Project Management Essay -- Management Information Technology

Most encounter Managers come up through the ranks of an Information Technology (I.T.) department. They charter know coding, testing. This experience helps prepare them to run projects, but there are still many unknowns for the new Project Manager. The official project request they receive is typically a vague, one-page list of objectives. In addition, I.T. Management cannot afford the time to guide the new Project Manager each step of the way. This paper will serve them in the initial stages of a project.Defining the Project PurposeThe first step in any project is to determine the use of goods and assistants of the project. The project purpose should be a simple statement that is the guiding principle of the project. For exampleThe purpose of this project is to reduce the amount of time it takes to enter an order.Defining the Project RequirementsWith the purpose in mind, the requirements for the project should be set. Often, the users will need to be contacted to clarif y the requirements from their initial project request. The requirements should be in business terms, relate to organizational requirements, and be broken down by functional area. For example* Improve the response time in Order Entry to improve node service (Order Services Department)* Give the sales force the ability to enter orders while at the customer site to improve customer service (Sales Department)* Decrease the learn curve for new Order Entry Clerks to improve customer service and reduce training costs (Order Services Department)In each example, improving customer service is the organizational requirement that the project requirement relates too. The department (in parenthesis) represents the fu... .... This technique only clarifies requirements thus, other requirement gathering methods are used in junction with it.ConclusionThe two essential outputs of the initial stages of a project are* Clearly defined, achievable requirements that are in step with organizational requirements* A reasonable, practicable work planRemarksIn order to complete, many projects are finding it advantageous to use a lifecycle approach. One of the reasons software project management remain a challenge is that, as has been all too frequently observed, progress in software development has not kept pace with progress in hardware development. The gap between software and hardware development is partly explained by the lack of standard methods and tools to boost the software development process. In short, The cobblers children have no shoes.