Project Mangement

Well here we are - an 'all you need to know about project management' post. It will  be broad, it will be wide, it will be to the point.

It all comes back to the SDLC - The SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT LIFE CYCLE
There are 5 steps:

1. UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEM
2. MAKE DECISIONS
3. DESIGN SOLUTIONS
4. IMPLEMENT
5. TEST, EVALUATE AND MAINTAIN

When a project is born, there are a few things that need to happen to get the project a'crackin'.
Firstly, a feasability study is done to see if the project is worth doing or not. If it passes the economic, technical, operational, schedule and ethical feasability, then you start a Project Plan.

A Project Plan has some sections in it to help manage a project and help the team work together towards solving the problem at hand. As so many IT projects fail, a good project plan is really important. A Gantt chart that outlines the tasks to be done and who is to do them would be included.

Communication is an essential part of Project Management. Good project teams use active listening techniques, conflict resolution, negotioation skills, interview skills and relate with the clients very well.

Programmers, analysts, and other dedicated IT staff would need to be part of the team who start designing the system and implementing it after decisions have been made.

There are many things to think about when designing systems - health and safety of the users, social and ethical issues (loss of jobs, equity of access), ergonomic design etc. There is an increasing awareness of equity in the workplace and descrimination.