ICT Project Management

Question: Discuss about the ICT Project Management. Answer: Project methodology and its role in project management A strategic level plan that is used for controlling the development of the software is termed as project methodology. Conforto et al. (2014) depicts that project methodology is utilized for the developing every stage of the project lifecycle- defining, planning, executing and final delivery of the project before closure which intends to accomplish a business goal in a flexible way. Image 1: Project Life Cycle (Source: Conforto et al. 2014) An appropriate project methodology defines each phase of the project life cycle with accuracy. Serrador and Pinto (2015) illustrates that in the definition phase of the project development, the project methodology specifies the goals of the task for which the software is developed. Moreover, the responsibility of the software is also described in the definition phase. Conforto et al. (2014) also portrays that in the planning phase, the schedule, budget and required resources are defined with accuracy so that the software can be developed properly. Waterfall and Agile project methodology Compare and contrast Mahadevan et al. (2015) depicts that both the waterfall and the agile project methodology is used for the development of software for a business purpose. However, the major problem is that the waterfall project methodology is rigid and inflexible division of each phase of the project and all the testing phase has to be done before the implementation so that the final product can be evaluated perfectly; however, an agile methodology is used to resolve the disadvantage the waterfall methodology. Balaji and Murugaiyan (2012) illustrates that waterfall model is not suitable if the requirement for developing software is not clear but in agile methodology the software can be developed even of the requirement is not clear. Similarities and differences Conforto et al. (2014) illustrates that in case of similarities, a project manager or test manager uses both the project methodology for developing software in a systematic manner. Each phase critically follows the project requirements- design of the requirements, designing the software, implementation of the code for formulating the software and then verification and maintenance of the software. Waterfall project methodology Agile project methodology Requirements The requirements for developing the software have to be done before the initiation phase. The requirements of the software development can be changed whenever necessary. Test Planning Software development project planning is done before testing phase. The planning process is performed before the software development and during the project development (Balaji Murugaiyan, 2012). Testing Phase Testing phase starts after the completion of each phase of the software modules Testing phase can be incorporated into every phase of the software development Change of requirements The requirement of the software development cannot be changed at any stage The requirement of the software can be changed at any phase of the software development. Acceptance Testing The testing of the final software is done by the customer for analyzing whether all the requirements was fulfilled or not (Mahadevan et al., 2015). The testing of the completed software is performed by each team member for each iteration of the testing of the software Table 1: Difference between waterfall and agile project methodology (Source: Created by Author) Relation with the project life cycle In the project development cycle, the waterfall model develops the software in a sequential manner so that the progress of the formulation of software can be done in a steady manner. Figure 2: Waterfall project methodology (Source: Mahadevan et al. 2015) In this phase, all the requirement of the software is noted from the customer so that the final software can be delivered to the customer (Mahadevan et al., 2015). The plan is then formulated and the test manager will initiate the designing process. The waterfall model is easy to manage due to its rigidness and the test manager possesses a special ability to depict the project objective at the beginning. Figure 3: Agile project methodology (Source: Bose Thakur 2013) However, in the agile project methodology, Serrador and Pinto (2015) portrays that the project can be delivered more quickly and there is a closer collaboration between developers and the business. Customer changes their requirements at any point of the processand test managers can improve the coding of each module for continuous improvement. Test Manager will test the feasibility of the project- financial, practically and technologically feasible. Bose and Thakur (2013) demonstrates that in both of the project methodology the responsibility does not end after the delivery of the final products, the software maintenance plays a crucial role in both the software development of the project development and update it according to the changing requirements of the customer and the business. Reference List Balaji, S., Murugaiyan, M. S. (2012). Waterfall vs. V-Model vs. Agile: A comparative study on SDLC.International Journal of Information Technology and Business Management,2(1), 26-30. Bose, L., Thakur, S. (2013). Introducing Agile into a Non Agile Project Analysis Of Agile Methodology With Its Issues And Challenges.International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science,4(2). Conforto, E. C., Salum, F., Amaral, D. C., da Silva, S. L., de Almeida, L. F. M. (2014). Can agile project management be adopted by industries other than software development?.Project Management Journal,45(3), 21-34. Mahadevan, L., Kettinger, W. J., Meservy, T. O. (2015). Running on Hybrid: Control Changes when Introducing an Agile Methodology in a Traditional Waterfall System Development Environment.Communications of the Association for Information Systems,36(1), 5. Serrador, P., Pinto, J. K. (2015). Does Agile work?A quantitative analysis of agile project success.International Journal of Project Management,33(5), 1040-1051. ICT Project Management Question: Discuss about the ICT Project Management. Answer: Swot Analysis of Grand Wines Ltd. The use of SWOT analysis is for evaluating the core prospects of an organization (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat). It is market analysis tool that helps the market analyst for determining their core strengths and weaknesses along with evaluation of the threats and opportunities for the organization (Sevkli, 2012). The use of SWOT analysis is beneficial for assisting the managers and market analyst of the organization to form strategies for the improvement of their operations. The following chart has shown the SWOT analysis of Grand Wines Ltd. Strengths 1. Leader in production of Wine 2. Market Capture by 400 centres distributed all over NSW 3. Financial Strong Capital 4. Firm branding image of the organization 5. Improved Marketing Strategies Weakness 1. Absence of technological advancement 2. Absence of automatic data entry process 3. Consuming more time for completing the processes 4. Not able to provide service on time 5. Errors by human in sales data entry recording Opportunity 1. Scope for implying the information system 2. Growth of Market Size 3. Chances for implementing the global operations 4. Growth in demand of wine 5. Ease of operations used in the organization Threats 1. Dissatisfied Customers due to service lag 2. Transportation hindrances 3. No automatic information processing 4. Imposed taxes and rates on wine production 5. Strong competitors in wine production The explanation of the point mentioned in the SWOT analysis of Grand Wines Ltd. has been provided in the following points: Strengths: Grand wines has been using the production and marketing of wines and other liquors in the state of NSW. The strengths of Grand Wines include leader in production of wine, market Capture by 400 centers distributed all over NSW, financial strong capital, firm branding image of the organization, and improved marketing strategies. The company had been doing their business since a long time and the use of good marketing strategies and operations have resulted in making a branding image in the winery market. Weaknesses: It is crucial for analysing the weaknesses of the company for improving their functions and operations. The weaknesses of Grand Wines Ltd. include absence of technological advancement, absence of automatic data entry process, consuming more time for completing the processes, not able to provide service on time, and errors by human in sales data entry recording process. The most primary weakness of Grand Wines is lack of information system that has resulted in delay of operations and growth of dissatisfaction among customers. Opportunities: The business processes is based on the utilization of opportunities for getting commercial benefit. The growth of wine industries are based on the development of the operations and increase of market size. The opportunities of the Grand Wines Ltd include the scope for implying the information system, growth of market size, chances for implementing the global operations, growth in demand of wine, and ease of operations used in the organization. The use of these opportunities would help Grand Wines for forming a better framework of operations. Threats: The threats are very common in any organization or industry in form of competitions and government laws. The threats for the operation and development of the Grand Wines Ltd. include the dissatisfied customers due to service lag, transportation hindrances, no automatic information processing, imposed taxes and rates on wine production, and strong competitors in wine production. The government imposed excise duty and the lack of the information processing system are the main hindrance for the revenue generation and development of Grand Wines Ltd. Project Manager: , johnnytre@xyzmail.com, Project Objectives Aim of the project: The project for the implementation of the information system has two primary aims like- Building plan for the information system implementing process at the Grand Wines Ltd. Using the concept of project management tools and techniques for the project completion Objectives of the project: The objectives of the project is for designing a plan that would help in implementation of the information system for Grand Wines Ltd. are- Developing a plan for the implementation of the information system Implementing and integrating the operations and information system at Grand Wines Ltd. Completing the budget in stipulated time and budget Primary Deliverable of the project: The project of Implementation of information system would be helpful for delivering- Project plan to implement the information system at Grand Wines Ltd. Forming the implementation process for the information system at Grand Wines Ltd. Benefits of the project: The benefits of the Implementation of information system project are- Formation of a project plan with the aid of project management concept that could be used for future projects of development Replacing the manual data storage system with the automatic information system Increasing the efficiency of the operations of the organization Limitation of the project: The project has certain limitations that cannot be overlooked and it includes- Analysis of the performance of the project with respect to time factor Individual performance evaluation of the team members is also not possible Acceptance Criteria The project of Implementation of information system has to face some issues and problems during the progress of operations. Hence, there are some criteria that must be considered for comparing the success criteria of the project. These factors act as a tool against which the project progress is critically evaluated. The factors include- Performance (providing access to mainstream database and automatically recording of the data) Information security and privacy Expenses by the organization Time consumption of the project. The deliverances of the project are- Cost benefit analysis of the information system Use of project management techniques and tools Implementation process for information system Assumptions and Constraints The Implementation of information system project covers an area of information system and project management concepts. Hence, there are many factors that have affect on the operations of the project. The assumptions that has to be included in the project are- It is assumed that the technical support of the Grand Wines are compatible with the proposed information system It is assumed that all types of resources (human, economic, and technical) can be achieved It is assumed that the team members included in the project would work together and would be compatible with each other The constraints factors that has to be included in the project are- The primary constraints of the project are time and cost factor. The budget allocated to the project is AUS 60,000 and time period given was of 6 months duration. Conflicts among team members are another constraint factor that can be raised among the project team The lack of knowledge for the information system usages would be a hindrance for the project completion StakeholderList Stakeholder No Name and Signature Role and Responsibility Position Contact Information 1 Johnny Cooper Johnny Cooper Management of the project operations Project manager johnnytre@xyz.com 0420 XXX XXX 2 Simon Peterson Simon Peterson Making crucial and big information CEO Petesimn34@ xyz.com 0420 XXX XXX 3 Jack Nicolson Jack Nicolson Investing money in the project operations Investor roljck78@ xyz.com 0420 XXX XXX 4 Ronda Jones Ronda Jones Plan making for the project Planner rjones90@ xyz.com 0420 XXX XXX 5 Katherine Johnson Katherine Johnson Coordination of the project activities Coordinator Katie9yh@ xyz.com 0420 XXX XXX 6 Michael Lewis Michael Lewis Designing of the information system for the project Designer mchlws908@ xyz.com 0420 XXX XXX 7 Bill Jones Bill Jones Enjoys the benefits of the services by paying some amount Client jbill@xyz.com 0420 XXX XXX Lessons Learned The lessons that can be learnt from the assignment are taking the benefit of the project management tools for the successful completion of project, role of information system for the operations of any organizations, plan for the implementation of the information system, and scope for the future development. The communication plan and project charter are very useful for communicating the progress, deliverable, objective and scope of the project. Communication Plan Template Plan purpose The main purpose for the making of plans for the operations of implementation of information system project is for making sure that the implementation process of the information system would carry on without any hindrance or error. The project planning assist the project manager for making a sequential form of operations framework and dividing the work among the team members. It would help in completing the project within the schedule and achieve the final goal of the project. The operations in a project management include the process of planning, developing, designing, and executing. The use of the above mentioned processes helps in formation of a sequential and structured framework of operations for the completion of project. The benefit of team communication is for making other team members realise any error or flaw in the system and getting solutions for the problem from the team members. Organizational, Project, Formality, and Channel are the perspective upon which the communication is dependant in the project operations. The 3 channels of communication in a project are Lateral, Downward, and Upward communication. The perspective of a type of communication channel is shown below- Lateral Communication Project and Channel Perspective Upward Communication Formality Perspective Downward Communication Organizational Perspective Change management Kotters 8 model is a study of change management that is useful for management of any effects of the change raised in the project. The model consists of 8 steps that can be followed for incorporating the changes in a project with the change of requirements (Appelbaum, 2012). The steps are- Step Activity 1st Step The step deals with creating an urgency with respect to the change required in the project 2nd Step The step deals with the formation of solid coalition 3rd Step The step deals with the formation of a vision statement for the project 4th Step The step deals with the use of communication channel for broadcasting of vision 5th Step The step deals with the elimination of the hindrances from the system 6th Step The step deals with the formation of short term goals for the project 7th Step The step deals with putting focus on the change management 8th Step The step deals with incorporation of changes in project operations Meeting agenda Below is the list of meetings agenda of Grand Mines Ltd. For their project: 1st meeting acknowledging the team members with the project objectives and clients requirements 2nd meeting making plans for the project operations 3rd meeting checking project progress an operations 4th meeting Outcome from the project is discussed and evaluated 5th meeting Closure of the project is achieved and future scope is listed The operations of the project that is helpful for reaching their goals and completing the objectives of the project are researching, planning, decision making, distributing, and completing the project. The researching phase include the analysis of project requirements and information gathering. The planning phase helps in formulation of plan for project proposal The decision making step is the process for selecting correct choices for the project operations. Distribution is the phase where the work is distributed among the team members. Closure is the final step where the project ends with the formation of a report of project summary. Stakeholder Information to be shared Frequency of information exchange Location of information exchange Purpose of communication Mechanism for communication CEO Schedule of the project Progress of the project Monthly basis Board meetings Telling them about the expected project completion date and its progress project progress reports Investors Projects goals and objectives At the start of the project Investors meeting Making them invest in the project project charter document Project Manager Project progress Weekly basis Meetings Explaining of the project progress Documents, face to face talk References Appelbaum, S. H., Habashy, S., Malo, J. L., Shafiq, H. (2012). Back to the future: revisiting Kotter's 1996 change model.Journal of Management Development,31(8), 764-782. Sevkli, M., Oztekin, A., Uysal, O., Torlak, G., Turkyilmaz, A., Delen, D. (2012). Development of a fuzzy ANP based SWOT analysis for the airline industry in Turkey.Expert Systems with Applications,39(1), 14-24.