Projects management

In carrying out any project, the systems analyst is of vital importance since he is the one who generally assumes the direction of the project, thus being in charge of providing the necessary personnel, and making the decisions that help the project meet the proposed objectives.. It is for this reason that it is very important that the analyst is familiar with project management and all the techniques and tools that comprise it, and that they will facilitate their work when working on a project.

In this report we will try to explain some of the main guidelines and tools that make up Project Management and that will help the analyst to make decisions for the project in a more precise way.

2. What is project management?

Project management is the process by which the development of an acceptable system is planned, directed and controlled with minimal cost and within a specified period of time.

Causes of failed projects due to project management.

Among the main causes for which a project may fail, is the fact that analysts do not respect or do not know well the tools and techniques of systems analysis and design, in addition to this there may be mismanagement and direction of the draft. In addition there are a number of factors that can make the system poorly evaluated, among these are:

• Unmet or unidentified needs

• Uncontrolled change of project scope

• Excess cost

• Delays in delivery

Although these factors can greatly influence the failure of a project, they are generally accompanied by other types of shortcomings.

But which of these project management errors cause requirements not to be met, lead times to be exceeded, or costs to be repeatedly increased.

The answer to this question can be found in two main sources: deficiencies in the analysis tools and techniques of system design or poor project management.

In the case of unmet or unidentified needs, the error may appear due to data being omitted during the development of the project, which is why it is very important not to skip any stage of the systems development life cycle.

Another cause of dissatisfaction of needs is the poor definition of the expectations of a project in its origins, since if the maximum and minimum requirements that the project must satisfy from the beginning are not well defined, the developers will be affected by their work due to the syndrome. of the needs that grow which will allow them to make changes in the project at any time without stopping to think if those changes will be good for the project as a whole, of course all these modifications will lead to changes in costs and delivery times

The cost that a project involves may increase during the development of the project, since a feasibility study is generally required to start a project, which does not include completely accurate data on the amount of resources that each task will consume, and is based on In this study, estimates are made of the total resources that the project will need.

Furthermore, the cost may increase due to the use of inefficient estimation criteria by analysts.

Another factor that can increase costs is the increase in delivery times, which is generally due to the fact that the project managers are not good at managing the delivery times of each of the different tasks that the project involves, so when they have a delay they are not able to alter the final delivery times believing that they will be able to recover the lost time, in general this is a very bad work policy because it is not always possible to accelerate other tasks to save time in the final delivery.

To avoid all these failures, you must have a good manager in charge of the project who knows very well the design and analysis tools of systems as well as a good training in basic management functions.

Basic functions of the project manager

The project manager is not simply an experienced analyst taking over the project, but rather must apply a different set of techniques and knowledge than an analyst does; These techniques and knowledge to be applied are the following:

Basic functions of the project manager

A project manager must apply a different set of techniques and knowledge than an analyst does.

The basic functions of a director or a project manager have been analyzed and dissected by management theorists for many years. These functions include planning, selection of personnel, organization, definition of calendars, management and control.

Planning of project tasks and selection of project team

A good director always has a plan. The director assesses the resource needs and formulates a plan to reach the target system. This is based on the director's knowledge of the requirements of the target system at each stage of development. A basic plan for the development of an information system is the one provided by the systems development life cycle. Many companies have their own standard life cycle, and some of them also have standards for methods and tools to be used.

This is how each of the tasks required to complete the project must be planned:

• How long will it take? How many people will it take? How much will the task cost? What tasks should be completed before others begin? Can some of them overlap?

These are questions of planning. Some of them can be solved with the help of a PERT chart, which we will see later in this module.

Project managers are often in charge of selecting analysts and programmers from a project team. The project manager should take into account the business and technical knowledge that may be necessary to complete a project successfully. The key to this mission is knowing how to properly choose the people who would carry out the tasks required and identified as part of project planning.

Organization and definition of calendars for the project

Given the plan and the project team, the project project manager is responsible for the organization and definition of the project schedule. The members of the project team should know their role and their specific responsibilities, as well as their dependency relationship with respect to the project manager.

The project schedule should be developed with a precise understanding of time requirements, staff assignments, and task dependencies with one another. Many projects have a limit on the requested delivery date. The project manager should determine if a feasible calendar can be developed based on that date. If this is not the case, the limit should be delayed or the scope of the project should be readjusted.

Project management and control

Once the project has started, the project manager becomes the person in charge of the project. As such, he leads the team's activities and makes evaluations of the project's progress. Therefore, every project manager must demonstrate leadership qualities to his team, such as knowing how to motivate, reward, advise, coordinate, delegate functions and recognize the work of his team members. Furthermore, the director must frequently report the progress of the project to his superiors.

Perhaps the most difficult and important role of the director is to control the project. There are few plans that can be put into practice without problems and delays. The project manager's job is to track tasks, deadlines, costs, and expectations, in order to control all of these elements. If the scope of the project tends to grow, the project manager must make a decision: should the scope of the project be reduced to meet the budget and deadlines, or should the budget and deadlines be revised? The project manager should be able to present alternatives, and their implications, to deadlines and budgets to know how to meet expectations.

3. Project management tools and techniques

PERT graphics:

PERT, which stands for Proyect –o Program- Evaluation and Rewiev Technique (technique of evaluation and revision of projects –or programs-), was developed at the end of the decade of 1950 - 1959 to plan and control the great projects of arms development of the army U.S. It was developed to demonstrate the interdependence of project tasks when planning them. In essence, PERT is a technique of interrelated graphic models.

4. PERT definitions and symbols

In PERT charts, projects can be organized into events and tasks.

"An event (also called a milestone) is a point in time that represents the start or end of a task or set of tasks"

To illustrate events in PERT charts, a variety of symbols have been used: circles, squares and the like. In PERT charts, these events are often called nodes. Each node is divided into three sections. The left part of the node includes the event identification number. This number usually refers to a legend that explicitly defines the event. The upper right and lower right parts of the node are used to record the maximum and minimum completion times of the event. Instead of being dates, these times are counted from TIME = 0, where 0 corresponds to the date the project starts. All PERT charts have a start node and an end node that marks the end of the project.

In a PERT chart, tasks (also called activities) are presented by an arrow between nodes.

“A task is an activity of the project (or a set of activities)”

The arrow includes a letter identifying the task and the expected duration of the task. The direction of the arrow indicates which event must be completed before the other. The duration of the task results in the termination of the next node.

A dashed arrow has a special meaning. It is an empty task.

An empty task represents dependence on two events. However, since no activity has to be carried out, there is no duration between these events ”

Estimation of project time requirements and development of a PERT

Before drawing a graph on a PERT graph, an estimate of the time required for each project task must be made. The PERT chart can be used to indicate the maximum and minimum times for the completion of the tasks. Although these times are often expressed in person-day form, this approach is not recommended. There is no evidence that there is a linear dependency between the completion time of a project and the number of people assigned to the project team. Many systems projects that were delivered late increased their lead time deviation further as more people were added to the project team. Because two people do a job in four days, it cannot be assumed that four people do it in two days.This time is therefore best expressed in calendar days for a given number of people assigned per task.

Project time requirements should be calculated by estimate. With estimation it refers to being done as you can. A good systems analyst project manager draws on his data and experience from previous projects. There are CASE products, such as SPQR / 20, that can help project managers make better time estimates.

Other organizations have implemented internal standards to calculate project time estimates in a more structured way. These rules may mean having to analyze the tasks according to their difficulty, the necessary knowledge and techniques, and other identifiable factors. Alternatively, an optimistic estimate could be made and then adjusted using weight factors to various criteria, such as team size, the number of end users to work with, the availability of such end users, and so on. Each weight factor can both increase and decrease the value of the estimate.

Factors influencing the estimates:

• Project team size Experience of team members Number of end users and managers End user attitude Management commitment Availability of end users and managers Ongoing projects

To calculate the time requirements and draw a PERT chart, five steps are necessary:

1. Make a list of all the tasks and events of the project

2. Determine dependencies between tasks. For each task, the tasks to be completed before and after the completion of the specific task are noted.

3. Make an estimate of the duration of each task. This estimate is made as follows:

a) Calculate the minimum amount of time it would take to complete the task, which is called the optimal time (TO). The TO calculation assumes that even the most likely interruptions or delays will not occur

b) Calculate the maximum amount of time it would take to complete the task, which is called the lousy time (TP). The calculation of the TP assumes that everything that can go wrong will go wrong

c) Calculate the most probable time (TMP) that will be necessary to complete the task

d) Calculate the expected duration (SD) as follows:

4. Calculate the minimum completion time and the maximum completion time (TmF and TMF) for each task.

5. Draw the PERT graph

An alternative procedure for obtaining PERT charts is reverse planning. This schedule schedules activities starting with a proposed completion date of a task or project and going backward to schedule the tasks that must go ahead of it.

The critical path on a PERT chart

The critical path is a sequence of dependent tasks in a project that makes up the largest sum of the estimated durations. It is the path in which there is no dead time. The dead time available for a task is equal to the difference between its maximum and minimum completion times. If these times are the same, the task belongs to the critical path. If a critical path task is delayed by its deadlines, the entire project will also be delayed.

Use of PERT for planning and control

The main use and benefits of the PERT chart stem from its ability to assist the project manager in project planning and control. In planning, the PERT chart helps to determine the estimated time required to complete a given project, obtaining actual dates for the project, and allocating the necessary resources.

As a control tool, the PERT chart helps the manager identify current and potential problems. Special attention should be paid to the critical path of a project. When a project manager detects that a critical task is running late, various alternatives for action should be considered. Corrective measures can then be taken, such as the redistribution of human resources. These resources are likely to come from noncritical tasks that are currently successful. These non-critical tasks give the project some available downtime.

Pert Analysis

The approach of using PERT charts poses a problem when applied to the development of information systems, since in these charts it is sometimes assumed that one task has to be completed for another to start, but in the real case, the latter task It could start on par with the first one or when the first one is still ongoing. Classic PERT charts were developed to support projects that were often completed using an “assembly line” approach. But information systems do not work that way. System development tasks may overlap; the only thing that must happen in order is the completion of the tasks. It should not be assumed that it is not possible to start a task until the previous one has been completed.

Gantt Charts

This was developed by Henry L. Gantt in 1917 and is a simple time charting tool as they are easy to learn, read, and write. These are quite effective for planning and evaluating project progress.

Like PERT charts, Gantt charts are based on a graphical approach. A Gantt chart is a simple bar chart. Each bar symbolizes a project task. Where the horizontal axis represents time. Since these charts are used to chain tasks together, the horizontal axis should include dates. Vertically, and in the left column, a list of the tasks is offered.

An important advantage of Gantt charts is that they clearly illustrate the overlap between scheduled tasks. Unlike PERT charts, Gantt charts do not show the dependency between different tasks very well.

How to use a Gantt chart for planning: To generate a project schedule using Gantt charts, you first have to identify the tasks to be scheduled. Next, the duration of each task will be determined through techniques and formulas for the appropriate estimation of times. If a PERT chart has already been prepared, the tasks would have been identified and the mutual dependencies between tasks should at least be determined, since the Gantt charts do not clearly show these dependencies, but it is imperative that the planning calendar recognizes them. Then we are ready to plan tasks.

First, the list of activities is written in the left column of the Gantt chart. The dates corresponding to the duration of the project are noted on the horizontal axis of the graph. The start and end dates of each task will have to be determined, paying attention to the partial or total dependencies between tasks.

Using Gantt charts to assess project progress: One of the most common responsibilities of the project manager is to report on the progress of the project to his superiors. Gantt charts are often used to show project progress, as they can conveniently compare original planning with actual development. To report on the progress of the project, the convections of the Gantt chart must be expanded. If a task has been completed, its corresponding bar will appear darker. If it has only been partially completed, the proportional part of the bar will be darker. The percentage of darkened bar should correspond to the percentage of complete task. The lighter bars symbolize tasks that have not been started. Then,a vertical line will be drawn perpendicular to the horizontal axis and that will cut it on the date of the day. Then, the progress of the project can be evaluated.

Comparison of Pert and Gantt Charts

These charts are frequently presented as mutually exclusive project management tools. PERT is normally recommended for large projects with high dependency between tasks: Gantt, on the other hand, is recommended for simpler projects. All systems development projects have some dependencies between tasks and offer the opportunity to overlap tasks. Therefore, PERT and Gantt charts should be used as complementary tools to plan, schedule, evaluate, and control system development projects.

Gantt charts are generally preferred by IT managers for their simplicity and ability to display a project schedule. In the project management software packages they bring together the best PERT features (especially critical path analysis) incorporated into Gantt charts. When tasks are entered, their duration and dependencies are also included. Gantt bars are planned over time so that their dependencies are taken into account. In general, the critical path is highlighted with greater intensity. In addition, the amount of downtime appreciated in non-critical road tasks is also highlighted.This presentation can prove its usefulness when deciding which tasks will be delayed in order to make up for time on tasks that exceed the expected deadlines.

5. Project Management Software

Examples of such packages are Project, from Microsoft, and Project Manager Workbench, from Applied Business Technology. These packages greatly simplify the preparation of PERT and Gantt charts, allowing automatic transformation of both types of charts. The software also allows project managers to allocate human and financial resources to tasks, report on project progress, and do “if-then” tests when trying to modify the project plan as a result of schedule deviations.

Some packages also offer time counting software to keep track of the actual time spent on different types of activities. This information may be useful for performance comparisons and customer accounts.

Expectations Management

Experienced project managers often complain that managing project expectations is more difficult than managing cost, deadlines, equipment, or quality.

The Expectation Management Matrix

It is a tool based on a set of rules whose mission is to help project managers assess possible changes in the parameters of a project, among these parameters is cost, timing, scope and quality.

All projects have goals and limitations on cost, deadlines, scope, and quality. Reality suggests that it is not usually possible to optimize all the parameters, and that it is necessary to face what is feasible and what is acceptable within management.

Priorities:

-Maximize or minimize

-Limitation

-Acceptance

Rules disclosed by the management matrix:

-In any project, three x signs must be placed in the nine available cells

-No row should contain more than one x.

-No column should contain more than one x

At the start of any project, the project manager should consider educating the system owner on this concept of matrices and working with the system owner to fill in those matrices.

In most projects, it would be difficult to write down all the matrix quality and scope requirements. Instead, they could be attached as an attached document.

The project manager should never set, or even suggest, these priorities.

The project manager must enforce the rules.

Application of the expectations management matrix

Suppose we have an expectations management matrix in accordance with the aforementioned rules. How could this matrix help us manage expectations?

During the course of a medium systems development project, priorities are not stable. Various economic, legal and political factors can introduce changes in priorities. Budgets can be more or less rigid. The terms will be more or less flexible. Quality can become more important (rarely less), and very often needs increase (rarely decrease). As noted above, these changing factors influence all measures to some degree. The question is to manage expectations despite the changes introduced in the parameters of the project.

The technique applied is relatively simple. As long as deviations in the maximize / minimize measures or limitations begin to occur, you will have a possible problem of expectations management.

When faced with changes in our matrix, there are several possible courses of action:

a) Resources can be reallocated (cost and / or schedule)

b) It could increase the budget, but allowing greater deviations in the planned deadlines.

c) It is possible to reduce user needs (or quality) by establishing priorities among those needs and moving some of them to version 2 of the system.

d) Finally, it is possible to change the priority measure, called priority migration.

Only the owner of the system can perform the migration of priorities. They can be changed as many times as desired, but respecting the operation of the matrix, finally the migration of priorities does not necessarily mean that the project is not being fulfilled.

Human resources management

Managing or supervising members of a project team is as important as planning and controlling the project's schedule, budget, and expectations. This question could merit a complete module dedicated specifically to it. For reasons of space, we will refer readers to two of the most valuable, and also brief, books ever written on this subject:

a) The one minute manager

b) The subtle art of delegation and responsibility

6. Conclusion