Term Paper on "Information Technology Project Management by Kathy Schwalbe Fifth Edition"

Term Paper 4 pages (1263 words) Sources: 1 Style: MLA

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Information Technology Project Management

Discuss the role and value a formal project plan has on the outcome of an information system project. Give examples.

For any information systems project to be effective in meeting the unfilled needs it is designed to respond to with systems development and application delivery, a high level of collaboration and synchronization of efforts is required. The foundation of any successful project is the development and continual managing to a formal project plan that defines key activates, responsibilities, dependences, specifically with a focus on the critical path of the project itself. In addition to all these factors, a forma project plan provides the roadmap for the successful attainment of goals and objectives that served as the catalyst of the projects' planning to begin with. The role of a formal project plan then is to coordinate the many activities required for the successful completion of a project, while also fostering a high level of collaboration across departments and divisions within companies, and with suppliers, subcontractors, and buyers external to the company. The synchronization of people, processes, and product or service development is the essence of a successful formal project plan (Bert, De Man, 579). Example of the role of a successful information systems project plan include the development of internal applications for better serving customers through the use of an automated self-service web applications, the development of more effective logistics and supply chain planning system that capitalizes on the key strengths of a given company, or the development of applications for better managing manufacturing workflows and processes. All of these projects require an intensive amount of collaboration between departments to attain the objectives of the project, and high levels of systems synchronization from an information systems perspective as the project nears completion and gets integrated into the broader workflows of the company.

The values of a formal project plan for managing the development of an information system are both strategic and tactical. The strategic value of having a formal project plan include the prioritization of which projects are of the most value to the organization, the definition of relative investment levels by project, and an assessment of which projects have the potential to deliver the greatest differentiation. Information systems projects are now used for defining process efficiencies as competitive advantages as well (Tallon, 21-36). From a tactical standpoint there is the need for ensuring the users most impacted by the systems being developed have ownership for them and therefore ensure a higher level of adoption once the systems are completed (Small, Sice, Venus, 149-178). Projects must be aligned with the unmet needs of the users they are targeted at responding to if the systems developed are to be adopted at a relatively high level. There are also the tactical issues of ensuring that project team members realize what sequence they need to complete their tasks, which departments and team members they need to work with and coordinate for future action items, and most importantly, to ensure the project stays on track to fulfill the needs of those the system is being developed for. The cost and time constraints ultimately must be balanced against the need for being complete and thorough in having systems respond to the unmet needs they are created to solve. The development of change management strategies have strategic consequences of the project itself and its long-term acceptance or rejection as part of the overall set of processes a company relies on for completing daily tasks. (Small, Sice, Venus, 149-178)

Discuss various techniques for managing time, cost and resources on an information system project. Give examples.

The best known and most visible techniques for information systems project management are the collection of tools and techniques used for managing time. Gantt charts, project work diagrams, critical path… READ MORE

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