Chapter 11 • IT Project Management 421FIGURE 11.7 Gantt Chart Example (Reprinted from Brewer et al., 2010)Although projects vary by size, scope, time duration,
and uniqueness, most projects share the three following
life-cycle characteristics (PMI, 2004):
1.Risk and uncertainty are highest at the start of the
project.
2.The ability of the project stakeholders to influence
the outcome is highest at the start of the project.
3.Cost and staffing levels are lower at the start of the
project and higher toward the end.
Project management software tools are used to plan
and visualize project tasks across the entire project manage-
ment life cycle. Microsoft Project is the most commonly
used general purpose software, but more than 100 such
products are available today, including hosted Web-based
applications. In some cases an organization develops its own
project management tools, or a consulting firm might pro-
vide such a system. Our focus here is not on the software
tools used, but on three general project management prac-
tices: communication, coordination, and measuring progress.
Communication about the project to all affected stake-
holders and potential users is key to successful implementa-
tion for systems projects in particular. For large projects with
major business impacts, a project “kickoff” event is frequent-
ly scheduled at which the project’s sponsor or champion
explicitly communicates the project objectives and perhaps
also presents some general ground rules for project team
members to make decisions on behalf of their constituents.
It is the project manager’s responsibility to have an
external communications plan appropriate for the project.
This includes formally communicating the project status on
a regular basis (typically weekly or monthly) to any over-
sight groups, all key stakeholders, and the user community
that will be affected by the project. Using the planning
charts mentioned earlier, variances from the forecasted
project budget and project milestones can be reported in a
way that highlights deviations from the project plan and
their causes (see Figure 11.8). When outside consultants are
used, the tracking of consultant costs and utilization is also
a key project manager responsibility.- Schedule Status
Scheduled and actual or forecasted completion dates
Explanations of deviation(s) - Budget Status
Total project funding
Expenditures to date of report
Current estimated cost to complete
Anticipated profit or loss
Explanation of deviation, if any, from planned expenditure projection
FIGURE 11.8 Reporting the Status of a Project Schedule and Budget [Based on
Roman, 1986]