StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Project Management for the Business Organization - Essay Example

Cite this document
Summary
This essay explores project management. It can best be described in terms of the things that you need to do to successfully manage a project: develop and manage a project plan; plan, define and manage project scope; create a project schedule, plan resources and budget costs…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER98.4% of users find it useful
Project Management for the Business Organization
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Project Management for the Business Organization"

Project Management System: Scantel Project s Introduction: A project is a one-off process with a single definable end-result or product. Some examples include building a house, introducing new human resources practices, and developing new IT systems. The ever-increasing rate of change in the environments in which organisations operate requires them to transform themselves regularly if they are to survive and have the possibility of prosperity. Hence the continued growth in interest in project management. Much of project management is concerned with planning and controlling the three key variables associated with projects. These variables are time, cost, and quality. They are interrelated and a change in any single variable frequently has a significant impact on the others. "Project management, is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to describe, organise, oversee and control the various project processes. But perhaps project management can best be described in terms of the things that you need to do to successfully manage a project: 1. Develop and manage a project plan (Integration Management) 2. Plan, define and manage project scope (Scope Management) 3. Create a project schedule, plan resources and budget costs (Time & Cost Management) 4. Develop a quality plan and carry out quality assurance and quality control activities (Quality Management) 5. Perform organisational planning, manage staff acquisitions and promote team development (Human Resource Management) 6. Develop a communications plan (Communications Management) 7. Identify risks, prepare risk mitigation plans and execute contingency actions (Risk Management)." (Lcpowers.com, 2001) The Information System Project Management: The advent of Information system and its importance for the business organisation has forced the organisations to implement different Information system projects. Many of the projects became a failure due to lack of proper skills in order to undertake these projects successfully. On the other hand the companies which initiated and successfully implemented these projects enjoyed the hyper growth. In order to make these projects different tools and techniques were introduced by the management gurus in order to increase the success rate of these projects. As indicated in the case of Scantel project the five major sub systems are: 1. Lens and lens mounting: an exceptionally high-precision adjustable mounting. 2. Vision support system: the support and control and recording electronics, which were associated with the lens. 3. Display system: the visual display and associated graphics software and control. 4. Control Logic System: the overall control software, which integrated the whole Scantel system. 5. Chassis and body: the physical support chassis and outer casing. The company needs to undertake following steps in order to properly synchronise. Chilcott (2001) presented a 7-Step Development Process in order to effectively under take an IS project: 1. Identify and List Stakeholders: The identification and listing of stakeholders is very important and the initial step in an Is project. The list of the stakeholders should include all the people who have the power to effect the system. The second category of stakeholders includes the people whose position and power will be affected by the project. The third and most important category is the users of the project. It is important to recognise the actual stakeholders of the project. The representatives of these stakeholders should be included in all the discussions related to the Scantel project in order to sketch the clear vision and necessities of project. After the identification process it is important to determine the problem statement. The entire stakeholder should reach an agreement on the definition of problem in order to design a project to fit the problem size for all the stakeholders. 2. Identify and List Actors The perceptions of the stakeholders regarding the Scantel project must be analysed or in other words it should be found that what all the stakeholders want from the project. The project stakeholders can be divided into different groups according to their expectations regarding the project. The use and expectation of the stakeholders will help in designing the project in right way. It is seen in case of different projects that the developers and the involved stakeholders do not know about what they exactly want from the project. The development of an internal model regarding the perceptions of developers and stakeholders regarding the project will help all the people involved to expect, create, build and effectively use and support the system. 3. Identify and List Use Cases Use cases are the core of the whole process. The use cases present the complete functionality of the system. A use case in defined as an interaction between the user and the system. The use cases of the different stakeholders differ according to their expectations. They are an effective and meaningful tool to manage and organise the project. The use case collection in undertaken according to three steps: 1. To discover the use case while discussing with the stakeholders this step involves a general overview of two to three sentences of the use case. 2. At the second stage an analysis of the user case is undertaken according to the business rules and the system relationship components. 3. The next step is the decision making about the implementation of the user case. All the scheduling and development steps are designed. 4. Identify and List Scenarios All the possible ways to execute the user case should also be undertaken into consideration. Scenarios are the different ways the user case can play out to by the actor. In case of inclusion of all the scenarios the model will become very expensive and complex. So it is recommended to use standard scenarios. 5. Identify and List Steps Detailed description of the steps needed to complete a Scenario. 6. Identify and List Classes/Objects Detailed description(s) and/or models of the design and implementation of the methods and properties needed to complete a step. Can be organised into Interface, Controller, and Entity Classes, often using UML2 diagramming notation. 7. Manage Work Products The collection of artefacts that are produced and delivered to the client or other project stakeholders during project development. Tools & Techniques: In order to effectively plan an the project it is important to asses the risk attached with these projects. In order to calculate these risks and uncertainties, tools such as Risk Potential Assessment, Risk Potential Assessment guidance andRapid_Risk_Check_v02.2.xls, The Rapid Risk Check sheet are available which can be used by the Management in order to asses the risk attached with Scantel Project. Capability and Capacity: The second assessment should be of the current capabilities of the company in order to achieve the successful outcome of the project. SPRITE Capability Assessment Tool (CAT), CAT Leaflet, Organisational Capability Maturity Assessment (CMA). Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3) "OGC has recently developed a Portfolio, Programme and Project Management Maturity Model (P3M3) building on the existing Project Management Maturity Model. The P3M3 uses a similar approach to maturity as the well-recognised Carnegie-Melon Maturity Model (CMMM) and is based on various existing portfolios, programme and project management best practice. In 2001/2, a need was identified for the development of an organisational level assessment service based on a formal project management maturity model. At that time, OGC had a series of benchmarking assessments and associated maturity models, which had only received limited take-up within government. OGC had received a number of requests from both public and private sector organisations wishing to use a recognised "kite mark", such as the PRINCE2 logo, to demonstrate their achievement of standards relating to project management. PRINCE2 Maturity Model V0.05.01: The purpose of the PRINCE2 Maturity Model is to enable organisations to gauge, by assessment, their maturity in the use of the PRINCE2 project management method. The model can also be used: To understand the key practices that are part of an effective organisational process to manage projects. To identify the key practices that need to be embedded within the organisation to achieve the next level of maturity. To understand the rationale behind the assessment questionnaire. It can be used in one of two ways: As a standalone maturity model" (OGC, 2005) Prince 2: The prince 2 model enables an organisation to measure the performance by assessment through using the prince 2-project management model. The prince 2 model is a level by level analysis processes undertaken in key area as to what the organisation would do to improve their capabilities with regard to undertake effective project management. Level 1: The need of undertaking a project is felt. Level 2: At level 2 the organisations can introduce prince 2. This level is further subdivided in different steps: 2.1 Directing a project analyse the control of board project on project and the decision making. 2.2 Initiating a project: an analysis of sound base of project definition and measurement of success project. 2.3 Stage controlling: To ensure the daily check of progress by the management. 2.4 Closing a project: To ensure the orderly finish of the project. 2.5 Business case: To ensure the justification of undertaking and continuation of the project 2.6 Organisation: To ensure the provision of the talented and skilled project management team. 2.7 Plan / planning: To ensure the provision of credible plans and to include all the relevant information regarding stakeholders. 2.8 Risk management: To ensure the identification of risk involves in undertaking and implementing the project and to undertake the necessary steps minimise risk. 2.9 Controls: To provide insight to the actual project position to the management so that necessary steps can be undertaken in case of deviation from the actual project. 2.10 Quality control: To ensure the quality products resulting from the project. Davenport argued strongly for the need to manage information behaviour, whereby the information culture would better support organisational objectives: "Some widely publicised technologies ...can help capture and disseminate organisational knowledge, but they're of little help if the people involved aren't already predisposed to use information effectively." (Davenport, 1997) He goes on to identify "three critical types of information behaviour that improve a company's information environment": [p.87] a. Sharing information: "...the voluntary act of making information available to others." [p.87] Often this involves hierarchically horizontal information transfer (peer-to-peer), as opposed to the involuntary information reporting structures based on vertical information transfer. b. Handling information overload: filtering an overabundance of available information so that attention (limited as it is) can be directed to that which is most useful. c. Dealing with multiple meanings: recognising the fact that business-relevant information items may have different meanings across different functional groups within the organisation. In a preliminary study that classified types of information behaviour within an organisational context, Bonner et al. (1996) raise some interesting questions. Is it possible to identify the relative combination of strengths of type for individual (and group) information behaviour Would it be possible to establish combinations of information behaviour type as being more suitable to certain types of work Can training programmes be developed to strengthen desirable information behaviour types Bonner et al. defined an individual's information behaviour in terms of their behaviour at a point in time in dealing with information within a given information environment (or context). It includes the person's behaviour with respect to: Determining the existence of, and locating needed information related to a specific problem or issue; Recognising new potential uses to which particular information may be put. The MIS and Human Factors Considerations: Computer applications and projects that develop those applications have always been subject to certain behavioural influences. The influences that can affect the performance of employees as they perform their computer-related tasks are regarded as human factor considerations. The implementation cost of the new information system often have some hidden costs which cannot be calculated at the beginning of a project (Anderson and Dawes, 1991). Often workers are required to be trained to effectively use the technology being implemented but this training reduce the working hours. Currid (1995) states the same fact as: When a new system is introduced, it rocks day-to-day activity so much that some people don't adjust quickly. They stay less productive than they were without the new computer. And, if this situation goes unchecked, they may never recover. In Standish Group's CHAOS Report, the group analysed 8380 Information projects that were underway in 365 companies and reported failure and success rates. The report used some indicators and divided the companies into following three categories which are as follows: Resolution Type 1 is a "Project Success" - it completed on time and budget, with all features and functions as specified. Only 16.2% of projects fell in this category. Resolution Type 2 is "Project Challenged." These were completed, but were over cost, over time, and/or lacking all of the features and functions that were originally specified. 52.7% of all studied projects fell into this Resolution Type 2 (Challenged) category. Resolution Type 3 is termed "Project Impaired/Failed." These projects were abandoned or cancelled at some point and thus became total losses. A disturbing 31.1% of all studied projects fell into this category. For the purposes of the Scantel Project the management can use the above three Standish Group measures of project outcome: A successful project must be on time, on budget, and deliver quality (features and functions) as promised. Anything less will be either a failed project or a challenged project. We will use the same criteria in reporting the examples of successful or unsuccessful projects. Inadequate training results in the necessity of users learning mostly on their own (Norris and Thompson, 1988; Rocheleau and Wu, 1994). Most of the mega-investment Information system projects failed due to the lack of proper training and alignment of technology with the business strategy. Most often the failure of projects is the result diversion from the initial design of the project. The project was aimed at facilitating distribution of baggage from check- in to aircraft to transfer and arrival. The management was unable to align business strategy with the technology. In order to avoid complications a number of short-term solutions were implemented making the project an investment failure (Johnson, 1994). The major reasons for the failure of project was the lack of co-ordination between different stake holders related to project and the tight time scale in order to implement and test new technology. As researched by (Goulemos, 2003) were the unrealistic estimation of completion time, lack of teamwork and cohesion between the parties involved. Lack of power centralisation was also an important issue i.e. Lack of leadership and management adversely effected the project. On the other hand well-implemented Information systems can revolutionise the future reputation and business scale of a company. References Anderson, David F. and Sharon S. Dawes (1991). Government Information Management: A Primer and Casebook. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1991. Bonner, M., Casey, M-E. Greenwood, J., Johnstone, D., Keane, D., & Huff, S., (1998). Information behaviour: a preliminary investigation. In Medhi Khosrow-Pour (Ed.), Proceedings of IRMA 1998, Effective Utilisation and Management of Emergent Technologies (pp. 68-79). Boston, MA: Idea Group Publishing Collins, T. (2002) "NATS accept the facts, take action" IT Management: Weekly, 10th October. Currid, C. (1995). "Fighting 'Technology Shock'. InformationWeek, February 6: 63. Davenport, T., (1997). Information ecology, New York, NY: Oxford University Press Donaldson, J. and Erskine, R. (2002) "At last a silver lining around the trouble NATS Air Traffic Control System" Software Forensics Centre, Technical Report TR 2002-01. Drummond, H., (1999). Are we any closer to the end Escalation and the case of Taurus. International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. 11-16. Goulielmos, M., (2002). Outlining organisational failure in information systems development". Disaster Development and Management Journal, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 319-27. Johnson, (1994). Late Already, Denver Faces More Delays", New York Business and Times, Sept 24. LCPowers.com, (2001). What is Project Management Available at http://www.lcpowers.com/whatispm.htm Norris, Donald F. and Lyke Thompson, (1988). Computing in Public Administration: Practices and Education. Social Science Computer Review 6(4): 548-557. Neufville, R., (1994). The Baggage System at Denver: Prospects and Lessons. The Journal of Air Transport Management, Vol. 1, No.4, Dec., pp. 229-36. Office of Government Commerce, (2005). Successful Delivery Toolkit, available at http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit/reference/tools/index.html Rocheleau, Bruce and Liangfu Wu, (1994). Training: The Missing Ingredient in the New Information Technology. Paper delivered at 1994 Meeting of the American Society for Public Administration, Kansas City, Missouri, July 25. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(“Project Management System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words”, n.d.)
Project Management System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/business/1528679-project-management-system
(Project Management System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 Words)
Project Management System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 Words. https://studentshare.org/business/1528679-project-management-system.
“Project Management System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 Words”, n.d. https://studentshare.org/business/1528679-project-management-system.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Project Management for the Business Organization

Advantage of Using Project Management Software Application Overshadow the Disadvantages

It manages the overall budget of the project, evaluates the risks associated with it, calculation of the costs and lastly, the business forecasting.... project management Student Enter the Name and Code Number University or College Name of the Professor Date project management project management is considered as a planned but well organized effort taken in an account for the execution of a project successfully.... The project management is aimed to attain the project goals while anticipating and analyzing the different limitations such as scope, time, and budget....
12 Pages (3000 words) Research Paper

Project Management as Imperative for a Business Organization

This paper describes project management as an imperative for a business organization.... In essence, project management is not just a process or a method; it is really more of a "mindset," thus, it is imperative for business organization owners or those in the higher echelon of firm management to be receptive to its potentials toward progress before it can be initiated as a constructive and a valuable process within the organization.... hellip; project management has been depicted as a finely developed and a well recognized and accepted domain of professional expertise and as a sphere for academic study geared at promoting improvements in a system (White and Fortune, 2002)....
8 Pages (2000 words) Report

Project Management Organizational Structures paper

There are three basic organization structures a corporation can utilized.... The model is not good at responding to the needs of the customers since no one in particular within the organization is focusing on their needs.... These companies must decide how their business will be structured.... In such a scenario management does not have a clear understanding on how the culture affects the employee's productivity.... The lack of communication makes the structured not suited for efficient project teams....
4 Pages (1000 words) Essay

Organisation management

Organizational silos are units, departments or subgroups in an organization which has a tendency to protect themselves by keeping duplicate data and services that holds hostage the whole organization.... he presence of silos in an organization are a Teacher Corporate Silos in Organisations Organizational silos are units, departments or subgroups in an organization which has a tendency to protect themselves by keeping duplicate data and services that holds hostage the whole organization....
2 Pages (500 words) Essay

Project Management Organization

There are various types of organizations in the business world but the three main forms of companies which are idle for project management purposes are functional organizations, matrix organizations, and pure project management organizations (Bobera, 2008).... The author of this case study "project management Organization" casts light on the company that is basically a manufacturer of the motorcycle cruisers which is medium-sized.... ther positive aspects of the matrix organization for the company are that the resources can be shared among various projects, the project manager makes sure that the project work is coordinated and integrated with other units, the resources are effectively balanced to make sure that the costs and quality requirements are sufficiently met and at the end of the project the anxiety of project members is greatly reduced (project management Institute, 2008)....
6 Pages (1500 words) Case Study

Business and Project Management , in a format of Questions-Answers

project management is an important aspect for every organization.... To manage the projects in a functional manner organizations recruits project management Officer (PMO), who looks… Every PMO has certain objectives (Cavallaro, 2013).... upportive PMO plays an important role for the organization.... n the organization PMO is the only person who interacts with both higher authority as well as bottom level employees.... In the matrix organizational structure PMO is positioned after the top-level management, and connects all departments of the organization....
11 Pages (2750 words) Essay

Project Management Organizational Approach

When an organizational structure proves to be… The emergence of project-oriented enterprises has impacted the way organizations are structured.... Functional organizational allows flexibility in staff planning and resource allocation because functional divisions can act as the administrative base for a project.... Further the functional unit may be specialized to tackle the project thereby providing the technical expertise required to successfully complete the project....
4 Pages (1000 words) Research Paper

The Delivery of the Projects in Different Industries

This essay will provide new insights on project management issues with regard to the delivery of the projects in different industries such as: IT, Healthcare, Manufacturing, Utilities etc.... It is clear that project management in the Age of Disruptive Opportunities.... IT(Information technology) along with BI(Business Intelligence) has embedded all principles of project management.... It is clear that project management in the Age of Disruptive Opportunities....
6 Pages (1500 words) Essay
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us