Project Management Approaches for IT Projects

1
Project Management Approaches for IT Projects

• Project Management Challenges and Solutions for
  Managing IT Service, IT Product, and Mixed
  Implementation Projects

Bill Schneider, PMP Senior Project
Manager Susquehanna Technologies
2
Goals

• Explore and understand the similarities and
  differences in managing various IT implementation
  projects.
• Determine project approach strategies, and
  management materials for successful
  implementations.

3
Agenda

• Project Types and Approaches
• Attributes and Challenges
• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Management Materials
• Discussion

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Project Types

• Project Types
• Custom Implementation Projects
• Product Implementation Projects
• Mixed

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Project Approaches

• Approaches
• In-house
• Outsource
• Mixed

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In-house Custom Projects

• Description
• Build custom software to solve your business
  challenge
• Attributes
• Highly customized needs
• Business needs/processes do not match available
  COTS
• Identified market opportunity
• Confidential processes/data
• Challenges
• Driven by cost with sacrifice to remainder of
  triple constraint
• Employ technical staff to build and maintain
• Not well defined
• Unattainable objective(s)
• Business strategy misalignment

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In-house Custom Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Involve champion and stakeholder constantly and
  deeply
• Determine technical staff requirements
• Determine, define, and evaluate project metrics

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In-house Custom Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Project Charter
• Stakeholders involvement activities
• Staff acquisition and team development plans
• Project cost measurements and controls

9
In-house Product Projects

• Description
• Implementing COTS to solve your business
  challenge
• Attributes
• COTS meets business needs and processes
• Challenges
• Product implementation creates turf wars
• Project implementation cycle does not meet
  business needs
• Have technical staff with very specialized
  knowledge to build and maintain

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In-house Product Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Leverage and manage stakeholders
• Evaluate products
• Acquire specialized staff
• Perform and understand functional gap analysis

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In-house Product Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Business process documentation
• Project Charter
• Stakeholders involvement activities
• Staff acquisition and team development plans

12
In-house Mixed Projects

• Description
• Implementing COTS with customizations to solve
  your business challenge
• Attributes
• Highly customized needs
• Business needs and processes somewhat match
  available COTS
• Identified market opportunity
• Confidential processes or data
• Challenges
• COTS not conducive to customization
• Projects driven by cost with sacrifice to triple
  constraint
• Have technical staff with very specialized
  knowledge to build and maintain
• Project implementation cycle does not meet
  business needs

13
In-house Mixed Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Perform and understand functional gap analysis
• Communicate gap analysis
• Understand product flexibility and
  customizability
• All other in-house strategies

14
In-house Mixed Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Maintenance project charter and plans
• All other in-house materials

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Outsourced Custom Projects

• Description
• Contracting to have custom software built to
  solve your business challenge
• Attributes
• Highly customized needs
• Business needs and processes does not match
  available COTS
• Identified market opportunity
• Challenges
• Rely on another company for technical and PM
  expertise
• Potential mismatch of PMLC approach
• Platform standardization and flux
• Procurement
• Communication
• Managing integrated team

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Outsourced Custom Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Perform rigorous procurement
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Ensure you are a stakeholder from the beginning

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Outsourced Custom Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Procurement Plan
• Communications Plan
• Internal Project Charter and Project Plan
• Detailed scope management

18
Outsourced Product Projects

• Description
• Contracting to have COTS implemented to solve
  your business challenge
• Attributes
• COTS meets business needs and processes
• Do not have technical personnel versed in COTS on
  staff
• Challenges
• Rely on another company for technical and PM
  expertise
• No match of PMLC approach
• Project implementation cycle does not meet
  business needs
• May work with PSO, PSO Partner, or both
• Procurement
• Communication
• Managing integrated team

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Outsourced Product Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Perform rigorous procurement
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Ensure you are a stakeholder from the beginning
• Perform and understand functional gap analysis

20
Outsourced Product Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Procurement Plan
• Communications Plan
• Internal Project Charter and Project Plan
• Detailed scope management and understanding of
  scope

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Outsourced Mixed Projects

• Description
• Contracting to have COTS implemented and
  customized to solve your business challenge
• Attributes
• COTS somewhat meets needs
• Do not have technical personnel versed in COTS on
  staff
• Challenges
• COTS not conducive to customization
• Rely on another company for variety of expertise
  - technical and PM
• No match of PMLC approach
• Platform standardization and flux
• Project implementation cycle does not meet
  business needs
• Procurement
• Communication
• Managing integrated team

22
Outsourced Mixed Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Perform rigorous procurement
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Ensure you are a stakeholder from the beginning
• Perform and understand functional gap analysis

23
Outsourced Mixed Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Procurement Plan
• Communications Plan
• Internal Project Charter and Project Plan
• Detailed scope management and understanding of
  scope

24
Mixed Custom Projects

• Description
• Building custom software to solve your business
  challenge with contracted help
• Attributes
• Highly customized needs
• Business needs and processes does not match
  available COTS
• Identified market opportunity
• Confidential processes or data
• Has in-house staff but does not have bandwidth,
  skill set, knowledge in specific industry area
• Challenges
• Projects driven by cost with sacrifice to triple
  constraint
• Have development staff to build and maintain
• Not well enough defined
• Unattainable objective
• Out of alignment with business strategy
• Rely on another company for technical and PM
  expertise
• Procurement
• Communication
• Managing integrated team

25
Mixed Custom Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Focus on Integration
• Involve champion and stakeholder constantly and
  deeply
• Determine, define, and evaluate project metrics
• Perform rigorous procurement
• Communicate, communicate, communicate

26
Mixed Custom Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Project Charter
• Change Control Plan
• Stakeholders involvement activities
• Staff acquisition and team development plans
• Project cost measurements and controls
• Procurement Plan
• Communications Plan
• Internal Project Charter and Project Plan
• Detailed scope management

27
Mixed Product Projects

• Description
• Implementing COTS to solve your business
  challenge with contracted help
• Attributes
• COTS meets business needs and processes
• Has in-house staff but does not have bandwidth,
  skill set, knowledge in specific COTS platform
• Challenges
• Project implementation cycle does not meet
  business needs
• Have some technical personnel with very
  specialized knowledge to build and maintain
• Rely on another company for technical expertise
• Match timing on product versioning
• May work with PSO, PSO Partner, or both
• Procurement
• Communication
• Managing integrated team

28
Mixed Product Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Focus on Integration
• Leverage and manage stakeholders
• Evaluate products
• Acquire specialized staff
• Perform and understand functional gap analysis
• Perform rigorous procurement
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Ensure you are a stakeholder from the beginning

29
Mixed Product Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Change Control Plan
• Business process documentation
• Project Charter
• Stakeholders involvement activities
• Staff acquisition and team development plans
• Procurement Plan
• Communications Plan
• Internal Project Charter and Project Plan
• Understand scope

30
Mixed Mixed Projects

• Description
• Implementing COTS with customizations to solve
  your business challenge with contracted help
• Attributes
• COTS somewhat meets needs
• Do not have technical personnel versed in COTS on
  staff, but has technical personnel versed in
  platform
• Challenges
• COTS not conducive to customization
• Have technical staff with very specialized
  knowledge to build and maintain
• Project implementation cycle does not meet
  business needs
• Rely on another company for technical expertise
• Match upgrade timing on installed HW and SW
  platforms
• Match timing on product versioning
• Procurement
• Communication
• Managing integrated team

31
Mixed Mixed Projects (contd)

• Key Project Approach Strategies
• Focus on Integration
• Perform and understand functional gap analysis
• Communicate gap analysis
• Understand product flexibility and
  customizability
• All other In-house Strategies
• Perform rigorous procurement
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
• Ensure you are a stakeholder from the beginning
• Perform and understand functional gap analysis

32
Mixed Mixed Projects (contd)

• Management Materials
• Change control Plan
• Maintenance Project Charter and Plans
• All other in-house materials
• Procurement Plan
• Communications Plan
• Internal Project Charter and Project Plan
• Detailed scope management and understanding of
  scope

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Discussion