Project Management: The Criteria for Success or Failure - Assignment Example

PLAN AND DIRECT IT PROJECTS Student’s name Course &Code Professor’s name University City Date Contents 1.0 Planning Phase 3 2.0 Client Requirements 3 3.0 Risk Management Analysis 4 3.0.1 Qualitative Analysis 4 3.0.2 Quantitative Analysis 4 3.1 Risk Management 4 4.0 Specifications and Terms of References 5 5.0 Project Budget 5 6.0 Skills Needed for Project 6 7.0 Project Support 6 7.1 Project Schedules, Timelines and Critical Path 6 7.2 Project Tools and Methodologies 7 7.3 Debriefing of Project Members 7 7.4 Strength and Weaknesses of the Project Plan 7 7.5 Projects Benefits in Business 8 8.0 Objectives Achievements 8 9.0 Operative within the Scope and Terms of Reference 8 9.1 Deliverables 9 9.2 How Deliverables are achieved within the Schedule outlined in the Project Plan 10 9.3 How was it Delivered within the Budget outlined in the Financial Plan 11 1.0 Planning Phase Project planning phase involves various deliverables. At the planning phase, it is essential to have the project definition. The project definition has to be engaged by describing all the aspects of the projects that involve the project scope, objectives of the project and the project method (Spilka, 2013). The project definition becomes relevant and works to be performed once approved by the involved relevant stakeholders. The planning phase also requires the project work plan. The work plan needs to be strategically organized by theprovision of step to step instructions purposefully for theconstruction of project deliverables and reaching the project outcomes (Garel, 2013). Additionally, the phase requires project management procedures. The phase engages the project team members on how to manage issues such as scope change, risk, quality, the use of the project charts and the communication strategies among others among others (Flasinski, 2012). 2.0 Client Requirements The use of the appropriate elicitation and decision-making tools identifies, incorporate and prioritize the different perspectives within the client bodies. Advocating the client requirements through the use of multidisciplinary team inhibits the possibility of over wall syndrome while theclient’s needs based on objectives and expectations are realized (Kamara, 2012). As such, the project satisfies the business needs of the clients.Based on the legislation, industry codes, and standards, it impacts the project to focus on legal accountability, obligations, and the like consequences to arise due to non-compliance. Additionally, the aspect equips the project to define its scope of authority for achieving the specific IT outcomes. As such, the IT plan and project gathers the legislative, regulatory and the licensing requirements and approvals that are applicable for the IT projects (Usman, 2014). 3.0 Risk Management Analysis The risk management analysis involves the process aimed at determining the risk factors. The approach focuses on project failure, and the determinants are collected while identifying the responses towards the risks. 3.0.1 Qualitative Analysis For the qualitative analysis, the project team assigns the risk priority level ether high, medium or low depending on each risk. The priority level of each risk should be aligned with the organization risk management plan, the risked tolerance level, and other objectives. As such, the project team needs to identify the potential risks by racking the risks on the register hence conduct the follow-up of the risks. 3.0.2 Quantitative Analysis The quantitative analysis identifies the risk while assigning the risks to the likely cost value. The value is determinedthrough the probability and potential impact of the risk occurring. The approach is easily achieved through conducting interviews, undertaking the decision tree analysis and conducting the model simulations to quantify the potential impacts of the projects. 3.1 Risk Management The risk management plan needs to be iterative and includes all the stakeholders affected by the risk. The management plan focuses on avoidance plan that modifies the project plan to inhibit the potential conditions from occurrence, having contractual agreements through transference by shifting potential risks to the third party, proceeding with the project plan and accepting the potential risks and conducting the mitigation measures (Carvalho, 2013). The plan needs to clearly define the agreed upon responses by the project team and the involved stakeholders, the involved responsible party, the outcome of both the qualitative and quantitative analysis and the budgetary and timeframe for the risks response (Bakkar, 2012). 4.0 Specifications and Terms of References The specifications and terms of references advocate for the request of the project. The aims of the project including the cost-benefit analysis and the preferences of the involved bodies are recommended in the project work. The document highlights thescopeof the work regarding the project to be undertaken. Additionally, the document entails proposals for the project that contains the objectives of the project, the methodology, approaches and the conceptual basis of the projects and its implementation regarding the project undertaken. The timing of the project is essential at this phase hence timing of the project assignment needs to be carried out in accordance with the agreed time from the project manager. The performance measures focus on the delivery of specific assigned duties which is closely monitored by the assigned body. As such, the measures advocate for submission of monthly and quarterly reports of the progress of the project while monitoring the project. 5.0 Project Budget The project budget is the total of money allocated for the whole project for a specified period. The budget mostly arises on the initial stage of the project planning and tends to run concurrently with the development of the project. Budget covers the scope of the project showing the cumulative costs over the life of the project (Gladysz, 2015) 6.0 Skills Needed for Project The successful completion of the IT project requires both the soft skill and the hard skills. Based on the definition, soft skills entail interpersonal skills through the quality leadership, exceptional communication, good expectation management, ability to be influential, ability to solving problem amicably and rightful decision making process concerning the project. As such, soft skills are basically not aligned by concrete outcomes and are employed without the availability of tools or templates in a project. Hard skills can easily be identified as more technical aspects of the project manager roles through the creation of tangible deliverables in work breakdown structures, project schedules, the project budgets, project earned report, the critical path diagram and the creation of dashboards, scheduling software, the availability of myriad of deliverable templates and the modeling tools (Zakaria, 2015) 7.0 Project Support The physical resources need to be secured for the success completion of the IT project. The resources among others include the availability of the technological offices having computer facilities among other technologicalequipment, delivery vehicles, availability of the warehouses and the availability of the premises including the office and retails (Imran, 2016) 7.1 Project Schedules, Timelines and Critical Path The project schedules indicate time frames for the completion of the project, the costs required for the completion of the project and the involved sequence of tasks to be completed. The critical path in the project advocates for the critical tasks through analysis purposefully for the timely completion of the research hence the success of the research. 7.2 Project Tools and Methodologies The use of Program Evaluation Review Technique in management of project and as methodology, Critical Path Method and Grantt Charts are among the best suited project management tools and methodologies in successful completion of the project (Saleh, 2014). PERT is a planning and control tool used purposefully to define and control the project tasks necessarily to complete the project. The Gantt Charts indicates the start, progress, elapsed and the completion of the assigned tasks in projects in days, weeks, and months. The use of CPM designs a diagram indicating the interrelationship of the elements of the projects showing the order of activities to take place in a project 7.3 Debriefing of Project Members The debriefing approach would occur through value management technique. The technique would be applied by the use of the pre-workshops questionnaire and the use of cross-organization learning approach which focuses on project profile and performance indicators. 7.4 Strength and Weaknesses of the Project Plan Project plans basically poses strength and weaknesses based on its structure. The strength of the project plan is based on thewell defined project plan, the use of contractors that are familiar with the organization with the IT projects, the availability of the strong parent company and fairly defined responsibilities (Stelth, 2012). The weaknesses are basedin theunrealistic estimation of resources, costs and time frame of the project. Additionally, difficulties in communications due to cultural differences and the parent bureaucracy of the project pose weaknesses for the project plan. 7.5 Projects Benefits in Business The project management is critical to the business performance and organizational success based on the previous state of the organization. As such, the project management helps the business organization to grow strategically. The project plan enables the business to exploit new business opportunities by creating competitive advantage through the use of information technology in doing something new, doing something in a new way and doing something that has never been done before (Tatar, 2012). Additionally, the business poses the risk reduction, the customer satisfaction and the realization of the return of investments. 8.0 Objectives Achievements The objectives of the project are achieved through meeting the objectives as per the project generic objective outcomes realization. Based on the monitoring aspect of the project, the realization of the objectives arises through having expertise decision makers with sufficient information that makes informed and imperative judgments regarding the performance of the project. Additionally, the project ability to remain relevant and reasonable in legal, economical and technical terms is based on the terms of reference. Regarding the feasibility studies of the objective, the terms, and references to the project assisted in decision making through sufficient relevant information that led to the acceptance and completion of the IT project (Ellater, 2013). The objectives of the project are realized through analysis based on each objective that is specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-bound. 9.0 Operative within the Scope and Terms of Reference The hired body tends to provide support for the project for a specified duration of time. Additionally, the hired institution is expected to provide support in the implementation and the realization of the components of the IT project. The assigned duties for the institutionare specified.Hence, the institution performs all the tasks and the responsibilities specified including other tasks that are not specified but fall on the categories of the specified tasks. The hired body is expected to operate the duties on its premises while having anemail that constantly communicates with the organization based on the interest of the project coordinator. The institution hired is entitled to engage in all meetings organized by the institution.As such, the overall support of the involved institution is to provide technical support for the implementation of the project. The involved body engagement should be in accordance with the terms of references in the project, in accordance with the international studies of the undertaken IT project and the compliance with the code of the ethics of the project. Additionally, the hired institution works should be well planed purposefully for easier analysis by the project company, the procedures involved should be performed under the specified instructions pertaining IT projects and the collected evidence from the undertaken procedures should form a basis for the report of the factual findings. As such, the partnering company is expected to document matters which are very important for the IT project being undertaken to provide strong evidence to support the report of the factual finding indicating that the work was carried out in accordance with the organization rules and regulations (European Commission, 2014) 9.1 Deliverables Based on deliverables, the project meet criteria of quality plan through the application of the quality control activities. The process prevents and resolves errors expected in the quality plan hence effective deliverables are met. As such, the quality control plan proves that the encountered project outcomes are of accepted standards meeting the standards through completeness. The applied standard control measures include the quality management check document, the outcome review, the structural analysis, statistical sampling and the testing procedures. The time frame for conducting the quality control activities is determined by the IT project being undertaken. A well structured project quality plan contributed towards the realization of the effective deliverables. The components include the technique used in the responsibility of project management through monitoring and controlling of the project activities, the availability of the document management and control through effective communication between the team members, senior management, project management and the client. The project ability to focus on the required scope contributes towards deliverables that meets the quality plan. The quality assurance team needs to focus on the identified aspects within the operative scope hence effective validation of the activities that contributes towards the expected project deliverables. The ability to have the developed control and rigor creates deliverables that meets the demand of the quality plan. During the first phase of the project, team needs to closely monitor and measure the processes and procedures involved to make sure that the project is progressing in the right path hence expected deliverables are realized. Testing and quality assurance approach should clearly identify the quality objectives for the project and the approach to achieve them hence realizing the deliverables. The mitigation of the risks by the management team helps in curbing the possibilities of unwanted activities and results that might affect the deliverable outcomes. Additionally, the defect management and the training programs during the project initiation phase contribute towards the targeted deliverables. 9.2 How Deliverables are achieved within the Schedule outlined in the Project Plan Identifying the project scope and the creation of the work breakdown structure spearheads the schedule that would determine the deliverables. It is the work breakdown structures that determine each delivery to be expected in the project hence the project planner engages in lists of activities to be performed towards the deliverables. In each of the identified activities, an estimation through scheduling is conducted in determining how long will the time take to complete each activity and what type of the resources are needed to realize the completion of the activities. As such, based on the estimation on carrying out each activity, a sum up schedule is made for each deliverable. Additionally, the project delivery can be tweaked further to provide the better schedules for the delivery. The use of milestones and Gantt charts enabled the ability of the aggressiveness in the project to achieve the delivery according to the structured schedules. The approach is essential especially when the project displays the possibility of not meeting the deadline whereby consultations are held by the team hence a new provision of the project scheduled. The technique is applicable through the deploying of the additional resources when the project scope is changed and the quality implications of the project. 9.3 How was it Delivered within the Budget outlined in the Financial Plan The estimated costs for the project complete all the phases of the project hence a project closure report is handed to an independent party to conduct analysis. The achievement were based on the management of the project in holistically and as a continuum and not through an incrementally as the project progresses. Additionally, the costs and schedule information when analyzed showcased the major costs elements and the significant schedule milestone of the project. The project delivery based on the budget advocates for independent validation of the cost and the schedules at the significant milestone contributes towards unexpected costs overruns and the schedules delays for the completion of the project. Based on the budget, each phase of the ongoing project analysis to conducted to counter check the financial spending based on the budget and the resources used for the project. As such, the delivery of the project reflects the structure of the financial plans without overruns and the shortcoming as per the completion of the project. References List Attarzadah, I 2013, ‘Project Management Practice: The Criteria for Success or Failure’, Journal of Communication of IBIMA, Vol. 8, No. 1, p. 236. Bakkar, K 2012, ‘Does Risk Management Contribute to IT Project Success? A Meta-Analysis of Empirical Evidence’, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 28, No. 1, p. 500. Carvalho, M 2013, ‘Understanding the Impact of Project Risk Management on Project Performance’, Journal of Technology Management and Innovation, Vol. 8, No. 1, p.65. Ellater, S 2013, ‘Towards Developing an Improved Methodology for Evaluating Performance and Achieving Success in Construction Projects’, Scientific Research and Essay, Vol. 4, No. 6, p. 549. Flasinski, M 2012, ‘Informatics Project Management’, Publishing House PWN, Warsaw. Garel, G 2013, ‘A History of Project Management Models: from Pre-Models to the Standard Models’, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 31, No. 5, p. 665. Gray, C 2012, ‘Project Management: The Managerial Process. 4th Edition’, McGraw-Hill Education, Singapore. Gladysz, B 2015, ‘Factors which Influence Keeping within a Project Budget in IT Projects’, International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 21, No. 6, p. 417. Imran, A 2016, ‘Impact of Human Capital Practices on Project Success’, Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of Business and Management Review, Vol. 5, No. 6, p. 10 Kamara, M 2012, ‘Capturing Client Requirements in Construction Projects’, Thomas Telford Publishing, London. Saleh, S 2014, ‘Determinants of the Best Practices for Successful Project Management’, International Journal of u- and e- Science, Science and Technology, Vol. 7, No. 3, p. 177 Spilka, M 2013, ‘Chosen Aspects of Project Management’, Journal of Achievements in Material and Manufacturing Engineering, Vol. 61, No. 2, p. 398. Stelth, P 2012, ‘Projects Analysis through Critical Path Method’, European Journal of Doctoral Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 17. Tatar, L 2012, ‘The Challenges and Benefits of using the Project Management Principles in Military Education’, Journal of Defense Resource Management, Vol. 1, No. 1, p. 23. European Commission 2014, ‘Guidance for the Terms of References for Impact Evaluation’. Usman, N 2014, ‘The Impact of Policy and Procedural Framework on Project Performance within the Building Industry’, International Journal of Engineering Research and Technology, Vol. 31, No. 5, p. 2087. Zakaria, I 2015, ‘A Study on Leadership Skills of Project Manager for a Successful Construction Project’, International Academic Research Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 1, No. 2, p. 90. Read More