In the vast majority of cases, a modern organization focused on growth and the effective delivery of ready-made solutions to its clients carries out its core business activities based on one of the popular IT project management methodologies. How should you manage projects, which methodology should you choose, and how can you handle the potential challenges encountered along the way? Fundamentals of IT Project Management
Let’s start by clarifying the basic concepts related to the modern approach to IT project management.
A project management methodology is a rigid set of rules within which the entire team strives to achieve the main project goal, while supporting themselves with specific elements of the methodology, using certain patterns and processes that facilitate the achievement of set goals in an effective manner and with due quality. In today’s demanding business environment, continuous competence development and the implementation of improvements are essential to maintain the competitiveness of an IT product. It is precisely these project management methodologies that provide an organization with a set of tools that enable it to prosper optimally.
How to effectively manage IT projects
How should one approach
effective IT project management? A key element is planning the entire project, taking into account its goal, time horizon, the team and its duties and responsibilities, as well as the basic principles related to general project work.
An excellent example of how to plan an IT project is the use of the SMART methodology, which allows for the precise definition of a measurable, relevant, and achievable goal. In addition to solid IT project planning, it is essential in today’s world to choose a methodology according to which the work will be carried out. Currently, the literature on the subject points to many schools of IT project management. The choice of a specific methodology should be made taking into account all factors relevant to the organization and the team’s work culture.
Key elements of IT project management
Which elements of project management in the IT industry can be considered key from the point of view of the success of the entire undertaking? Among many factors, it is worth highlighting those that have the greatest impact on maintaining the optimal result of the entire project, namely:
- Project budget management;
- Project schedule management;
- Team management in accordance with the chosen methodology.
Project budget management and schedule management are closely linked. Most often, modifying one of these elements entails the need to modify the other. Therefore, in order to bring the project to completion in accordance with the assumptions, it is necessary to strictly control and manage these elements, which primarily constitute a measurable indicator of the success of any IT project.
Team management, unlike the two mentioned above, is a soft element of IT project management. During longer projects, with a time horizon exceeding 6 months, the
project manager is obliged to continuously build and maintain positive relationships with the team, taking into account their role in the adopted IT project management methodology.
What are the most important challenges in IT project management?
Which challenges related to IT project management carry the greatest risk of failure for the entire undertaking?
In first place, we unequivocally put the team. This refers both to their motivation to act in accordance with the methodology, to the balanced distribution of each specialist’s competencies, but also to the flow of information. The specifics of post-pandemic work, which largely takes place in a Home Office model, pose a significant obstacle to team cohesion and the continuous monitoring of work progress. Speaking of the team, we cannot forget the challenge related to the team’s responsibility for the entire project. Clear rules of cooperation, as well as specific roles, should be assigned at the stage of planning and setting the goal of the entire project.
If we do not ensure clarity of relationships and a policy of accountability, chaos will quickly reign throughout the IT project. Although IT project management is a complex and multidimensional challenge, fortunately, in the era of advanced information technology, every Project Manager has at their disposal a huge
repository of tools that facilitate and streamline the work of the entire team. Which tools deserve special attention? First and foremost, communication tools that increase the efficiency of data and information flow even in hybrid teams.
Skype, Microsoft Teams, Slack, or Zoom meet all the requirements of even large teams. An IT project cannot do without an effective tool for managing the generated programming code. The most popular version control system is consistently
GIT and the code repository
GitHub, and it is these tools that are most often used in IT projects. Project work carried out by a large team requires a tool that consolidates the efforts of all individuals. A project work tool should show the status of all current tasks, the people assigned to each task, and a section for additional information on a single board. Such functionalities can be found in popular tools like
Asana, Trello, or Jira.
Which IT project management methodologies are most effective
Finally, it is worth mentioning IT project management methodologies. The development of the IT and BI industry provides us with ever-new solutions that, in theory, increase effectiveness and optimize business processes carried out within an IT project. Which of the
management methodologies are most effective? The most popular in the IT industry is, of course,
an agile approach to software development, also known as Agile. Within
Agile, the team carries out work effectively, without detailed specifications. A characteristic feature of the Agile methodology is very close and regular communication between the client and the team, which enables the creation of a product perfectly tailored to the needs of the other party. The benefits of using the Agile methodology are primarily the transparency of the entire project and significant resource savings. Other methodologies, although less popular, also find interest in the software development process. This includes, among others, the
Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBoK) or PRojects IN Controlled Environments (PRINCE2) methodology. Also noteworthy is
RAD, which is an accelerated software development process based on 4 steps, and
FDD, which is a typically iterative approach to software development dedicated to large teams with a complex organizational structure.
