Information Systems

Leadership Meeting Presence

One of the hazards for the project manager (PM) of an information security project is the reliance on the subject matter experts to keep the PM fully informed about the status of the project.

Theresa is a PM for a single sign-on project within an urban teaching hospital. The project appears to be going along well until Theresa begins to hear rumblings of some technical problems that may interface with the project delivery time line. She calls a meeting with the technical team. The team assures her that things are fine and that they will figure out whatever the problems are and will be ready as planned.

Reply to the following questions: 

How can Theresa ensure that the technical team is being realistic in their assessment?

What strategies might Theresa use to better understand the potential technical issues and the potential impacts of those issues?

Would you recommend that Theresa inform the project sponsors of the potential for a delay or should she accept the position of the technical team?