Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:

• Define the fundamental phases of the traditional IT project lifecycle.
• Develop a clear project charter, scope statement, and Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
• Effectively manage stakeholders, particularly the IT delivery teams and vendors.
• Understand and mitigate common risks inherent in technology projects (e.g., technical debt, integration issues).
• Create a realistic schedule and manage project resource allocation.
• Navigate the procurement process and manage IT vendor deliverables.
• Communicate project status and progress using appropriate IT metrics.
• Manage change requests and ensure successful IT project adoption.

• Business Line Managers leading technology adoption projects
• Marketing, HR, or Finance professionals managing system implementations
• Non-IT Project Managers working on software or infrastructure initiatives
• Business Analysts and Change Managers
• Executive Assistants and Program Coordinators
• New Project Team Members from non-technical backgrounds

• Scenario-based exercises on managing project scope creep.
• Group activities to create a project charter for a mock system implementation.
• Role-playing conflict resolution between business users and IT developers.
• Case studies on major IT project failures and successes.
• Individual exercises in developing a stakeholder communication matrix.

Unit 1: Understanding the IT Project Landscape

• What makes an IT project different (e.g., complexity, technical risks, integration).
• The phases of the traditional (Waterfall) project lifecycle.
• Introduction to Agile concepts and when to use them.
• Understanding IT roles (developer, architect, system admin) and their contribution.

• Developing the business case and project justification.
• Creating a comprehensive project charter and defining objectives.
• Identifying key business sponsors and IT stakeholders.
• Setting the high-level scope and deliverables.

Unit 2: Planning the IT Project

• Developing a clear scope statement and dealing with scope creep.
• Creating a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for IT tasks.
• Techniques for eliciting and documenting functional and non-functional requirements.
• The importance of testing and quality assurance planning.

• Developing a project schedule using critical path method (CPM).
• Estimating effort for technology tasks and managing buffer.
• Allocating resources, including internal IT staff and external contractors.
• Using Gantt charts and project management software.

Unit 3: Managing Technology Risks and Dependencies

• Common IT project risks (data migration, security, integration failure).
• Tools for qualitative and quantitative risk analysis.
• Developing risk response plans and contingency reserves.
• Tracking and monitoring technical risks throughout execution.

• Managing communication with diverse stakeholders (IT, business, vendors).
• Overseeing IT vendor delivery and monitoring contract compliance.
• Resolving conflicts between business needs and technical constraints.
• Ensuring clear expectations for technology sign-offs and approvals.

Unit 4: Project Execution and Control

• Tracking progress against the baseline schedule and budget.
• Key IT project metrics (e.g., defect density, burn-down rate, variance).
• Effective status reporting to the business sponsor and steering committee.
• Managing scope changes through a formal change control process.

• The different types of IT testing (unit, system, integration, UAT).
• The role of the business in User Acceptance Testing (UAT).
• Managing defects and coordinating fixes with development teams.
• Ensuring adherence to quality standards and non-functional requirements.

Unit 5: Project Closeout and Change Adoption

• Planning the deployment and go-live strategy.
• Developing a comprehensive support and maintenance plan with IT Operations.
• User training, documentation, and communication planning.
• Formal handoff to the operational teams.

• Finalizing contracts and closing out all project activities.
• Conducting a post-implementation review (PIR) of results.
• Gathering and documenting lessons learned for future projects.
• Measuring the achievement of business benefits and objectives.