Dec1999 IM218 : Information Management (Question 5)Suggested Solutions

(a)

Explain why promoting a proficient senior programmer to project management is not necessarily a wise idea.

A technically-inclined person may not have the attitude or ability to be a good manager.

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(b)

Write a brief job description and job specification for a project manager.

Job description — a project manager will:

 work with a steering committee to achieve project objectives;

 communicate with users;

 plan and staff the project;

 monitor and report on project progress;

 adjust to changes.

(1 mark for each task, to a maximum of 4 marks.)

Job specification — a project manager should have:

 technical competency;

 ability to lead;

 effective planning skills;

 ability to control;

 sensitivity to the environment.

(1 mark for each quality, to a maximum of 4 marks.)

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(c)

For each of the following projects, suggest an appropriate project team structure, and justify your choice.

(i) The data processing department of a Fortune 500 company is reengineering its payroll system; the project will use a hundred programmers and numerous managers. [3 marks]

The data processing department of a Fortune 500 company is reengineering its payroll system; the project will use a hundred programmers and numerous managers. [3 marks] The payroll project team should have a hierarchical structure (1 mark): it is a large project (1 mark) and a well-defined problem (1 mark).

(ii) The research laboratory of a well-known Silicon Valley computer manufacturer is designing an innovative new programming language and interactive development environment for Internet applications. [3 marks]

The research laboratory of a well-known Silicon Valley computer manufacturer is designing an innovative new programming language and interactive development environment for Internet applications. [3 marks] The language development project team should have an adaptive structure (1 mark): there will be numerous and varied tasks (market research, language design, networking, security, guis, and so on) (1 mark) changing throughout the project's lifespan (1 mark).

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