IT Project Management has become known as its own separate field which is maintained by a body of research and knowledge spanning fields with approved professional certification. The IT field is fast becoming more dependable, quicker and more affordable, the costs, complications, and dangers of IT projects keep increasing.

Extensive cited studies and reports show the majority of IT projects are either discontinued or completed over budget and/or over schedule and failed to meet the original instructions. Failure can be credited to several factors, most of them which are easily fixed. Companies have to recognize information technology as a long-term investment to be controlled and not just a cost to be managed. New techniques of IT project management welcome the socio-technical approach and see the execution of new IT systems as planned organizational revision.

IT Project Management is rooted on a project life cycle that is a group of well-organized stages that defines the life of a project from its beginning to end in order to explain, build, and carry out the product of a project — that is, the information system.

The Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) explains nine understanding areas for understanding project management:

• Project Integration Management
• Project Scope Management
• Project Time Management
• Project Cost Management
• Project Quality Management
• Project Human Resource Management
• Project Communication Management
• Project Risk Management
• Project Procurement Management

These parts are all crucial to the successful result of any IT project and show the best practices in IT projects.

The start of an IT project begins with an idea and opening phase. This phase explains the project goal and measurable organizational value (also known as MOV). The MOV shows the real calculation of the success or failure of an IT project and is based on an organizational aim or master plan. Stakeholder examination and buy-in is a crucial function of this phase as well as the recognition and connection of the senior organizational sponsor. Another vital deliverable is the business case that interprets the project team, measurable organizational value (MOV), substitutes (if any), total price of ownership, total benefits of ownership, and the benefit-cost analysis of substitutes and recommended possible alternatives.

The next phase of the IT project focuses on the evolution of the project charter and project baseline plan. The project charter is an agreement between the organizational senior sponsor and the IT project manager that defines what is going to be, and needed to be, done, how it will be achieved, when it will be completed, and how much the total cost will be by the end of the IT project. The answers to these questions are clearly explained in the Project Charter or the baseline project plan and budget.

The next phase is the implementation of the IT project plan. This phase of the project puts the plan into effect. As work on the project moves forward, the scope, the schedule, the cost and budget, and the people, must be actively managed to make sure that the IT project reaches its desired goal. The communication of the project’s progress and operation production to the stakeholders is a vital component of the execution phase.

The concluding phases of the IT project require the official acceptance and assessment of the IT project. The rating of the IT project shows the critical importance of process advancement and improvement and the capture of organizational understanding for future IT projects.

Parallel Project Training offers a wide range of courses suitable for IT project managers including PMP certification from the USA based project management institute and APM qualifications from the UK Association for Project Management

This podcast covers the APM BOK topics 2.1 Project Success and Benefits Management, including success criteria, KPI’s, critical success factors and benefits management process. It is part of the Parallel Project learning system and is ideally used in conjunction with the APMP study guide.

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During the past decade project management has undergone a transformation with through greater codification and formal certification. This certification and been based on the Association for Project Management (APM), Prince2TM and Project Management Institute (PMI) under taken by seemingly ever increasing number of organisations and individuals. With over half a million members of the PMI, 250,000 Prince2 Practitioners and 17,500 members of the APM, the world has seen a rapid growth in project management certification, much of it in the last ten years.

Traditionally this certification has been delivered as five days in a hotel with an exam on a Friday. Is this really the best way of developing project managers, or was it organised this way for the convenience of the training organisation and the HR department?

The weaknesses of the current 5-day project management training paradigm.

Project Managers are inherently activists, they learn by doing, so to remove them from a project for five days to develop new skills, always creates an artificial environment. Learning cannot be applied to the work place in bite size pieces. Putting the exam at the end of the course creates the pressure to focus on passing the test and not learning new skills. Some enlightened organisations recognised this limitation and committed to slightly longer modular programmes of two times 3 days or even 3 times 2 days. This at least gave time for individuals to apply what they were learning as they went. However in the tougher economic times organisations are beginning to challenge the paradigm of a week out of the office to pass a qualification. The challenge now is how to cover the wide range of project management topics in less time without reducing the quality of the learning.

Innovation has the solution

As with many such challenges technical innovation has the solution. Learning does not have to be done in the classroom. We can learn in many ways, through on the job exercise, reading books listening to the radio, playing on the computer. All the learner needs is access to the right material to help and guide the learning process. This needs to be available in a wide range of media to suit the learning style and approach of the individual. This is what is offered by the Parallel Learning System.

Parallel Learning System

The Parallel Learning System provides a wide range of learning activities including to a study guide printed as a book, e-learning, podcasts and workshops. Each can be used individually or as a combined approach to learning. Each element is widely available, the book and e-learning are easily purchased from Amazon and the podcasts can be downloaded free of charge from the web or iTunes. This whole approach means that the workshops can focus on skills development and preparing for the exam.

Click here for more information on innovative approaches to project management training.

A special edition with Donnie MacNicol from Team Animation, chair of the APM people SIG. What is complexity, how can it be reduced and what sort of leadership skills for making the transition to the leader of complex project.

For more information on programmes to support leaders of complex projects visit www.parallelprojecttraining.com.

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This Podcast covers the APM BOK topics 1.5 Project Sponsorship, including the roles and responsibilities of the project sponsor, and how it changes in the lifecycle, why effective sponsorship is important and relashipship between the project sponsor and the project manager. It is part of the Parallel Learning System and is ideally used in conjunction with the APMP study guide.

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This Podcast covers the APM BOK topics 1.4 Project Context, including the need to understand project context, the need to consider the internal and external context (environment) and the use of tools and techniques such as PESTLE and SWOT. It is part of the Parallel Learning system and is ideally used in conjunction with the APMP study guide.

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Do you want to carry out formal risk management?

RIPM – Advanced is designed for those who want to become project risk management practitioners. It builds on the knowledge gained in our RIPM Foundation. This event leads to the APM’s Risk Management Level 2 Certificate, which is designed to determine an individual’s knowledge and understanding as well as capability in project risk management, sufficient to allow an individual to undertake formal project risk management.

Risk management is a fundamental tool in the management of projects and programmes as the only fact when bidding and planning is that the future is uncertain and needs to be predicted and managed well to prevent unforeseen problems in delivery. Done well, risk management is the most effective tool in ensuring that project and programme objectives are delivered successfully. This event takes the knowledge gained on RIPM Foundation and builds the capability needed to undertake formal risk management activities on any project. This is a 3-day event, 2 days of this is face-to-face with us in the classroom and 1 day is self-study based on materials we provide in advance. For this reason, candidates may want to have at least a 1-month gap between the Foundation and Advanced events. Please note: Although APM will award a Level 2 Certificate without the candidate also holding the Level 1 award, we strongly advise against jumping to Level 2, unless you have a deep understanding of qualitative and quantitative risk methods.

Outcomes
Participants will leave this event with:

• The ability to undertake formal risk management on any project
• An understanding of the importance of human factors in risk management
• The capability to pass the Association for Project Management’s Risk Level 2 examination
• A memorable experience with unique and useful course materials

Participants can choose to sit the 3¼ hour essay based examination at 1.30 pm on Day 2 of the event.

Our events run in easily accessible locations on various dates on a non-residential basis. We run events monthly and future dates can be found on our website. If the dates published don’t meet your needs please contact us to request others – either by telephone or register your interest on our website.

The all inclusive price (excluding VAT) for the workshop is £625 plus exam fees of £305 if you want to sit the APM examination.

The price also includes a copy of two APM recommended books, both co-authored by Managing Partners in our company. Practical Project Risk Management: the ATOM Methodology (Hillson and Simon 2008), Understanding and Managing Risk Attitude 2nd edition (Hillson and Murray-Webster 2007). These will be invaluable aids as you apply your new skills to your projects.

You’ll pay a similar price on other courses that lead to the APM’s Risk Level 2 Certificate, but we can guarantee that no other will provide a similar experience.

Participant requirements

• In house workshops can be provided on request.
• This event is not suitable for people unless they have either already passed the APM Level 1 Risk Certificate, or have a good understanding of qualitative and quantitative risk methods. Note: In order to take the APM Risk Level 2 certificate, we would advise that a candidate must already have passed Risk Level 1.
• All Events, including this workshop, are subject to Terms and Conditions for Lucidus Open Events.

This event will take place in Manchester on 4th / 5th March 2010.

For further information & to book you place on this course, please click here.

This Podcast covers the APM BOK topics 6.6 Project Reviews, including project evaluation reviews, gate reviews, audits, post project reviews, benefits realisation reviews and explaining the benefits of project reviews. It is part of the Parallel Learning System and is ideally used in conjunction with the  APMP study guide: Your Journey to Professional Project Management: How to pass the APMP Exam.

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This Podcast covers the APM BOK topics 4.7 Configuration Management. It includes a description of the configuration management process and the reasons for requiring configuration management. It is part of the Parallel Project Learning System and is ideally used in conjunction with the APMP Study Guide.

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This Podcast covers the APM BOK topics 1.2 programme management.

• What is a programme?
• The roles of a programme manager?
• The benefits of programme management?

It is part of the Parallel Project Learning System and is ideally used in conjunction with the APMP Study Guide.

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