Information Technology Project Management on the Rocks

By Scott Stacher

Shake up your Information Technology Project Management skills with a stout blend of the basics and an uncensored twist of wry reality. Then kick back and savor the dry taste of reheated fundamentals with a dash of real-world experiences, followed by a splash of uncorked wisdom, before being distilled into a potent project management punch.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cypris Media
• Release date: Dec 17, 2023
• ISBN: 9798215995921

Scott Stacher

Scott is a seasoned project management professional and covert wordsmith with thirty-five years of industry expertise spanning aerospace, passenger rail, utilities, and more. Outside the conference room, Scott dons the cloak of a ghostwriter, anonymously crafting tales that traverse the realms of sci-fi. A master of the written word, Scott recently moved from fiction to non-fiction, publishing a series of Information Technology titles under their own name for the first time.In the literary shadows, Scott weaves narratives with a hint of mystery and humor, offering readers a glimpse into the unknown. In the business world, Scott navigates the complexities of worldwide systems deployments. With experience across several industries and multiple literary works under various pen names, Scott is a unique blend of experience, expertise, and literary finesse, tackling conventional business challenges in the office while exploring fantasy worlds full of adventure and mysteries within your imagination.

Book preview

Information Technology

Project Management on the Rocks

By

Scott Stacher

All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof. No part of this literary work may be used or reproduced without written permission.

Portions of the cover art have been derived from works in the public domain or copyright-free works.

Copyright Cypris Media LCC 2023

ISBN: 9798215995921

Table of Contents

About This Book

Project Management 101

Project Management Fundamentals

Traditional Project Management (Waterfall)

The Agile Manifesto

What is Scrum?

Hybrid Approaches

Hybrid Considerations

The Project Life Cycle

The Project Management Office (PMO)

Leadership and Team Management

Emerging Trends in Project Management

Project Management vs Business Analysis

Project Management on the Rocks

Glossary

About the Author

About this Book

Before my career started in the mid to late 1980s, project management in the aerospace industry predominantly followed traditional approaches, such as the waterfall model, which is characterized by a sequential process involving distinct phases like initiation, planning, execution, and closure. These highly linear and somewhat rigid methods assumed a stable environment and often lacked the flexibility to accommodate changes during project execution. I began my career during a time when Gantt charts (usually focusing on the Critical Path) accompanied by cross-industry concepts like Just-In-Time (JIT) Management, enhanced by a generous sprinkling of buzzwords like ‘synergy,’ placated a disinterested management structure. The two-dimensionality of these mostly one-way meetings helped me understand that there needed to be a better way to manage and report the dynamic and complex nature of a project’s quickly evolving requirements and the related scope creep.

Modern project management approaches utilize various hybrid approaches that combine traditional and Agile methodologies while emphasizing soft skills, leadership, and stakeholder engagement. The adoption and integration of artificial intelligence and automation and emerging trends, including remote project management and sustainability, tell me that the project management domain is due for another paradigm shift. I might have caught a glimpse of the future in the early 2000s when I was tangentially involved in a project to merge data from a project management scheduling tool with a semi-automatically rendered Computer-Aided Design that resulted in an animated time-lapse of a theme park attraction’s construction with call-outs to related checkpoints, project gates and costs integrated into the presentation.

As George Santayana said, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." With that in mind, I’ve tried to distill the essentials into a stout foundation of project management basics blended with real-world examples and ice-cold experience. Hopefully, much like a refined single malt with a whiskey wisdom chaser, this literary libation distills the essential principles of Project Management into a hearty pint full of robust experiences garnished with a twist of humor.

Project Management 101

An introductory Project Management book should equip students with the foundational knowledge and skills to navigate the complexities of project work, laying the groundwork for successful project management practices. Like any other introduction to Project Management, this book covers fundamental concepts, principles, and methodologies essential for effective project planning and execution. However, before we get into the details, let’s review the basics and real-world examples.

What is a Project?

A project is a temporary and unique undertaking with defined objectives, requiring specific resources and coordinated efforts to deliver a distinct product, service, or result within a finite timeframe.

+ Honey Do List:

Painting rooms, installing new fixtures, and repairing or replacing appliances are everyday home improvement projects.

- Project Checklist:

If the answer to (any of these) questions is ‘no,’ it’s not a project.

Is it temporary?

Projects have a finite duration, with a clear start and end.

+ All Good Things Must End:

A project is temporary by nature. If it has a beginning, a middle, and an end, it’s a project. If an end is not defined, it is not a project.

Is it unique?

Each project has a specific set of documented goals, requirements, and deliverables. While there may be similarities with other projects, no two projects are identical.

+ Two Internets:

The ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network) development began in the late 1960s as a military research project in the United States. Over time, the ARPANET evolved into the foundation of the modern Internet. The project’s approach focused on collaboration between military, academic, and research institutions, creating a global communication network. The former Soviet Union tried to develop a similar computer network called OGAS, intending to create a centralized economic planning and management system using computer networks. However, due to various factors, including economic constraints, bureaucratic challenges, and the political climate of the Soviet Union, the project was never fully realized. The Soviet approach to computer networking was more centrally controlled, and the lack of resources and flexibility ultimately hindered its success. Both projects had similar scopes, scales, and timeframes, but various underlying factors produced vastly different results.

Is the goal clearly defined?

The project charter details a specific objective or deliverable, preferably something SMART Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound.

+ To The Moon:

On May 25, 1961, JFK set the ambitious goal of sending an American astronaut to the Moon and returning them safely to Earth before the end of the decade. JFK’s plan was SMART: It specified the objective of sending a man to the moon. It was measureable by safely returning the astronaut to Earth. It was within the realistic limitations of near-term technology and, therefore, achievable. It was relevant considering the political space race started with the first human in space (Yuri Gagarin in 1961), followed by the first American in space (Alan Shepard in 1961), and time-bound by the objective to achieve this goal by the end of the decade (1969).

Do cost, duration, and quality define it?

Projects require allocating and utilizing resources, such as personnel, time, budget, and materials, to achieve the defined objectives.

+ Good, Fast, Or Cheap:

Cost, time, and quality define the scope and scale of a project. More than once, I’ve had to advise clients: good, fast, or cheap: pick any two. You can have it good and fast, but not cheap. You can have it cheap and fast, but not good. You can have it good and cheap, but not fast.

What is Project Management?

Project Management is a discipline that involves the planning, execution, monitoring, and closing of projects to achieve specific goals within a set timeframe and budget. It is a systematic and organized approach to guiding a project from its initiation to completion, ensuring that it meets its objectives and satisfies the needs of stakeholders.

+ A Quick History Of Project Management:

While the formal discipline