Introduction
Project management refers to the organization, directing and controlling of activities geared to implement a particular system successfully within the constraints of time, costs and quality. It involves estimating resources and risk management (Lauden & Lauden, 2009). There are several factors that impact on the success of a project. Managers and the project management team has to work together for the success of the project.
Time : Any particular project has to be implemented within the constraints of time. There should be clear time frames set. The tasks on hand can be broken into smaller activities and time allocated to handle these activities. Time goes hand in hand with staffing. The project management team should have adequate personnel to handle these activities. Without clear time frames the project could drag on for long compromising on the attainment of other company objectives. As the project progresses, the team leader should monitor the time used in each activity in order to address delays and other problems.
Cost : The project management team needs to set up a budget for all the expenses. What is the organization’s budget on the hardware to be purchased? There are other activities that will cost the company such as consulting other experts if need be, communication, transport costs and software costs. The budget should have allowances so that the team is not strained by the financial resources so that they compromise on the quality of the product. Budget variances of every activity should be monitored and addressed.
Scope : When it comes to scope in project management, it refers to two aspects of the process that is project scope and product scope. The team should define all the activities that will
need to be carried out to ensure that the organization gets a product with the specific features and functions required. On the other hand product scope details the functionalities that the organization requires from the hardware. This is very important since at the end of the day the team should deliver successfully the company’s requirement.
Quality: The project should be successful in satisfying the user’s implied and expressed needs. In fact it should surpass the user’s expectations. The quality of the hardware should be high. This goes to choosing the right kind of supplier through thorough research. The product may have the right functionalities but for how long? Is it able to integrate with other hardware as had been desired? What is the quality of work it produces? This is very important. The project team should have adequate time, financial resources and personnel so that the quality is not compromised.
Risk
A risk is the occurrence of an activity that hinders the accomplishment of certain objectives. In a project implementation activity, there are several things that can go wrong. The team may not be able to finish the project within the required deadlines. The team may exceed the financial budget. However, the critical risk is that the team may not be able to deliver the required hardware with the required functionalities. The product scope may not have been covered adequately or the hardware is of very poor quality.
Delivery of Projects with the Best Business Value
The management will have to consider the current and future costs and benefits of the hardware. There should be time taken to query all users and get their requirements and needs.
There should also be training of the workers so that they can know how to use the system and take advantage of all the functionalities of the hardware. The company should also obtain all the required documentation on the hardware for current and future reference. Maintenance of the system is also very important. The maintenance responsibility should the delegated to a specific competent person who will troubleshoot and handle all issues in the future.
Factors Affecting Project Risk
Several factors increase the level of project risk. Bigger risks have higher risks than smaller projects. The level of complexity of a certain project also affects the projects risk. How many departments will be affected by the system change? The more people or department it affects the riskier the project. The more complex a project the more the project team has to be careful the project fulfils the user requirements. The team should be competent, armed with the required skills set to handle the project otherwise the quality will be very low. They should be aware of the best implementation approaches or methodologies.
The team’s lack of proper planning may also prove to be an obstacle to achieving success. There should be clear documented time schedules, financial budgets and the scope for the project. The project team should also know their roles and responsibilities. This is to ensure confidence in an individual concerning what is expected from them. There should be no ambiguity at all. There is also the risk that the user requirements will not be clearly defined or understood by the project team causing user dissatisfaction. There should be strong user participation throughout the project cycle to ensure success.
The management should also strongly support the project implementation every step of the way when it comes to financial and time resources. The users may also not accept the project system. This can cause a lot of conflict. The methods used to implement the project system should be adequate. Is it pilot or full phase? The training of the staff should also be adequate. The maintenance of the system should also be conducted adequately.
Project Risk Management
In order to handle the risks mentioned above, the management should ensure the project management team is adequate. It could include staff from within the organization and other experts on consultancy basis. The users should have in depth training on the system. From the beginning, the management needs to ensure the staff is involved in all the phases of project management. This will ensure the user requirements are clearly documented and understood by the team. It will remove inconsistencies and ambiguity. It will also work to reduce the level of user rejection and accelerate acceptance of change among the staff.
The team’s roles and responsibilities should to be clearly defined. There should be clear time and financial budgets drawn up. The project scope should be defined so as to ensure product quality. The management to ensure the best implementation methods are used so that the users become familiar on the system. The method should also not be too risky for the company to use. An adequate maintenance strategy of the system should also be defined and implemented.
Conclusion
Project management is a critical process in all organizations. The risks are high however when the projects are successful the organizations gains tremendously in terms of both current and future benefits. It is a process that requires participation of all the parties that is the team, the staff and management for it to be successful.
Reference
Laudon, C., & Laudon, J. (2009) Essentials of Management Information Systems
United States: Prentice Hall.
