAGEMENT

COURSE OUTLINE
 Introduction to project management
 Project feasibility analysis and Project Appraisal
 Planning the project and identifying activities
 Software project scheduling
 Review of software project cost estimation
 Staffing and personnel planning and Communication Management
 Supplier management
 Project monitoring and controlling
 Risk management
 Software configuration management plans
 Quality assurance plans
 Finalizing a project

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OBJECTIVES

 The learner should be able to trace and plan a project life cycle
right from inception to implementation
 The learner should be able to determine the feasibility of a project
using various parameters such as economic and operational
feasibility
 The learner should be able to manage the various resources
involved in a project such as time, people and money
 The learners should be able to manage a project so as to balance
between the three key parameters of time, budget and quality.
 The learner should be able to identify and mitigate ICT project
risks

INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Project
What is a project?
• A temporary endeavor(i.e., effort) undertaken to
create a unique product, service, or result (PMBOK
Guide).
• A unique venture with a beginning and an end,
conducted by people to meet established goals
within parameters of cost, schedule and quality.
Projects end when their objectives have been reached or
the project has been terminated.
Projects can be large or small, and can take a short or
long time to complete.

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INTRODUCTION TO PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Attributes of a project
There are several attributes that are unique about a project, including:
• Unique purpose
• Temporary (definite start and end dates; one-time ‘process’)
• Developed using progressive elaboration
• Requires resources, often from various areas (and is limited by cost, schedule, and
resources)
• Should have a primary customer or sponsor: project sponsor usually provides the
direction and funding for the project; customer-focused
• Involves uncertainty

Question: What is an IT project, and how is it different from traditional projects?

Examples of IT projects:
A small software development team adds a new feature to an internal software application
for the finance department.
A college campus upgrades its infrastructure to provide campus-wide wireless Internet
access.

WHY PROJECTS ARE INITIATED?

Projects are initiated in the following scenarios:
 When starting a new business.

 In order to develop/ modify a product or service.

 For relocating and/or closing a facility.

 For regulatory mandate.

 For some community issues.

 In order to re-engineer the process so as to reduce

complaints, reduce cycle time, and eliminate errors.
 For implementing a new software or process.

 To introduce new equipment, tools or techniques.

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PROJECT START UPS

 What needs to be done

 Why should it be done

 Who should do it

 How is it to be done

 When is it to be done

TYPES OF PROJECTS

1. Personal Projects - eg pursuing a degree

2. Business Projects- eg opening a new office
3. Industrial Projects- eg building a highway

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SOFTWARE PROJECT TYPES INCLUDE:

 1. Concept development - initiated to explore new

business concept or new application of technology
 2. New application development - new product
requested by customer
 3. Application enhancement - major modifications to
function, performance, or interfaces (observable to
user)
 4. Application maintenance - correcting, adapting, or
extending existing software (Not immediately obvious
to user)
 5. Reengineering - rebuilding all (or part) of a legacy
system

REASONS FOR PROJECT FAILURES

Undefined objectives and Lack of management
Poorly managed
goals commitment
Lack of organisational
Lack of a solid project plan Lack of user input
support
Centralised proactive
Enterprise management of Provides universal templates
management initiatives to
budget resources and documentation
combat project risk
Poorly defined roles and Inadequate or vague
Stakeholder conflict
responsibilities requirements
Unrealistic timeframes and
Team weaknesses Competing priorities
tasks
Insufficient resources
Poor communication Business politics
(funding and personnel)

Overruns of schedule and Estimates for cost and Lack of prioritisation and
cost schedule are erroneous project portfolio management

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CHARACTERISTICS OF A SUCCESSFULLY
COMPLETED PROJECT

 Completed on time.
 Completed within its cost budget.

 Performs to a technical or performance criteria.

 With minimal business interruptions

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PROJECT CONSTRAINTS

Projects are constrained by scope, time, and cost.

These limitations are sometimes referred to in PM as the
triple constraint.
• Scope: What work will be done as part of the project?
What unique product, service, or result does the customer
or sponsor expect from the project?
• Time: How long should it take to complete the project?
What is the project’s schedule?
• Cost: What should it cost to complete the project? What is
the project’s budget? What resources are needed?

The project manager must consider scope, time, and cost and
balance these three often-competing constraints.

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TRIANGLE CONSTRAINT

 Good project management deals with three

factors : time, cost and performance competing
with each other
 Projects are successful if they are completed
on time, within budget, and to performance
requirements

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TECHNIQUES TO OVERCOME CONSTRAINTS

 Budgeting.
 Project planning

 Project Control.

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INTEREST IN PROJECT MANAGEMENT

• There seems to be new or renewed interest in project management. We
need to determine the forces behind the new or renewed interest.

• Project management has emerged and expanded because the

characteristics of our turn-of-the-century society demands the development
of new methods of management. Many forces have fostered the emergence
and expansion of project management, including the following major ones:
1. Exponential expansion of human knowledge e.g. more than 16 million
people regard project management as their profession; the number of
people earning their Project Management Professional (PMP)
certification continues to increase.
2. Growing demand for a broad range of complex, sophisticated,
customized goods and services e.g. total global spending on technology
goods, services, and staff was projected to reach $2.4 trillion in 2008,
an 8% increase from 2007; narrow product launch windows.
3. Evolution of global competitive markets for the production and
consumption of goods and services. ICT infrastructure, S/W, and the
use of interdisciplinary and global work teams have radically changed
the work environment.

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TRACK RECORD OF IT PROJECTS

In 1995, the Standish Group published a study entitled “CHAOS”. The study
found that:
• Only 16.2% of IT projects in US were successful in meeting project goals
on time and on budget.
• Over 31% of IT projects in US were canceled before completion (costing
companies and government agencies over US$ 81 billion).

In 2004, PricewaterhouseCoopers did a study of 200 companies from 30

different countries about their project management maturity. The study found
that:
• Over 50% of all projects fail.
• Only 2.5% of corporations consistently meet their targets for scope,
time, and cost goals for all types of project.

The above findings do emphasize the need to incorporate formal project

management especially in the IT industry.

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 The use of techniques and skills in planning

and controlling tasks and resources needed for
the project from both inside and outside the
organisation to achieve results.
 “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and
techniques to project activities to meet project
requirements” (PMBOK® Guide, Fourth Edition,
2013

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PURPOSE OF PROJECT MANAGEMENT

 The purpose of project management is to
achieve successful completion with the
resources available.
 To achieve successful project completion with
the resources available.
 The effectiveness of project management is
critical in ensuring the success of any project.
 Planning, control and implementation are some
of the areas of responsibility for the project
manager.

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ACTIVITIES OF A TYPICAL PROJECT

MANAGEMENT LIFE CYCLE

 Negotiate scope:
 Identify tasks:.
 Estimate task duration:
 Specify inter-task dependencies:
 Assign resources:
 Direct team effort:
 Monitor and control progress:.
 Assess project results and experiences:

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT
FRAMEWORK

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IMPROVING THE TRACK RECORD OF IT

PROJECTS

A follow-up study by the Standish Group regarding the “CHAOS” study showed some
improvements in IT projects in the US:
• The number of successful projects has doubled, from 16% in 1994 to 32% in
2008.
• The number of failed projects decreased from 31% in 1994 to 24% in 2008.

The study describes what factors contribute most to the success of IT projects
• Executive support
• User involvement
• Experienced project manager
• Clear business objectives
• Minimized scope
• Standard software infrastructure
• Firm basic requirements
• Formal methodology
• Reliable estimates

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT ROLES

 1. Technical: The Technical aspects of the

project management role would include those
activities needed to develop and complete the
project definition, and then to implement the
project in accordance with its implementation
plan, controlling the project assuring the
required quality of

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT ROLES

2.Transactional: The Transaction aspects, refers

to the traditional project management activities
associated with managing the project's work
flows and performance. Such activities would
initially include establishing the project baseline
metrics and parameters required to control the
project during the implementation stage.

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT ROLES

3. Transformational: The Transformation aspects

refer to activities associated with leadership.
Here the Project Manager is acting as the Project
Leader. Softer people, relationship and
communication skills need to be put to work,
seeking to get the best performance from the
Project Team.

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PROJECT STAKEHOLDERS

 a) Project Manager:.
 b) Customers, End Users:.

 c) Performing Organization:.

 d) Project Management team

 e) Project Team Members:.

 f) Sponsors:

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RESPONSIBILITIES OF A PROJECT MANAGER

 Planning all aspects of the project.
 Controlling the organisation of manpower needed by the
project.
 Controlling the basic technical definition of the project,
ensuring that technical versus cost trade-off is
determined, and the specific areas where optimization is
necessary.
 Leading the people and organizations assigned to the
project at any given point in time.
 Monitoring performance, costs, and efficiency. Completing
the project on schedule and within costs, these being the
overall standards by which performance of the project
manager is evaluated

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PROJECT MANAGER SKILLS

 Business awareness  Developing others
 Business partner orientation  Monitoring and controlling
 Commitment to quality  Self-confidence
 Initiative  Stress management
 Information gathering  Concern for credibility
 Analytical thinking  Flexibility
 Conceptual thinking
 Interpersonal awareness
 Organizational awareness
 Anticipation of impact
 Motivating others
 Communication skills

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PROJECT MANAGEMENT FUNCTIONS

 Scoping
 Planning
 Estimating
 Scheduling
 Organizing
 Directing
 Controlling
 Closing

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PROJECT LIFE CYCLE

Conceive

Define

Start

Perform

Close

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CONCEIVE PHASE

 Is concerned with the idea and the potential for

the project. It is critical because the decision to
pursue a project or not is taken according to
the measures of the project.
 Key questions asked are:
 Should be project be done?
 Can the project be done?

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DEFINE PHASE
 The project plan is the key to defining the project and
must include the following:
 Reasons for the project.
 Details of results of products.
 Listing of all work or tasks to be performed.
 Detailed schedule of work and tasks.
 Budgets for work
 Assumptions made.
 Contingency plans.

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START PHASE

 The key tasks in this phase are:

 Assigning people to roles.
 Giving and explaining tasks to all members.

 Defining how the team will perform tasks.

 Setting-up necessary tracking systems.

 Announce project to organisation.

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PERFORM PHASE

 Tasks done are:

 Comparison of planned and actual project
performance is made.
 Problem solving: proactive problem solving can help
in avoiding major deviations from planned project
work and keeping the deviations within allowed
contingency.

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CLOSE PHASE

 This phase involves stopping tasks and

accepting or approving results and
deliverables.

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COMMON PROBLEMS WITH SOFTWARE

PROJECTS
 Lack of quality standards.
 Lack of measurable milestones.

 Making progress visible is difficult.

 Poor communication.

 Poor documentation.

 Frequent changes of requirements.

 Over budget and late delivery of software.

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NEXT WEEK

 Project Appraisal
 Project Feasibility

 Project Planning

 Assignment:
Identify at least three software development
projects where project management has been
applied successfully

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