Project Management
What is IT project management?
IT project management is a sub-category of project management. An IT project manager is responsible for planning, monitoring and controlling information technology projects. This role is becoming increasingly important as technology is becoming more and more complex and the delivery times are getting shorter and shorter, thus requiring careful planning to meet requirements.
How can Project Management help IT projects be more successful?
The key to project success is having a competent project leader who can not only plan and monitor the project’s progress, make necessary decisions, but also who can communicate well with team members and who can motivate them. Greater knowledge of how project management works can lead to greater understanding of how to anticipate, identify and mitigate risks and problems and keep track of the project’s progress and ultimately lead to a better project outcome.
Every project needs planning, not just IT projects. But as particularly technology projects are running on a tight schedule and ever decreasing time-to-deliver requirements, careful planning is even more essential. A work breakdown structure (WBS) can be used here to split the project into smaller tasks with a clear definition of the requirements and duration of each task.
One of the biggest problems that can lead to a project’s failure is setting unrealistic deadlines and an unclear definition of the scope. This problem can be solved by planning which tasks need to be done when, in order for the project to be completed on time. Gantt charts and the critical path method are project management tools to track the time and scope of activities.
Particularly the daily scrum meetings and review meetings at the end of a sprint can be very effective to communicate any problems and planning the next steps of the project. Most project management software also offer communication tools and many offer a cloud solution so that even geographically disperse or ‘virtual’ teams can communicate with each other even across time zones.
Keeping track of metrics is very important to identify whether your project is on the right course and to assess its success. Project management software can also help you keep track of your IT project’s budget and other relevant metrics to measure the success of a project.
Application of technology & Hill Mark Project Management
Standard tech-based practices & applications at hill mark
Technology has become a vital and integral part of every business plan. From multi-national corporations who maintain mainframe systems and databases to small businesses that own a single computer, Technology plays a role. The reasons for the omnipresent use of technology in business can best be determined by looking at how it is being used across the business world. Hence, we strongly believe in right application of technology and its products at different phases, levels and stages of operations in our businesses. We encourage and train our work force the use of tech products and applications in their daily routine work and strategies. In following applications, we strongly believe in:
Communication Between Employees, Suppliers and Customers
For many companies, email is the principal means of communication between employees, suppliers and customers. Email was one of the early drivers of the Internet, providing a simple and inexpensive means to communicate. Over the years, a number of other communications tools have also evolved, allowing staff to communicate using live chat systems, online meeting tools and video-conferencing systems.
Inventory Management Systems
When it comes to managing inventory, organizations need to maintain enough stock to meet demand without investing in more than they require. Inventory management systems track the quantity of each item a company maintains, triggering an order of additional stock when the quantities fall below a pre-determined amount. These systems are best used when the inventory management system is connected to the point-of-sale (POS) system. The POS system ensures that each time an item is sold, one of those items is removed from the inventory count, creating a closed information loop between all departments.
Data Management Systems
The days of large file rooms, rows of filing cabinets and the mailing of documents is fading fast. Today, most companies store digital versions of documents on servers and storage devices. These documents become instantly available to everyone in the company, regardless of their geographical location. Companies are able to store and maintain a tremendous amount of historical data economically, and employees benefit from immediate access to the documents they need.
Management Information Systems
Management Information Systems (MIS) enable companies to track sales data, expenses and productivity levels. The information can be used to track profitability over time, maximize return on investment and identify areas of improvement. Managers can track sales on a daily basis, allowing them to immediately react to lower-than-expected numbers by boosting employee productivity or reducing the cost of an item.
Customer Relationship Management
Companies are using technology to improve the way they design and manage customer relationships. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems capture every interaction a company has with a customer, so that a more enriching experience is possible. If a customer calls a call center with an issue, the customer support representative will be able to see what the customer has purchased, view shipping information, call up the training manual for that item and effectively respond to the issue.
The entire interaction is stored in the CRM system, ready to be recalled if the customer calls again. The customer has a better, more focused experience and the company benefits from improved productivity.