In this lesson, you are introduced to project management concepts and practices. This will set the stage for subsequent lessons, in which you will apply key practices and methods to practical project scenarios. The lessons in this course follow the approaches and practices espoused by the Project Management Institute [1] (PMI) and other authoritative sources on best practices for project planning and execution. These best practices apply generally to all types of projects, but in this course, we will be focusing on their application for IT and GIS projects. First, let's review some key terminology:
Why get serious about project management? For some very good reasons that directly impact the project's cost, timing, and how well it accomplishes stated requirements:
Taking the time to put in place a sound project plan and applying best practices for project execution and monitoring just makes sense!
By the end of Lesson 1, you should be able to:
See the checklist page for readings, quiz, and assignment work in this Lesson.
Questions about this assignment or any other topics for the instructor are best submitted to the email address or by direct phone call to the instructor. Also, feel free to communicate with your fellow students via the Discussion Forum or email.
Lesson 1 is one week in length (see the Calendar for specific due dates). To finish this lesson, you must complete the activities listed below. You may find it useful to print this page out first so that you can follow along with the directions.
Step | Activity | Directions |
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1 | Reading | Lesson 1 online course content in Canvas |
2 | Reading | Article by Hamil [2] |
3 |
Reading |
Croswell Chapter 1 (Sections 1.1 to 1.4) and Chapter 9 Note: Chapter 9 provides an overview of project planning and management topics. Don't worry if you don't fully grasp all of the concepts and methods. We will come back to them in subsequent lessons. |
4 | Assignment 1, Part 1: Begin report on a project and its fit to an organization’s vision | Assignment 1 (Parts 1 and 2) due at the end of Lesson 2 |
5 | Participate in Week 1 Discussion Forum:
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For this lesson and all subsequent lessons, you are required to enter postings for the Discussion Forum set up for the lesson. This is one way you will communicate with other students and your instructor and present your ideas, examples, agreement, or elaboration of course material, etc. Suggested topic - Let your classmates know about the worst project you've worked on, and why. |
Inherent in the definition of a project are the constraints that will affect any project. These constraints reflect the key elements of our project definition:
The Scope constraints address project deliverable requirements and meeting the specifications (functionality, content, format, quality) associated with those deliverables or planned project results. The Time and Resource constraints set boundaries for planning and executing the work. These are often called the "triple constraints" of project management, and changing any one of these is sure to have an effect on the other two. A key ingredient in successful project management is carefully defining these constraints for each project and controlling any changes that may occur during the project. Of course, any of these constraints can be eased at any time by compromising the quality of the project. In this class, we will assume that this is not an option that we are anxious to explore!
Project management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order to meet project requirements--all focused on delivering desired results on schedule and on budget. In geospatial projects, results are often defined deliverables--tangible products or results of project work which are well-defined in a project plan. For example, in a project with the objective of developing a GIS database, deliverables could include processed aerial imagery or LiDAR elevation data ready to load into the GIS database for access by users.
Project management is not a new field, but it is a discipline that has been formalized greatly over the last 30 years with a range of documented methods, best practices, and automated tools to support projection planning and execution. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), 7th Edition. This document can be obtained by online order [3]. This PMI is the world's leading professional association that develops and promotes project management standards and best practices (for all types of projects). The PMI also offers a number of project management and program management professional certifications--the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification being the most popular and widely recognized. Students are encouraged to examine the materials from the PMI and pursue one of its certifications. Take a look at the PMI website [4] and build some awareness of the scope and services of this organization. While not a mandatory text for this course, we recommend that you consider obtaining a copy of the PMBOK and use it as a reference guide for the planning and management of future projects.
There are a number of government and independent organizations which develop, adopt, and promote the application of standards associated with IT and GIS. Some of the more important standards bodies include:
In addition to these formal standards bodies, there are a large number of professional organizations that promote standards and best practices for the development, use, and management of geospatial technology. Two of the most prominent are the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA [10]) and the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS [11]). Also, there are many discipline-specific professional associations that have committees or groups that address geospatial issues.
Project management frameworks are efforts to understand the scope of a project and project management topics in a holistic sense. They go beyond the constraints discussed above to include all aspects that may influence a project. Schwalbe offers the following framework:
Schwalbe illustrates the relationships between these various aspects of the project management framework in Figure 1-1 below.
Stakeholders can be anyone or any organization that has an interest or involvement in the project. The term "stakeholder" is normally used in a general sense to identify people or organizations that will have some role in a project (e.g., review or approval of project deliverables) or which are more broadly impacted by the project work or results (e.g., employees or management personnel inside the organization carrying out the project). The group or organization which sponsors a project and expects to derive benefits from project results may be considered "customers". Project results and tangible deliverables should focus on the customers' business requirements, which are work assignments and associated resource needs necessary to support an organization's mission and goals.
As described by the Project Management Institute (PMI), project management Knowledge Areas address critical concerns and practices that must be taken into account in project planning and execution. The PMI Knowledge areas are:
A look at our syllabus reveals much of the class is organized based on these knowledge areas. It is not possible to create a project plan without a detailed look at the plan's scope, timing, and cost. In addition to these, we will discuss all of the other important knowledge areas you must be familiar with to be a successful project manager.
Tools and techniques can help to increase understanding in any of these knowledge areas, but are most vital in the core knowledge areas. We will explore a variety of these techniques and discuss their implementation in GIS projects. Although project management software packages can facilitate the use of these tools and techniques, the same techniques have long been used with pencil and paper.
A project portfolio is a collection of projects that are grouped together to facilitate effective management of work to meet the projects' objectives). Project portfolio management integrates the planning and management of individual projects into a larger entity that can be aligned with an organization's mission and business requirements. The process is similar to investment portfolios that look at all holdings and attempt to achieve a balance between risk and potential reward.
There is no fundamental difference between the planning and management of GIS projects and other information technology projects. In fact, the PMI develops and promotes project management standards from a premise that all types of projects can benefit from a common set of practices and methods. In this course, we will adopt this general concept and show how PMI standards and practices apply to GIS environments.
As we progress through this class, keep in mind the following concepts:
Let's jump into the first assignment of looking at the fit between a project undertaken by an organization and the organization itself.
Timing: See Canvas Calendar for timing
Target Word Count: about 1800-2500 words total for Parts 1 & 2 combined
Total Points: 60 points - see rubric for details (scroll to the bottom of this page)
Assignment #1 spans Lessons 1 and 2. The entire assignment will be due at the end of Lesson 2; however, please begin Part 1 of the assignment NOW (by following the directions below) because it is relevant to what we've just discussed in this lesson. Furthermore, starting now will help you to manage your workload! Also, students sometimes need time to gain permission to use a work project as a class assignment. If this is the case with the project you are considering, begin seeking permission early.
Assignment #1 entails examining the fit between a GIS project done by an organization and that organization's mission and strategic goals. In Part 1 (this week's assignment), you will describe a GIS-related project done by an organization. In Part 2 (next week's assignment), you will document the organization's mission and goals and discuss how the project supports that mission.
For Part 1 of Assignment 1, first identify and describe a GIS-related project--it works best to find a project that has a clear set of deliverables and an organization who benefits from them.
Some examples of GIS projects include:
After selection of a suitable project, present a summary description of the project that includes the following:
*If you choose a project being carried out by a contractor for a client organization (e.g., acquisition and processing of aerial imagery for a local government), it is the client organization (e.g., local government agency) that should be identified. The mission and “project fit” that you will describe in Part 2 should be for the client organization, not the contractor.
You may base your project description on one in your current organization, one you have worked for in the past, or one carried out by a colleague in another organization. Another way to identify and select a suitable project for this assignment is to search the Web for "request for proposals" (RFPs)* or "project plans", "project charters", or "project reports" that summarize objectives, scope, deliverables, schedule for GIS-related projects. If you choose to use this Web search approach, enter such key phrases as "RFP", "project plan", "GIS", "database development", "application", "design", "needs assessment", etc. You may also find some examples of projects by looking at archived presentation summaries from GIS conferences (e.g., URISA GIS-Pro Conference, Esri User Conference). You will find documents for multiple projects that should work, and, in many cases, these documents will provide organizational background, mission statements, etc. For this assignment, it is acceptable to make edits, revisions, and to modify information of an actual project if necessary (changing or modifying names, deliverables, etc.). The best types of projects to use for this Assignment are those that have clear objectives and deliverables and are not too complex in terms of tasks and the stakeholder environment. Also make sure you can identify the organization that is the source or sponsor of this project (e.g., Department in a State or local government) and the organization's mission and goals. Contact your instructor if you have difficulty selecting a project or questions about the suitability of a project example you have come up with.
For Assignment 1, organize the document in a way that concisely covers the topics described in Parts 1 and 2. There is no prescribed organizational format for the required content (i.e., section and subsection ordering). As in all written assignments, you should include a Cover page with prominent title and all necessary information identifying the course, assignment, author, and date. The main title of the document should be "PROJECT FIT TO ORGANZATION". The Cover Page should also reference to the project name and organization. At the bottom of the Cover Page (right side is best), include the course name and number, assignment number, your name, and date.
See more detailed information about document format and submittal in the Part 2 instructions for this Assignment.
The more information available about the project and the organization, the easier it will be to write. Specifically, in addition to detailed information about a project, be sure that information (mission, strategic goals, etc.) about the organization or the specific department or division carrying out the project is available since you will need this for Part 2. Remember, if you choose a project being carried out by a contractor for a client organization (e.g., acquisition and processing of aerial imagery for a local government), the mission and “project fit” that you will describe in Part 2 should be for the client organization, not the contractor.
To pace yourself appropriately, complete Part 1 of Assignment #1 during Lesson 1 and move ahead with Part 2 as soon as possible. The grading rubric is below.
Grading Category | Basis for Scoring | Total Possible Points |
Point Award Explanation |
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A. Inclusion of Required Content |
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18 |
|
B. Overall Document Organization |
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12 |
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C. Quality/Clarity of Writing | Writing quality and clarity effectively uses words and sentences to convey meaning to the reader including the following:
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18 |
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D. Format Quality | Well-formatted document helps convey content and meaning to the reading. Important format parameters include:
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12 |
|
Links
[1] http://www.pmi.org/
[2] http://dssresources.com/papers/features/hamil01272002.htm
[3] http://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-and-standards/pmbok-guide.aspx
[4] http://www.PMI.org
[5] http://www.ISO.org
[6] http://www.NIST.gov
[7] http://www.FGDC.gov
[8] http://www.opengeospatial.org
[9] https://ansi.org
[10] http://www.URISA.org
[11] http://www.asprs.org