Course Description:

Source: https://nusmods.com/courses/IS4100/it-project-management

First lecture Powerpoint slide:

 1

IS4100 IT Project Mgt

Introduction to IT Project Management

A/P Sharon Tan

 Course Overview

To prepare you as a competent manager,

consultant, or executive who can
Increasing complexity of business and
effectively manage complex business IT
technology environments makes it very
projects, this course helps you to
challenging for project managers to
understand and develop the important
complete mission-critical projects on time
body of knowledge and skills in project
and within budget while satisfying clients
management by learning useful concepts,
& stakeholders.
frameworks, theories, principles,
methodologies, techniques, and tools.

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 4

Upon completion of this course, you
should be able to …
• Think like a project manager
• Manage the key aspects of a project.
• Understand and demonstrate knowledge of PM terms, frameworks, principles, processes,
methods, and techniques.
• Use Microsoft Project to plan, control, and manage a project.
• Assess and analyze project progress in terms of scope, time, cost, quality, and risk.
• Understand critical success factors of complex projects.
• Build and lead an effective project team.

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 5

What Is This Course About?

• Project management
• Fundamentals (PMBOK)
• Principles, theories, frameworks
• Hard skills + soft (people) skills
• Starting point for continuous learning and learning by doing
• Appreciating the complexities of PM

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 6

Course References
• Kathy Schwalbe (2019) Information Technology Project
Management, 9th ed., Course Technology, ISBN 978-981-
48-4401-7
• Available from Co-op or online
(https://www.cengageasia.com/TitleDetails/isbn/978981
4844017) (Input promo code SGNUSAUG21 to enjoy
student price and free delivery)
• Additional articles available through CANVAS

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 7

Course Format

• Lecture
• Tutorials
• Review of individual tutorial assignments (MS project)
• Project consultations (via Zoom)
• Group project

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 8

 Course Grade
* Will be normalized based on your contribution to the project, which will be determined via peer evaluation

Course Components Weightage

1. Individual Tutorial Assignments 15%
(x5)
2. Online Assessment (Wk 11, 1000- 15%
1100)
3. Class Participation 10%
4. Group Project * 60%
Total 100%
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 9
Individual Assignments
using MS Project Software
• A hypothetical case to learn about project planning, tracking
and control activities with MS Project software
• MS Project 2019 installation guide
• Online course @ EdX
(https://courses.edx.org/courses/course-
v1:Microsoft+CLD213x+4T2017/course/)
• Tutorial sessions to go over the assignments
• Submission dates are stated in the assignment handout
• Late submission (within 24hr 50% credit; after 24hrs
0%)

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 10

Group Project
• Each team will have 5 members
• Submit your group name and team members by 18/8, 11.59pm
• Project purposes
• Studying the IT PM practices of a variety of IT project teams
(what; why; how; compare/contrast with PMBOK)
• Deliverables
• Project deliverables (report/video clip + any supplementary
materials)
• Project management deliverables
• MS Teams to be used for project group deliverables and
communication with instructor
• Final grade for team project will be based on team grade and peer
evaluation

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 11

Course Website & Communication
CANVAS (IS4100)

• Important announcements
• Forum:
• Post-lecture discussion
• Clarification on assignment/course matters
• Getting to know one another
• Document repository
• Course documents
• Assignment submission
• Grade reporting

If you have private/personal matters to discuss

with the instructor, email to arrange for meeting

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 12

Class Introductions…
Post on Forum page
• Name; first, last, preferred; how to pronounce
• Degree programme / year
• Relevant interests / working experiences (e.g., internship)
• What makes you interesting / unique?
• What do you hope to get out of this module
• Photo of yourself

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 13

Course Facilitators

Lecturer Teaching Assistant

¡ Sharon TAN § Alvaro Gonzales Rivas
¡ tansl@comp.nus.edu.sg § alvaro@nus.edu.sg

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 14

Introduction to IT Project Management

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 15

 Opening Questions

WHAT IS A PROJECT? IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT WHAT DO WE DO WHEN WE HOW ATTRACTIVE IS PROJECT

IMPORTANT? WHY OR WHY MANAGE A PROJECT? MANAGEMENT AS A
NOT? PROFESSION OR A CAREER?

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 16

What is a Project

A project is a temporary endeavor with a defined beginning and

end, undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result.

What are some egs of IT projects?

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 17

 How is a project different from operations?

Differences Similarities

• Temporary (not on-going) • People play an important

with a definite start and role
end • Constrained by limited
• Produce a (relatively) resources
unique product or • Planned, executed, and
service controlled

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 18

Project Attributes
• Unique purpose
• Temporary
• Drives change and enables value creation
• Developed using progressive elaboration
• Requires resources (often from various areas)
• Should have a primary customer or sponsor
• Involves uncertainty

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 19

Project, Program, and Portfolio

Portfolio

Programme Programme Projects Project

Project
Projects

Project
Project Project
Project
Projects Projects

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 20

 Project Management vs.
Project Portfolio Management

Strategic
Goals Are we working on the
right projects?

Project portfolio Are we investing in the

right areas?
management Do we have the right
resources to be
competitive?

Are we carrying out the

projects well?

Project Are projects on time and

on budget?
management Do project stakeholders
Tactical know what they should
be doing?
Tactics to achieve
strategic goal Goals
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 21
IT Projects are
Everywhere and
Costly!
• Worldwide IT spending is
projected to total $3.9
trillion in 2021 (Gartner,
2020)
• Most work will be project
based by 2027 (Bain &
Co, 2017)
• Organizations waste $97
million for every $1 billion
spent on projects (PMI’s
Pulse of the Profession
report 2017)
PMI’s Pulse of the Profession report 2021
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 22
How do we define project success?

Time - On time Cost- Within budget Scope - Meeting requirements

(functional, quality)

ANY OTHERS?
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 24
Question
• Why do projects fail?

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 25

IT Project Success Factors
Executive support / sponsorship
Emotional maturity
User involvement
Optimization
Skilled resources
Agile process
Modest execution
Project management expertise
Clear business objectives
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 28
Source: Standish Group “CHAOS Manifesto 2015”
Does PM Really Matter?
Recent improvement in success rate of IT projects is largely attributed to
formal and disciplined project management

Disciplined PM has improved …

• 54% in requirements performance

• 52% in projects completion
• 47% in budget performance
• 47% in quality
• 47% in schedule performance
• 47% in employee satisfaction
• 45% in customer satisfaction
• 41% in time-to-market
• 32% in staff productivity

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 29

Source: The Center for Business Practices, Project Solutions Inc., 2009
 What is Project Management?

Current PM paradigm:
Project management is “the structured, scientific, divide-and-
An industry-standard framework
application of knowledge, skills, conquer, systematic approach
for the body of knowledge of PM
tools and techniques to project (But, keep in mind that
(PMBOK) is provided by PMI
activities to meet project alternative approaches exist and
(Project Management Institute)
requirements.” can be effective under certain
conditions)

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 30

Project Management Framework
(PMBOK) defines 10 Knowledge Areas

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 31

Challenges of Project Management
(compared to Operations Management)

Personnel Estimating Authority

Inevitably, so
Staffing, multiple Unclear about
many assumptions
projects, post- authority for
and so much
project decisions
uncertainty

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 32

Most
Essential of
A ll in P M :
The Triple
Constraints

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 33

Trade-Offs among
Time, Cost, and Scope
• Changing one project constraint inevitably
influences other constraints

• Expanded scope negatively affects on-

time, within-budget completion

• Budget cut may cause low quality,

reduced scope, and/or longer duration

• Shortened project duration may require

scope adjustment to meet the budget

VERY IMPORTANT!!!
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 34
Tradeoff between Time and
Cost (Labor)?

A project manager is someone who believes that

9 pregnant women can create a baby in 1 month

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 35

Tradeoff between Time and Cost (Labor)?
• In general, money can buy labor which in turn can substitute for time.

Project
duration

Project
manpower
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 36
But, it is NOT ALWAYS that Simple

Time Time

Manpower Manpower

Source: The Mythical Man-Month,

IS4100 IT Project Mgt Frederick Brooks 37
Implications?
Know which constraint/goal has a higher or lower priority for the specific project you are managing –
the priority changes over time

Know which one is fixed and which one can vary

Understand trade-off relationships among different constraints /goals

Know when to adjust a certain constraint / goal to meet other constraints/goals

Make sure to communicate all these implications with project stakeholders

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 38

 Trends Affecting IT Project Management

Globalization: Outsourcing: Virtual teams:

lower trade and political when an organization a group of
barriers and the digital acquires goods and/or individuals who work
revolution have made it sources from an across time and
possible to interact outside source; space using
almost instantaneously offshoring is sometimes communication
with billions of other used to describe technologies
people across the planet outsourcing from
another country
IS4100 IT Project Mgt 39
Role of the Project Manager

Job descriptions vary, but most include responsibilities such as planning,

scheduling, coordinating, and working with people to achieve project goals.

97% of successful projects were led by qualified and experienced project

managers.

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 40

Required Skills for Project Managers

Communication skills: Listens, persuades.

Organizational skills: Plans, sets goals, analyzes.
Team-building skills: Shows empathy, motivates.
Leadership skills: Sets examples, provides vision, delegates,
positive, energetic.
Coping skills: Flexible, creative, persistent, resilient
Technology skills: Experience, project knowledge.

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 41

Different • Large projects: leadership, relevant prior
experience, planning, people skills, verbal
Ski l l s communication, and team-building skills
• High uncertainty projects: risk management,
Needed in expectation management, leadership, people
skills, and planning skills
Different • Very novel projects: leadership, people skills,
having vision and goals, self confidence,
Situations expectations management, and listening skills

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 42

Importance of Leadership Skills
• Effective project managers provide leadership by example
• A leader focuses on long-term goals and big-picture
objectives while inspiring people to reach those goals
• A manager deals with the day-to-day details of meeting
specific goals
• Project managers often take on the role of both leader
and manager

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 43

Project Management Institute (PMI)
• An international professional society for
project managers founded in 1969
• Over a half million members in 185 countries
• Interest groups in many areas like engineering,
financial services, health care, IT, etc.
• Continuous growth in PM research &
certification programs

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 45

PMP Certification

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 46

PMP Certification Difference

• PMP certification will gain you a 20% increase in salary over non-
credentialed project managers with similar qualifications.

• Particularly useful for early career

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 47

Lecture Summary
• A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique
product, service, or result
• Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and
techniques to project activities to meet project requirements
• A program is a group of related projects managed in a coordinated way,
and project portfolio management involves organizing and managing
projects and programs as a portfolio of investments
• Project managers play a key role in helping projects and organizations
succeed; managing the project triple constraints is key
• Trends like globalization, outsourcing, virtual teams make IT project
management more challenging

IS4100 IT Project Mgt 48

Source:
https://www.coursehero.com/file/213017341/Introduction-to-IT-PMpdf/?justUnlocked=1