Module Two: Information Systems Project Selection, Initiation & Planning
Project Management:
“The focus of this unit is on managing information systems projects and the role of the project manager in this process. A project manager has both technical and managerial skills and is ultimately responsible for determining the size, scope, and resource requirements for a project. Once a project is deemed feasible by an organization, the project manager ensures that the project meets the customer’s needs and is delivered within budget and time constraints. To manage the project, the project manager must execute four primary activities: project initiation, project planning, project execution, and project closedown. The focus of project initiation is on assessing the size, scope, and complexity of a project and on establishing procedures to support later project activities. The focus of project planning is on defining clear, discrete activities and the work needed to complete each activity. The focus of project execution is on putting the plans developed in project initiation and planning into action. Project closedown focuses on bringing the project to an end.
Gantt charts and network diagrams are powerful graphical techniques used in planning and controlling projects. Both Gantt charts and network diagram scheduling techniques require that a project have activities that can be defined as having a clear beginning and end, can be worked on independently of other activities, are ordered, and are such that their completion signifies the end of the project. Gantt charts use horizontal bars to represent the beginning, duration, and ending of an activity. Network diagramming is a critical path scheduling method that shows the interrelationships among activities. Critical path scheduling refers to planning methods whereby the order and duration of the project’s activities directly affect the completion date of the project. These charts show when activities can begin and end, which activities cannot be delayed without delaying the whole project, how much slack time each activity has, and progress against planned activities. A network diagram’s ability to use probability estimates in determining critical paths and deadlines makes it a widely used technique for very complex projects.
When managing an OOSAD project, the project manager must define the project as a set of components. Once defined, these components can be analyzed and ordered so that the most difficult components are implemented first. An OOSAD project is managed by a series of iterations, and each iteration contains all phases of the systems development cycle. Over each iteration, more and more of the system is created (component by component), and more and more is learned about the system being constructed, the capabilities of the development team, and the complexity of the development environment. As this learning increases over time, the project manager is better able to plan project activities more accurately. Therefore, it is not good practice to plan long-range activities in great detail; detailed planning should occur only for the current and subsequent iteration. Most projects have six to nine iterations, but large projects could have several more. An iteration is a fixed time period, usually about two weeks, but it can be shorter or longer depending upon the characteristics of the project.”
Valacich, J. S., & George, J. F. (2017). Modern systems analysis and design (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Information Systems Project Identification & Selection:
“During the first phase of the systems development life cycle (SDLC) planning, two primary activities are performed. The first, project identification and selection, focuses on the activities during which the need for a new or enhanced system is recognized. This activity does not deal with a specific project but rather identifies the portfolio of projects to be undertaken by the organization. Thus, project identification and selection is often thought of as a “preproject” step in the life cycle. This recognition of potential projects may come as part of a larger planning process, information systems planning, or from requests from managers and business units. Regardless of how a project is identified and selected, the next step is to conduct a more detailed assessment during project initiating and planning. This assessment does not focus on how the proposed system will operate but rather on understanding the scope of a proposed project and its feasibility of completion given the available resources. It is crucial that organizations understand whether resources should be devoted to a project; otherwise, very expensive mistakes can be made. Thus, the focus of this unit is on this process. Project initiation and planning is where projects are accepted for development, rejected, or redirected.”
Valacich, J. S., & George, J. F. (2017). Modern systems analysis and design (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Information Systems Project Initiation and Planning
“The scope of information systems today is the whole enterprise. Managers, knowledge workers, and all other organizational members expect to easily access and retrieve information, regardless of its location. Nonintegrated systems used in the past—often referred to as “islands of information”—are being replaced with cooperative, integrated enterprise systems that can easily support information sharing. Although the goal of building bridges between these “islands” will take some time to achieve, it represents a clear direction for information systems development. The use of enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems from companies such as SAP (www.sap.com ) and Oracle ( www.oracle.com ), has enabled the linking of these “islands” in many organizations.
Obtaining integrated, enterprise-wide computing presents significant challenges for both corporate and information systems management. For example, given the proliferation of personal and departmental computing wherein disparate systems and databases have been created, how can the organization possibly control and maintain all of these systems and data? In many cases they simply cannot; it is nearly impossible to track who has which systems and what data, where there are overlaps or inconsistencies, and the accuracy of the information. The reason that personal and departmental systems and databases abound is that users are either unaware of the information that exists in corporate databases or they cannot easily get at it, so they create and maintain their own information and systems. Intelligent identification and selection of system projects, for both new and replacement systems, is a critical step in gaining control of systems and data. It is the hope of many chief information officers (CIOs) that with the advent of ERP systems, improved system integration, and the rapid deployment of corporate Internet solutions, these islands will be reduced or eliminated.
The acquisition, development, and maintenance of information systems consume substantial resources for most organizations. This suggests that organizations can benefit from following a formal process for identifying and selecting projects. The first phase of the systems development life cycle—project identification and selection—deals with this issue. In the next section, you will learn about a general method for identifying and selecting projects and the deliverables and outcomes from this process. This is followed by brief descriptions of corporate strategic planning and information systems planning, two activities that can greatly improve the project identification and selection process.”
Valacich, J. S., & George, J. F. (2017). Modern systems analysis and design (8th ed.). Boston: Pearson.
Activities
- Read:
- Chapter 3 & Appendix 3, Modern Systems Analysis and Design
- Sections 3.3 and 3.4, CISA Review Manual
- Chapter 5, Modern Systems Analysis and Design
- Sections 3.5.2, Phase 1-Feasibility Study, CISA Review Manual
- Chapter 4, Modern Systems Analysis and Design.
- CISA Review Manual, Section
- 2.4 Information System Strategy
- View:
- Project Management: Part One
- Project Management: Part Two
- Project Management Demonstration
- Planning: Project Selection
- Planning: Information Systems and Strategy Alignment
- Planning: Initiating the SDLC
- Planning: Feasibility Analysis
- Planning: The Baseline Project Plan
- Planning: Feasibility Study Demonstration
- Complete
Objectives
- Explain the process of managing an information systems project, including project initiation, project planning, project execution, and project closedown.
- Describe project governance and organizational structures
- Explain the purpose and use of estimation, evaluation and control techniques
- Explain the importance of Lessons Learned
- Describe how to represent and schedule project plans using Gantt charts and network diagrams.
- Describe the unique characteristics of an OOSAD project.
- describe the steps involved in the project initiation and planning process,
- list and describe various methods for assessing project feasibility,
- describe the activities needed to build and review the baseline project plan, and
- describe the activities and participant roles within a structured walk-through
- describe the project identification and selection process,
- describe the corporate strategic planning and information systems planning process, and
- describe the three classes of Internet electronic commerce applications: business- to-consumer, business-to-employee, and business-to-business.
Topics
- Phases of project management (initiating, planning, executing and closing)
- Representing project plans
- Task definitions and planning (Work Breakdown Structure, Network Diagrams, GANTT charts)
- OO project characteristics
- Managing iterative projects
- OO Activity Focus over the lifetime of projects
- Initiating and Planning Systems Development Projects
- The Process of Initiating and Planning IS Development Projects
- Assessing Project Feasibility
- Assessing and Reviewing the Baseline Project Plan
- Identifying and selecting projects
- The process of identifying and selecting IS development projects
- Deliverables and outcomes
- Information systems planning
- Strategic planning
- Information systems planning
CISA Topics
- Project Management Structures
- Project Organizational Forms
- Project Management Practices
- Initiation
- Planning
- Execution
- Controlling
- Closing
- Feasibility Study
- Business Case Development
- Business Application Development
- Traditional SDLC Approach