3) Briefly describe what happens in each of the five project management process groups (initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing). What types of activities are done before initiating the project?

 Pre- initiating

The justification of the project occurs, using a Business case, possibly as part of a strategic plan. The initial scope, time and cost constraints for the project are established. Top-level stakeholders are selected such as Project sponsor, Project Manager. A Project Charter may be created to express the project specifics. , Project process and expectations are set.

Initiating

The Initiating phase is where the project specifics are defined, like the scope, cost, and time of the project. Project stakeholders are identified. A Stakeholder Register may be created to provide full contact and roll information. Initiating may occur during each process phases.

The inputs to the Initiating phase are a Statement Of Work (SOW) or a contract given by the project sponsor. Other inputs are the environmental factors such as corporate policies and procedures.

The output of the Initiating process could be a Project Charter where all stakeholders confirm the project’s details and applicable rolls of the stakeholders. Preliminary Project Scope Statement authorized by management and potentially sent out through the organization. A formal kick-off meeting, for internal and external stakeholders, may be used to bring together all the stakeholders and hopefully develop relationships among the parties.

 Planning

Purpose of the Planning Process is to refine the project objectives and then plan the necessary steps to obtain the project’s objectives within the provided scope. The output of the Planning Process is the Project Scope Statement, Work breakdown Structure (WBS), and Project schedule. A list of prioritized risks as part of the risk register, may be created to monitor potential significant issues that could derail a project and keep the project ‘s goals in focus . A team contract may be created so all parties formally accept their roles and obligations, in writing.

Executing

The actual work is performed during the Executing phase. Resources are procured and contracts are signed. Majority of the project’s cost occurs with the procurement of people, hardware and software are obtained. Personnel are also trained. Resources are brought together to fulfill the project requirements.

Monitoring and Controlling

Monitoring and controlling is used to control change and monitor that the project is on time and on budget while still producing a quality deliverable. Any needed project change requests get approved or rejected, to address issues that arise during the project. A milestone report may be used to track the projects progress. Modifications to the project can be made to address issues, such as additional features, extending the time or scope, or bring on additional resources. The project may be killed if the project deemed no longer desirable. Top management or the “Project Champion” may be needed to provide additional resources. Monitoring and controlling is ultimately responsible for approving the final deliverables of the project.

Closing

After all the deliverables of the project are created, the closing process group still has to close the overall project and provide the deliverables to the customer. Contracts are finalized and closed out. All internal or external vendors are paid. Formal acceptance of the product or service is obtained from the customer. Outputs of the Closing process are: the Closing process are the Final project Report, Closing documents, Lessons learned report..

 

 

 

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

• Globalization – Having team members or other organizations outside the host country. Also known as Off-shoring. 

•  Outsourcing – Having individual tasks or functions perform by an organization external to the organization.

• Virtual Teams – Individuals working outside the regular office, usually an office is not required for the person.

Trends  - More organizations are using organizations, departments and individuals outside the organization’s host country or outside the corporate offices. Some organizations use other organizations and sites outside their home country to provide 24/7 support and even Research and development functions. Several organizations have outsourced their Customer support center to reduce organizational cost while still providing needed services to their customers. Some organizations use virtual teams to augment their work force by having persons outside their corporate office including global locations, thus allowing them to hire resources that they would not have been available in the organization’s local area, especially high-end resources. All these effort reduce the organizations’ cost while providing a pool of workers, and ultimately add value to their customers.


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5) Some of the adaptive approaches to developing systems (like agile) are becoming more popular. Are they better or more appropriate than prescriptive approaches in most cases? Why or why not?

Agile – provides for incremental releases in short time frames, and where “requirements cannot be define early” in the planning process. 

Agile might be appropriate for some organizations such as Microsoft that releases a product then provides service packs for reliability and stability updates, but government and financial organizations must have clearly defined requirements, like those provided by the waterfall or spiral life cycle. Prototyping and RAD would be more appropriate where physical products are delivered, like the automotive industry.

Agile definitely can benefit some organizations by prioritizing issues and resolving those critical issues as soon as possible. To me the most important person is the person that sets the priorities, assigns the work and monitors the progress, and keep a happy staff. Agile places an increased burden on those individuals to remain focused and on top of all items and concerns. Many organizations probably do not have “many” of these individuals and the required skill set to implement the Agile process. Those that do would be successful and those that do not would revert back to or stay with the prescriptive  approaches .

Prescriptive approaches – Waterfall, Spiral, Prototyping, Rapid Application Development (RAD)


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6) Many information technology project managers come from senior technical positions. What can you do to help them transition into a project management role?

Technical personnel are usually not adept at communications and associating with various other teams. Project management requires constant communications with several stakeholders to implement and sustain a project through to completion, as stakeholders need to be constantly engaged and following requirements. Issues usually arise during the life of the project and relationships across teams and individuals is required to find solution or to free up needed resources . Usually a mentor is assigned to assist in developing their communications skills and especially in building long term relationships. Encouraged develop  of leadership skills to guide the team and assist in providing resources for the team and the project.

2) Research information about the PMP certification and list at least 2 websites / articles URL’s that describe the requirements. What are the benefits of a PMP certification? Do you think it is worthwhile for project managers to get certified? Explain briefly.

The 6  PMI Certifications:

• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM)^®
• Project Management Professional (PMP)^®
• Program Management Professional (PgMP)^®
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)^®
• PMI Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)^®
• PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP)^®

Requirements:

• A four-year degree (bachelor’s or the global equivalent) and at least three years of project management experience, with 4,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.
  OR
• A secondary diploma (high school or the global equivalent) with at least five years of project management experience, with 7,500 hours leading and directing projects and 35 hours of project management education.

PMP Training

·    Before an applicant is eligible to take the PMP exam, she must participate in 35 hours of training as a project manager. PMP training courses are available through PMI, private organizations and at institutions of higher education globally. The PMI credentials handbook provides a comprehensive list of training courses and class sites.

Exam Completion

·     The final step of the PMP credential process is passing the PMP exam. The 200-question test covers the knowledge areas of project management, including human resource management and project risk, procurement, time and cost . In addition, the PMP exam tests each applicant's knowledge of the core tasks of a project manager, including initiating, controlling and executing a project successfully.

Ongoing Training

·    Once a project management professional has obtained credentials through PMI, she must maintain certification by participating in ongoing project management training. PMI offers more than 60 professional development units for certified professionals and reviews each applicant's progress after a 60-day probationary period. PMP professionals can apply for renewal one year after passing the PMP exam.

Maintain Your PMP

As part of PMI’s Continuing Certification Requirements program, a PMP credential holder will need to earn 60 PDUs per three-year cycle. To learn more about the program, what are PDUs, how to earn and claim them, as well as step-by-step instructions on how to renew your certification, watch the CCR video. You can also reference the latest PMP Handbook found on PMI.org

Benefits of Certification:

Higher Salary

·    According to PMI, project managers who have earned the PMP credential often earn higher salaries due to their certification . Those who take the extra step to earn their certification show commitment to the project management career path. Additionally, the PMP certification prepares you for and often leads to a higher level of career responsibility, additional opportunities and career advancement.

Additional Networking

·    PMI offers additional networking options to those who have earned their PMP certification. It has organized local chapters and special interest groups you can join to network with other project managers in your community, as well as extensive online communities. Additionally, PMI has created an online career headquarters allowing PMPs to search for jobs, post their resumes and receive career advice.

Enhanced Marketability

·    For many project management job openings, you won't even be considered without the PMP certification. Even one it is not required, employers look at the credential as a preference when looking at prospective employees. Employers recognize that those with a current PMP not only are required to meet the stringent requirements to initially earn the PMP certification, but also must keep their skills and knowledge up to date through continuing education.

Why get certified: Villanova Univ,

·     According to the Project Management Institute (PMI), the average annual salary for PMP^® certified Project Managers in the U.S. is $111,824, almost $14,000 more than the salary of those without PMP^® certification.* (*“Project Management Salary Survey, Seventh Edition,” Project Management Institute, 2011)

 

·    PMI also reports demand for project professionals is staggering, with an average of 1.2 million projected new jobs needing to be filled each year for the next decade.** **“The World Needs You to Teach Project Management,” Project Management Institute, September 2010.

 

·    The 2012 PMI Pulse of the Profession study found that organizations with more than 35% PMP certified project managers had better project performance. And according to a 2007 PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, 80% of high-performing projects use a credentialed project manager.