CIS: Chapter 19

Feasiblity

The measure of the tangible and intangible benefits of an information system

Project planning

The process of detailed planning that generates answers to common operational questions such as why are we doing this project or what is the project going to accomplish

SMART criteria

Useful reminders about how to ensure the project has created understandable and measurable objectives

Outsourcing

An arrangement by which one organization provides a service or services for another organization that chooses not to preform them in-house

Intangible benefits

Difficult to quantify or measure

Tangible benefits

Easy to quantify and typically measured to determine the success or failure of a project

Critical path

Estimates the shortest path through the project ensuring all critical tasks are completed from start to finish

Project management body of knowledge (PMBOK) elements

-Communication plan: defines how, what, when, and who regarding the flow of the project information to stakeholder and is key for managing expectations -Executive sponsor: The person or group who provides the financial resources for the project -Project assumption: Factors considered to be true, real, or certain without proof or demonstration -Project constraint: Specific factors that can limit options, including budget, delivery dates, available skilled resources, and organization polices -Project deliverable: Any measurable, tangible, verifiable outcome, result, or item that is produced to compute a project or part of a project. -Project management office (PMO): An internal department that oversees all organizational projects. This group must formalize and professionalize project management expertise and leadership. Educate the organization on techniques and procedures. -Project milestone: Represents key dates when a certain group pf activities must be preformed -Project objectives: Quantifiable criteria that must be met for the project to be considered a success -Project requirements document: Defines the specifications for product/output of the project and is key for managing expectations, controlling scope and completing other planning efforts. -Project scope statement: Links the project to the organization's overall business goals. -Project stakeholder: People actively involved in the project or whose interests might be affected by the result of the project -Responsibility matrix: Defines all project roles and indicate what responsibilities are associated with each role. -Status report: Periodic reviews of actual performance versus expected performance

Common reasons for outsourcing

-Core competencies -Financial savings -Rapid growth -The internet and globalization

Types of feasibility

-Economic: measures the cost-effectiveness of a project -Operational: measures how well a solution meets the identified system requirements to solve the problem and take advantage -Schedule: measures the project time frame to ensure it can be completed on time -Technical: measures the practicality of a technical solution and the availability of technical resources and expertise -Political: measures how well the solution will be accepted in a given organization -Legal: measures how well the solution can be implemented within existing legal and contractual obligations

Challenges of outsourcing

-Length of contract -Threat of competitive advantages -Loss of confidentiality

Outsourcing models

-Onshore outsourcing: engaging another company within the same country for services -Nearshore outsourcing: contracting an outsourcing arrangement with a company in a nearby country. Often this country will share a border with the native country. -Offshore outsourcing: using organizations from developing countries to write code and develop systems. In offshore outsourcing the country is geographically far away.

Types of organizational projects

-Sales -Marketing -Finance -Accounting -MIS

SMART Criteria for Successful Objective Creation

-Specific -Measurable -Agreed Upon -Realistic -Time frame (SMART)

Primary reasons projects fail

-Unclear or missing business requirements (most common reason) -Skipped SDLC phases -Changing technology -The cost of finding errors -Balance of the triple constraints: time, cost and scope

In-sourcing (in-house development)

A common approach using the professional expertise within an organization to develop and maintain the organization's information technology systems.

Project plan and what it includes

A formal, approved document that manages and controls project execution. Includes: -Project scope -List of activities -Resources -Assignments -Responsiblities

PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) chart

A graphical network model that depicts a project's tasks and relationships between those tasks

Dependency

A logical relationship that exists between the project tasks, or between a project task and a milestone

Gantt chart

A simple bar chart that lists project tasks vertically against the project's time frame, listed horizontally

Kill Switch

A trigger that enables a project manager to close the project prior to completion