FIT2002 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Project Management, Organizational Culture, Systems Philosophy
13 May 2018
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• Projects must operate in broad organisational environment, managers using system thinking
– taking holistic view of carrying out project in context of organisation.
• Systems view of project management – three parts:
o Systems philosophy
o Systems analysis
o Systems management
• Systems management three sphere model – business, organisation, technology.
• Four perspectives/frames on organisations:
o Structural frame – roles/responsibilities, coordination/control.
o Human resources – harmony between needs of organisation and people.
o Political frame – coalitions composed of varied individuals/interest groups.
o Symbolic frame – symbols and meanings related to events.
• Culture in organisations is often to blame for project failure. Leadership/stakeholder/risk
management issues not discussed enough.
• Three basic organisational structures:
o Functional
o Project
o Matrix
• Project managers have little authority in functional organisations, most in project structured
organisations.
• Organisational culture – set of shared assumptions/values/behaviours which characterise
the functioning of an organisation.
• Characteristics of organisational culture:
o Projects are successful when these are high:
▪ Member identity
▪ Group emphasis
▪ Risk tolerance
▪ Reward criteria
▪ Conflict tolerance
▪ Unit integration
▪ Open systems focus
o Projects are successful when these are balanced:
▪ People focus
▪ Means-ends orientation
▪ Control
• Top management are key stakeholders in projects. Support from them is important for
project managers.
• IT governance – addresses authority/control for key IT activities in organisations
• If organisation values IT, IT projects are more likely to succeed.
• Organisational standards/guidelines help project managers be more effective.
• Project life cycle – collection of project phases. Defines:
o What work will be performed in each phase
o What/when deliverables will be produced
o Who is involved in each phase
o How management will control and approve work produced in each phase.
• Deliverable – product/service produced/provided as part of a project.
• Phases of project life cycle:
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Projects must operate in broad organisational environment, managers using system thinking. Support from them is important for project managers. It governance addresses authority/control for key it activities in organisations. If organisation values it, it projects are more likely to succeed: organisational standards/guidelines help project managers be more effective, project life cycle collection of project phases. Implementation: close-out, traditional sdlc is part of execution of project, two potential sdlcs, predictive life cycle, adaptive software development life cycle, predictive life cycle models, waterfall, spiral. Advantages: team of workers available 24/7, many virtual workers can work from home lower costs. Improves work/life balance for team members: virtual team disadvantages: Isolating team members: more communication problems, limits networking/transferring info informally. Increases dependence on technology to accomplish work: kanban, technique which can be used in conjunction with scrum, uses visual cues to guide workflow, cards showing new work, work in progress, work completed.
