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ABC: An Introduction to IT Project Management

Only 29 percent of IT projects are completed on time and on budget. Here's some advice on how to improve your odds.

By Joseph Phillips

PAGE 5

• What are the basic principles of IT project management?
• Why do IT projects fail so often?
• How do I determine if a project is going to fail once it's in motion?
• When should a project be canceled?
• How can I ensure that my projects are successful?
• What are some common project-management methodologies, and which work best for various kinds of IT projects?
• Some companies have project-management offices. What's their purpose, and should I create one?
• How much authority should a project manager have?
• What certifications are available for project managers, and are they important?
• Our business moves very fast while our projects seem to move slowly. What strategies can we use to get our projects up to speed?
• Regulations, laws and standards are common in my industry. How will they impact my IT projects?
• I want to send my project managers through project-management training. What should I make sure they get out of it, and how do I know the training will be worthwhile?

What certifications are available for project managers, and are they important?

The jury is still out on the importance of certifications. On one hand, just because you're certified in project management doesn't mean you're a good project manager. On the other, if you're looking for a job in project management, having a certification distinguishes you from those who don't, and shows that you have documented, proven experience in project management.

That being said, there are three leading certifications for project managers: Project Management Professional, Certified Associate in Project Management and Project+ Professional. All of these certifications demonstrate the project manager's level of experience, education and knowledge of project management. The three certifications in order of prominence are:

• Project Management Professional (PMP). This is given by the Project Management Institute (PMI) and requires project managers to document their project management experience and the outcomes of the projects they have managed, and provide proof of educational experience. This documentation may be audited by PMI. PMP candidates must also take a 200-question, four-hour exam.
• Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM). This certification, also from PMI, is for project managers with considerably less project management experience than their PMP counterparts. CAPM candidates must also document their experience, education and supervisors on their exam application.
• Project+ Professional. This certification is from the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA), the same group that certifies A+, Network+, Server+ and other professionals. It requires that candidates pass an 80-question exam with a score of 499 or better in a 90-minute time period. The Project+ exam does not have the same pre-exam requirements as the CAPM or the PMP. This exam is ideal for candidates who aspire to manage larger projects or move into project management, or for recent college grads pursuing a career in project management.

Our business moves very fast while our projects seem to move slowly. What strategies can we use to get our projects up to speed?

Slow and fast are subjective terms; what may seem slow to your organization may be entirely zippy somewhere else. It's important to determine what's a reasonable time frame to complete an IT project based on the scope of the work, the expected deliverables and the conditions of the project.

That being said, you can determine if your projects are in fact moving slowly. Do you have historical information against which to compare current projects' speed, or have your projects always taken this long to complete?

Second, ask if your projects are effort-driven or of fixed duration. Effort-driven projects can be "crashed" by adding more resources to reduce the project's time line. Crashing a project, however, adds costs. If your project is of fixed duration, like testing software for two months before releasing it, there's not much that can be done to reduce the project's time line without increasing risk.

 

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