System Analysis & Design Ch.4

Front 1

Project

Back 1

a [temporary] sequence of unique, complex, and connected activities having one goal or purpose and that must be completed by specific time, within budget, and according to specification.

Front 2

Project manager

Back 2

the person responsible for supervising a systems project from initiation to conclusion

Front 3

Project management

Back 3

the process of scoping, planning, staffing, organizing, directing, and controlling the development of an acceptable system at a minimum cost within a specified time frame.

Front 4

Process management

Back 4

the activity of documenting, managing, and continually improving the process of systems development.

Front 5

Measures of Project Success

Back 5

The resulting information system is acceptable to the customer.
The system was delivered “on time.”
The system was delivered “within budget.”
The system development process had a minimal impact on ongoing business operations.

Front 6

Causes of Project Failure

Back 6

Failure to establish upper-management commitment to the project
Lack of organization’s commitment to the methodology
Taking shortcuts through or around the methodology
Poor expectations management
-Feature creep
-Scope creep
Premature commitment to a fixed budget and schedule
Poor estimating techniques
Overoptimism
The mythical man-month (Brooks, 1975)
Inadequate people management skills
Failure to adapt to business change
Insufficient resources
Failure to “manage to the plan”

Front 7

Scope creep

Back 7

unexpected and gradual growth of requirements during an information systems project.

Front 8

Feature creep

Back 8

uncontrolled addition of technical features to a system.
Scope creep

Front 9

Project Management Functions

Back 9

Scoping – setting the boundaries of the project
Planning – identifying the tasks required to complete the project
Estimating – identifying the resources required to complete the project
Scheduling – developing the plan to complete the project
Organizing – making sure members understand their roles and responsibilities
Directing – coordinating the project
Controlling – monitoring progress
Closing – assessing success and failure

Front 10

PERT chart

Back 10

a graphical network model used to depict the interdependencies between a project’s tasks.

Front 11

Gantt chart

Back 11

a bar chart used to depict project tasks against a calendar.

Front 12

Joint project planning (JPP)

Back 12

a strategy in which all stakeholders attend an intensive workshop aimed at reaching consensus on project decisions.

Front 13

Statement of work

Back 13

a narrative description of the work to be performed as part of a project. Common synonyms include scope statement, project definition, project overview, and document of understanding.