Technology Project

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Recommended: The role of project management in achieving project success

Technology projects can be challenging to complete on-time and within budget. Analysis of some 13,000 plus projects provides a sobering account of technology project challenges. The Standish Group's "CHAOS Summary 2009," showed that only 32% of all projects succeeded and were delivered on time and within budget; 44% were late, over budget, and/or with less than the required features and functions. An astounding 24% of the projects examined failed, were cancelled prior to completion, or delivered and never used.

In CELT’s (Center for Education Leadership and Technology) twenty plus years of technology and education project management we have successfully completed and observed hundreds of technology projects. The majority of the technology projects we see are good projects. If three essential project management ingredients were successfully implemented in a consistent manner; however, a good technology project could easily become a great technology project.

Consistent implementation of the three project management steps described in this article will assure that vendors deliver and school districts complete technology and education projects on time, within budget and in a manner that meets and often exceeds stakeholders’ expectations. The three key components to on-time and within budget projects are: 1) management oversight, 2) subproject definition, and 3) written agreement on deliverables.

Step 1: Create a Management Oversight Plan

The first step in any project is developing a project management oversight plan that defines expectations, outcomes, and establishes a timeline. Key organizational stakeholders and influencers are interviewed to identify the issues and concerns expected to be resolved by the project. The key issu...

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...The TOC and key findings approval provide the basis for authoring the draft report. The draft report will document current status, commendations, gap analysis findings, and recommendations. The last step in the development of project deliverables is to write and review the final report including the implementation action plan with a timeline, budget, funding sources, and person responsible for specific implementation activities.

When conducting an orchestra everyone must have the same music on their stand, be tuned, and in-time. The conductor needs to understand each section’s role and make certain that each section enters and exits crisply and accurately. Successful project management is similar. With a clear project management plan, subproject definitions, and identified and agreed upon deliverables your projects will appear to be well orchestrated symphonies.

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