Introduction

 Name
 Something interesting about yourself
 What do you want to learn from this course?
 Understand the growing need for better project
management, especially for computing projects

 What a project is and examples of Computing projects

 What project management is and discuss key elements of

the project management framework
 A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to accomplish a
unique product or service” (PMBOK® Guide 5th Edition)
 Attributes of projects
o unique purpose
o temporary
o require resources, often from various areas
o should have a primary sponsor and/or customer
o involve uncertainty
 Many organizations upgrade hardware, software, and
networks via projects

 Organizations develop new software or enhance existing

systems to perform many business functions

 Note: “IT projects” refers to projects involving hardware,

software, and networks
 Every project is constrained in different ways by its
oScope goals: What is the project trying to accomplish?
oTime goals: How long should it take to complete?
oCost goals: What should it cost?
 It is the project manager’s duty to balance these three often
competing goals
 The Standish Group research shows a staggering 31.1% of projects
will be cancelled before they ever get completed.
 It also indicate 52.7% of projects will cost 189% of their original
estimates.
 On the success side, the average is only 16.2% for software projects
that are completed on- time and on-budget.
 In the larger companies, the news is even worse: only 9% of their
projects come in on-time and on-budget.
Project management is “the application of
knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to
project activities in order to meet project
requirements” (PMI*, Project Management
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 5th
Edition)
 The main advantage of project management is that is helps you to manage your
projects effectively, enabling you to resolve problems more quickly.
o Improve your chances of achieving the desired result
o Gain a fresh perspective on your project, and how it fits with your business
strategy
o Priorities your business’ resources and ensure their efficient use
o Set the scope, schedule and budget accurately from the start
o Stay on schedule and keep costs and resources to budget
o Improve productivity and quality of work
o Encourage consistent communications amongst staff, suppliers and
clients
o Satisfy the various needs of the project’s stakeholders
o Mitigate risks of a project failing
o Increase customer satisfaction
o Gain competitive advantage and boost your bottom line
 A project life cycle is a collection of project phases that defines:
• What work will be performed in each phase.
• What deliverables will be produced and when.
• Who is involved in each phase.
• How management will control and approve work produced in
each phase.
 A deliverable is a product or service produced or provided as part
of a project.
 In the early phases of a project life cycle:
o Resource needs are usually lowest.
o The level of uncertainty (risk) is highest.
o Project stakeholders have the greatest opportunity to influence the project.
 In the middle phases of a project life cycle:
o The certainty of completing a project increases.
o More resources are needed.
 In the final phase of a project life cycle:
o The focus is on ensuring that project requirements were met.
o The sponsor approves completion of the project.
 Project Initiation
 Project Planning
 Project Execution
 Monitoring and Control
 Project Closeout
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 Initiating a project includes recognizing and starting a new project or
project phase.
 Some organizations use a pre-initiation phase, while others include
items such as developing a business case as part of the initiation.
 The main goal is to formally select and start off projects.
 Key outputs include:
 Assigning the project manager.
 Identifying key stakeholders.
 Completing a business case.
 Completing a project charter and getting signatures on it.

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Every organization has its own variations of
what documents are required to initiate a
project. It’s important to identify the project
need, stakeholders, and main goals.

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 The main purpose of project planning is to guide execution.
 Every knowledge area includes planning information

 Key outputs included in the project include:

o A team contract.
o A scope statement.
o A work breakdown structure (WBS).
o A project schedule, in the form of a Gantt chart with all dependencies and
resources entered.
o A list of prioritized risks (part of a risk register).

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