ims9300 is/im fundamentals

www.sims.monash.edu.au

Project Management; Working in teams;Conflict resolution;Negotiation in teams.

IMS9300 IS/IM FUNDAMENTALS

www.sims.monash.edu.au/subjects/ims93002

What is project management?

• “Project Management is the process of planning, directing, and controlling the development of an acceptable system at a minimum cost within a specified time frame” Whitten et al. (2001)

– On time– On budget


Why project management?

• Project management is necessary because of:– the number of people involved– the number of tasks to be done– the extent of the interaction between the tasks

and people– the complexity of the interactions between the

tasks and people


Project management activities

• Defining tasks and the dependencies between them– critical path

• Allocating people and resources to tasks– Scheduling, resource sharing, skill sharing

• Monitoring progress of project against plan– monitoring

• Taking remedial action when things don’t go according to plan– intervention


Basic process of project management

– Select systems development methodology– Plan the project tasks– Estimate the resources and time required to complete

individual phases of the project– Staff the project team– Organise and schedule the project effort(tasks/time/

people/technical resources) and therefore cost– Control the project development (directing the team,

controlling progress, replan, restaff, .... )


Some Project Management Tools and Techniques

• Deliverables - to check what has been done. Binary deliverables.

• Milestones - to check where we have got to (and how far to go)

• PERT Charts - to show the connections between tasks (Whitten p.130)

• Gantt Charts - to show progress on tasks (milestones) (Whitten p.131)

• Project support software – eg. Ms. Project, graphical output


Planning the project

• The project plan– it establishes intermediate tasks en route to the

project’s objectives• Staffing

– choose team members, match skills to task, training for team members, morale (idleness, overburden)

• Project control

– well-defined requirements, estimated rate of progress, reporting (at detailed and overall levels), review performance against plan.


The Project Manager’s contribution

• order – point of reference, metrics (measurements)

• method – company’s favoured project methodology

• planning – coordination, preparation, critical path

• support – monitor, aid, re-planning

• control – warn, intervene, smooth over, fix


Teams (in systems development)

• systems development is complex – many people and tasks must be coordinated and controlled

• teams are commonly organised on a project basis – together for one project then divided for the next

• team membership can include various stakeholders - IT managers, systems analysts, users, business managers, programmers, and other specialists at various points in the project.


A team is a group where:• members are operating within a charter• members see themselves as having specified

roles• members see the team as accountable for

achieving specified organisational goals• the team provides a forum where the members

interact, relationships develop, a common approach emerges, goals are reached

(Dwyer 1997 chap 10)

Teams in systems development ctd.


• team leader (or project manager) - responsible for organising work on the project

• everyone else is nominally equal• team skill set – determined by the nature of the

project

• team size - large enough for specialist skills, large teams are difficult to manage, teams within teams are common

Working in teams


• team success depends on• team’s skills - how the group is assembled• team’s effort - participation and productivity• team management - the leader must be

organised, informed, with good communication and human relations skills

Team success


Characteristics of good teams

• diversity• tolerance• communication• trust• put the team first• reward structure

(Hoffer et al p 17, p 57)


Group decision making

• professional work involves many decisions• with group work decisions impact others• meetings allow group decision making

– democratic decisions– agreed and equitable load sharing– review of strategy– formal authorisations


Group membership

• group membership presumes competence

• address your knowledge and skills shortfalls– in your specific, delegated tasks– in related areas– in your general ability and skill levels


Why Conflict/Negotiation in IS Projects?

• Conflict management and negotiation are central to IS development:- Provision of a service to a client - Non-standard products- Development for a mass audience- Products which significantly change the way

people work- Team-based multi-disciplinary development

process- Rapidly-changing technological and theoretical

base- Externally-based development support


Parties to Conflict/Negotiation for the IS Professional

• The client - wants something from us • The users - uses what we provide• Fellow IS professionals - participate in the process• Project management - direct and manage resources• External groups who are contributing to the project -

provide services and support


Strategies for Conflict/Negotiation

• Avoiding/ignoring • Withdrawing/giving in • Competing/bullying • Collaborating • Compromising


Common Precursors to Conflict/Negotiation

• Failing to establish realistic expectations• Failing to understand the other’s viewpoint • Failing to communicate effectively• Failing to define responsibilities• Failing to deliver what had been promised


The IS Professional: Key Issues for Conflict/Negotiation

• Our responsibilities as professionals • Our role as negotiators/conflict managers• The nature of our specialist knowledge


Key Issues in Conflict/Negotiation: The IS Professional’s Standing

• Status of IS professional as a professional• Far-reaching impacts of work on people and

organisations• The nature of professional and ethical

responsibilities• Refer to future lectures on professionalism


Key Issues in Conflict/Negotiation: The IS Professional’s Role

• Nature of role determines nature of conflict management and negotiation tasks

• Refer to earlier lecture on multiplicity of roles• Rate of change of role


Key Issues in Conflict/Negotiation: The IS Professional’s Knowledge

• Specialised knowledge - unavailable/inaccessible to laymen

• Technical knowledge - ‘scientific’/’rational’• Nature of knowledge - fragmented/partial/ever-

changing


The IS Professional in Negotiation/Conflict

• ‘That’s not my problem; I’m a technical person’ • ‘It should work if you do it properly’• ‘That’s just the way the system operates’• ‘There’s no point getting upset about it’


Conflict resolution

Indicators of conflict:

• discomfort: things do not feel “right”• incidents: e.g. a sharp exchange occurs• misunderstandings: motives, facts are confused

(mindreading)• tension: relationships affected by negative attitudes,

fixed opinions- “I’m sick to death of Harry!”• crisis: normal functioning is affected, extreme reactions

are contemplated – eg. quitting


Why does Conflict Occur?

• differences in values, attitudes, traditions, prejudices• different goals• expectations not being fulfilled• different work practices• responses to incidents • misunderstanding• competition• feelings of anger, of disappointment, of being offended


• Effective communication is essential: active listening• Assertive behaviour is best: state and uphold your

views whilst respecting those of others• Aggressive behaviour is not constructive: it involves

dominating and winning at all costs• Submissive behaviour is not constructive: it involves

an inability to promote a point of view and one’s own needs and goals

Responses to conflict


Negotiation

• Negotiation is a process in which two or more people attempt to resolve differences, discuss problems and arrive at an agreement

• Style: personal style will affect the way in which an individual negotiates and can be classified according to ways in which the individual uses/experiences power and psychological barriers

• Strategies: win-win, win-lose - each strategy has a different outcome and relies on different styles of communication


Stages in the Negotiation Process

• Plan - establish clear objectives before engaging the other parties

• Select appropriate time and setting - cool heads• Set the Context- establish trust and confidence via

listening skills, establish the areas of common ground, ensure all parties feel equal and safe

• Define needs - establish the needs of each party by listening


Stages in the Negotiation Process

• Discuss - deal with one issue at a time, clarify and summarise the content, feelings and ideas which are, and have been, communicated

• Negotiate - brainstorm possible solutions, evaluate those options, select those that everyone can agree to, implement the solutions

• Action plan – make sure the solutions are implemented as agreed


Conflict resolution options

• Compromise – (win-win) will it last?

• Collaboration – (win-win) will it continue?

• Competition – (win-lose) revenge?

• Accommodation – (lose-win) “thin end of the wedge”?

• Avoidance – (no resolution) repeat?


References

• SCHWALBE, K. (2004) 3rd ed., Information Technology Project Management, Thomson Learning, Inc. Massachusetts. Chapter 1.

• MARTIN,E., BROWN, C.V., DE HAYES, D.W., HOFFER, J.A. and PERKINS, W.C. (2002) International ed., Managing Information Technology, Pearson Education, Inc. New Jersey. Chapter 12

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