Bia Agnas
Bia Agnas
Jul 22, 2017 · 7 min read

PROJECT INTEGRATION MANAGEMENT

I would like to give some of my insights about the study held by an organization and some of the cases from the book that I’ve read recently.

A report from the “2015 Pulse of the Profession. Capturing the Value of Project Management” by PMI was mentioned in the What Went Right section of the 8th Edition of the book of Kathy Schwalbe, “Information Technology PROJECT MANAGEMENT”. The key points of the study are:

· Project managers must lead by example to demonstrate the importance of creating good project plans and then following them in project execution. For this to be achieved, project managers must have sufficient skills and knowledge in project management, as well as leadership and communication skills.

· Organizations need to embrace, value and utilize project management by being aware of the basics for them to have the proper mindset and create sustainable competitive advantage in achieving their goals.

· Organizations that are effectively using risk management practices can mitigate potential damages and problems.

· The need for excellence in project management is continue emphasized by the dynamic, rapidly changing, complex business environment.

The following are some specific steps organization can take to provide a supportive culture for project management.

· Delivering a Value in a Demanding Environment. The demand of the environment, specifically the clients, is rapidly growing and changing; so project managers should have the sufficient skills and education to be able to come up with projects that are timely and that goes with the trends and needs of the clients.

· Back to Basics: Improving Project Management. Organizations need to get back or at least know the basics. These basics are, fully understanding the value of project management, having actively engaged executive sponsors, aligning projects to strategy, developing and maintaining project management talent, establishing a well-aligned and effective PMO (Project Management Office) and using standardized project management practices throughout the organization. These basics imply that organizations must know the real essence of project management.

· Business Imperatives: Getting the Fundamentals Right. Organizations should also focus on the fundamental aspects of culture, talent and process. Culture is the tone that shapes the common experiences and/or the characteristics of the employees. Talent is a key factor in rearing management strategies, for this helps in achieving superior project performance, executing strategic initiative and for project managers to become more professional. Lastly, process basically means that organizations need to have unique strategies and procedures for the project to be successful.

· Foundational Practices. Organizations need to define and differentiate themselves clearly for them to become high performers. They need greater knowledge transfer effectiveness, wherein capturing and sharing lessons and insights happen; more rigorous use of risk management for its competency helps organizations assess and identify project risks, mitigate threats and capitalize on opportunities; frequent use of agile/incremental/iterative project management practices that infers the business to respond and adopt quickly in the environment; and, higher benefits realization maturity, this allows the organization to illustrate and measure precisely how projects and programs contributes value to the business.

I’ve performed a financial analysis for a project and created a spreadsheet to calculate and clearly display the NPV, ROI, and year in which payback occurs. The assumed projected costs and benefits for this project are spread over four years as follows: Estimated costs are $200,000 in Year 1 and $30,000 each year in Years 2, 3, and 4. Estimated benefits are $0 in Year 1 and $100,000 each year in Years 2, 3, and 4. I’ve used a 9 percent discount rate. In addition, I’ve wrote a paragraph that explains whether I would recommend investing in this project or not, based on my financial analysis.

Assumptions:

Based on my financial analysis, I wouldn’t recommend investing in this project because the ROI (Return of Investment), as well as the NPV (Net Present Value) are both negative. The project is not a better plan because of the negative ROI.

An organization also should consider only projects with a positive NPV if financial value is a key criterion for project selection. A positive NPV means that the return from a project exceeds the cost of capital — the return available by investigating the capital elsewhere. Also, the project is not worth pursuing.

I also develop an outline (major heading and subheading only) for a project management plan in creating a Web Site in my class.

WEBSITE OF BSIT-3B

I. Home Page

a. Sign Up or Login of the students and the instructor

b. Syllabus

c. Lecture notes

d. Information Technology Project Management, 7th and 8th edition

e. Google and YouTube

f. Personal pages of each members

II. Bulletin Board

a. Announcements

b. Notices

c. Activities

III. Chat Room

a. Students

b. Instructor

c. Both Students and Instructors

Lastly, I’ve wrote a short paper based on the opening case of Chapter 4, Information Technology Project Management, 7e.

Opening Case:

Nick Carson recently became project manager of a critical biotech enterprise at his Silicon Valley company. This project involved creating the hardware and software for a DNA-sequencing instrument used in assembling and analyzing the human genome. The biotech project was the company’s largest endeavor, and it had tremendous potential for future growth and revenues. Unfortunately, there were problems managing this large project. It had been under way for three years and had already gone through three different project managers. Nick had been the lead software developer on the project before top management made him the project manager. The CEO told him to do whatever it took to deliver the first version of the DNA-sequencing software in four months and a production version in nine months. Negotiations for a potential corporate buyout with a larger company influenced top management’s sense of urgency to complete the project.

Highly energetic and intelligent, Nick had the technical background to make the project a success. He delved into the technical problems and found some critical flaws that kept the DNA-sequencing instrument from working. Nevertheless, he was having difficulty in his new role as project manager. Although Nick and his team got the product out on time, top management was upset because Nick did not focus on managing all aspects of the project. He never provided them with accurate schedules or detailed plans of what was happening on the project. Instead of performing the work of project manager, Nick had taken on the role of software integrator and troubleshooter. Nick, however, did not understand top management’s complaints — he delivered the product, didn’t he? Didn’t they realize how valuable he was?

Assumptions:

For me, the real problem in the case is that Nick Carson has no project charter to refer to — especially if it included information for managing the project. The project had been already under way for three years and had already gone through three different project managers and Nick was the fourth one, but then the project is not yet done. If there is no project charter, the project manager should work with key stakeholders, including top management, to create one.

Yes, the case presents a realistic scenario especially in times when there are new project managers. First timers tend to have many difficulties in accomplishing their task. When their skills and knowledge they have doesn’t match with the skills and knowledge that should be possess in being a project manager.

Nick Carson is not a good project manager. Yes, he delved into the technical problems and found some critical flaws that kept the DNA-sequencing instruments from working, but the problem is that he worked like a software developer not a project manager. He continued to do his old job of software developer and took on the added role of software integrator. He mistakenly thought project integration management meant software integration management and focused on the project’s technical problems. He totally ignored what project integration management is really about — integrating the work of all of the people involved in the project by focusing on good communication and relationship management.

The Top management did not at least look for an employee with sufficient skills and education to be the project manager for the project that had been already under way for three years and had already gone through three different project managers. On the other hand, they should have reviewed the charter with Nick because he was the project manager. In their initial meeting, they should have discussed roles and responsibilities, as well as their expectations of how Nick should work with them; also, they should have made their expectations on the project clearer.

Nick could have establish and maintain good relationships across interfaces. He could have communicate well with all the project stakeholders, including customers, the project team, top management, other project managers, and the opponents of the project. He could also have understood the organization’s needs and staff his project with skilled workers capable of making the project a success. Lastly, he could have taken the initiative to get the guidance he needed in being a project manager and in doing the project.

REFERENCES:

· Pulse of the Profession®: Capturing the Value of Project Management. Project Management Institute. February 2015

· Kathy Schwalbe, “Information Technology PROJECT MANAGEMENT”, 7ed; Cengage Learning

· Kathy Schwalbe, “Information Technology PROJECT MANAGEMENT”, 8ed; Cengage Learning

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