Question 8

8) Can recent college graduates expect to be project managers right away? What is a typical career path for a project manager? Using the internet, research the average salary of a project manager in South Florida. Is this for an experienced project manager? Which sites (URL) did you use to find average salaries?

I believe that recent college graduates can be project managers right away. Typically, the career path of a project manager involves getting the PMP (Project Management Professional) certificate, and gaining various skills. These skills are The Project Management Body of Knowledge, application area knowledge, standards and regulations, project environment knowledge, general management knowledge and skills, and soft skills or human relations skills. The average salary of a project manager in South Florida is, on average, $71,779.00 annually. All three web sites provide salaries that an experienced project manager would receive. The web sites used are linked below.

indeed - simplyhired - salary

Question 7

7) Why do you think organizations should develop their own information technology project management methodologies? Why can't they just follow a book or a methodology that has already been developed?

Organizations should develop their own information technology project management methodologies because they could save a ton of time and money on training efforts for general project management skills. Even after learning the skills, projects managers may still not know how to tailor their PM skills to the organization’s needs.

Question 6

6) Even if a project team is not part of a project selection, why is it important for them to know why their project was selected?

It is crucial to have a project team know that their project was selected because the team complies with the four-stage planning process for selecting IT projects. This detailed planning process often leads to success due to their outstanding leadership.

Question 5

5) Process Groups - How much time and money is typically spent on projects in each of the process groups? Assume you have one year and $100,000 to spend. Justify your answer.

Using the chart given in the book and assuming that I have one year to spend, 2% (7 days) should be spent in the initiating process, 21% (77 days) should be spent in the planning process, 69% (252 days) should be spent in the executing process, 5% (18 days) should be spent in the monitoring and controlling process, and 3% (11 days) should be spent in the closing process. Also, if the limit of my budget is $100,000, theoretically, I have to spend $2,000 in the initiating process, $21,000 in the planning process, $69,000 in the executing process, $5,000 in the monitoring and controlling process, and $3,000 in the closing process.

Question 4

4) Some of the adaptive approaches to developing systems (like agile) are becoming more popular. Are they better or more appropriate than prescriptive approaches in most cases? Why or why not?

Developing systems like agile will be the recommended approach when managing projects. When things need to get sorted and changed, it can be done so easily due to the flexibility of scope goals. This is great for project sponsors or project owners who rely heavily on making drastic changes to a project, as time and cost goals are fixed.

Question 3

3) Briefly describe the strategic planning process, including the SWOT analysis. Which method do you think businesses use most when identifying IT projects? Why?

The strategic planning process basically involves key information to help organizations detect and select potential projects. The SWOT, which stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats, analysis helps in strategic planning. I believe that SWOT analysis is used most by businesses when identifying IT projects because businesses are able to see the big picture and make changes when necessary.

Question 2

2) Describe the tripe constraint. What are the three components and what is the relationship between them.

The triple constraint consists of goals used to manage a project. The three components are scope (brainstorming of the project), time (how long will it take to finish the project), and cost (managing the budget of the project). To balance the triple constraint, it is crucial for project managers to adhere making tradeoffs for successful projects. Failure to balance the scope, time, and cost goals impact a project.

Question 1

1) Define globalization, outsourcing, and virtual teams and describe how these trends are changing the IT project management.

Globalization is the act of interacting with one another across the world. Outsourcing is the organization’s way of acquiring goods and services from another sources. Virtual teams are groups of people who work together in a virtual environment instead of meeting face-to-face. These trends are changing the IT project management. By communicating globally, we are able to share our ideas. Moreover, outsourcing helps project managers reduce costs for products and services. Virtual teams help the IT project management by reducing time and space by virtual communication.