What You Should Know About it Project Management

Why do we have to plan and manage IT projects? Why bother at all considering the fact that many clients eventually accept whatever the resulting software may be? Why bother at all since time is precious in building the systems rather than planning systems? These are the usual answers of independent or freelance software developers who are excited in tackling or building software projects immediately without the need to sit around and plan first. If you will bother to read my article, you will see the importance of IT Project Management.
I have an experience before in my last year in college where in we have an IT project to do. Since we are excited in building – or finishing? – the product without planning properly, my team suffered a lot in the near end of the project-building time. We failed in building one prototype after another. We also exceeded the time allotment given to us, thus, we suffered financially since we incurred extra expenses, lost the interest of other team members and caused dissatisfaction from out teacher. Learning from my mistakes and applying Project Management in other areas of my life, I would like to share the importance and advantages of IT Project Management to others as well.
Project Management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements” (PMI, Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide), 2000, p.6). These project requirements are like the goals of a project that once met or achieved signifies the completion of a project as well as customer satisfaction. The application of knowledge requires careful sifting, planning, specification and design of these requirements. Through Project Management, software developers will be able to identify, coordinate and monitor tasks, activities and resources to meet the project requirements.
The outcome of Project Management is: scope of work is defined, project feasibility is evaluated (thus, a team can early detect if they are capable of doing a project while considering their skills and resources), tasks and resources are estimated, plans for execution of tasks are developed (through documentation that serves as blueprint also), and progress is monitored.
The advantages of Project Management are: shorter development period, less expenses, quality software products, control in activities and resources, client interaction (since they too are informed of the project’s progress), early detection of risks and potential problems, good documentation (serves as blueprint and reference), and project members are learning and applying teamwork.
Though it usually takes time in planning, in the end software developers are assured of smooth work in developing their IT projects since they already have plans and blueprints in the form of documentations and reports. All that they have to do is implement it in the actual building of their products. Take for instance a carpenter building a small house. Once he has the plan, blueprint, tools, workers and other resources, he can build the house in a jiffy and his construction work will run smoothly.
P. Lobrin
plobrin@gmail.com