Information Technology

1. Which of the following activities would constitute a project?

• (a) the distribution of mail within an organisation
• (b) preparing for an overseas trip
• (c) the upgrading of an organisation's operating system software
• (d) the upgrading of virus definitions from the Internet
• (e) restoring of data from a backup after a system crash
• (f) increasing the sales in an organisation by 10% over the coming financial year.

2. Why do organisations employ project managers to manage projects?

3. Why are stakeholders important to a project?

4. Visit the Project Management Institute's web site, at http://www.pmi.org
Browse the website, and see if you can determine what these nine areas of expertise are.

 

5. Consider the sample project that was mentioned in the notes:
'Relocate the company to new premises by 30th June Next Year'
What might be some objectives of this project?

6. In the previous activity, you were asked to write some project objectives. Make any necessary changes to your list by applying the SMARTR criteria.

7. Objectives need to be SMART, but project objectives need to be SMARTR. What do we mean by this?

 

8.  The figure below shows a list of specific project team objectives for objective 4, (Produce statistical reports). Suggest some specific project team objectives for objective 3 (to reduce the amount of paper in the organisation).

 

9. A new information management system is required in the Customer Service Centre of WANSOL Solutions. Therefore Customer Services and Client Support is the sponsor in this example. Because this new system will affect activities in all business units in the company in some way, each of the other business units is also a stakeholder in the project. The project manager may have to convince these other business units that the new information system is a positive change for their business unit as well as Customer Services and that it is a necessary change for the company to go forward.
How difficult do you think it will be to convince them?
Consider that you need an impressive and persuasive argument to convince these influential people. Write down what points you might use to help you convince these department heads that the project will benefit them.

10. With reference to the WANSOL case study, consider the following organisational objective:
'To increase the number of clients we service from 2000 to 3000 by the end of year 2000'
How would you break down this organisational objective into smaller departmental objectives?
Consider the five departments listed earlier. Write down at least one objective for each department.

• Marketing
• Business Development
• Client Support

11. In summary, why is it important to align project objectives with organisational objectives?

12. At what stage of a project (Start, During, Late) would the following activities occur?

• document tasks
• create schedule
• control work
• define objectives
• manage changes

13. What are the five basic phases of a project life cycle?

 

Information Technology

Project Management Task2

Task Identification, Time Allocation and Dependencies

 

You are to produce a project plan for the upgrade of the mainboard, processor and hard disk drive of an existing computer system. This will require you to ~

1. Develop a list of all the tasks required to complete the upgrade.
2. Allocate an estimated time required to complete each of these tasks.
3. Identify any dependencies amongst the tasks you have identified.

This plan should be a realistic representation of a major upgrade. You will need to include tasks such as research, purchasing suitable components, assembly, software installation, testing and optimisation (and this is by no means a comprehensive list).
 

Project Definition

Existing computer system requires upgrade of motherboard, processor and hard disk drive.

Resulting upgrade needs to run smoothly without downtime.

Anticipated project impact:

Quantify Expected Changes:
What will be different? Facts...Figures...Observations...

Describe sensory evidence of changes where applicable
What will I / We: See...? hear...? touch...? taste...? smell?

Define exact needs being satisfied by the project

Solution Options

i. Replace current parts with

 

PLAN THE PROJECT Planning involves answering questions -

What must be done?

Who will do it?

How will it be done

When must it be done?

How much will it cost?

What do we need to do it?

EXECUTE THE PLAN

Once created, plans must be made to happen! Plans can become dynamic living blueprints for success. In the real world, unfortunately, plans disintegrate into dead documents, gathering dust between intermittent reincarnation sessions.

MONITOR CONTROL PROGRESS
Some areas of supervision and control, in no particular order.

CHECKLISTS

TARGETS

SCHEDULING

MILESTONES

DEADLINES

PERFORMANCE

RESOURCES

COMPLETE THE PROJECT

CLOSING AUDIT

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

CHALLENGES

OPPORTUNITIES

LESSONS LEARNED

MONITOR CONTROL PROGRESS Some areas of supervision and control, in no particular order.

MODIFICATIONS

CONTINGENCY PLANS

OBSTACLES

COMMUNICATION

RELATIONSHIPS

DELIVERY

Miscellaneous Thoughts

Generic project activities
When we break the overall project activities into smaller manageable chunks we find that there are activities that occur at the very start of the project life cycle, some during the cycle and then there are activities that occur very late in the project life cycle. We can make a list of these generic activities that occur with almost every project. Have a look at the following list of activities, and think about where they might come during a project:

• idea conception
• evaluate options
• define objectives
• define all tasks
• document all tasks
• establish resource requirements
• establish budget
• create project schedule
• produce status reports
• implement tasks
• monitor all work
• finish project
• evaluate results
• identify problems
• manage changes
• control all work

Project phases
All project activities can be grouped into phases, based on when they occur in the project life cycle. We will then find that all project life cycles have the same five basic phases.
Activities during the five basic project phases
The Initiation phase is about developing the idea and low level planning. Activities include:

• recognition of the project
• determining the project goal
• determining all stakeholders
• defining the expectations of all stakeholders, in terms of quality etc
• defining the initial scope of required work and resources
• selecting of initial members of the project team.

The Planning phase is about defining resources, schedules and all tasks. Activities include:

• a detailed definition of all work activities and responsibilities
• listing tasks and activities for each of the project objectives
• sequencing all activities in the most efficient manner
• developing a full working budget and resource schedule
• getting project plan approval by appropriate stakeholders.

The Execution phase is about co-ordinating and guiding the work. Activities include:

• leading the team
• communicating with all stake holders
• arranging team meetings
• procuring resources as required.

The Controlling phase is about watching, measuring and correcting where necessary. Activities include:

• monitoring the project plan for deviations
• modifying the plan when required
• rescheduling where required
• adapting resources where necessary
• changing objectives if necessary.

The Closing phase is about getting acceptance, completion and tidying up. Activities include:

• getting project sign-off from stakeholders
• finishing activities and disbanding the team
• reviewing the process, outcomes and experiences

writing the final project report.

Identify Client's Requirements
It is a good idea to have a standard set of questions to ask your client. Having a set printed out and ready to use will further improver the quality of your service and clients will perceive your service as well-planned and well-organised. Some questions you could ask are:

• What is the major activity that you use your computer  for?
• What do you expect your computer to be able to do after the upgrade or new installation?
• What software and version do you use now?
• Do you use any other software to support your work?

Analyse Client's Existing Software
Do not rely on verbal response but check the customer's computer. Check the client's software by utilising the About option in the Help menu. Record the Operating System name and version and the name and versions of any software applications. Find out the level of usage of the current software. You should also verify what operations the customer is performing using this software.
Installation
Whether you are installing an up-grade or a new piece of software, ask yourself :

• How suitable is the computer? Does the computer meet the minimum requirements of the software to be installed? Understand the difference between minimum and optimal requirements. Does it need to be upgraded in terms of memory or maybe even completely replaced with a new computer? What is the necessary hardware configuration of the machine?
• What software is already installed on the computer? What version of Windows or DOS etc? Will there be any conflict with what you'll be installing? Do you need to uninstall any software from the target system? Are there any new features that will interfere with any customisations that are in place such as wizards, macros, templates?
• When can I do the installation - what time is most convenient so as to minimise disruption?  How long will the machine be down? What will I need to explain to the user about their machine?
• How suitable is the software? Does it perform the tasks expected by the end-user? Is there perhaps a better piece of software? What does the new software do differently to the version that is currently in use? 
• Does the user need to be trained to use the software? If so what form will the training take - formal training sessions using a lab or one-on-one sessions at the user's workstation?
• What could go wrong with the installation and how could I get the computers working again?

When preparing to install a new piece of software, make sure you:

• back up the files
• scan for viruses and eradicate any viruses found on the hard disk
• install an authorised copy of the software
• diskcopy original disks 

HARDWARE
When thinking of upgrading a client’s computer consider the following:

• Planning. Before starting the upgrade it is important to carefully plan the upgrade, in particular how much this upgrade is going to cost. If you are planning a major upgrade, do your sums carefully as it may be more cost effective to purchase a new computer.
• Compatibility. Ensure that any new components for your upgrade are compatible with the existing system.
• Documentation. Any modifications should be document.

• Evaluation. After installation any existing software applications should work as well (or better) after the upgrade than they did before.

Planning and Documenting an Upgrade
You should consider the following:

• What components are needed?
• Are the planned components compatible with the existing components?
• What tools are required?
• What software changes will be necessary?

The document you write to present to the client shows how you can not only perform the upgrade, but that you understand the nature of the current setup and how this can be improved. It also serves as a record of the history of the system for future reference. It should be written in clear and precise English so that those who follow later can understand it.
What Factors Will Influence the Instruction You Provide to the Client?
There are a number of factors within the client company which will affect the way you provide instruction. Among these you should take into account: 

• the knowledge and skills of the client
• the complexity of the skills to be taught
• what time has been allowed for instruction
• how many staff will be requiring instruction
• what resources are already available, for example manuals
• the amount of money budgeted for training
• whether one-to-one or group training is required.

All these factors will determine the type, length, location and pace of instruction. You will have to ask the client appropriate questions to decide which of these factors will influence the way you present your training. 
 What Type of Instruction Will You Provide? 
The type of instruction will again, depend on the basic factors listed above. Based on this, you will then have to decide whether you will provide training informally, or in in a formal class either in a group or one-to-one. In any case, the way to effective training is to:

• use what resources you have in the most efficient way and 
• use methods that allow your clients to learn quickly and easily.