Information Technology Project Management: Providing Measurable Organizational Value, Fourth Edition

CHAPTER 2

Conceptualizing and Initializing the IT Project

CHAPTER OVERVIEW

Chapter 2 describes how IT projects are conceptualized and initialized. After studying this chapter, you should understand and be able to:

• Describe the project life cycle (PLC) and the systems development life cycle (SDLC), and their relationship.
• Define what a methodology is and describe the role it serves in IT projects.
• Identify the phases and infrastructure that make up the IT project methodology introduced in this chapter.
• Develop and apply the concept of a project's measurable organizational value (MOV).
• Describe and be able to prepare a business case.
• Distinguish between financial models and scoring models.
• Describe the project selection process as well as the Balanced Scorecard approach.

INTRODUCTION

This chapter will introduce a framework for an IT project methodology that will be integrated throughout this text. A methodology provides a game plan for planning and managing the IT project and recommends the phases, processes, tools, and techniques to be followed and used throughout the project life cycle. All projects, however, are unique. A project methodology must be flexible in order to be useful. Moreover, a methodology should evolve to include the best practices that are derived from an organization's lessons learned. Over time, the methodology will better fit the organization and may even ...