IS PM Paper

This article makes up Chapter 1 of the free, open access book titled, Information Systems: A Manager's Guide to Harnessing Technology, by John Gallaugher. Please ensure that you read the entire Chapter 1 of the book consisting of 3 parts (Part 1 Introduction; Part 2 Don’t Guess, Gather Data; and Part 3 Moving Forward).

Valacich, J., & Schneider, C. (2012).Information systems today: Managing in the digital world(5th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education.

With the exceptional growth in technology, the present day projects are often large and complex involving a significant risk. So, a Project Management Methodology enables the delivery organization to handle these projects comprehensively, systematically and in an integrated manner, which results in strategic, tactical and operational benefits.

Gray, C. F. & Larson, E. W. (2008). _Project Management: The Managerial Process_. Boston, MA: McGraw-Hills Companies, Inc.

TCO A) You work for company Bravo and have been asked to create a presentation for the Board of Directors to explain PPM. Your presentation is to include a comparison and contrast of project portfolio management, program management, and project management. The presentation should also include the benefits of PPM and why the company should implement this program.

Performance measurements are used to characterize and define performance in a project. They are used to track and manage progress toward achieving specific project goals. Performance measurements help determine how decision-making processes of a project led to its success or failure, understanding these can help organizations make future improvements. It is a project manager's responsibility to measure performance based on the triple constraints of time, budget, and quality of a project. There are many performance measurements a project manager can use based on the type of project at hand, this paper compares and contrasts the following measurements -

To identify which are the key metrics used to gauge project performance, the first thing is to determine what is important for the choose metrics, the choose metrics is base on which part of the project. There are many categories of performance metrics, like financial metrics is focus on performance measurements, leading metrics is focus on measure drivers for future performance, and directional metrics is focus on getting better or worse. However, access to a specific range of metrics, figure out the relevant issues of the metrics are the key metrics used to gauge project performance.

In many studies and reports, project successes tend to be measured against the prescribed schedule, cost and performance. In reality, project success measurement should be against projects constraints and the operational readiness status of the business environment. The combination of the two will assist in efficiently using the product or service as intended.

Some KPIs can be easily measured especially at organization or strategic business units. Example : to achieve 5% increase in sales or to achieve 3% increase in net operating profit. However not all KPIs identified can be properly quantifed and meaningfully measured among which – leadership program, TQC procedure improvement, six sigma internal quality training, quality improvement competition, survey tool score and distribution mapping. For leadership program – in EXHIBIT 3 ; no program was identified. Even if one is started the measurement is the progress of the program.

Essential components to achieve excellence in project management can vary dependent upon the project, as a “One size fits all” tactic does not usually apply. While there are agreed upon theories, processes or life cycles of projects in the project management profession, the factors which determine the success of particular projects differ. Often, a feeling of effectiveness or achievement may outweigh budgeting and timing issues, for both the project team and the client, however upper management may not be satisfied with the outcome overall, resulting in a strange culture dynamic.

When a project is undertaken, typically a client and project manager will identify the specific constraints, and metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that must be measured by a project dashboard to track the success of a project. These variables may include project "time, cost, quality, risk mitigation, safety, aesthetic value, etc" (Kersner 2011). "Throughout the life of the project, metrics may become KPIs and vice versa," such as when the need to meet benchmarks regarding the time of specific project components become critical to the financial viability of the project (Kersner 2011). Not meeting deadlines is one of the main reasons that projects run over-budget. A project dashboard facilitates accountability and keeps the participants focused on the long and short-term goals of the project. It allows them to edit aspects of the project when costs run the risk of spiraling out-of-control due to changes in the external environment.

As the core of the business performance evaluation system, Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is a scientific and effective method to manage and evaluate its performance, based on extracting the key performance indicators within the organization. It is a process of the top-down decomposition on indicators from the organization to individual. The essence is to break down the business strategic goal into a series of operational targets. It is a basic work in business management.

The importance to teach project management skills through this course cannot be emphasized enough as it remains to be the most sought after expertise for organizations across the work force industry. The knowledge imparted through this course has influenced the ability to manage projects by introducing specific frame work customized to the project needs. As the coursework required analyzing projects from diverse industries, it provided an opportunity to assess the project cycle with respect to their individualized preferences. The projects evaluated included Government funded initiatives; NGO led projects as well as individual past projects that involved self-involvement. This process led to a detailed understanding of the diverse

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are used by managers and leaders as essential navigation measures to recognize the possibility and degree of success because the appropriate use of these indicators assist in identify the areas that should be considered in

Jeffrey K. Pinto and Om P. Kharbanda recognize the importance of project management within the modern day society and not only at the level of the business community, but also at the level of other sectors, such as health care, legislation and so