Chapter Four
Project Management
Topics
2
Topics
⚫4.1 What Is Project Management?
⚫4.2 The Project Management Life Cycle
3
4.1 What Is Project Management
Project: a [temporary] sequence of unique, complex, and connected
activities that have one goal or purpose and that must be completed
by a specific time, within budget, and according to specification
Project Management: The process of scoping, planning, staffing,
organizing, directing, and controlling the development of an
acceptable system at a minimum cost within a specified time frame
4
4.1 What Is Project Management
More about Process management
⚫ Prerequisite for good project management is a well-
defined system development process
⚫ An ongoing activity that documents, manages the
use of, and improves an organization's chosen
methodology (the "process") for systems development
⚫ Concerned with the activities, deliverables, and
quality standards to be applied to all projects
5
4.1.1 The Cause of Failed Projects
A project is considered a success if:
⚫ The resulting information system is acceptable to
customer
⚫ The system is delivered on time
⚫ The system is delivered within budget
⚫ The system development process had a minimal
impact on ongoing business operations
The main reason for the project failure is that most of
the project managers have not received education or
training as a project manager!
6
4.1.2 The Project Management Body of Knowledge
Project Management Body of Knowledge(PMBOK)
⚫ Project Management Institute created
⚫ For education and certification of professional project
managers
⚫ Involves:
Project Manager Competencies （P.123-125）
Project Manager Functions, including scoping, planning,
staffing, organizing, scheduling, directing, controlling
and closing
Project Management Tools and Techniques, such as
PERT chart and Gantt chart
Project Management Software
7
4.1.2 The Project Management Body
of Knowledge
⚫ PERT chart is a graphical network model that depicts
a project's tasks and the relationships between those
tasks
⚫ Stands for project evaluation and review technique
⚫ Developed in the late 1950s to plan and control
large weapons development projects for the U.S. Navy
⚫ Developed to make clear the interdependence
between project tasks before those tasks are
scheduled
8
Management Body of
4.1.2 The Project
Knowledge
⚫ Boxes represent project tasks
⚫ Content of the boxes can be adjusted to
show various project attributes such as
schedule and actual start and finish times
⚫ Arrows Indicate that one task is
dependent on the start or completion of
9 another task
4.1.2 The Project Management Body
of Knowledge
⚫ Gantt chart is a simple horizontal bar chart that
depicts project tasks against a calendar. Each bar
represents a named project task
⚫ First conceived by Henry L Gantt in 1917, is the
most commonly used project scheduling and
progress evaluation tool
10
4.1.2 The Project Management Body of
Knowledge
⚫ Tasks are listed vertically in the left-hand column
11 ⚫ Horizontal axis is a calendar time line
4.1.2 The Project Management Body
of Knowledge
⚫ Gantt and PERT charts are not mutually exclusive
⚫ Gantt charts are more effective when you are
seeking to communicate schedule
⚫ PERT charts are more effective when you want to
study the relationships between tasks
12
4.2 The Project Management Life Cycle
13
4.2 The Project Management Life Cycle
⚫ Incorporated with JPP technique
⚫ Joint Project Planning(JPP): a strategy wherein all
stakeholders in a project (meaning system owners,
users, analysts, designers, and builders) participate in
a one- to three-day project management workshop,
the result of which is consensus on project scope,
schedule, resources, and budget
⚫ Subsequent workshops or meetings may be required
to adjust scope, budget, and schedule
14
4.2 The Project Management Life Cycle
Project Management activities
1. Negotiate Scope
2. Identify Tasks
3. Estimate Task Durations
4. Specify Intertask Dependencies
5. Assign Resources
6. Direct the Team Effort
7. Monitor and Control Progress
8. Assess Project Results and
Experiences
15
4.2.1 Activity 1 – Negotiate Scope
⚫ Negotiation of project scope is a necessary
activity in the project management life cycle
⚫ Scope defines the boundaries of a project—the
parts of the business that are to be studied,
analyzed, designed, constructed, implemented,
and ultimately improved
⚫ STATEMENT OF WORK is a narrative description
of the work to be performed as part of a project
16
4.2.2 Activity 2 – Identify Tasks
⚫ Most methodologies allow for some addition,
deletion, and changing of activities and tasks based
on the unique nature of each project
⚫ One popular tool is a work breakdown structure
⚫ Work breakdown structure (WBS) : a hierarchical
decomposition of the project into phases, activities,
and tasks
17
4.2.1 Activity 3 – Estimate Task Durations
18
4.2.4 Activity 4 – Specify Intertask Dependencies
⚫ 4 types of Intertask Dependencies:
Finish-to-start (FS)—The finish of one task triggers the start of another task
Start-to-start (SS)—The start of one task triggers the start of another task
Finish-to-finish (FF)—Two tasks must finish at the same time
Start-to-finish (SF)—The start of one task signifies the finish of another task
⚫ Given the start date for a project, the tasks to be completed, the
task durations, and the intertask dependencies, the project can
now be scheduled
⚫ There are two approaches to scheduling
Forward Scheduling establishes a project start date and then schedules
forward from that date
Reverse Scheduling establishes a project deadline and then schedules
backward from that date
19
4.2.4 Activity 4 – Specify Intertask Dependencies
20
4.2.5 Activity 5 – Assign Resources
⚫ Following resources can significantly alter the project
schedule: people, services, facilities and equipments,
supplies and materials, and money
⚫ Resources must be assigned to tasks to develop a
schedule
⚫ Resource provisioning is a strategy for correcting
resource over-allocation by delaying tasks or decomposing
tasks
21
4.2.6 Activity 6 – Direct the Team Effort
ORIENTATION STAGE
There are several ⚫ Establish structure and rules
⚫ Clarify team member relationships
dimensions to directing ⚫ Identify responsibilities
⚫ Develop a plan to achieve goals
the team effort,
and the hardest and INTERNAL PROBLEM-SOLVING STAGE
most important job in ⚫ Resolve interpersonal conflict
⚫ Further clarify rules and goals
management is people ⚫ Develop a participative climate
GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY STAGE
⚫ Direct team activity toward goals
⚫ Provide and get feedback
⚫ Share ideas-growing cohesion
⚫ Individuals feel good about each other
EVALUATION AND CONTROL STAGE
⚫ More feedback and evaluation
⚫ Adherence to team norms
⚫ Roles of team strengthened
⚫ Strong team motivation to share goals
22
4.2.7 Activity 7 – Monitor and Control Progress
⚫ Monitor project’s progress against the scope,
schedule, and budget
⚫ The manager must report progress and, when
necessary adjust scope, schedule, and resources
⚫ Progress reporting is a basic control process
⚫ Change management is the mechanism and process
for managing the scope change request
⚫ Change management requires project managers to
manage user expectations
23
4.2.7 Activity 7 – Monitor and Control Progress
The Expectations Management Matrix is a rule-driven tool
that assists managers in understanding the dynamics and
impact of changing project parameters (e.g., cost, schedule,
scope, quality)
⚫ Consists of 3 rows and 3 columns
⚫ The rows correspond to the
measures of success in any project:
cost, schedule, scope and/or quality
⚫ The columns correspond to priorities
Maximize or minimize — the
measure of success that is
determined to be the most important
Constrain — the second most
important of the three measures of
success in a project.
Accept — the least important of the
three measures in a project
A Basic Expectations Management Matrix
24
4.2.7 Activity 7 – Monitor and Control Progress
Management EMM
⚫ For any project, must record three Xs within the
nine available cells
⚫ No row may contain more than one X (a single
measure of success must have one and only one
priority)
⚫ No column may contain more than one X (there
must be a first, second, and third priority)
25
4.2.7 Activity 7 – Monitor and Control Progress
Adjust expectations
⚫ The resources (cost and/or schedule) can be reallocated
⚫ It would be offset by additional planned schedule slippages
(e.g., additional money might be allocated without taking any
money from existing projects or uses)
26
4.2.7 Activity 7 – Monitor and Control Progress
Changing Priorities
⚫ Measurement priorities can be changed
⚫ Only the system owner can modify the priorities
27
4.2.7 Activity 7 – Monitor and Control Progress
⚫ Project manager must understand the key path and spare time
of a project
⚫ The critical path and slack time for a project can be depicted on
both Gantt and PERT charts
A project consists of 9 primitive
tasks
The most likely duration (In days)
for each task is recorded
There are 4 distinct sequences of
tasks in a project
Path 1：A → B → C → D → I
Path 2：A → B → C → E → I
Path 3：A → B → C → F → G → I
Path 4：A → B → C → F → H → I
28
4.2.7 Activity 7 – Monitor and Control Progress
The total of most likely
duration times for each path is
calculated as follows:
Path 1：3+2+2+7+5=19
Path 2：3+2+2+6+5=18
Path 3：3+2+2+3+2+5=17
Path 4：3+2+2+3+1+5=16
Path 1 is the critical path
at 19 days
Tasks E, F, and G are not
on the critical path, they each
have some slack time
29
4.2.8 Activity 8 – Assess Project Results and Experiences
⚫ Final activity involves soliciting feedback from
project team members/customers concerning their
project experiences and suggestions aimed at improving
the project and process management
⚫ The following questions need to be considered:
Did the final product meet or exceed user expectations?
Did the project come in on schedule?
Did the project come in under budget?
30