In Your Initial Post, Answer The Following Questions About I ✓ Solved

In your initial post, answer the following questions about I

In your initial post, answer the following questions about IT Project Management. Using the course textbook (Chapter 11) and scholarly sources, address: What is a project and what are its main attributes? How is a project different from routine day-to-day work? Discuss the importance of top management commitment and the development of standards for successful project management. Provide examples from your experience to illustrate these points. Discuss the unique challenges that IT projects present. In your post, also: ask an interesting thoughtful question about the topic; answer a question posted by another student or instructor; provide extensive additional information on the topic; explain, define, or analyze the topic in detail; share an applicable personal experience; provide an outside source that applies to the topic with APA citation; and make an argument concerning the topic. Use proper citations and references (at least one scholarly source) and information from the readings.

Paper For Above Instructions

Introduction

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result, distinguished by clear start and end dates, defined scope, constrained resources, and specific deliverables (PMI, 2017). This paper defines core project attributes, contrasts projects with routine operations, examines why top management commitment and standards are critical, outlines IT project-specific challenges, provides practical examples, and meets the assignment requirements such as posing a thoughtful question and citing outside scholarly sources.

What Is a Project and Its Main Attributes?

Projects are characterized by several core attributes: temporariness (a defined beginning and end), uniqueness (distinct deliverables), defined scope and objectives, constrained resources (time, budget, personnel), and uncertainty/risk (Kerzner, 2017; PMI, 2017). Project management involves planning, executing, monitoring, and closing these efforts to meet objectives while balancing scope, schedule, cost, quality, and stakeholder expectations (Schwalbe, 2019).

How Projects Differ from Day-to-Day Work

Operational work is repetitive, ongoing, and designed to sustain the business (e.g., customer support, payroll). Projects are temporary and aim to implement change or create something new (Heagney, 2016). While operations optimize consistency and efficiency, projects emphasize change, innovation, and the coordination of cross-functional teams to achieve a specific goal within constraints (Baccarini, 1999). This difference affects governance, performance metrics, and stakeholder involvement (Müller & Turner, 2007).

Importance of Top Management Commitment

Top management commitment is a primary success factor for projects. Executive sponsorship secures funding, removes organizational barriers, aligns the project with strategy, and legitimizes decisions (Müller & Turner, 2007; PMI, 2017). The Standish Group’s CHAOS research highlights executive support and user involvement as critical for IT project success (Standish Group, 2015). Without visible senior support, projects often struggle with priority conflicts, insufficient resources, and scope creep (Kerzner, 2017).

Development of Standards for Successful Project Management

Standards and repeatable processes (e.g., governance frameworks, templates, lifecycle definitions, and quality controls) reduce uncertainty and improve predictability (Schwalbe, 2019). Standards enable comparative measurement across projects, help institutionalize lessons learned, and support consistent training and resourcing (PMI, 2017). Organizations that codify standards increase maturity and can more reliably deliver projects on time and budget (Heagney, 2016).

Examples from Experience

Example 1 — ERP Implementation: In an organization I supported, lack of executive attention led to delayed approvals and resource shortfalls. Once the CFO became an active sponsor, decisions accelerated, vendors were engaged promptly, and cross-departmental conflicts were resolved—demonstrating the tangible impact of top management commitment (Müller & Turner, 2007).

Example 2 — Standards Rollout: At a different firm, introducing a project-management playbook and mandatory gate reviews reduced rework and increased on-time delivery by clarifying roles and acceptance criteria. Standard templates improved estimations and made stakeholder reporting consistent (PMI, 2017; Schwalbe, 2019).

Unique Challenges of IT Projects

IT projects present several unique challenges: rapid technology change increases technical uncertainty; integration complexity with legacy systems raises compatibility and data-migration risks; requirements volatility due to evolving business needs or user expectations; dependencies on third-party vendors and cloud providers; and high rates of scope creep from feature-driven pressures (Standish Group, 2015; Kerzner, 2017). Additionally, mutual understanding among stakeholders and developers is crucial in IS development—communication gaps can cause misaligned expectations (Jenkin, Chan, & Sabherwal, 2019).

Mitigation Strategies for IT Challenges

Adopt iterative and agile delivery where appropriate to manage uncertainty, prioritize features using a clear value framework, invest in integration and testing early (shift-left testing), secure strong executive sponsorship, and apply standards for architecture, data governance, and security (PMI, 2017; Schwalbe, 2019). Promoting mutual understanding via shared artifacts, regular demos, and joint requirement workshops reduces miscommunication (Jenkin et al., 2019).

Additional Scholarly Insight

Yang et al. (2017) show that collaborative system use and employee motivation affect performance outcomes in sustainability-focused IS initiatives, illustrating how human factors and organizational context shape IT project results. Such findings emphasize that technology alone does not ensure success—governance, incentives, and collaboration matter.

Assignment Elements: Questions, Answers, Analysis, and Experience

Ask an interesting question: How can organizations balance the need for enterprise-wide standards with the flexibility required for innovative, experimental IT projects?

Answer a posted question (simulated): If a peer asked, “How much executive involvement is too much?” I would respond: effective sponsorship provides vision, removes blockers, and secures resources but should avoid micromanagement. Sponsors should delegate operational decisions to the project manager while remaining accountable for strategic alignment (Müller & Turner, 2007).

Extensive additional information: Integrate formal risk management, stakeholder analysis, benefits realization planning, and post-implementation reviews into the lifecycle to preserve institutional learning and to measure long-term value (PMI, 2017; Heagney, 2016).

Personal experience: Leading a cross-functional IT rollout taught me that early engagement with operations and help desk teams avoided adoption issues, and investing in training reduced user resistance.

Outside source (APA): Standish Group’s CHAOS Report provides evidence of common failure modes and success drivers for IT projects, emphasizing the role of executive support and user involvement (Standish Group, 2015).

Argument: Organizational success in IT projects depends less on individual heroics and more on institutionalized governance, repeatable standards, and sustained executive commitment. These factors convert one-off efforts into reliable organizational capability (PMI, 2017; Kerzner, 2017).

Conclusion

Projects are distinct, temporary endeavors with specific attributes requiring different management approaches than routine operations. Top management commitment and standards are central to success, especially for IT projects where technical complexity and stakeholder ambiguity are common. Applying governance, standards, iterative delivery, and strong sponsorship reduces risk and improves outcomes. Future research and practice should focus on how organizations institutionalize learning and balance standardization with innovation.

References

  • Baccarini, D. (1999). The logical framework for project management. International Journal of Project Management, 17(1), 9–18.
  • Heagney, J. (2016). Fundamentals of Project Management (5th ed.). AMACOM.
  • Jenkin, T. A., Chan, Y. E., & Sabherwal, R. (2019). Mutual Understanding in Information Systems Development: Changes within and across Projects. MIS Quarterly, 43(2), 649–671.
  • Kerzner, H. (2017). Project Management: A Systems Approach to Planning, Scheduling, and Controlling (12th ed.). Wiley.
  • Müller, R., & Turner, R. (2007). The influence of project managers on project success criteria and success factors. Project Management Journal, 38(3), 58–67.
  • PMI. (2017). A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) (6th ed.). Project Management Institute.
  • Schwalbe, K. (2019). Information Technology Project Management (9th ed.). Cengage Learning.
  • Standish Group. (2015). CHAOS Report 2015. Standish Group International.
  • Yang, Z., Sun, J., Zhang, Y., Wang, Y., & Cao, L. (2017). Employees’ collaborative use of green information systems for corporate sustainability: motivation, effort and performance. Information Technology for Development, 23(3).
  • Kappelman, L., McLean, E., Johnson, V., & Torres, R. (2016). The 2016 SIM IT Trends Study: Key Findings. Information Systems Management, 33(1), 1–12.

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