MIS Project Management,IT Project Management course online

1. What functions can be performed with project management software like Microsoft Project?

2. Do a Google search to find out more about the role of the project manager. Post your findings in the discussion forum. What are the necessary skills for project managers and, in particular, for IT project managers?

3. Read the special reading #1 (Where project managers are kings) that is posted in the Study Desk. Why do IT project managers have much less “power” than their counterparts in the construction industry?

4. What are the challenges of managing IT projects on a remote basis?

5. Why is there a need for proper organisational standards and guidelines for IT project managers to follow?

6. Why is it important for IT project managers to know the culture of the organisations that they are working in?

7. Chapter 2 presents the four frames of organisations: structural, human resources, political and symbolic. How do these four frames help IT project managers understand the organisational context for their projects?

8. What project management tools and techniques are associated with each of the five process groups? [Hint: refer to Table 1-1]

9. What are some of the typical challenges project teams face during each of the five process groups?

10. Why do organizations need to tailor project management concepts, such as those found in the PMBOK Guide, to create their own methodologies?

11. How does project integration management relate to the project life cycle, stakeholders, and the other project management knowledge areas?

12. Which project selection method(s) do you think organisations use most often for justifying information technology projects?

13. Why is it important to follow a well-integrated change control process in information technology projects?

14. The term “baseline” was briefly explained in p.159 in Chapter 4. Do a Google search to learn more about the broader concept of “project baseline”. What is the importance of project baseline in project management?

15. How can IT project managers avoid scope creep? Can scope creep be a good thing?

16. What are the different ways to develop a WBS? Why is it often so difficult to develop a WBS?

17. What are the techniques for verifying project scope?

18. Why is collecting requirements for an IT project a difficult thing to do?

19. What is the difference between PERT and critical path method?

20. Why do you think schedule issues often cause the most conflicts on projects?

21. How can you minimize or control changes to project schedules?

22. Why is it difficult to use project management software well?

23. Why do IT professionals tend to overlook project cost management and how might this affect completing projects within budget?

24. Read the article “Understand earned value in under an hour” and use Google search to find out more about how the earned value management (EVM) method is used to control

costs and measure project performance. Why is EVM not used in IT projects more often?

25. Why is project portfolio management important for project and organisational success?

26. What is your understanding of the three terms: planning quality, quality assurance and quality control?

27. How do functionality, system outputs, performance, reliability, and maintainability requirements affect quality planning?

28. What are benchmarks, and how can they assist in performing quality assurance?

29. The Schwalbe 6ed text briefly describes the different levels of software testing: unit testing integration testing, system testing and user acceptance testing. Do a Google search to find out more about software testing and, in particular, the two software testing methods: white- and black-box testing.

30. Suggest other ways for improving information technology project quality that were not discussed in the Schwalbe 6ed text.

31. How does the Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory (p.345 in Schwalbe 6ed) relate to project management?

32. What can project managers do to manage virtual team members?

33. From your reading of the “Remember the Human Element in IT Project Management”article in the Study Desk and Chap 9: Project HR Management you would have concluded that human element is one of the most important but frequently overlooked aspects of managing IT projects. How could IT project managers help the team to work together more effectively to improve project performance?

34. In what ways can the use of stakeholder register and stakeholder management strategy assist project managers in managing stakeholders?

35. The concept of a communications management plan makes logical sense, yet many projects do not create or follow this type of plan. Why do you think this is the case?

36. Which skills do you think are more important for IT project managers to possess at various points in their careers - strong technical skills or strong communications skills?

37. Schwalbe 6ed describes 5 modes for handling conflicts: confrontation, compromise, smoothing, forcing, withdrawal, and collaborating. Which mode should project managers choose to deal with the following situations? (a) To gain time in resolving the conflict. (b) A situation has become critical and must be overcome as soon as possible. (c) A permanent solution is needed and the problem must be resolved in good-faith. (d) The goal of the project is more important than the personal interests of the parties involved. Give reasons for your choice.

38. According to the “A framework for identifying software project risks” article ion the Study Desk, software project risks can generally be categorised into: (a) customer mandate, (b) scope and requirements, (c) project execution, and (d) project environment. Suggest other examples of risk factors for each category that are not mentioned in the article.

39. What are the tools and techniques for performing risk monitoring and control?

40. Why do organisations outsource. Why is there a growing trend in outsourcing, especially in offshore?

41. How could project managers ensure adequate change control on projects that involve outside contracts?

42. Some experts recommend working with preferred vendors even if their prices are higher than other vendors. Why do you think this is the case?

43. Review the types of contracts that are used in different project situations in pp.469-73 of the Schwalbe 6ed textbook. What type of contract is most suitable in the following IT projects involving external vendors: (a) software development, (b) implementation of a computer network (hardware and software), (c) implementation of a CRM package, and (d) training for a software package (e.g. Sharepoint)?