Asia Pacific College: IS Project Management Report, Semester 1

This report provides a comprehensive overview of information system (IS) project management. It begins by emphasizing the importance of feasibility studies, detailing various types such as technical, managerial, economic, financial, cultural, social, safety, political, environmental, and market feasibility. The report then delves into the critical role of project communication management, outlining the processes involved and highlighting the need for effective communication strategies. Furthermore, it discusses proper tools and techniques for project schedule management, including Gantt charts, schedule network analysis, the critical path method, PERT, schedule compression, and resource management techniques like leveling and critical chain processes. Finally, the report addresses the management of potential risks in IS projects, emphasizing risk identification and the application of various techniques and tools for risk mitigation, such as checklists, brainstorming, and scenario analysis. The report underscores the significance of these elements in ensuring the success of IS projects.

Running head: INFORMATION SYSTEM PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Information System Project Management
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author Note

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Executive summary
In this study, the importance of different kinds of feasibility studies of information system project
management and project communication is to be determined. This has also included reference of
appropriate tools and techniques for project scheduling management. Ultimately they have utilized
methods of controlling possible risks regarding specific projects.

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction:......................................................................................................................................3
2. Importance of various feasibility studies of information system projects:........................................3
3. Importance of project communication management:........................................................................6
4. Proper tools and techniques for project schedule managing:............................................................7
5. Using tools to manage potential risks on particular IS projects:.......................................................9
6. Conclusion:......................................................................................................................................10
7. References:......................................................................................................................................12

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1. Introduction:
The project execution and control phase is useful to assure success. This phase has been
dealing with controlling and reporting of project benefit realization, deliverables and timeline ensure
project success. Project close-out, on the other hand, is to be planned and anticipated in the early
phase of the project life-cycle.
The following report demonstrated the significance of various kinds of feasibility studies of
information system project management and project communication. This also includes referring to
proper techniques and tools regarding project schedule management. Lastly, it has used methods
to control possible risks about particular IS projects.
2. Importance of various feasibility studies of information system projects:
Feasibility studies are helpful to preview essential outcomes and decide whether they must
continue. A little expenditure on feasibility studies is beneficial to prevent massive losses. While
researching, it is clear that most of successful businesses have been conducting feasibility study for
assuring that they embark over their viable project. For instance, Microsoft comprises of huge
research department located at various cities around the world. The department has collaborated with
various organizations creating numerous feasibility assessments every year. While investigating
successful firms like Microsoft, it is found that they would never commit to new project without
thoroughly examining every variable and then analyzing possibility of success by this study. Here
the significance of different kinds of feasibility studies of information system projects is
demonstrated.

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Types of feasibility studies Importance
Technical Feasibility Here transfer of technology between geographical sectors and
cultures are assessed.
Managerial feasibility Here organizational and administrative structure if denoted
through the possibility of ensuring that construction of the
proponent in submittal is feasible to the type of operations
undertaken (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017).
Economic feasibility This is to generate economic benefits. This is analyzed through
breakeven analysis. This is critical even when the nature of the
project is non-profitable.
Financial feasibility Here the capability of project management in raising adequate
funds is needed to be implemented. Outside investors and funds
are to be considered by proponents regarding their projects. Here,
feasibility, sources, applications and soundness are in hindrance.
Further, different aspects of economic viability are seen such as
creditworthiness, loan schedule, and equity and loan availability
(Turner, 2014).
Cultural Feasibility study Compatibility of this suggested project with a cultural scenario of
a project has been inserted into social feasibility. Here, different
planned operations are integrated with local cultural practices and
beliefs within labor-intensive projects.
Social feasibility This has been affecting that the project suggested might have on

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the social system in a project scenario. This is addressed over
social usefulness. This has been influencing the social status of
participants. This should be analyzed for guaranteeing
compatibility. This has been determined by employees in specific
industries having particular status symbols under the society.
Safety feasibility Here another aspect to be considered in project planning is safety
feasibility. This has included analysis of projects for ascertaining
capacity to deploy and operate security under minimum
unfavorable impacts on this environment. Further, in complicated
projects, environmental effect analysis if not done correctly (Fuller
et al., 2017).
Political Feasibility Study Here the directions of the suggested projects have been dictated
through political considerations. This has been accurate for huge
projects with potential visibility important for political
implications and government inputs. Moreover, instead of a
project’s merit, political necessities have been the origin of the
project. Besides, due to political factors, different valuable projects
have been facing uncontrollable opposition. This evaluation of
project objectives with immediate aims of project systems is
needed in the political analysis of feasibility (Hornstein, 2015).
Environmental Feasibility
Study
This has been vital to making potential project failed or successful.
Here, at every stage of the project, the aspect can be considered.
Here, every concern raised or focused must be denoted in
environmental feasibility such that proper actions can be regarded

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as in covering up related issues of that scenario. Further, the ability
to acquire the needed permits, licenses and approvals at reasonable
costs are also involved in this sector.
Market Feasibility Study The potential influences over market demand, available market
share and competitive activities that the project has not been
considered in an analysis of market feasibility (Harrison & Lock,
2017). After this start-up, commercial start up and ramp up stages
of projects, and possible competitive tasks are to be assessed for
contingency funding and effects on operating expenses.
Since the above feasibility analysis has been very much time consuming and costly a primary
study is to be undertaken for finding whether that can be worthwhile. This is to proceed for
feasibility analysis under preliminary study. Here evaluation of alternatives must be made though
short “Cost and Benefit” analysis. This must be conducted as the project manages discusses every
project ideas and probable cases. This should be only when the outcomes are positive and thus,
feasibility study starts.
3. Importance of project communication management:
The project communication management has included procedures needed to assure timely
and proper collection, planning, creating, distribution, storage, retrieval, management and
monitoring, controlling and ultimate disposition of project information. The managers have needed
to spend most of their time to communicate with team members and various other project
stakeholders. These have been internal and external to those organizations (Meredith et al., 2014).
This has developed the bridge between multiple stakeholders having distinct organizational and

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cultural background, different expertise levels, interests and perspectives affecting and putting
influence ob project outcome and execution.
Project communication processes are as follows. The first step is communication
management. This is to develop communications from stakeholder information requirements and
needs and different available organizational resources. The next one is managing communications.
Here, the process to create, collect, distribute, store, retrieve and dispose of project data according to
communication management planning are done. The next one controls communications where the
process includes control and monitor conversations around the complete life cycle of the project.
This is to ensure the meeting of information needs (Walker, 2015).
Here, the aim of project communication management ensures timely and proper collection,
storage, distribution and creation of project information. Here, communication is so vital that it turns
out to be an intrinsic part of successful projects. All those projects have been including an effective
communication management plan and a document guiding project communications. This has turned
out to be a part of a complete project plan. This has been varying with the necessities of the projects.
An efficient project manager has needed to spend most of the time in making communication with
the project. The communication management has required to be planned during the starting of the
project. This communication plan has needed to determine the communication and information
necessities of stakeholders. There must be a determination of who needs what information, what
kind of information is necessary and in what detail and the goal to communicate and how the data
can be provided to them (Heagney, 2016).

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4. Proper tools and techniques for project schedule managing:
As all the elements are known to belong to the project schedule, one can begin to analyze
where the various tools for project management used. Here there are multiple ways to approach
project scheduling from experience and complicacy of the project. These methods are simple and are
particularly for smaller projects. Besides, for a massive project with numerous activities, resources
and dependencies, the list must not be feasible to have the complete view and tracking of that
project.
Scheduling techniques and
tools
Discussion
Gantt Chart Depending on task dependencies and availability of resources,
the bars are sequential and can be run in parallel.
Schedule network analysis As projects progress constant study of network diagram is to
be checked to assure that the project is on track.
Critical Path method This determines the following activities taking the longest
time to finish, identify dependencies between tasks in proper
order. This also determines adding time is every task over a
critical path, the earliest time that the project can be finished
(Mir & Pinnington, 2014).
PERT or Program Evaluation
and Review Technique
Here for every activity, three estimates have been obtained,
shortest time, longest time and most likely time.
Schedule compression This is shortened in two ways. The first one is crashing or
using more resources than that has been tasked with every task.
The second one is fast-tracking or adjusting schedule having

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mindful of task dependencies, and more activities are done in
parallel than planned (Fleming & Koppelman, 2016).
Risk multipliers This includes including of time or resource contingency
regarding actions considered to be at enormous risk of
overrunning.
Resource tools and techniques The first one is levelling. This has involved adjustment of
tasks under the schedule to assure that there has been a
minimal peak and through this use of resources. It has been
ensuring effective methods of those resources. This has been
helping project managers towards the right resources as needed
for more complex tasks. The next one is a critical chain
process (Serra & Kunc, 2015). The acts are planned in the
focus of the latest probable beginning and finishing of dates.
This extra time has resulted between few activities and is used
for better use of resources. Lastly, there are resource
histograms where the column chart has depicted the resources
used on a project in due time.
5. Using tools to manage potential risks on particular IS projects:
Through looking at the complete process of risk management included in these projects, one
can fetch critical phases in those processes for risk identification. Here the actual risks and the
sources are recognized. Errors or mistakes as failure to spot those risks at previous stages of
investment projects have been leading to severe outcomes at project implementation and operation

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stages (Lock, 2017). Moreover, failure to recognize various risk sources at stages of risk
identification has been resulting in improper risk quantification and wrong response planning.
There have been various well-established techniques and tools to manage project risks. There
have been different project management techniques and tools that are categorized as per the stages of
the risk management process. There have also been various background processes involving
techniques and tools of requirement management, prototyping training methods (Richardson,
Earnhardt & Marion, 2015). The AS/NZS 4360:2004 standard has reported multiple technologies
and tools to identify risks as checklists, brainstorming flow-charts, scenario analysis, judgment from
records and methods of system engineering. This standard has provided numerous sources of data
for risk analysis. This includes previous documents, prototypes and experiments, expert and
prototype judgment, relates literature surveys, market researches, engineering and economic and
various models, instances of tools for risk analysis including structured interviews with different
expert areas of interest (Kerzner, 2017).
Depending on the kind of investment project, project managers or risk managers have been
freely selecting and modifying those methods. The efficiency of risk identification processes used, in
the investment projects has meant positive impacts in this area (Sánchez, 2015). Hence concerning
effects of risk identifications, the sources of risks are to be identified. The negative events are to be
identified probably happening and leading to failure. Besides, there has been an identification of risk
effects that has been especially vital to assure more effective protection against risks. This is through
additional insurances, developing reserves or meaningful risk distribution. This is among investment
project participants across the contracts (Teller, Kock & Gemünden, 2014).

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6. Conclusion:
Here, a discussion is made on how project quality management planning has been providing
adequate standards in controlling global projects. There have been sufficient logics regarding
cultural awareness, legal issues and training. Further, there has been an analysis of input and value of
project related legal issues and ethnic differences of cultures. The study helps in understanding that
to control and monitor the project during this phase, the managers require implementing various
ranges of management procedures. Here, the methods have been helpful to manage issues, risks,
changes, quality, cost and time. This is also helpful to control customer acceptance, communications
and procurements. Moreover, it is vital to note that quality controls of projects are highly crucial to
the project cycle.