IT Project Management: Tools and Techniques Webcast

1. Teaching Information Technology (IT)Project Management: Tools and TechniquesWeb Cast byKathy SchwalbeDecember 2001

2. Web Cast Format • “Interactive Lecture” (about 40 minutes) on: • Recent facts about the project management profession and certification • Importance of improving IT project management • What the winners do in project management and in teaching • Suggestions for teaching IT project management • Questions and answers (remaining time)

3. First, Introductions! • I’m Kathy Schwalbe, Ph.D., PMP (and mother of three, one in college already!) • First job was a project manager/officer in the Air Force. Worked 10 years in government/industry before entering academia in 1991. Still consult and love to write in addition to teaching • 3 books so far, all published by Course Technology: • Information Technology Project Management, Sep. 1999 and July 2001 (second edition) • IT Project+ CoursePrep Exam Guide, Nov. 2001

4. Who’s Out There? • Where are you now? Use the text tool to type in your response • Are you teaching a course in project management this year? Yes/No • Type in where you’re teaching • Do you use my book? Type in A, B, C, or D A. first edition B. second edition C. both D. neither • Do/have you taught a virtual course? Yes/No

5. Jot Down Your Comments/Questions • I’ll follow some prepared slides, but I want to know where you’re all coming from • Using the text tool, type in some of your comments, concerns, and questions, and I’ll try to address them as I go. Type in more questions as we go

6. Recent FactsAbout Project Management* • The Project Management Institute (PMI) estimates that 4.5 million people in the U.S. (3.3% of the workforce) and over 12 million people in the rest of the world regard project management as their profession of choice • The U.S. spends over $2.3 trillion on projects every year, or one quarter of the nation’s gross domestic product *The PMI Project Management Fact Book, Second Edition, PMI, 2001

7. More PM Facts • Membership in PMI is about 84,000 members, with about 34,000 PMPs (as of August 2001) • PMI estimates continued membership growth, at a rate of 20-25% per year • The need for PM education continues to grow

8. More Questions • Are you are PMP? Yes/No • Are your students interested in certification? Yes/No • Does your college/university offer more than one PM course? Yes/No • Does your college/university offer non-credit PM courses? Yes/No • Do you do corporate training in PM on the side? Yes/No

9. Certification Updates Number of PMPs • The number of PMPs continues to grow, and PMI is creating new certifications • CompTIA purchased the Gartner Institute IT PM exams and launched the IT Project+ exam in April 2001

10. What to TellStudents About Certification? • I’ve had students take and pass the PMP exam after taking one semester course, but it’s a very personal choice • The new IT Project+ exam is cheaper, shorter, has no prereqs, and never needs renewal • Most companies value a degree and experience most, but the PMP and other certifications can provide an edge

11. Need to Improve ITProject Management • The famous 1995 Standish Group study (CHAOS) found that only 16.2% of IT projects were successful and over 31% were canceled before completion, costing over $81 B in the U.S. alone • CIO Magazine reported in June 2001 that less than one in three IT projects are completed on time, within budget, and with promised functionality

12. The Need forIT Projects Keeps Increasing • In 1998, corporate America issued 200,000 new-start application development projects • In 2000, there were 300,000 • In 2001, the estimate is over 500,000 *The Standish Group, "CHAOS 2001: A Recipe for Success," 2001

13. Recent Improvements in IT Project Success (1995 vs. 2000 CHAOS Data) • Time overruns significantly decreased to 63% compared to 222% • Cost overruns were down to 45% compared to 189% • Required features and functions were up to 67% compared to 61% • 78K U.S. projects were successful compared to 28K • 28% of IT projects succeeded compared to 16%

14. Why the Improvements? "The reasons for the increase in successful projects vary. First, the average cost of a project has been more than cut in half. Better tools have been created to monitor and control progress and better skilled project managers with better management processes are being used. The fact that there are processes is significant in itself.”* *The Standish Group, "CHAOS 2001: A Recipe for Success," 2001

15. “What the Winners Do” • Recent research findings show that companies that excel in project delivery capability: • Build an integrated project management toolbox (use standard/advanced PM tools, lots of templates) • Grow competent project leaders, emphasizing business and soft skills • Develop streamlined, consistent project delivery processes • Install a sound but comprehensive set of project performance metrics Dragan Milosevic, Portland State University, “Delivering Projects: What the Winners Do,” PMI Conference Proceedings, November 2001

16. In Teaching, Focuson Core PM Tools and Techniques • Many practitioners and students still have difficulty really understanding and using key PM tools and techniques • Some specific ones to emphasize • Project charter and WBS (scope) • Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis (time) • Cost estimates and earned value management (cost)

17. Sample WBS

18. Sample Gantt Chart The WBS is on the left, and each task’s start and finish date are shown on the right using a calendar timescale.

19. Sample Network Diagram Each box is a project task from the WBS. Arrows show dependencies between tasks.The bolded tasks are on the critical path. If any tasks on the critical path take longer than planned, the whole project will slip unless something is done.

20. Sample Earned Value Chart

21. BUT…Don’t Neglect Business and Leadership Skills • In addition to core PM tools and techniques, emphasize the importance of • Business skills: financial analysis, problem-solving, decision-making • Leadership skills: negotiation, team-building • Communication skills: listening, speaking, writing, presenting

22. Don’t OveremphasizeUsing PM Software • You can’t use PM software well if you don’t understand fundamental PM concepts • “A fool with a tool is still just a fool.”

23. What WinningTeachers Do • Use a variety of teaching strategies • Get to know your students and capitalize on their strengths • Push each student and group to excel • Be less of a judge, and more of a coach/partner • Try to focus on developing higher order thinking skills

24. Case Studiesas a Learning Tool • Case studies help develop higher levels of cognitive development (Bloom’s taxonomy) • Case studies help students make meaning out new concepts (Kolb’s experiential learning model) • Lessons learned reports also help students reflect on their learning

25. Bloom’s Taxonomy ofCognitive Development • Knowledge (learn terminology) • Comprehension (explain terms in own words) • Application (apply concepts to problems) • Analysis (break down and examine information) • Synthesis (creatively apply various concepts to new situations) • Evaluation (judge the value of material) Case Studies

26. Kolb’s ExperientialLearning Model Concrete Experience Lessons Learned Case Studies Active Experimentation Reflective Observation Transformation (making meaning) Prehension (pre- senting material Abstract Conceptualization

27. Suggested Teaching Aids • Try out the new minicases in my second edition, and feel free to create your own • Use the Instructor Resources • Instructor’s Manual (sample syllabi, answers to all discussion questions, exercises, and minicases) • PowerPoint slides (modify to suit your own style) • Test bank (Exam View tool is great!)

28. More Teaching Tools • At www.mycourse.com anyone can access information for free. Students love the sample interactive quizzes • Course Technology provides other online supplements for Blackboard, WebCT, etc. Go to www.course.com for general information and support • Check out my personal web site: www.augsburg.edu/ppages/~schwalbe • Download lecture notes, syllabi • See sample student projects • Links to other PM sites and articles • Link to slides for this presentation • Link to a recent article I wrote on certification

29. Questions? Then take the survey and select submit when you’re finished. To disconnect, close the Interwise window or select File, Disconnect. Thanks!