Digital Project Management - Essay Example

?PROJECT MANAGEMENT Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Project Management 2.0 3 Fundamental Transformation 4 New Generation of Project Management 5 New Way of Project Office Management 6 The Google generation’s Project Management 7 High Availability of Project Information 8 Transformation in Traditional Working Practice 9 Technology Support for Project Management 10 Web 2.0 Tools 10 Dynamic E-Collaboration Technology 11 EasyProject 12 Conclusion 12 Bibliography 13 Introduction In this present era of information technology collaborative projects definitely require disciplined and dynamic software application tools for the workplace. This workplace connects individual and cooperative team members collectively to do the work. In this new age of information technology high level and sophisticated online collaboration technology has turned out to be increasingly ubiquitous. Additionally, this online technology is greatly improvising the connectivity and performance in various areas of life. Undoubtedly, the field of project management has as well been influenced by this innovative technology. Currently such highly refined online collaboration technology is used in the field of project management for remotely handling and managing the projects, directing business contracts as well as managing virtual relationships (Mumbi & McGill, 2007), (The Project Wall, 2011) and (Filev, 2008). This paper discusses the important aspects of digital project management. In this scenario I will assess the prime strategies and techniques which can be applied by a project manager in order to deliver the required results of the project. This paper will also discuss new developments and advancements in the field of project management. Project Management 2.0 This section discusses a new evolutionary paradigm of Project Management 2.0 that is evolved through the high-tech support and facilities of web 2.0. Project Management 2.0 (sometimes mistakenly acknowledged as the Social-Project-Management) is one of the evolutionary information technology (IT) based project management practices. Additionally, this new IT based project management is implemented through the interface of new enhanced Web 2.0 tools and technologies. In this scenario, the modern Web 2.0 tools and technologies like wikis, blogs, shared communication boards, collaborative software, etc. have really supported the development of project management to a superior level. Additionally, through the implementation of these new Web 2.0 technologies, shortly distributed as well as globally distributed online virtual teams are competent to work in cooperation with a great deal of additional proficiency by using the next-age, usually less costly or free online development and project management systems. In addition, these innovative applications and effective tools completely change the customary approach of the project manager. Moreover, the new Project Management 2.0 practice demonstrates an impressive enhancement in the competency for collaboration or cooperation in distributed project management teams (Filev, 2008), (The Project Wall, 2011) and (McMahon, 2000). Fundamental Transformation Web 2.0 tools and Project Management 2.0 systems have the capability to facilitate project team members to work in cooperation by staying connected through any IT based framework such as internet. However, in this overall development practice cooperative intelligence is not only the transformation which may occur. On the other hand, collaboration develops the approaches to one more flourishing performance, derived from Enterprise 2.0 (which is emerging framework). All these dominating standards find out dissimilarities between Project Management 2.0 approach and customary project management approach. Additionally, it has also offered tools those have facilitated the team members to interact or communicate with other team members consequently reduce surplus workload (Filev, 2008), (The Project Wall, 2011) and (Khazanchi & Zigurs, 2007). Moreover, project management 2.0 has changed the mode of resourcefully managing projects. Additionally, now in place of making use of individual work-breakdown structure that is planned prior to the project is initiated, numerous frameworks might be implemented as well as they are able to progress just around the corner. The adoption of these methods facilitate the project managers in augmenting efficiency among several teams, particularly in the situations where either high level project plans require modifications frequently, or associates of teams are not located within a single workplace premises or project executive is concerned in more than a few project teams at the same time (Filev, 2008), (The Project Wall, 2011) and (Khazanchi & Zigurs, 2007). New Generation of Project Management It is observed that the innovative inventions of project management are making massive use of web based technology like internet. Additionally, the web and high availability of speedy internet has absolutely transformed the traditional practice of project management and offered diverse opportunities for the project management and issues handling. In this scenario, the new generation of project management is making considerable use of web based tools and technologies to track and manage project tasks and activities. In addition, this new generation of project management tools is becoming a regular element of a project manager's tasks and responsibilities. Moreover, these tools offer a lot of facilities to the project managers such as reminding project team members regarding project closing date, integrating project working condition updates into a project plan, corresponding project transformations and making high level reports about effective project management. Thus, it has the capability to enhance the collaborative strength of the entire project management team. Moreover, through the implementation of Project Management 2.0 tools, team members work together and distribute related information with an ease. Consequently, this arrangement has also allowed the project directors to play the role of a project observer rather than an individual who is responsible for assigning jobs to other members of team (Davidson, 2008) and (Watkins, 2009). In view of the fact that the Project Management 2.0 is a new technology however thousands of small and large size companies are already making use of the innovative applications of this technology. Additionally, the web based applications such as wikis and blogs are extremely well-liked at the moment all over the world, because of their simplicity as well as effectiveness for cooperation. In addition, many corporations for instance IBM, Microsoft, Sun Microsystems, SAP and Google write project blogs based on these practices. On the other hand, the businesses which are not utilizing these applications have their own personal online working and operational project blogs which are quickly augmenting their teams’ capabilities (Davidson, 2008) and (Watkins, 2009). New Way of Project Office Management The majority of project sponsors would currently look forward to the whole authorized process to be performed with the help of electronic mail communication. This does not state that we are able to omit receiving formal project agreement. In its place, the method we set-off for protecting sponsor signoff is different, because of the technology we can avail in office. At the present, project managers do not need to keep record of a project in form of hard copies. On the other hand, they can store project information into the computer. Therefore documentation is stored by means of new technology based structure on a central data shared server machine, including electronically scanned duplicates of some significant documentation that has been approved and signed by the project executive. Additionally, the copies of supporting emails are stored with the remaining operational project data and documents on the business and corporate server. Hence this technique of management of project office documentation has developed because of accessibility of new technology at job, and a development of the way wherein we typically utilize this approach (Filev & Harrin, 2010). The Google generation’s Project Management The moment we require information, we can search our needed information through our preferred search engine known as Google by typing our query and get an immediate response against over query even within few seconds. Additionally, the Google search engine has definitely changed the way which project stakeholders anticipate to obtain data and required information. On the other hand, if we require discovering some information, we have to be capable of performing the intended task rapidly and in an easy manner. It is not further considered imperative to search in encyclopedias or pass through to the data and information library in order to study accordingly. But if we are not familiar with the answer, we are able to explore the issue on Google search engine. This fact has added the evolution of deceitful in local-questions; however it has as well enabled the hard supervision of the project tasks and activities (Filev & Harrin, 2010). Moreover, the project management is experiencing a greater influence from such new information and data handling services. In this scenario the Google has offered online shared documents support could be shared among team members to successfully manage and handle the overall project. Thus, it definitely leads to enhanced project management and issues resolution. In this scenario, each member of project team has the capacity to manage and update the overall project performance in a much better way (Filev & Harrin, 2010). High Availability of Project Information High availability of project information is also a main concern in the project management. Nowadays project stakeholders encompass dissimilar prospects regarding project information, since they are able to obtain required data and information by simply clicking a button. The reality that individuals are linked at workplace as well as at homes has an unplanned influence on the method wherein we offer project valued data and information. Additionally, at the present project stakeholders anticipate instantaneous, current project working standing reports. Or, they want us to provide them the needed information at any time they need it, through electronic communication like that email. Project managers at the present have to manage those elevated prospects as well as always remain aware of project progress in case a person inquires about it (Filev & Harrin, 2010). Moreover, in any project high availability of project information definitely results in superior project performance. In this scenario there is a dire need for the establishment of proper IT based platform in order to better manage the project activities. Additionally, these platforms offer better support for the effective management of corporate data. They are capable of offering enhanced connectivity support for business data and information regardless of the higher distances between different project entities. Moreover, through these virtual workplaces the business staff could effectively manage the overall project operations and working aspects. Transformation in Traditional Working Practice Traditional project management as a profession is extremely tense job, and the majority of project managers are inclined to move further once a project is ended. Due to this style of working, the subcontracting of project management occurs. In this scenario, a business hires its project managers from an external source and makes a deal with them for the working period of the project. One additional category of subcontracting or outsourcing is the management of projects like committed teams of the project. The new project teams function like detach working members from the remaining parent business association, employing its staff from both inside and outside the organization to perform the intended tasks (Pia, 2008). In this scenario, the existing processes as well as applications of project management carry on discovering developments that are capable to persevere with the utilization of available resources; however there is yet space for useful developments. On the other hand, project managers are often assigned to projects for creating and distributing products that work effectively. In this scenario, the research in project management pays considerable attention on project managers’ efficiency and on the aspect of purposeful administrator’s efficiency, through deliverance of product involved as being the efficiency factor. Keeping in mind the existing situations it is obvious that project managers are not always competent and well-organized in many ways (Ireland, 2008). Technology Support for Project Management This section discusses various IT support areas and tools that could be helpful in managing the projects effectively: Web 2.0 Tools RSS feeds, Blogs and wikis are extremely well-liked web based applications, as they are building up the knowledge that was not generally expressed in traditional way of communication for instance via electronic mail. Additionally, through RSS feeds, Blogs and wikis communication is becoming more and more effective and efficient these days. In other words, these communication tools have become standard communication tools. There also exists a huge efficiency increase prospective in managing software development through collaborative software development process. Additionally, new collaboration systems and technologies unite the degree of power linked with traditional software designed on project management through the advantages of Web 2.0 applications. The most excellent tools in this regard are integrated with email, simple and inexpensive to utilize and implement. In addition, various large size corporations such as Walt Disney, McDonalds, Toyota, Capgemini and Walmart make use of next generation project management systems inside their corporate divisions to proficiently manage their business activities (Davidson, 2008). Moreover, this new generation of software applications has developed too much high level performance and working capability for the business and corporate areas. Additionally, through the implementations of these tools and applications the business can have a great deal of better performance and control over business areas. In this scenario, the effective adoption of project management practice definitely leads to effective performance of business as well as project manager (Davidson, 2008). Dynamic E-Collaboration Technology An innovative category of collaboration emerged as Dynamic-eCollaboration technology, which entails malleable associations among business associates as well as present cooperative effort. Here projects are performed on the average or small provisions. In this framework it can be observed that new associations are produced on informal basis, as well as these associations are discarded so early as businesses that are disseminated besides the functions and tasks engaged in business processes have generally moved out (Rusu & Rusu, 2010). Moreover, the new technology of the Dynamic eCollaboration depends on 2 separate aspects in which one is the need and the other is trust and both of these aspects have a huge control over the information represented as well as shared applications within the framework of collaborative working projects. Additionally, these aspects have created a suitable IT arrangement which is offered to enhance current sharing process perspective due to the IT support of conventional eCollaboration when small applications are allowed through Dynamic eCollaboration (Rusu & Rusu, 2010). EasyProject EasyProject is an emerging web based tool or application for the project management that offers an implicit office to enable efficient communication among team associates. EasyProject allows the team members to distribute data, information and other completed tasks as well as proficiently make use of all the obtainable resources and contrivances. It is an admitted fact that every project manager needs to proficiently manage team members as well as help these team members to work efficiently in order to complete the project in time. Additionally, a project manager should be able to allocate responsibilities to team associates through great precedence and allow suitable time to complete the task. In this scenario, EasyProject could be helpful to project manager as well as project team members. It routinely informs project team associates regarding new projects activities, updates of accomplished jobs as well as even gives instant prompts of overdue jobs. Moreover, an inclusive reporting job helps monitor all the stages of the project (Rusu & Rusu, 2010). Conclusion This is the age of information technology since we see the implementations of IT based tools and techniques in every walk of life. Project management is collection of different activities and all these activities depend on each other. Additionally, in order to manage a project effectively all these activities need to be carried out successfully. In this scenario, IT based tools and techniques can play a significant role. This paper has discussed the concept of digital project management. This paper has shown how information technology can be used to manage projects. However, for the project management, software development industry needs to offer tools that are easy to utilize as well as less costly. Bibliography Davidson, M., 2008. Project management advances stress collaboration on projects. [Online] Available at: http://searchsoftwarequality.techtarget.com/news/1307939/Project-management-advances-stress-collaboration-on-projects [Accessed 19 April 2011]. Filev, A., 2008. Definition of Project Management 2.0. [Online] Available at: http://www.wrike.com/projectmanagement/01/15/2008/Definition_of_Project_Management_2_0 [Accessed 18 April 2011]. Filev, A. & Harrin, E., 2010. How Technology Affects Project Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.wrike.com/projectmanagement/02/01/2010/How-Technology-Affects-Project-Management [Accessed 19 April 2011]. Ireland, L., 2008. Future Trends in Project Management. [Online] Available at: http://www.asapm.org/asapmag/articles/PrezSez08-08.pdf [Accessed 18 April 2011]. Khazanchi, D. & Zigurs, I., 2007. An Assessment Framework for Discovering and Using Patterns in Virtual Project Management. In HICSS '07 Proceedings of the 40th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences., 2007. IEEE Computer Society Washington, DC, USA. McMahon, P.E., 2000. Virtual Project Management: Software Solutions for Today and the Future. Saint Lucie Press. Mumbi, C. & McGill, T., 2007. An investigation of the role of trust in virtual project management success. International Journal of Networking and Virtual Organisations, 5(1), pp.64-82. Pia, 2008. Trends in Project Management. 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