IS Project Mgmt-MIS 448 Ch2 Qs

What are key issues when managing global projects?

- Communications: How people will communicate in an efficient and timely manner. Across time zones, languages, cultural backgrounds. - Trust: Build trust immediately by recognizing and respecting others' differences and the value they add to the project - Common work practices: Align work processes and develop a well established method with which everyone agrees and is comfortable - Tools: The technologies used to enhance communications and work practices

How does a project life cycle differ from a product life cycle?

a project life cycle differs from a product life cycle by being broader than just managing the creation and deliverance of products, but overall changes in a company or individual.

Why does a project manager need to understand a project and product life cycle?

to be able to strategize which type of plan for managing a project's or products life cycle

Explain the four frames of organizations.

- Stuctural frame: How the organization is structured. Roles and responsibiliteis, coordination, and control. Organizational charts help descibe this frame - Human resources (HR) frame: Providing harmony between needs of the organization and needs of people - Political frame: Coalitions composed of varied individuals and interest groups. Conflict and power are key issues - Symbolic frame: Symbols and meanings related to events. Culture, language, traditions, and image are all parts of this frame

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

IT projects are diverse. Managers need to adjust to these differences through understanding that IT projects have diverse team members and technologies, and that brining together diverse individuals with changing technologies can produce projects and IT projects.

What type of culture promotes a strong project environment?

Project work is most 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, performance-based rewards, high conflict tolerance, an open-systems focus, and a balanced focus on people, control, and means orientation.

How can the four frames of organizations help project managers understand the organizational context for their projects?

Understanding the four frames of an organization can help project managers know what the goals are for the company, understanding the needs of stakeholders, addressing the politics of the organization and how to handle conflit between opposing parties for a project, and how the culture and norms work in the company to help provide information on the politics, sturcture, and stakeholders.

Breifly explain the differences between functional, matrix, and project organizations. Describe how each structure affects the management of a project.

- Functional organizational structure: Hierarchy of managers or VPs of a function (HR, IT, Engineering) who report to the CEO with staff of their functional area who report to them. Projects are managed within each functional area. - Project organizational structure: Hierarchy of program managers who report to the CEO with staff of their specific program (that can have multiple functions). Projects are managed within each program. - Matrix organizational structure: Hierarchy of a matrix of managers and staff who report to the functional VP and program managers, who may all report to CEO. Projects are managed within a function and/or program

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

- Globalization: the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or start operating on an international scale. Globalization has influenced the field of IT through increasing the use of information technologies, collaboration on IT projects, and internet usage - Outsourcing: an organization's acquisition of goods and services from an outside source. IT projects continue to rely more and more on outsourcing, both within and outside their country boundaries - Virtual teams: a group of people who work together despite time and space boundaries using communication technologies. IT project management can be done virtually, reducing costs of office space and improving work-life balance for team members

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 product.

- Project managers need adequate resources (executive steps in to provide money, human resources, visibility) - Project managers often require approval for unique project needs in a timely manner (may need additional resources, training, testing, throughout the project, executive can provide) - Project managers must have cooperation from people in other parts of the organization (executive steps in to encourage other managers to provide support, information for a project) - Project managers often need someone to mentor and coach them on leadership issues (executives can assist project managers with leadership tactics and strategies)

How does taking a systems view apply to project management?

It invloves defining the project's goals, interviewing key stakeholders, determining requirements for the project to succeed, address issues before the project even begins.

Describe how organizational culture is related to project management.

Organizational culture is related to project management by how important the culture of the company is to completing projects successfully.

Describe the 10 characteristics of organizational culture

1. Member identity: the degree to which employees identify with the organization as a whole rather than with their type of job/profession. 2. Group emphasis: the degree to which work activities are organized around groups or teams, rather than individuals. 3. People focus: the degree to which management's decisions take into account the effect of outcomes on people within the organization. 4. Unit integration: the degree to which units or departments within an organization are encouraged to coordinate with each other. 5. Control: the degree to which rules, policies, and direct supervision are used to oversee and control employee behavior. 6. Risk tolerance: the degree to which employees are encouraged to be aggressive, innovative, and risk seeking. 7. Reward criteria: the degree to which rewards, such as promostions and salary increases, are allocated according to employee performance rather than seniority, favoritism, or other nonperformance factors. 8. Conflict tolerance: the degree to which employees are encouraged to air conflicts and criticism openly. 9. Menas-end orientation: the degree to which management focuses on outcomes rather than on techniques and processes used to achieve results. 10. Open-systems focus: the degree to which the organization monitors and responds to changes in the external environment.

What are the phases in a traditional project life cycle?

1. Starting the project 2. Organizing and preparing 3. Carrying out the work 4. Finishing the project

What does it mean to take a systems view of a project?

Analyzing a project as if it were a system. Looking at the project as multiple components, how it intereacts with the environment, and how each component interacts with each other.