Project Managing

Week 1 Day 3

Discussion Questions and Exercise 1

4. Describe how organizational culture is related to project management. What type of culture promotes a strong project environment?

Organizational culture is a set of shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that characterize the functioning of an organization. Project work is more successful in an organizational culture where employees identify more with the organization, where work activities emphasize groups and where there is strong unit integration, high risk tolerance, an open system focus, and a balanced focus on people, control and means orientation

5. Discuss the importance of top management commitment and the development of standards for successful project management. Provide examples to illustrate the importance of these items based on your experience on any type of project.

Top management commitment and support is the number one factor associated with the success of information technology projects. Top management can help project managers get adequate resources, approve unique project needs, and help get cooperation from other parts of the organization, and provide support as a mentor and coach to project managers.

6. What are the phases in a traditional project life cycle? How does a project life cycle differ from a product life cycle? Why does a project manager need to understand both?

A traditional project life cycle is a collection of project phases which include concept, development, and implementation and close out. The phase does not vary by project. Project life cycle vary tremendously based on the nature of the project. Using the general phases of the SDLC there could be a project to develop a strategic information system plan.

7. What makes IT projects different from other types of projects? How should project managers adjust to these differences?

IT project are different from others type of project because they can be very diverse in term of size and complexity. They often include team members with very diverse background and skills, and the technologies involve are diverse project manager should adjust to the differences by paying careful attention to the goals of the project and the needs of various stakeholders

8. Define globalization, outsourcing, virtual teams, and agile project management, and describe how these trends are changing IT project management.

Globalization has created a world where everyone is connected and the playing field is level for many more participants.