Methods of IT Project Management

Third Edition

Jeffrey L. Brewer, Kevin C. Dittman

• Publisher: Purdue University Press
• Year: 2018
• eBook ISBN: 9781612495521
• Topic: Negocios y empresa
• Subtopic: Industria informática

Methods of IT Project Management (Third Edition) is built around the latest version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) and covers best practices unique to the IT field. It is designed for use in graduate, advanced undergraduate, and professional IT project management courses to prepare students for success in the IT field, and to prepare them to pass the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification exam given by the Project Management Institute (PMI), the world's leading certification in the field of project management.

Unlike other project management texts, Methods of IT Project Management follows the IT project life cycle, from overview and initiation to execution, control, and closing. An enterprise-scale IT project (macro-case study) runs through the entire text. Each section presents mini-cases based on the larger case and focuses on new concepts presented in each section. Readers gain practical knowledge of IT project management workflows, at scale, while building technical knowledge and skills required to pass the PMP. Mini-case studies encourage deep retention, prompt rich in-class discussion, and challenge more advanced students and professionals alike. Unique skills covered can be put directly into practice. An appendix presents practice study questions and advice on preparing for and passing the PMP exam. The revised third edition includes expanded coverage of agile system development methodologies, leadership and negotiation skills, and process maturity models.

PART 1

Project
Management
Overview

1

Introduction to Project Management

THE PROJECT MANAGEMENT CHRONICLES

R & S Amusements Services

Entry 1

Case Study

This is the continuing account of Jeff Dunbar and Kevin Pullen, senior project management consultants for Premier Project Management Services (PPMS). PPMS is a leading provider of training, mentoring, and consulting services to organizations throughout the United States. The company’s headquarters is located in West Lafayette, Indiana, but PPMS maintains regional offices in the areas where it has large client bases, including Orlando, Chicago, and Denver.

R & S Amusements Services has hired PPMS to lead the effort of modernizing its computing resources in order to stay competitive and profitable, as well as to continue to meet the demands of its customers.

Tom Demarco, a noted scholar in the information technology (IT) industry, said it best: “project management is more than concepts, tools, techniques, and methods. It is about people working with people.” (Demarco, 1997) Although experience is the best teacher, you can learn a great deal by observing other project managers in action. Mr. Kent Clawson, senior partner for PPMS, has kindly consented to let you watch two of his top managers on a typical project.

Jeff Dunbar, a certified project management professional (PMP), has volunteered for this assignment. He has 23 years of project management experience and has successfully completed many IT projects. Jeff received his certification from the Project Management Institute (PMI), which is the leading provider of education and knowledge and is considered a pioneer in the field of project management. PMI’s membership consists of more than 500,000 professionals, representing more than 207 countries. PMI professionals come from virtually every major industry, including aerospace, automotive, business management, construction, engineering, financial services, IT, pharmaceuticals, health care, and telecommunications.

Kevin Pullen, also a certified PMP, has agreed to work with Jeff on this project. He has 20 years of project management experience and has also been extremely successful. Both individuals are highly skilled and bring different strengths to the table, which should provide you with a valuable learning experience.

Jeff and Kevin are meeting with the client today, and they have invited you to observe the meeting. It’ll be a good way for you to get acquainted with the project and R & S Amusements Services.

Setting	In the office of Reid Lewis, president of R & S Amusements Services
REID	Good Morning Jeff! It’s so nice to see you again. How have you been?
JEFF	Fine, thank you. And you?
REID	Couldn’t be better.
JEFF	Mr. Lewis, this is my colleague Kevin Pullen, who will be assisting me on this project.
KEVIN	Pleased to meet you, Mr. Lewis.
REID	Nice to meet you, Kevin, and please call me Reid. Kevin, I don’t how much Jeff has told you about this opportunity, but allow me to give you a little background about the business.
KEVIN	Super. Please go right ahead.
REID	As you know, we are in the business of distributing amusement machines—pool tables, jukeboxes, video games, pinball games, and the like—to area businesses, with the intent of making money for both the business location and us. I started in the business in 1947, with three machines, and now R & S Amusements Services has grown to be one of the largest amusement machine operators in the Midwest. We employ 125 full- and part-time employees, and we service more than 500 business establishments—our customers. The types of establishments include arcades, restaurants, taverns, clubs, bowling alleys, campgrounds, and numerous others. At each of these establishments, we have installed one or more amusement machines from our current inventory of more than 6,500.
KEVIN	That’s quite an accomplishment! Could you please explain how this makes you money?
REID	Sure! The basis of my business is this: We are in the entertainment business. We provide amusement machines to various business locations for their customers to enjoy. Their customers pay money to play a game or listen to music while at the location. The money earned by the machines is divided by the business location and us. That is our fee for installing and maintaining the machines.
JEFF	Is the money divided evenly?
REID	Depends on the contract. With every business location we deal with, we enter into a contract. Basically, it is an agreement between the business establishment and us, on what services we will provide, at what cost, and the time period of the contract. The nature of the business and the value of the machines factor into what the percentage split is.
KEVIN	Do you mainly service the greater Lafayette area?
REID	You could say our headquarters is here but we service almost the entire state of Indiana. We have regional offices in Fort Wayne and Bloomington, Indiana, and I’m looking seriously into opening an office in Cincinnati, Ohio.
JEFF	I had no idea amusement machines could be so profitable.
REID	The peak years were when the Pac-Man video games were first released. That craze was unbelievable. Now, with competition from home video game systems, personal computers, and the Internet, we have to be more creative and intelligent to be competitive and make a profit. This is the primary reason you gentlemen are here.
KEVIN	Please explain.
REID	There is more to the business than emptying quarters or dollars bills out of a machine’s cash can—that’s what we call the storage device that holds the money that is deposited into a machine. (Jeff and Kevin laugh) Even that is a complicated process. You have to plan how often a location will be collected from (weekly, biweekly, or monthly) and on what day. Then you have to determine which locations will be collected from on the same day so that it is most economical for us in terms of travel time and labor expense of the collector. The collector usually has to count the money at the location’s site and then divide the proceeds based on the contract and give the location its share. At the end of the day, the money the collector brings in is audited to ensure that no mistakes were made.
JEFF	That in itself sounds like a sophisticated process.
REID	Yes, but it’s all the other logistical operations that allow the business to operate smoothly and efficiently that can be extremely challenging.
JEFF	Such as?
REID	The purchasing of new machines and the disposal of the old ones and the repair of machines that break down or need to be upgraded. The solicitation of new customers and the management of those relationships to ensure both sides are happy. The tracking of inventory is also an issue—not only of the machines—but also of parts and other support equipment. The ordering and management of our music inventory—the CDs that are installed in jukeboxes, and believe it or not, we still have people who want the old 45s jukeboxes. Also, there are issues with the management of the prize inventory for redemption games and those games such as cranes and the like where you can win prizes such as stuffed animals.
KEVIN	What do you mean by redemption?
REID	Some machines are on a redemption basis—you know, the games that dispense a certain number of tickets based on how many points you score. Then you can redeem all your winning tickets for fabulous prizes—such as candy, bubblegum, a lava lamp. (They all laugh) Kids love it—it is a big money maker at skating rinks, bowling alleys, and arcades.
	In addition, we sponsor dart and pool leagues and the associated tournaments. Let me explain. One of our most popular games at bars is an electronic dart board game. Typically, the most popular establishments in a town will host a league of 10 or more teams (each team consisting of five individuals) to entice people to come in and play darts, with the hope that they will also spend money to enjoy the location’s food and beverages. It’s very similar to a bowling alley hosting a bowling league. We benefit becaus...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• About the Authors
• Brief Contents
• Contents
• Preface
• Part 1: Project Management Overview
• Part 2: Project Initiation and Planning Methods
• Part 3: Project Execution and Control Methods
• Part 4: Project Closeout Methods and Advanced Topics
• Part 5: Appendixes
• Glossary
• Index