Project Management Study Guide
What is the system development life cycle?
The process of IT enabled change
What are the 5 steps of the SDLC and describe them?
Analysis (analyze situation .. what can be better and what’s going wrong), Requirements (what’s required to improve things), Design (plan out the future solutions and what the technologies should look like), Development (get developers to create the technology), and Implementation (utilize the new technologies and train people on them and manage new processes). Then start the whole cycle all over again
What is an information system?
It’s people, technology, data, processes. A change means changing one of these components
When you analyze a situation, you should always analyze it with respect to what?
The business model and the business’ goals, their customer segments, the value business provides, etc
What is project management?
Application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements
Does SDLC happen by itself?
No
What helps the SDLC run its course and how?
Professional project managers help run it by paying attention to the budgets, milestones, goals, and activities throughout the process to make sure that the SDLC delivers what it’s supposed to deliver, on time, and does not cost too much.
The project management and SDLC helps to what?
Organize and manage the IT enabled change
What does lightweight management consist of?
Sending out emails
What does heavyweight management consist of?
People skills, how to get higher authority to notice you (find common interest, get him to be your friend, give them something they want, butter them up)
To be a good project manager, you have to have what?
Good people skills
What are the top ten IT skills in demand?
Project management, security, network administration, virtualization / Cloud, business analysis, business process improvement, web development, database management, windows administration, desktop support
Managing a project includes what 4 things?
Identifying requirements, establishing clear and achievable objectives, balancing the competing demands for quality, scope, time, and cost, adapting the specifications, plans, and approaches to the different concerns and expectations of the various stakeholders
What is a project?
A temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result
Give examples of a project?
Mars rover, pyramid
What’s a Project Not?
It’s not a current operations
What are synonyms for current operations?
Day to day operations or on going operations
Describe what current operations is?
They’re ongoing and concerned with improvements to existing systems and processes. Ex: Self check out at stores. Started out as a project but once the setup was complete, it became part of current operations
Describe what the triple constraints looks like and its components
Is the triple constraints present in every project?
Yes
Each side of the triple constraints triangle does what to the other side?
All of the sides constrain each other
What is at the base of the triple constraints triangle and describe what it is?
Scope is at the base and it is the foundation of what we do for our client, company, etc
If we complete the tasks that are part of the project’s scope, then what are we creating?
we’re creating Measurable Organizational Value (MOV) for clients, organizations
Project managers must manage for what?
Effectiveness, efficiency, and quality
Should the project manager balance all three components of the triple constraints triangle or not?
Yes the proj. manager should balance all three components
Define quality?
Customer satisfaction with the deliverables of the project and with how well we delivered what was promised (Scope)
What three things can go wrong with the triple constraints triangle?
Scope creep, scope leap, and scope grope
What is scope creep and give example?
It is the most common term and problem. It happens when adding features or capabilities incrementally (these are things that are NOT part of the original scope). Ex: Trying to be nice to clients, sometimes “good ideas” for improvements come later than scope definition and is very dangerous to project success
What is scope leap and give example?
Huge thing that needs to get done. Drastic change or increase in the project’s scope. Ex: Instead of software, why don’t you just build me some new hardware
What is scope grope?
Situation where you don’t have a plan to begin with. Project team can’t define scope.
These 3 problems of the triple constraints takes up a lot of what?
Takes up more resources and time to deal with these things