Systems Planning and Project Planning: Is Integration Needed?

One of the weaknesses in our current SDLC methodologies is the isolation of system design and project management practice

Paul H. RosenthalCalifornia State University, Los Angeles

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The Poor Status of IT Governance

I. Low Usage of Experienced DesignersProject Failure reasons stable for 50 years

II. Need for Integrated Design– 44% of technology projects are PARTIAL

Successes– Our Status Score: C-– The Integration of system design and

project management practice can help solve this problem

The Standish Group Report

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Quality of our Systems and Project Planning

Quality of Systems Planning 70%

Quality of Sequential Systems & Project Planning 30%

Quality of Sequential Project Planning (.7 times QPP = .3) 43%*

* Our Professional level Project Planning is not this Bad

Quality of Systems Planning 70%

Quality of Project Planning 70%

Potential Quality of Integrated Systems & Project Planning

49%Success

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An Approach to Integrated Systems & Project Planning

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Underlying Problem

Users

Systems Owner

Systems Analysts

FeasibilityStudy

Proposal

Help!

Interviews

Problems

Fixes

Symptoms

"What you don't know will always hurt you."

First Law of Blissful Ignorance

"Don't be afraid to take a big step when one is indicated. You can't cross a chasm in

two small steps."David Lloyd George

"Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win."

Jonathan Kozol

1- Logical systems analysis (Initiation - find the underlying problem)

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My Take on the Underlying Problems

1. Simplistic Physical Design– Typical charting methods do not present true

scope and complexity of the systems– All stakeholders do not understand both WHAT

and HOW

2. Lack of Design/Cost-Benefit Iteration– Management, technical, staffing , and financial

participants in design cannot properly participate in the iterative cost-benefit process

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Logical Systems Design Process

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The Physical Design Methodology

For TPS, a physical design is created from a DFD based logical design, by separating processes and data stores by: time (daily vs. monthly, day vs. night ...), place (client or server, centralized vs. distributed...), online vs. batch, manual vs. automated, etc.

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A Physical System Design

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Physical Project Design

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Will Integration Solve these Problems?

Top 5 Failure FactorsFrom Systems Management

From Project Management

Incomplete and/or Changing Requirements, Unrealistic Expectations X

Lack of User and/or Executive Support X

Unrealistic Budgets and /or Schedules X

Lack of Project and/or Technology Management

X X

Systems and/or Project Planning and/or Implementation Illiteracy X X