Project Management Assignment: Report for John Wiley Information Technology Infrastructure Company

Question

Task: Background

John Wiley Information Technology Infrastructure Company operating for the past 25 years. This company undertake IT related infrastructure development projects up to $250 million. Currently employ approx. 60 professional staff for the delivery of projects from inception to completion and handover. At present the existing PMIS system currently in use is inadequate to manage the projects effectively and efficiently. The company have decided to scrap the entire system and implement a new system for the future. Assume that you have been engaged as an IT consultant to review the current operations and recommend the appropriate system and IT (Hardware, Software, Infrastructure, Staffing, Training, etc.) requirements for the next 10 years.

PART A (10%)
Each student must investigate the following:
a. Alternative planning methodologies and techniques are appropriate for the delivery of current and future IT projects.
b. Recommend the selection of a particular methodology and technique.
The methodology and techniques used here must be evaluated and commented on with your recommendations’.
A report of approximately 1000 words is required.

Answer

Executive Summary
The report has been prepared for John Wiley Information Technology Infrastructure Company. There can be different project planning methodologies and techniques that can be used. The methodologies that may be used are PMBoK, PRINCE2, Waterfall, and Agile project management methods. The methodology that is recommended is the agile methodology for project management.

Project Scope & Background
John Wiley Information Technology Infrastructure Company has been in the operation since past 25 years. There are currently 60 staff members that are deployed with the organization. The organization accepts the IT projects up to $250 Million. The PMIS that the company uses is not effective and adequate to carry out the business processes.
The scope of the project includes the planning and analysis of the methodologies and techniques followed by the evaluation and inclusion of the PMIS for the organization.
Aims & Objectives
The aim and objectives of the report is to describe the project planning methodologies and techniques that shall be recommended to John Wiley IT Infrastructure Company.

Planning Methodologies & Techniques
PMBoK Methodology
The methodology that the organization can use is the PMBoK methodology that has been defined by the Project Management Institute. The methodology comprises of the five process groups that include the guidelines for effective planning and management. The John Wiley IT company can use the methodology for the planning of the PMIS software project and will be able to make use of the guidelines under the 10 knowledge areas (Cuevas et al., 2018). There are a number of benefits that are associated with the PMBoK methodology. The methodology provides the detailed guidelines in the scope management along with the contracts and procurement management that will be relevant to the organization. However, the decision-making abilities will entirely be relied on the Project Manager’s skills. If the Project Manager will not be skilled and talented then the incorrect project decisions will be taken. The PMBoK methodology will be applied in the planning and selection of the PMIS software along with the determination and management of the associated schedule, costs, and risks.

PRINCE2 Methodology
Projects in controlled environment, PRINCE2 is a methodology that is another planning methodology and technique that the organization can use. The methodology is based on the seven principles, themes, and processes. These can be applied to plan and manage the entire from its start-up till the end of the project.
There will be a number of benefits that the methodology will provide. The project methodology will provide the standardization of the planning activities and processes (Vanickova, 2017). The project responsibilities will be effectively distributed between the Project Manager, Project Governance Board, and the members in the project team. There will also be certain drawbacks associated with the planning methodology. There is lack of soft skills in the projects and it is not effectively focussed upon. There are several areas wherein the methodology will be applicable. It will be applied in the determination of the boundaries for the PMIS for the organization. It will also be effective in the handling of the stakeholders.

Waterfall Methodology
The methodology is a traditional project management methodology in which there is a linear sequence that is defined for the planning and management of the processes. These need to be executed in the defined series only.
There are several benefits that are associated with the Waterfall methodology as it is one of the traditional methods. It makes sure that the documentation is carried out in an adequate manner for current and future references. However, it has a number of drawbacks as well. It has no mechanism for acceptance of the changes in the project (Mahadevan, Kettinger and Meservy, 2015). The methodology will be applicable wherein the goals will be fixed and there will be no changes made to the requirements.

Agile Project Management Methodology
The fourth methodology that may be used will be the agile methodology. It is an ad-hoc methodology which is adaptive and there are plans that are made as per the project conditions. These are not defined in advance.
The methodology promotes enhanced collaboration and communication and also makes sure that the changes can be easily met at any stage in the project (Rasnacis and Berzisa, 2015). There are no defined boundaries that may lead to the situation of scope creep in the project.
The methodology is applicable wherein the scope may not be fixed or there may be changes possible to the project scope.

Evaluation of Methodologies – Evaluation Criteria & Matrix Evaluation
The evaluation criterion for the project planning methodology and technique that has been set is based on some of the parameters.
• The methodology shall be able to accept and manage the changes in an excellent manner
• The scalability and flexibility levels shall be high
• The communication and collaboration offered through the methodology shall be high
• The methodology shall be accepted internationally

The evaluation matrix has been plotted below on the basis of the evaluation criterion.

Discussion
There are several project management methodology and planning techniques that are available and have been defined. There are specific pros and cons associated with each of the project planning techniques. On the basis of the project evaluation criterion and evaluation matrix, the comparison between the four methodologies has been done. It can be seen that the agile project management is the methodology that looks the most suitable for the John Wiley IT Infrastructure Company.

Recommendations
On the basis of the project planning methodologies discussed and the evaluation that has been conducted, the project management methodology that shall be selected is agile methodology for project management. The agile methodology for project management is an adaptive methodology which will be useful in the selection and implementation of the PMIS for the company. It is an ad-hoc methodology that will provide the ability to make effective plans and will also be useful in the effective implementation (Rasnacis and Berzisa, 2017). The methodology will be successful in handling the changes and will also be flexible and scalable in nature. The methodology promotes enhanced collaboration and communication and also makes sure that the changes can be easily met at any stage in the project. There are no defined boundaries that may lead to the situation of scope creep in the project.

References
Cuevas, A.D., Gil, P.L.B., Sanchez, V.F. and Hernandez, A.V. (2018). Feasibility Study using the PMBOK® Methodology. International Journal of Advanced Engineering, Management and Science, 4(8), pp.594–596.
Mahadevan, L., Kettinger, W.J. and Meservy, T.O. (2015). Running on Hybrid: Control Changes when Introducing an Agile Methodology in a Traditional “Waterfall” System Development Environment. Communications of the Association for Information Systems, 36.
Rasnacis, A. and Berzisa, S. (2015). Adaptation of Agile Project Management Methodology for Project Team. Information Technology and Management Science, 18(1).
Rasnacis, A. and Berzisa, S. (2017). Method for Adaptation and Implementation of Agile Project Management Methodology. Procedia Computer Science, 104, pp.43–50.
Vanickova, R. (2017). Application of PRINCE2 Project Management Methodology. Studia Commercialia Bratislavensia, 10(38), pp.227–238.