What You Will Learn

• What a "project" is and how you get started
• How to set up a project team
• How to conduct project meetings
• How to fund projects
• Ways to carefully keep track of your project

Introduction

As an IT manager, your life is likely to revolve around projects some small, others that are enormous. Projects are an integral part of corporate life; this chapter discusses how they are conceived, organized, funded, tracked, and executed. Project management is a complex and formal management science (although it is often more art than science); you won't need all that complexity and formality, though, to run most successful IT projects.

5.1 Initiating Projects: How Do I Get Started?

You won't go too long as an IT manager without hearing the word project. "Project" is a catch-all word. It could be a relatively simple activity like getting new PCs for all the building's receptionists. It might be a more complicated venture, like deploying a systemwide software or operating system upgrade. Or it could be a monumental task, like implementing an ERP (enterprise resource planning) application throughout your company. A project might be staffed by a single person or a team of 75 from different organizations. It might be highly technical in nature, or not at all. Simple projects may require little planning, and all the key information is maintained in someone's head. At the other extreme, a complicated project may need special project software, along with group calendaring and scheduling to keep it...