Project Governance & Management

Question 1

Name the 7 parts of the Project Management Lifecycle

Answer 1

1) Start
2) Initiating
3) Planning
4) Executing
5) Closing
6) Controlling and Monitoring
7) End

Question 2

What do project management organizational structures outline within an organization?

Answer 2

The authority and control

Question 3

Name the 3 types of project management organizational structures.

Answer 3

1) Functional-structured
2) Project-Structured
3) Matrix-Structured

Question 4

Define Functional-Structured Organization

Answer 4

• The PM has only a staff function without formal management authority
• Work is broken down into departments
• PM is allowed to advise peers and team members only in relation to activities to be completed

Question 5

Define Project-Structured Organization

Answer 5

• The PM has formal authority over those taking part in the project
• Includes authority over projects budget, schedule, and team.

Question 6

Define Matrix-Structured Organization

Answer 6

• Management authority is shared between the PM and the department heads.

Question 7

IS Project Initiation

Answer 7

Can be initiated from any part of the organization.

Question 8

Requests for major IS projects should be submitted to…

Answer 8

An IT Steering Committee.
The committee then identifies a project manager (who need not be an IT stad=ff member)
The PM should be given operational control over the project and be allocated appropriate resources

Question 9

IS auditor inclusion on IS projects…

Answer 9

May be included as a control expert.

IS auditor is not performing an audit but participating in an advisory role.

Question 10

Name 11 roles or groups of people that may be involved in the project management process.

Answer 10

1) Project Steering Committee
2) Senior Management
3) Project Sponsor
4) User Management
5) User Project Team
6) Project Manager
7) Quality Assurance
8) Systems Development Management
9) Systems Development Project Team
10) Security Officer
11) Information System Security Engineer

Question 11

Role in PM Process - Project Steering Committee

Answer 11

• provides overall direction
• ensures appropriate representation of major stakeholders in projects outcome
• ultimately responsible for all deliverables, project costs, and schedules
• should be comprised of a senior representative from each business area that will be significantly impacted by the proposed new system or system modification
• the PM should also be a member of this committee
• performs the following functions:
  
  • reviews project progress regularly
  • serves as coordinator and advisor
  • takes corrective action if necessary

Question 12

Role in PM Process - Senior Management

Answer 12

• demonstrates a commitment to the project and approves necessary resources to complete the project
• this commitment ensures involvement from those needed to complete the project.

Question 13

Role in PM Process - Project Sponsor

Answer 13

• provides funding for the project
• works closely with the PM to define critical success factors and, metrics for measuring the success of the project
• data and application ownerships are assigned to a project sponsor
• A project sponsor is typically the senior manager in charge of the primary business unit the application will support.

Question 14

Role in PM Process - User Management

Answer 14

• assumes ownership of the project and the resulting system
• allocates qualified representatives to the team and actively participates in business process redesign, systems requirements definition, test case development, acceptance testing, and user training
• user management should review and approve system deliverables as they are defined and implemented

Question 15

Role in PM Process - User Project Team

Answer 15

• completes assigned tasks
• communicates effectively with the systems developers by actively involving themselves in the development process as subject matter experts
• works according to local standards
• advises PM of expected and actual project plan deviations.

Question 16

Role in PM Process - Project Manager

Answer 16

• day-to-day management and leadership of the project
• project adheres to local standards
• deliverables meet quality expectations of key stakeholders
• monitors and controls costs and project timetable

Question 17

Role in PM Process - Quality Assurance (QA)

Answer 17

• Reviews results and deliverables within each phase and at the end of each phase and confirms compliance with requirements.
• The points where reviews occur depend on the SDLC methodology used, the structure and magnitude of the system, and the impact of potential deviations.

Question 18

Role in PM Process - Systems Development Management

Answer 18

• Provides technical support for HW and SW environments by developing, installing, and operating the requested system.
• Assumes operating support and maintenance activities after installation.

Question 19

Role in PM Process - Systems Development Project Team

Answer 19

• Completes assigned tasks
• Communicates effectively with users by involving them in the development process
• Works according to local standards
• Advises PM of necessary project plan deviations.

Question 20

Role in PM Process - Security Officer (Security Team)

Answer 20

• Ensures that system controls and supporting processes provide an effective level of protection, based on the data classification set in accordance with corporate security policies and procedures
• Consults through lifecycle on appropriate security measures that should be incorporated into the system
• Reviews security test plans and reports prior to implementation
• Periodically monitors the security system’s effectiveness during its operational life.

Question 21

Role in PM Process - Information System Security Engineer

Answer 21

• Applies scientific and engineering principles to identify security vulnerabilities and minimize or contain risk associated with these vulnerabilities
• Key is defining the needs, requirements, architectures, and designs to construct the network, platform and applications construct according to the principles of both defense in breadth and security in depth.

Question 22

Selecting Project Management Techniques

Answer 22

• A no. of tools and techniques are available
• Vary from simple manual effort to a computerized process
• The size and complexity of the project may require different approaches
• Various elements of a project should always be considered before selecting a technique.
• The 3 key elements: deliverables, duration, and budget
• Project duration and budget must be commensurate with the nature and characteristics of the deliverables, long duration, and a high budget.

Question 23

How is the budget deduced for the project?

Answer 23

• from the resources required to carry out the project by multiplying fees or costs by the amount of each resource.

Question 24

How do we know the resources required for the project?

Answer 24

• resources required are estimated at the beginning of the project using techniques of software/project size estimation.

Question 25

Explain the Total Resources Calculation

Answer 25

• Size estimation yields this calculation
• It is a curve
• Resources assigned (R) x Duration (D) = total resources (TR, a constant quantity)
• Any point along the curve meets the condition R x D = TR
• At any point 0 on the curve, the area of the rectangle will be TR, proportional to the budget
• If few resources are used project will take a long time (point close to LR), if many resources are used, the project will take a shorter time (point close to LD).