Project Management Thinking

Choose strategic projects by...

• Focusing on organisational goals
• Categorising
• Doing financial analysis

A well-defined project plan is...

• Easy to understand
• Easy to read
• Communicated to all (real stakeholders and involved actors)
• Commensurate with project size, complexity, accuracy
• Prepared by the team

Change happens because...

• Something was left out
• We misunderstood something
• The environment changes
• The organisation changes
• The technology changes
• Everything changes
• Unrealistic expectations of clients/users/customers
• Funding, deadline, time limits change.

Dealing with changes...

• Have a change policy (if you make a change then something else happens)
• Anticipate change (it's going to happen anyway so plan for it)
• Seek change (it's bubbling under the surface, is going to happen, so make it happen)

Risk management

• Identify
• Ones you can quantify
• Ones that are qualitative
• Respond (to reasonable expectation i.e. loss x probability of occurring)

Risk factors

• Changing environment
• Group think
• Change management
• Time (lack)
• Irrationality
• Gilding the lily
• Not communicating
• Not delivering increments
• Unrealistic expectations

Things to do

• Lead
• Learn
• Listen
• Talk
• work with people
• Change
• Risk

Exercise: Creating something 'like' a GANTT chart in Excel

Goal:
Familiarity with Excel graphing functions.

Instructions:

Example in Google docs (link)
Step 1: Enter the sample data
Step 2: Create a stacked bar chart
Step 3: Make the chart look like a Gantt chart


Example in Microsoft Office Excel (link)
Step 1: Enter the sample data
Step 2: Create a stacked bar chart
Step 3: Make the chart look like a Gantt chart

Other links:
Various videos illustrate this process, see this search on google (terms: gantt, excel, video)

Discuss: IT Doesn't Matter

The motion for discussion is...
"IT doesn't matter! discuss"

Goal
To critically assess the claims surrounding the assumption that IT unambiguously confers competitive advantage to its users; that it generates efficiency, and consequently delivers profits to firms developing or acquiring it. Instead, Carr claims in essence, IT is now a commodity and therefore no longer matters.

Instructions
Two groups (red-against, blue-for) will present an analysis and then debate the merits of their different positions, involving the whole class in the closing stages.
The readings given for initial investigation are listed below. We strongly encourage the use of additional secondary sources and providing examples as evidence supporting arguments.

Readings
CARR, N. (2003) IT Doesn't Matter. Harvard Business Review, 81, 41-49.

Exercise: Outsourcing Business

Goal
Come up with a list of examples of business that is outsourced.

Instructions
1. Ask members of the class in small groups to come up with examples of businesses, business activities or functions that are outsourced. (3 minutes)
3. Ask each group to provide one example.
2. Write down and display this list of examples.


Examples
20:Nike: Manufacturing
19:Apple: Foxconn
18: UCD: Security
17: Apple
16: Dell: Call centres to India
15: Apple: Manufacturing
14: Apple:
13: Apple:
12: Apple:
11: Xbox: Support India
10: Coke: Outsoucing bottle supply
9: Dell: Call
8: Apple
7: Apple
6: UCD: Security
5: Insurance: Call centres
4: Aerlingus: Accounting/Financials
3:UCD: Email to Google
2: 02: Customer services
1: Motorola: Customer services:
...
...
...
...

Reflection
Ask questions like:
Is there a distinction between work that is subcontracted and work that is outsourced?
What is amenable to outsourcing?
What is not amenable to outsourcing?
Is outsourcing the same as subcontracting?
Does offshore delivery matter?

Exercise: What is Outsourcing?

Goal
Come up with a working definition of Outsourcing.

Instructions
1. Ask members of the class to define outsourcing or give examples of global sourcing. (3 minutes)
2. Write down and display this list of definitions and examples.

Definitions

• "Outsourcing is the procurement of goods and services from external suppliers" (Mol, 2007)
• "Sourcing is the act through which work is contracted or delegated to an external or internal entity that could be physically located anywhere." (Oshri et. al, 2009)
• "Outsourcing is defined as contracting with a third service provider for the management and completion of a certain amount of work, for a specified length of time, cost, and level of service." (Oshri et. al, 2009)
• ...
• ...

Examples

• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...

Comments: There are no wrong answers, just build up a list, tabulate and provide back to the class

References:
Mol, M.J. Outsourcing: Design, Process and Performance Cambridge University Press, 2007.
Oshri, I., Kotlarsky, J., and Willcocks, L.P. The Handbook of Global Outsourcing and Offshoring Palgrave Macmillan, 2009, p. 266.

Exercise: a 30 second video

"I like the Quinn because..."

Goal
To get 'hands-on' experience creating a video presentation.

Instructions
You have 30 minutes to produce a 30 second video.

1. Form groups, at least one member of each group to have a laptop computer on the wireless network.
2. Each use your own smartphone video function or group given a Flipcam (product link).
3. Announce the objective.
• To create a video "I like the Quinn because..."
• Completed video to be 30 seconds duration or less.

Tips
First try producing the video in a single take (to avoid merging different shots or doing complicated edits).
Planning a video...
Start by brainstorming different ideas in the group.

When brainstorming:

1. Let each member provide 2 or 3 ideas, capture each ideas with a post-it notes.
2. Suspend your judgment until everyone has stated their idea.
3. Next build on ideas, some ideas will be put aside at this stage.
4. At all times be aware of your own and other's personal safety.
5. Criticise the idea not the person.
6. Use serial discussion, everyone has a turn, no one person dominates.
7. Consider taking on roles but keep it democratic.

Producing a video
Videos have a beginning, middle and end so consider writing a brief script.
Assign roles...

1. to write the script.
2. to plan the shots.
3. to film.
4. to act.
5. find/create props.
6. to edit.

Do dry runs!

Perhaps you might

• Upload your video to Vimeo or YouTube?

---

Further reading

• My piece on storyboarding ideas (managingsystemsdevelopment.blogspot.com).
• Storyboarding is also used as a user-design technique for systems development. For examples see The Importance of Storyboarding Your iPhone App by Josh Clark and Storyboard technique for software projects by Adam Musial-Bright.
• Reynolds, G. (2008) Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery, Berkeley, CA, New Riders.
• Sawyer, B. (2009) The Learner's Journey in Practice. (blogs.oreilly.com)
• BBC video editor (link)
• Camista screen recorder (link)
• Quick and Easy Video with a Flip Cam (dspace.ndlr.ie)
• A Guide to Student-Generated Videos(www.studentgenerated.com)
• MINO HD FLIP CAMERA USER GUIDE (dspace.ndlr.ie)

Here's my pitch for you to 'storyboard' and some tips on how to do it.

Storyboarding from Allen Higgins on Vimeo.

Exercise: What is Information Technology?

(also an icebreaker to encourage participation in a large lecture theatre environment)

Goal
Come up with a working definition of Information Technology.

Instructions
1. Ask members of the class to define information technology or give examples of information technology. (3 minutes)
2. Write down and display this list of definitions and examples.

Definitions

• ...
• ...
• ...

Examples

• ...
• ...
• ...
• ...

Comments
There are no wrong answers, just build up a list, tabulate and provide back to the class

• "Information technology (IT) is a 'field' concerned with the use of technoloogy in managing and processing information." (Baltzan et. al., 2009: 9)
• "There are two basic categories of information technology: hardware and software." (Baltzan et. al., 2009: 318)
• Information technology (IT) is "the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications". (Longley & Shain 1985: 164)

References:
Baltzan, P., Phillips, A. & Haag, S. (2009) Business Driven Technology, McGraw-Hill.
Longley, Dennis; Shain, Michael (1985), Dictionary of Information Technology (2 ed.), Macmillan Press (via http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology)

Index to Motions/Discussions for Semester 2, 2011-2012

The motion for discussion...

• No motion Week 1!
• Week 2... "IT doesn't matter: discuss"
• Week 3... "formal project management contributes to project failure: discuss"
• Week 4... "data driven decisions remove the human factor: discuss"
• Week 5... "Senior Management knows it all: discuss"
• Week 6... "Customer data; use it or lose it: discuss"
• Week 7... "Give Us Your Data To Save the World: discuss"
• Week 9... "New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail: discuss"
• Week 10... "The future of commerce is smart, wireless, and pervasive! discuss"
• Week 11... "Social media transforms business! discuss"
• Week 12 is... "IP is a drag in Cyberspace; discuss"

Each group presentation is limited to 5 minutes +/- several seconds. One letter grade will be deducted for each minute a presentation goes over time.

Hint. Produce a video presentation to keep within the time limit. See the video exercise for tips (link).

Ideas behind the E4MIS Blog...

Elements of the Blog
Debates
I think it is important to use contemporary and historical analyses in debates on crucial issues affecting society, markets, and commerce. The debates constructed here will either boost or criticize a important aspect of management thought or some technologically mediated innovation.

Discussion Format
Two student groups take the opposing views on the stated motion (blue supporting and red attacking). Presentations are allocated 5' followed immediately by 10' discussion. Further summative discussion is encouraged after both presentations have concluded.

Exercises
A small number of spreadsheet exercises and classroom activities are offered to support the subject matter

Notes:
The objective of this blog is to support students with an interest in information systems and who are prepared to take responsibility for their own learning; people who are keen to discover and form their own opinions about the impacts, uses and risks of information technology.

The blog offers an eclectic overview of contemporary information systems, products and services. Topics include knowledge, knowledge management, transactional systems, databases, electronic commerce, mobile commerce, issues of privacy, data protection, copyright, outsourcing, and others.

The context for this is information systems and high tech products used or applied in contemporary organisations dealing with pressing needs and demands. Notice I wrote organisations rather than businesses. This is to draw the point that, while much of the industry focus is commercial and this blog arises within the setting of a Business School (formerly Faculty of Commerce), it is important to acknowledge that not all organisational forms are commercial in nature nor is a commercial orientation necessarily the most crucial perspective to apply in organisations generally. However, management responsibility is a necessary condition for effective organisation and therefore the focus on information systems and high technology innovation is orientated towards impactful activities and responsibilities of management.

Blog overview

This blog offers exercises and articles to help students get to grips with information technology and systems, to use them to advantage in modern organizations.

What kinds of information systems do we encounter in business and in our social lives? Systems in common use include: so called 'knowledge management' tools, e-commerce applications, online banking, social networking, specialist database services (libraries), e-enabled information services (weather, traffic, airport) etc.

Types of activities relating to the development, adoption, and use of information systems include: requirements, analysis, design, development, delivery, maintenance etc.

Topics covered in the blog should help you:

• Describe and characterise information technology and systems of use (e.g. some of the things mentioned above).
• Applying analytical frameworks to analyse instances of IT systems in organisations (e.g. theory from Marx, Morgan, Porter, etc).
• Familiarisation with knowledge related to IT and MIS applied to organisations generally (purchasing, logistics, payroll, HR, finance etc).
• Analyse and assess impact of emerging technologies (convergent devices, ubiquitous sensors, location based services, etc)
• Use and critique decision making models, tools and techniques.
• Spreadsheet competence.
• Trending technologies and the internet (e.g. consider the relationship between everything 'e' and entrepreneurship).