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Project Management: A Key Element in Building Successful Information Systems

Project Management: A Key Element in Building Successful Information Systems. Ir. Charles Cheung FHKSA MHKIE MBCS RPE(INF) November 21 2002 Caritas Francis Hsu College. Higher Diploma in Computing Studies.

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Project Management: A Key Element in Building Successful Information Systems

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  1. Project Management: A Key Element in Building Successful Information Systems Ir. Charles Cheung FHKSA MHKIE MBCS RPE(INF) November 21 2002 Caritas Francis Hsu College

  2. Higher Diploma in Computing Studies • The Higher Diploma in Computing Studies Programme aims to provide students with a vocationally-focused education in Computing Studies for the development and deployment of IT based information systems..

  3. Overview • IT and Information System • Why is project management important? • What is it? • What are the elements of the project plan? • What techniques are available? • What are the results of using such techniques? • Illustrated with real-world examples • Conclusion, Q & A

  4. Information Technology • “a computer-based system that has the capability to accept, manipulate, and output information”

  5. Project Managementis Key to Successful Information Systems • Possible to have a technically brilliant system, but not a successful system/project/implementation. • Alternatively, with careful management, it is possible to have a successful system/ project/implementation, with a technically ordinary solution.

  6. “the use of information technology for a specific purpose”, and is composed of: purpose (objective); people; procedures; data (information); and information technology Information System:

  7. Competitive Strategy • Competition is a fact of life for organizations • I/T is a necessary tool for implementing effective organizational strategies • Be low-cost producer • Differentiate the product • Obtain a market niche • Effective push and pull marketing tool • Global Business

  8. Common Applications • Banking and finance • Financial and Management Accounting • Trading • Distribution • ERP • Retail Management • Logistic • E-Learning • E-Business • WAP Applications • Others

  9. E-Business B2B B2C G2C E-Banking E-Finance E-Security

  10. Nationwide Cybercrime Sweep Nets 125 Arrests • WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Attorney General John Ashcroft said Thursday that law-enforcement agents had arrested 125 suspects in a crackdown on Internet crimes ranging from hacking to fraud to selling stolen goods. • The seven-week cybercrime sweep involved police from Ghana to Southern California and uncovered 125,000 victims who had lost more than $100 million, he told a news conference. • "The information superhighway should be a conduit for communication, information and commerce, not an expressway for crime," Ashcroft said. • Above quoted from Reuters News Nov 21 2003

  11. Hong Kong Society of Accountants E-Business Standards and Assurance UPDATE

  12. CICA/AICPA WebTrust Seal WebTrust License The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) have developed and a quality assurance programme for organizations conducting E-Business. Under licensing agreement with Hong Kong Society of Accountants and with national accounting bodies, this can be extended to provide assurance to business communities and general public in Hong Kong over transactions dealt via Internet.

  13. Why is ProjectManagement Important? • Control of the work and process • Early identification of problems • Reduced impact of turnover • Improved cost analysis • Increased bidding accuracy • Increased customer satisfaction • Information system built and deployed successfully

  14. What is Project Management? • Customer expectations, contractual requirements, and deliverables • Elements of the project plan: • Work breakdown structure • Duration • Scheduling • Resource allocation • Cost • Managerial aspects • Managing the project v. managing project management

  15. Customer Expectations and Contractual Requirements • What does the customer expect? • May involve resetting their expectations • What does the contract outline? • Want deliverables to match contract requirements • Define the deliverables if not specified

  16. Managerial Functions • planning • define goals & strategies • execution • assign resources & responsibilities • control • monitor and correct activities, if necessary

  17. Rational Decision Making • an individual is faced with a number of known alternative courses of action • a set of possible consequences is attached to each alternative • the individual has a system of preferences which enables to rank the options and choose one

  18. Realities of Decision Making • Observation: many decision makers... • do not search extensively for information • collect the wrong kind of information • refuse to believe that a problem exists • develop too few alternatives • apply old solutions, even if they don’t fit • too much faith on new technology • fail to weigh costs & benefits adequately

  19. GIGO

  20. Work Breakdown Structure • System development lifecycle methodologies • Hierarchies • Task dependencies / precedence relationships • Network diagram • Milestones

  21. System Development Lifecycle –Advantages • However, it takes less time to manage the project than not to manage it. • Real-world • crisis mode frequently, reactionary (HK Airport)

  22. Level Program 1 Project 1 Project 2 2 Task 1.1 Task 1.2 3 Subtask 1.1.1 Subtask 1.1.2 4 Work Package 1.1.1.1 Work Package 1.1.1.2 Work Breakdown Structure 4

  23. Work Breakdown Structure • Allow the elements to be worked on independently • Make them manageable in size • Give authority to carry out the program • Monitor and measure the program • Provide the required resources 5

  24. System Development Lifecycle (1) • Classical / Waterfall Approach: Analysis Design Build Test Data Migration Implementation

  25. System Development Lifecycle (2) • Rapid Application Development Identify user’s requirements Develop a working model Developer modifies model Customer tests initial model

  26. System Development Lifecycle (3) • Spiral Approach Evaluate Identify Construct Design

  27. Example:Work Breakdown Structure • Combination of classical, RAD, and spiral themes

  28. Effort and Duration • Effort: amount of hours a task takes • Team member estimate the work effort • Duration: period of time over which task takes • Project manager estimate duration • Estimate duration based on the following: • People’s workloads, other commitments • Past experience, similar project • Sub-contracting • Availability of hardware and software • Internal Training and External Training • Conversion and Implementation • Documentation

  29. Scheduling andResource Allocation • Scheduling: • Link activity sequencing with duration • Assign start dates and finish dates • Resource Allocation: • People, facilities, computing environment, budget • Assign responsibility for each activity

  30. Technique: Project Plan

  31. Critical Path Scheduling A project must have: well-defined jobs or tasks whose completion marks the end of the project; independent jobs or tasks; and tasks that follow a given sequence. 16

  32. Activity Sequencing Technique:Network Diagram • Network diagrams show precedence and interdependencies Analyze Requirements Design Data Model Client Review and Revisions Build Application Design Screens

  33. D, 2 G, 1 A, 2 B, 1 F, 5 E, 5 Determine early start and early finish times ES=4 EF=6 ES=0 EF=2 ES=2 EF=3 ES=3 EF=4 ? C, 1 ES=4 EF=9 19

  34. Technique: Gantt Chart

  35. WHY SOFTWARE COST ESTIMATION • Estimating the size of new software development for schedule and costis a dilemma private industry and developers of new software face. • Cost estimation has proven to bea very difficult endeavor • Cost overruns of 100-200% are common

  36. Estimation Method • Assessment of the size of task to be done. • Assessment of the productivity of the developers and the environment in which the software is to be developed. • Cost and Manpower Assessment

  37. Function Points • In the late 1970, IBM felt the need to develop a language independent approach to estimating software development effort. • The size of project is measured from a functional , or user, point of view. It is independent of the computer language, development methodology, technology or capability of the project team used to develop the application.

  38. The Five Components of Function Points • Data Functions • (1) Internal Logical Files • Data function allows users to utilize data they are responsible for maintaining. • (2) External Interface Files • The data resides in another system and is maintained by another user or system • Transactional Functions • (3) External Inputs • Allows a user to maintain Internal Logical Files (ILF) • (4) External Outputs • Allows a user to produce outputs • (5) External Inquiries • Allows a user to select and display specific data from files

  39. Adjusting for process complexity • 14 influential complexity factors < Data communication < Online update < Distributed functions < Complexity processing < Performance objectives < Reusability < Heavily used configuration < Installation ease < Transaction rate < Operational ease < On-line data entry < Multiple sites < End-user efficiency < Facilitate change

  40. Function Points Process: CALCULATION • FC = Weighted Count of Functions in 5 Categories • PCA = Processing Complexity Adjustment • FP = Adjusted Function Points • FP = FC * PCA

  41. COCOMO II • COCOMO has been experiencing increasing difficulty in estimating costs and schedules for software developed using new approaches, e.g. Object-oriented software • Spiral or evolutionary development approaches • Commercial Off-The Shelf Software (COTS) and reuse-driven approaches • COCOMO 2.0 is developed to address these limitations [Boehm et al. 1995] • The Aims of COCOMO2.0

  42. Ramus’ approach • application scope • task complexity • information richness • Commercial Off-The Shelf Software (COTS) and reuse-driven approaches

  43. Cost And Man-power Estimation

  44. Aggressive Deadlinesand/or Budgets • What to do if given an aggressive deadline and/or budget • Prepare a work breakdown structure • Detailed effort and duration estimates • Meet with customer • This also works for cost and time overruns.

  45. Managerial Aspects: People • Lead the team • Set the vision • Communication • Talking and writing • Internally within team, externally with client • Negotiating and decision-making

  46. Kinds of Teams • Problem-resolution team • Focuses on solving a complex poorly defined problem • E.g. diagnosing a major problem with some software • Creativity Team • Task is to explore possibilities and alternatives • E.g. a group of programmers who are developing a completely new multimedia application • Tactical Execution Team • Focuses on carrying out a well-defined plan • E.g.. A team making a well-defined product upgrade

  47. Which Kind of Team is Best for Rapid Development? • Example 1: • You’re working on a new Catholic Family Registration System and your goal is to create the best in the world • At the beginning of the project you don’t know exactly what that will look like • Part of the job will be to discover those characteristics • Therefore, you should choose a team structure to support creativity

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