Chapter 2 - The Project Management and Information Technology Context

Kill Point

A management review that should occur after each project phase to determine if projects should be continued, redirected, or terminated.

Phase Exit

A management review that should occur after each project phase to determine if projects should be continued, redirected, or terminated.

Agile Software Development

A method for software development that uses new approaches, focusing on close collaboration between programming teams and business experts.

Outsourcing

An organization's acquisition of goods and services from an outside source.

Matrix Organizational Structure

An organizational structure in which employees are assigned both to functional and project managers.

Functional Organizational Structure

An organizational structure that groups people by functional areas such as IT, manufacturing, engineering, and human resources.

Project Organizational Structure

An organizational structure that groups people by major projects.

Systems Philosophy

An overall model for thinking about things as systems.

Politics

Competition between groups or individuals for power and leadership.

Offshoring

Outsourcing from another country.

Agile

Quick and coordinated in movement; a method based on iterative and incremental development in which requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration.

Systems

Sets of interacting components working within an environment to fulfill some purpose.

IT Governance

The authority and control for key IT activities in organizations, including IT infrastructure, IT use, and project management.

Project Feasibility

The first two phases in a project (concept and development) that focus on planning.

Project Acquistion

The last two phases in a project (implementation and close-out) that focus on delivering the actual work.

Scrum

The leading agile development methodology for completing projects with a complex, innovative scope of work.

Which of the following statements is false?

a. An analysis project life cycle is a collection of project phases. b. A product life cycle is the same as a project life cycle. c. The waterfall approach is an example of a predictive life cycle model. d. Agile is an example of an adaptive life cycle model. B

_________________________ is the leading agile development method.

a. Extreme programming b. Sprint c. Six sigma d. Scrum D

A _______________ is a product or service, such as a technical report, a training session, or hardware, produced or provided as part of a project.

a. deliverable b. product c. work package d. tangible goal A

The nature of IT projects is different from projects in many other industries because they are very ________________.

a. expensive b. technical c. diverse d. challenging C

Personnel in a organizational structure often report to two or more bosses.

a. functional b. project c. matrix d. hybrid C

What term describes an organization's acquisition of goods and services from an outside source in another country?

a. globalization b. offshoring c. exporting d. global sourcing B

Project work is most successful in an organizational culture where all of the following characteristics are important except ____________________.

a. member identity b. group emphasis c. risk tolerance d. control D

Political Frame

A frame that addresses organizational and personal politics.

Project Life Cycle

A collection of project phases, such as concept, development, implementation, and close-out.

Structural Frame

A frame that deals with how the organization is structured (usually depicted in an organizational chart) and focuses on different groups' roles and responsibilities to meet the goals and policies set by top management.

Human Resources (HR) Frame

A frame that focuses on producing harmony between the needs of the organization and the needs of people.

Symbolic Frame

A frame that focuses on the symbols, meanings, and culture of an organization.

Systems Development Life Cycle (SDLC)

A framework for describing the phases involved in developing and maintaining information systems.

Virtual Team

A group of people who work together despite time and space boundaries using communication technologies.

Executive Steering Committee

A group of senior executives from various parts of the organization who regularly review important corporate projects and issues.

Systems Approach

A holistic and analytical approach to solving complex problems that includes using a systems philosophy, systems analysis, and systems management.

Systems Thinking

A holistic view of an organization to effectively handle complex situations.

Kanban

A just-in-time method of inventory control that can be modified used in conjunction with Scrum.

Systems Analysis

A problem-solving approach that requires defining the scope of the system to be studied, and then dividing it into component parts for identifying and evaluating its problems, opportunities, constraints, and needs.

Deliverable

A product or service, such as a technical report, a training session, a piece of hardware, or a segment of software code, produced or provided as part of a project.

Champion

A senior manager who acts as a key proponent for a project.

Organizational Culture

A set of shared assumptions, values, and behaviors that characterize the functioning of an organization.

Adaptive Software Development (ASD)

A software development approach used when requirements cannot be clearly expressed early in the life cycle.

Predictive Life Cycle

A software development approach used when the scope of the project can be articulated clearly and the schedule and cost can be predicted accurately.

Which of the following is not part of the three-sphere model for systems management?

A. Business B. Information C. Technology D. Organization B

Which of the four frames of organizations addresses how meetings are run, employee dress codes, and expected work hours?

A. Structural B. Human Resources C. Political D. Symbolic D

Systems Management

Addressing the business, technological, and organizational issues associated with creating, maintaining, and modifying a system.

Which of the following terms describes a framework of the phases involved in developing information systems?

a. systems development life cycle b. rapid application development c. predictive life cycle d. extreme programming A