Report on IT Project Management

Introduction of IT Project Management

            The Cambridge Dictionary has described methodology as a thing, which is used as a way of studying, teaching or doing something. In addition to that Collins online dictionary has provided definition of methodology as a system, which is used to do something with some method and principles.

            In IT project management, the methodology is a something, which comes up with a comprehensive framework or standards so that individual projects can be managed from their start till the end. In general terms, it is considered to be project’s strategic level planning, and this planning comes with templates, definitions as well as guidelines, which are critical to make sure that project is delivered successfully.

            The University of California published an article, which further explained that methodologies related to IT project management are developed with the help of best possible practices, which have been learned in the past. Moreover, these methodologies are helpful in developing a common language even before the project’s start, which is used by all project’s members for planning & communication purpose. It is important to understand here that efficient as well as effective planning is more likely to get positive outcomes of a project like achieving set organizational aims and objectives.

Project Management Methodology: Agile

            In today’s world, the technologies as well as needs of people are changing quickly than ever before, so it has become critical to provide working projects & solutions for clients, which not only satisfy their actual needs, but also fulfill the time commitment as well. As compared to other methodologies, the agile methodology is a good one, because it has capability to facilitate any changes, even when project is in progress. The MoSCoW prioritization method is used by agile methodology in the start of a project so that actual requirements of a project can be identified.

Must Have IT Project Management

·         The solution may not serve the purpose in terms of legality and safety

·         Certain requirement is very important and solution cannot be deployed without it

·         Without certain requirements, the project will miss its actual target date

Should Have IT Project Management

·         Some kind of workaround is needed by the requirement

·         Certain requirement has its importance for the project, but it is not indispensable

Could Have IT Project Management

·         There is need or want to have this requirement, but its importance is less than many other requirements

·         If this requirement is not used in the project, it will have minimum effect on the project

Won’t Have IT Project Management

·         Certain project requirement will not be delivered by the team

·         This requirement is not on top of the priority list, and it is not necessarily wanted for the project

It is important to know that agreed time and schedule is crucial to complete the project, even when any changes have been made. The project delivery may become obsolete in a situation, where it is delivered late from target time, and it can be costly as business environment changes quickly. The agile methodology comes with an agile umbrella, an umbrella which has the essence of different frameworks.

This umbrella has so many dynamic elements; for instance, to bring communication with efficacy between stakeholders, the Scrum is used, and to meet any deadlines, the Dynamic systems development method is used. The work progress and efficiency are assured by Kaban, and to eliminate any kind of waste, Feature-driven development is used.

The Waterfall Methodology on IT Project Management

            From University of Missouri-St. Louis, Douglas Hughey has said that to develop a proper system, one of the first methodologies used in the past was Waterfall methodology. Winston W. Royce defined this particular methodology in 1970, and as its stages flow was more logical and from start to the end of the project.  

            It is assumed with the waterfall methodology that all kind of project’s requirements should be collected before start of the project. This model has very important phase, named as design phase, and it also has two other important elements; the physical design and logical design. First of all, a logical design is developed, which is then turned into a logical design, and in the end it is transformed into a physical design.

            In the phase of implementation, the programmers write down the system’s coding. It is a fact that when coding work is ended, then the next stage is called a verification stage, which allows identifying that expectations of customers are aligned or not. Once the project is verified, then its delivery to the customer will be made so that they can use new this new system. The all kind of minor errors or requirements will be managed in the maintenance stage.

The Differences & Similarities of IT Project Management

·         The fast as well as on time delivery of project is ensured through agile methodology, whereas in waterfall methodology, the longer time is taken to deliver the project

·         In each stage during the project progress, any changes can be made easily in agile methodology, whereas waterfall methodology asks to figure out requirements before starting a project stage and during these stages, changes cannot be made

·         Agile methodology does not follow any linear approach, so when it is compared with other methodologies, it seems to be bit difficult and complex methodology to understand, but waterfall methodology comes with a linear approach, and is easily understandable.

The Project Lifecycle and Methodologies of IT Project Management

            It is a fact that there are five stages associated with the project life cycle, and first three stages are named as defining the project goal, then planning the project as well as executing project plan and last two stages are closing the project as well as evaluating the project. The entire project is managed by following these stages with certain tasks. It is true that there is a proper sequence for these stages, but still the sequence can change as per needs and changes of a project.