Tutorial 3: Analyst as a Project Manager

1. Why is project management important in systems development projects?

Project management is important in systems development projects because it provides all the
guidelines and directives that are needed in a difficult activity that requires very careful planning,
control, execution or management as a whole.
Since project management skills are now incorporated and actually plays a
significant role in systems development projects, they are important to systems
development projects.

2. Why is it important to define the problem statement of any project?

It’s important because it defines the problem being addressed in a way that’s clear and precise.
Its aim is to focus on the process of improving the team’s activities and steer the scope of the
project.
The primary purpose of a problem statement is to focus the attention of the
problem solving team.

3. Explain the activities of the project planning phase.

The five (5) activities of the project planning phase are:
1. Define the problem,
The objectives of this activity are to precisely define the business problem to be solved and to
determine the scope of the new system.

2. Produce the project schedule,

This section of the text describes the steps required to develop a project schedule.

3. Confirm project feasibility,

The objective in assessing feasibility is to determine whether a development project can
reasonably succeed and think about possible risks that may cause the project to fail. We assess
the original assumptions and identify other risks that could jeopardize the project success.

4. Staff the project,

The responsibility for this activity falls primarily upon the project manager. The following tasks
are associated with staffing and launching a project:
 Develop a resource plan for the project,
 Identify and request specific technical staff,
 Identify and request specific user staff,
 Organize the project team into work groups,
 Conduct preliminary training and team-building exercises.
 5. Launch the project.
Firstly, the oversight committee is finalized, and the members meet to give the final go-ahead for
the project, including releasing the necessary funds. Second, a formal announcement is made
through the organization’s standard communication channels that gives credence to the project
and solicits cooperation from all involved parties.

4. Briefly discuss the components of a systems scope document.

System scope document – a document containing description, business benefits, and system
capabilities to help define the scope of a new system.

5. What is the purpose of a context diagram?

A graphical diagram showing the scope of a system. A context diagram is a powerful tool to help
identify the scope of a new system and major information requirements. It is easy to read and
understand without going into the details of data flow diagrams.

6. Why is it important for a project manager to know the critical path?

Because it is the path on a PERT chart that indicates the shortest completion period for the
project.

7. Why is a resource plan developed during the planning phase?

This section is a continuation of how to use MS Project. It shows how to enter resources and how
to assign resources to tasks.
In developing a resource plan, a project manager recognizes that:
Resources are usually not available as soon as requested,
A period of time is needed for a person to become acquainted with the project.

8. Given the following narrative, make a list of system capabilities.

The new direct sales and accounting system for “Especially for You Jewelers” is an important
element in the future growth and success of the jewelry company. The direct sales portion of the
system needs to track every sale and be able to link to the inventory system for cost data to
provide a daily profit and loss report. The customer database needs to be able to produce
purchase histories to assist management in preparing special mailings and special sales to
existing customers. Detailed credit balances and ages accounts for each customer would help
solve the problem with the high balance of accounts receivables. Special notice letters and credit
history reports would help management reduce accounts receivable.

System capabilities are as follows:

 Records of new system

 Link to the inventory system
 Provide profit report
 Provide loss report