Information Technology Project Management

1. Information Technology Project Management Thomas Kitrick PhD IT IS 6342 Spring 2008 Lecture 1

2. Welcome! My favorite semester. Begin in the bad weather and we will end in good weather. So whatever happens, summer is on the way! Anyway, welcome to ITIS 6342, v7.0 a course that has become important to me and to others here at UNCC. I am proud of the course and what we have accomplished and I am glad you are a part of it this semester.

3. Show of Hands Is there anyone who has not received my welcome email? Is there anyone not enrolled in the course as of right now? Is there anyone who does not have the text book?

4. Agenda Work to Do Today Review syllabus Set Expectations, for grading and student responsibilities. Quiz on Syllabus, establish our service level agreement

5. Basic Course Requirements

6. Direct Talk I am a big believer in direct dialog and frank conversations. The following comments are not meant to be an indictment of anyone, but I have been doing this a while and want to “head off” any issues. I am going to lay out some classroom ground rules, and course expectations so that we are clear with each other. Finally, I try to be as objective as I can in grading, and setting expectations is the best way I know to ensure that people believe they are being evaluated fairly.

7. Thomas J. Kitrick Ph.D. Professionally Work full time, Director of Enterprise Knowledge Management at TIAA-CREF I have been working with technology since the industry’s inception. Worked full time and received undergraduate, graduate and doctoral concurrently. Worked on the floor of the NYSE for six years, another 10 on Wall St., moved to Charlotte in 1996. Academically Teaching at UNCC since 1998 teaching Fall, Spring and Summer semesters at UNCC and XYZ University. Courses include Knowledge Management, IT Project Management, Program Mgmt. Quality Mgmt., Risk Mgmt., Cost Mgmt. I have sponsored 5 UNCC summer interns, hired 4 graduates and was a part of the initial CS PhD sponsorship.

8. Double Edged Sword Ultimately I am a businessman and this course is designed to prepare you for the business world. I have combined my practical experience with an academic approach that is a combination of theory and skills training. There is good and bad news here. This course could demand a level of attention some students are not used to.

9. ITIS 6342 Culture Every good organization has a unique culture that all members understand. These cultural norms make it easy to interact, and help to bind members together. This is even more important in in today’s global workforce where creating a culture across geo-political boundaries is essential.

10. 1. Late Policy Please sign the Sign-in-Sheet at the beginning of class Once class begins sign-in closes, no exceptions. At the end of the semester, if you are on the borderline for a grade, sign-in-sheet will be reviewed and taken into consideration for final grading. We need to approach the semester with the professionalism and respect for each other - I will accept nothing less. I have not been late for class in a while, but if I am ever late I will bring donuts for the entire class the following week.

11. 2. Attendance The university has a very specific policy regarding excused absences, this course is consistent with that policy. I will not approve any absence, regardless of reason. If your dean approves it please bring the paperwork with you to class with their signature. If you are absent - you have an obligation to make up any work you have missed (notes, team based work, etc,). If you have missed a quiz or the mid-term, your remaining work with be adjusted to account for the missed work. I realize and respect the fact that we are all adults and have decisions to make – please use your best judgment and manage the consequences accordingly.

12. 3. Class Conduct Offline Conversations (talking in class) is distracting and disrespectful to others – don’t do it. Cell Phones, Pagers, and Blackberries are prohibited in class. Laptops can be used for note taking only, no online “surfing” during class. Academic Integrity is a serious issue, please familiarize yourself with this important university policy prior to using the sign in sheet, taking a quiz or finalizing your semester end deliverable. I have no issue with drinks/snacks being brought into the classroom as long as it is not overly distracting.

13. 4. Teamwork A key components of the course is working within teams. You will be broken up into teams prior to the midterm exam. This is not an episode of the Apprentice, where you vote out people you don’t like and/or blame others for the failure of the team. When an individual on a team does not pull their weight it is as much their fault as the people who were not able to get that person motivated, as that person. You cannot choose your team or work alone.

14. 5. Access E Mail - I will respond to your e-mails within 48 hours. I check email every few days. Office Hours - I would be honored to meet with you before or after class by appointment. If you give me a few days notice I will make certain I am available. Breaks - Please do not assume we can discuss an important issue at the break, let’s schedule time to give it the attention it deserves

15. Final Grading FAQ’s “I will be out of town in 2 weeks, can we work something out?” My goal is to be fair to all students, the easiest way to do that is to not provide excused absences. “If I miss class can you send me the presentation?” I will upload all presentations to the Google Group “The book stinks, do I really have to read it?” By reading the book during the first half you will have the tools to work the case study in the second half. It is a fundamental element of the course. “I will not be here for the final exam, is that a problem?” Yes, it is and it can impact your grade. The day of the final exam is a presentation to the class and it is impossible to make-up. “I hate speaking in public, do I really have to do it?” I am going to have an entire lecture on public speaking to help you. Research shows that the ability to speak in public positively affects career advancement. Let me help you become comfortable doing it.

16. Service Level Agreement A Service Level Agreement (SLA) is a predefined contract of roles and responsibilities. Essentially a contract that sets the parameters of the business relationship so that expectations can be met and planned for in advance. I am going to hand out a quiz in a few minutes that is based 100% on the syllabus.

17. My Job ……. Present material that describes the basics of PM Create an environment so that you can demonstrate your understanding individually and collectively. Set expectations, allocate opportunities for clarification. Provide an environment where people are willing to participate and talk freely regardless of gender or national origin. Evaluate students fairly and teams based on predefined criteria. Try not to be boring.

18. Your Job ……. Be Prepared - You need to read the course material. The lectures attempt to set the material within context not rehash what you should have read. I am taking for granted you read the material so we can attempt to understand it … together. Be Cooperative and Attentive – Both in the class and within your teams there is a certain level of partnership that has to occur. It pays not be judgmental with the material or with your teammates. You are here to learn not demonstrate how much you know. Be Enthusiastic– You have an obligation to attend class and project teams with a certain amount of enthusiasm and a positive attitude. People like to hire and/or work with people who seem to enjoy what they are doing

19. Our Weekly Agenda Beginning – Go over problems in a public forum. Most students have similar issues, discussing them openly is an efficient way of learning. Speak Up! Lecture – Prepared presentation on that day’s topic. Don’t Go to Sleep! Break - 15 minutes Come Back on Time! Project Teams – Break into project teams, this is your time to do the project team work in class. Use Time Constructively! Gather to Debrief – Get back together to bring up any issues and discuss next steps, dismiss class. Don’t Leave Early!

20. Questions? Agreement? If there are no questions I am going to assume that everyone agrees with what we discussed. There is a copy of the syllabus on the front desk, please take one. We will take a 15 minute break and return to being our text readings.

21. The Reality The Standish Group recently performed a study that centered on interviews with end users and/or business leaders. 61% of those polled indicated that their IT Project were unsuccessful. This study is consistent (within a variance of 10%) with research dating back to the mid 1990’s. Why?

22. The Answer is Simple Our industry is based on a significant amount of marketing and hype. End users have levels of expectations that are sometimes very difficult to meet based on unrealistic expectations. When a PM is unable to realistically set expectations, the results are very predictable. IF I did not set expectations today, would you be disappointed if you came to each class 5 minutes late and received a B?

23. Other Industries Fair or unfair the role of a project manager in IT is held to a much different standard than a project manager in other industries: Cologne, perfume. Vitamins Exercise Programs

24. Next Week First lecture, give you a chance to get the text. In two weeks we are going to have a quiz on chapters one and two