Multi-User Corporate Systems - Project Management

Klaus Kober
Lecture and Exercises
Module 2

Abstract

Issues: 

- typical initial project situations 
- overview: project phases, PM elements and terms 
- organisational structures: project roles and project boards 
- necessary prerequisites and conditions for success 
- estimating effort and preliminary project planning 
- requirements analysis and functional system specification (story board) 
- system architecture and technical specifications 
- change management 
- managing risks 
- project controlling 
- quality assurance and testing 
- release management and configuration management 
- project infrastructure and tools 
- project milestones and acceptances

The management of IT projects has become a popular field of ominous considerations at IT congresses. The reason is the alarmingly high number of projects that either fail or vastly violate the initial schedule and cost estimation. Not all of the critical factors raised are project internal and may therefore be controlled by a project manager. But it still is within the responsibility of the project manager in charge to foresee negative impacts of external factors and to report to those who have a stake in the project's costs. The lecture aims at enabling the students to understand what needs to be done and what traps are to be avoided in the course of software development projects.

Without going into details the most important project management issues of a typical IT development project will be addressed. Although most of what is presented can be applied to any IT development / integration project, the focus will be on multi user corporate systems. Selected lecture topics will be consolidated in exercises.

At the end of the course the students will have a comprehensive understanding of the various issues to be managed throughout the different project phases.