IT Project Management Individual Assignment

IT Project Management

version 1.0

Diploma in Information Technology

Copyright © 2020 by Singapore Institute of Management Pte Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lesson 2: IT projects and the organisation

Learning objectives

1. Describe the systems view of project management.

2. Understand organisations, organisation structures and culture.

3. Explain role of stakeholder management and top management for project’s success.

4. Understand the concept of a project phase and project. Lifecycle.

5. Describe trends affecting IT project management including globalisation, outsourcing and virtual teams.

2.1 System view of a project

 Take a step back to look at the entire scope of the project.

 All the operations involved in the project should be understood.

 Project managers must operate in a broad organisational context.

 Project managers need to take a holistic view of project and understand how it relates to the larger organisation.

An illustration

Organisation Project

2.1.1 What is a system approach?

 System management addresses the business, technological, and organisational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and making changes to a system.

 A system approach takes into account the total environment the project exists and impacts.

An illustration

Business

Cost of system implementation?

Cost to administer the system?

Would it increase sale & productivity?

Technological

Which order tracking system?

The network requirement?

The DB management system?

Organisational

Time saved after Implementation?

Will the management support?

Who will be the users?

Successful project

An example

2.2 Organisational structures

2.2.1 Functional organisation structure

2.2.1 Functional organisation structure

 It is a traditional type of organisation chart used across many businesses and organisations to visualize company structure.

 The functional organisation chart shows leadership roles such as managers and executive positions towards the top connected to their direct reports and associates towards the bottom.

2.2.2 Project organisation structure

2.2.2 Project organisation structure

 In a project-oriented organisation the companies do most of their work on a project basis and are therefore structured around projects.

 Project managers are usually full time in the role, and for small projects they might manage several projects at once.

2.2.3 Matrix organisation structure

2.2.3 Matrix organisation structure

A matrix organisational structure is the arrangement of the personnel, i.e., the matrix leader, managers and employees, across the grid, such that a hybrid hierarchy is maintained.

There is a vertical and horizontal flow of direction and information, such that each subordinate has dual bosses. Out of these, one is the functional manager; and the other is the project manager.

A typical organisation project management relationships

2.3 Organisation cultures

• Organisation culture is shaped by people.

• Organisational culture is defined as the underlying beliefs, assumptions, values and ways of interacting that contribute to the unique social and psychological environment of an organization.

• Beliefs and assumptions are developed from what we perceive from our surroundings and the experiences we have from our actions. And we instill these sets of ideologies in our work environment.

2.3 Organisation cultures

2.3.1 Clan culture

It is a family-like type of corporate environment where everyone’s views and ideas are valued. It has a friendly, collaborative culture and are often compared to a large family.

This type of culture emphasizes on the consensus of the employees while taking any business decision. Helping each other during working hour, eating lunch together, playing games in the evening, and celebrating each other’s happy memories are the attributes of the clan culture.

2.3.1 Clan culture

Advantages:

• Productivity and company growth is consistent in this type of culture.

• There are clear communication and transparency. Every member is comfortable to voice their opinion and ideas.

• Employees are appreciated for their good work and also criticised without hurting their sentiments.

2.3.2 Adhocracy culture

• Adhocracy culture is a risk-taking culture. Here organizational leaders are innovative and creative in their approach.

• They are inspirational innovators who accept challenges, take risks and ready to break the organisational assumptions.

• Employees get their chances to spin their balls multiple times when they miss it.

2.3.2 Adhocracy culture

Advantages:

• A shared commitment to innovation at every level of the organization.

• Competitive advantage in the marketplace.

• An inclusive environment that welcomes all ideas.

2.3.3 Market culture  It is results-driven, market-orientated and extremely competitive.

This culture thrives for results and works relentlessly to penetrate into the market and get maximum shares.

 Most common in larger corporations, where leaders are relentless, strong and have very high expectations of their teams.

 Employees are given difficult goals and they are pushed to achieve those at any cost.

 Performance is closely monitored, for which it’s not unusual for employees to be rewarded and punished. Getting the job done is the number one priority in this type of company culture.

2.3.3 Market culture

Advantages:

 Goals are met, or if they aren’t, new ways are explored to reach them.

 Employees are consistently pushed to go the extra mile and are driven and inspired by their leaders.

 They are always ready to react to any changes in the market to ensure they maintain the market share and stay ahead of the game.

2.3.4 Hierarchy culture

 It is a formalised and structured work environment. Leaders are proud of their efficiency-based coordination and organisation.

 Keeping the organisation functioning smoothly is most crucial here. Formal rules and policies keep the organisation together.

 The long-term goals are stability and results and are directly paired with an efficient and smooth execution of tasks.

2.3.4 Hierarchy culture

Advantages:

 Employees who work for hierarchical companies feel more secure; get paid on time, and are safe to stay in their role in the long run.

 Benefits of promotion lead to exclusive advanced status and reward. This can prove a great motivator for employees.

 Employees gain status through consistent hard work and effort within a set role. By focusing on their work alone, they are more likely to achieve expert status in that one field.

2.4 Project phases and life cycle

• Projects operate as part of a system and involve uncertainty, it is a good practice to divide projects into several phases.

• A project life cycle is a collection of project phases. Some organisations specify a set of life cycles for use on all of their projects.

• Project life cycles define what work will be performed in each phase, what deliverables will be produced and when, who is involved in each phase, and how management will control and approve work produced in each phase.

2.4 Project life cycle

2.4.1 Predictive project life cycle  The scope, time and cost constraints are determined ahead of

time at high level and in detail, and the project is split up into phases which can be either sequential or overlapping.

 Then the planning is done at a detailed level from the beginning of the project, also known as rolling wave planning (or progressive elaboration).

2.4.2 Adaptive project life cycle

• The deliverables are developed over multiple iterations where a detailed scope is defined and approved for each iteration when it begins at the beginning of each iteration

• It is also known as change-driven or Agile.

• The project is split up into phases or iterations which can be sequential or overlapping. However, because adaptive life cycles are used in applications areas such as IT where there is a rapid change, sometimes the processes within the iterations can even be going on in parallel.

Source:

2.5 Recent Trends Affecting IT PM

1. Globalisation

2. Outsourcing

3. Virtual teams

2.5.1 Globalisation

• Issues  Communications  Trust  Common work practices  Tools

• Suggestions  Employ greater project discipline  Think global but act local  Keep project momentum going  Use newer tools and technology

2.5.2 Outsourcing

• Organisations stay competitive by using outsourcing to their advantage, such as finding ways to reduce costs.

• Their challenge is to make strategic IT investments with outsourcing by improving their enterprise architecture to ensure that IT infrastructure and business processes are integrated and standardised.

2.5.3 Virtual teams

• Advantages:  Increasing competitiveness and responsiveness  Lowering costs  Increased expertise and flexibility  Increased work/life balance

• Disadvantages:  Isolation & Interpersonal Relationships  Communication Problems  Dependence on Technology

Questions?