Issues and Conclusions Regarding Project Planning, Scheduling and Risk Management in Information Technology Projects
Project management is a discipline that is derived from general management using scientific methods in ensuring that various projects are completed within a certain period of time and with predetermined resources. There are six mutually interacting processes that are involved in this project and they include: “activity definition, activity sequencing, activity resource estimating, activity duration estimating, schedule development, and schedule control” (Gurmin, 2010). In this paper, the focus will be on schedule management as it is one of the major tenets in the successful completion of any project especially to investors who do not like surprises arising from risks (Bart, 2011). The case study chosen as a benchmark for determining the issues and conclusions regarding project planning, scheduling and risk management for information technology projects has been derived from the construction industry and aims at identifying parallels in the two industries.
The study of the construction case study in Vietnam leads to the formulation of the following recommendations. First is that due to the unique nature of each project, the rules and regulations that are applicable in construction and IT projects should be flexibly employed so that academic strengths can be used to ensure that planning and control of the projects are case-specific. This then follows that there should be thorough vetting of proposed project managers that take their specific experiences and knowledge into account from the onset. Second, the project manager should employ WBS (work breakdown structures) to ensure that specific tasks are defined prior to any physical work beginning (CEIM Reporter, 2011). This should be followed by the formulation of different work packets that are derived from the initial project master chart. Third is that the project manager should have the autonomy to decide what parts of the project require acceleration or attention and should be assisted by scientific data to identify where concentration of resources is required in order to produce quality work. Fourth; there should be seamless interactions between various departments in the formulation and execution of the project that must pool all stakeholders and foster their interactions. Performance report forms, transfer processes and variance evaluation criteria must be used to ensure that the entire process is comprehensively coordinated. Lastly, the project must have the right staff to see through its successful completion. These can be guaranteed through initial recruitment and enhanced by thorough training on the project specifics as well as modes of communicating progress.
The scoping of a project requires that that the specific needs of the client be identified. This should be followed by brainstorming in order to document all primary and arising needs in order to begin the process of determining how these needs will be met. The first consideration is ensuring that the right project manager is identified, depending on his/her experience and skills as informed by consultations in the industry or through a comprehensive recruitment process (Drinkwater, 2011). These experiences should be through similar or slightly different projects that have previously been successfully completed. The project manager should be aware of the specific tenets of the project at hand in order to make the right decisions. Project management is not a one-off activity but rather a process that needs comprehensive planning and oversight at every step. A manager who understands that projects are inherently different although they may be geared towards the same result ultimately guarantees that budgeting for risks is done in advance.
The planning process is as intricate as scoping. Here, all the work that is to be done in the course of the project is defined. This is followed by estimations of cost and time required for completion of the project. The resources that are required, from materials to human resources, are considered. Work is sequenced using scientific methods which culminate in the production of an initial project schedule. After consultations with all stakeholders, the project schedule is amended as required and a risk management plan formulated. Eventually, a project plan is developed which is forwarded to the client for approval. This process is so formulated to ensure that all stakeholders are involved in the course of execution. All inputs are considered here and all the resources are pooled at this stage.
All the previous steps are aimed at ensuring that the project is well planned before the actual work begins. However, there is a very sensitive step that entails recruitment of the appropriate staff. The team is informed by the various tasks that are outlined in the scoping and planning phases. The project is defined in detail to ensure that nothing is left to chance. This is followed by the formulation of operating rules and guidelines. These guidelines also consider the steps that must be taken to ensure that any changes in project scope are factored in with minimum disruptions to the original project. One of the major problems that arise in the execution of IT projects is scope creep. This is where the parameters of the project keep changing as it progresses. Scope creep can be reduced by ensuring that there are extensive consultations between stakeholders at the scoping and planning phases and also by ensuring that communication between teams and other stakeholders flows seamlessly. Project scheduling should be completed by the time the project has kicked off (CEIM Reporter, 2011). There must also be specific work packages that define the individual tasks that should be carried out by different members of the project team.
Perhaps the most important part of project management is monitoring and controlling all functions of the team. This is made easy by having well defined performance and reporting systems. They entail the appraisal of individual performance as well as the overall performance of the project. The project manager should be vigilant so as to monitor the risks as previously outlined and make sure they are at their minimum. Scope change requests should also be tracked to ensure that they are not disruptive and where necessary follow already outlined guidelines. All these should be done while arising problems are both discovered and solved conclusively.
Construction projects are usually activity-based. This means that there are a large number of disparate tasks that render control of quality as inspection. For example, an electrician or plumber works hand-in-hand with the inspector making sure that quality is assured as the project continues. Therefore, the major emphasis of any project in construction is duration where all other resources are more critical than human resources (Chemuturi, n.d.). Compare replacing an important piece of equipment and a team member. The latter is easily replaceable while the former cannot be replaced without having tremendous impacts on the timeline for project completion. In costing construction projects, the manager considers that allocating one piece of resource to a task will take a specific duration of time whereas allocating two resources to the same task will half that duration. This all goes to prove that human resources and the composition of teams are not that important where there is a comprehensive plan. In any case, the increase in any resource towards any process ultimately contributes to a reduction in its duration.
The fact that the construction industry and the software industry draw some parallels does not reflect a complete share in the modes of operation in line with the six mutually interacting processes mentioned in previous parts of this paper. Where resources are doubled to half the duration required to complete a project, two outcomes are possible. First, the project will be completed ahead of schedule saving on time and second, there will be quality problems. The first outcome is true for the construction industry but is not necessarily so for the IT industry, where the second outcome is more likely. In the software industry, human resources are the most important and the costliest (Chemuturi, n.d.). They cannot be simply replaced as they are in the construction industry without having profound impacts on the project. One reason for the difference between the two industries is that in the IT industry unlike in the construction one, changes in design or scope of the project are common. This means that there is a fundamental difference between the two industries where construction focuses on duration whereas the IT industry is centered on effort. Therefore, in many ways, the estimation of costs, resources, effort and time do not follow the same set of guidelines in both industries as they are fundamentally different.
References
Bart, J. (2011). 10 Golden rules of project risk management. ProjectSmart. Retrieved January 4, 2013 from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/10-golden-rules-of-project-risk-management.html
CEIM Reporter, (2011, March 8). Owner’s project schedule management for high rise office building projects: A case study of scheduling. Professional Project Management Education. Retrieved January 4, 2013 from http://professionalprojectmanagement.blogspot.com/2011/03/owners-project-schedule-management-for.html.
Chemuturi, M. (n.d.).Underbelly of Software Project Management Tools. Retrieved January 4, 2013 from http://www.Underbelly-of-Software-Project-Management-Tools-131428.pdf
Drinkwater, A. (2011). Proper methods for resource planning. Retrieved January 4, 2013 from http://blog.projectconnections.com/project_practitioners/2011/02/proper-methods-for-resource-planning.html
Gurmin, S. (2010). Effective project management. online presentation, ISSUU. Part 1 Retrieved January 4, 2013 from http://issuu.com/shaun-gurmin/docs/effective_project_management_presentation_01.html
