Detailed Analysis of an IT Project Management Plan Report

This report provides a critical analysis of an IT project management plan for the development of a customized finance application. The analysis covers various aspects of the plan, including the project name and description, sponsor and team details, deliverables, references, and definitions. It examines the organizational structure, management and technical approach, work packages, schedule, and budget. The report highlights strengths and weaknesses in the plan, such as the clear articulation of deliverables and risk management, while also pointing out areas needing improvement, such as project controls, the work breakdown structure, and schedule dependencies. The analysis offers insights into the plan's effectiveness and suggests improvements to ensure project success. The report provides a detailed evaluation of the project management plan, identifying areas of strength and weakness to provide insights into the plan's effectiveness and suggestions for improvement.

Running Head: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY PROJECT MANAGEMENT
IT Project Management
Name of the Student
Name of the University

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Executive Summary
Development of a project management plan requires a particular procedure that must be followed
as a template. There are some major points in the project that must be considered, documented
and addressed in the project. Furthermore, each of these points must be addressed in the right
manner in order to meet the specifications of the project and also help the readers to understand
what will be done in the project.

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................3
2.0 Critical Analysis of PMP...........................................................................................................3
2.1 Introduction............................................................................................................................3
2.1.1 Name...............................................................................................................................3
2.1.2 Description......................................................................................................................3
2.1.3 Sponsor’s Details............................................................................................................4
2.1.4 Project Manager and Team Details.................................................................................4
2.1.5 Deliverables....................................................................................................................5
2.1.6 Reference Details............................................................................................................5
2.1.7 Definitions......................................................................................................................5
2.2 Organization..........................................................................................................................6
2.2.1 Organization Charts........................................................................................................6
2.2.2 Project Responsibilities..................................................................................................7
2.3 Management and Technical Approach..................................................................................7
2.3.1 Management Objectives.................................................................................................7
2.3.2 Project Controls..............................................................................................................7
2.3.3 Risk Management...........................................................................................................8
2.3.4 Project Staffing...............................................................................................................8
2.3.5 Technical Processes........................................................................................................8

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2.4 Work to Perform....................................................................................................................8
2.4.1 Major Work Packages.....................................................................................................8
2.4.2 Key Deliverables............................................................................................................9
2.4.3 Other.............................................................................................................................10
2.5 Schedule...............................................................................................................................10
2.5.1 Summary.......................................................................................................................10
2.5.2 Detailed.........................................................................................................................10
2.5.3 Other.............................................................................................................................13
2.6 Budget..................................................................................................................................13
2.6.1 Summary.......................................................................................................................13
2.6.2 Detailed.........................................................................................................................13
2.6.3 Others............................................................................................................................14
3.0 Conclusion...............................................................................................................................14
References......................................................................................................................................15

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1.0 Introduction
A project plan is a documentation of a plan that has been prepared for the purpose of the
project. The project will follow the requirements and specifications provided in the project plan.
There are certain attributes that must be present in a project plan as these reflect integral
requirements of the project.
In this report, a critical analysis has been conducted on a provided project plan and
discussions have been made regarding whether the project plan meets all the requirements or not.
2.0 Critical Analysis of PMP
2.1 Introduction
2.1.1 Name
The name for the project is “Developing a Customized Finance Application”. Now, this
name of the project gives a basic idea regarding the type of project i.e. development of a
particular software for a purpose. However, the system to be developed is very vaguely
introduced, no detail is regarding the exact need for the project. It is mentioned as customized
finance application but it is not mentioned what is the exact system to be developed and
developed (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). Also, the purpose of the new system is also not
mentioned in the name of the project. In short, although the name of the project is meaningful, it
does not give any insight about the specific requirements of the project.

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2.1.2 Description
The description of the project is written in sufficiently simple language and describes
about the requirements and objectives of the project. From the list of objectives and scope, it can
be easily understood what is required of the project and what needs to be achieved. However, no
time frame / duration and budget are mentioned in the project description.
2.1.3 Sponsor’s Details
In the project plan, the name of the sponsor, who will provide funds for the project, has
been mentioned. In addition, the contact details of the sponsor including the phone number and
email id have also been provided. However, no details of a back up contact person for sponsor
have been provided in the project plan.
2.1.4 Project Manager and Team Details
The project manager and team members have been listed in the project plan along with
their names. The list is shown in the following table.
Project Sponsor Sally Firmin
Business Analyst Dianne
Developer / Programmer Yohan Naddam
Tester Yohan Naddam
Marketing Specialist Terry Goldham
Documenter Terry Goldham
Consultant Terry Goldham
Purchasing Specialist Dianne
Systems Analyst Terry Goldham
Research Specialist Terry Goldham

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Project Manager Carren Gerden
In order to the names and roles of the team members, the contact details of the project
team members have been provided in a separate table. The contact details include phone number
and email address of the respective team members. The roles of each of the project team
members have also been defined and explained in detail and hence, a clear idea can be gathered
regarding the duties of the team members in the project.
2.1.5 Deliverables
The deliverables of a project are a list of requirements that are to be fulfilled during the
course of the project in different phases. These requirements are generally prepared in the form
of a bulleted list and this list should be checked after achieving each item mentioned in it.
In the project plan provided, the list of deliverables has been provided as per the
requirements of the project. This list contains all the deliverables that are to be achieved in this
project and gives the reader a comprehensive idea regarding what will be done in the project
(Schwalbe, 2015). Additionally, the sponsor will also understand how the project will be
executed in a number of stages and he will then be able to provide funding for the project
accordingly.
2.1.6 Reference Details
The project plan provides appropriate citations to references that have been used during
preparation of the project plan. In addition, the project plan also contains other important aspects
of the project including scope, assumptions, constraints and risk management plan that are
integral parts of the project plan. The references provided in the list are relevant to the topic of
the paper and hence, they have been appropriately used.

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2.1.7 Definitions
A list of definitions / full forms for the abbreviations used in the project plan has also
been provided. This list is featured as follows.
Term Meaning
PMP A PMP stands for Project Management Plan. A
PMP is a plan that has been developed for a
project.
Java Programming code
PC Personal Computer
PM Project Manager
CI Change Initiator
CS Change Sponsor
WBS Work Breakdown Structure
RPM Risk Probability Matrix
2.2 Organization
2.2.1 Organization Charts
In the project plan, the organization chart is provided as follows.

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In this diagram as provided in the project plan, the involved personnel in the project have
been clearly mentioned in a flowchart like structure. In addition to the names, the roles are also
mentioned so that it is understand who is performing which duty in the project (Fleming &
Koppelman, 2016). The line of authority has also been drawn to specify who will work under
whom in each of the duties of the project.
2.2.2 Project Responsibilities
In the project responsibilities part, the responsibilities and duties of each of the project
stakeholders have been explained in detail. However, responsibility assignment matrix (RAM)
has not been provided in the project plan.
2.3 Management and Technical Approach
2.3.1 Management Objectives
The management objectives are provided in a single paragraph in the project plan. In this
part, there is very brief analysis of the managerial objectives of the project without sufficient
details on the exact roles and objectives (Harrison & Lock, 2017). However, within the details

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provided, the objectives are realistic and achievable. No list of priorities has been provided for
the roles and duties. Assumptions and constraints have been sufficiently outlined for the
management team to consider.
2.3.2 Project Controls
Project monitoring and control strategies have not been provided anywhere in the report
in spite of this being an important part of the project. In different projects, there are often scope
creeps and other scope related challenges that have to be addressed by monitoring and taking
control measures (Walker, 2015). Hence, deciding on monitoring and controlling strategies is
required so that the project does not move out of scope.
2.3.3 Risk Management
The risk management plan is provided in this project plan with extensive detailing. First,
the risks of the project have been identified using risk register matrix and then, different risk
management tools have been applied like risk probability matrix, impact matrix and others.
2.3.4 Project Staffing
No significant detail has been provided and no specifications have been provided on the
number and types of people required for the project. The roles are also not clearly articulated
except the main stakeholders involved in the project.
2.3.5 Technical Processes
The technical processes required in the project have been clearly articulated in this
project plan. The different methods, tools and techniques that are to be used for the evaluation of
the documentations for the project have been clearly identified and listed (Heagney, 2016). In
addition, a communication plan has been provided for stakeholders to follow during the entire

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course of the project. Furthermore, suitable justifications for the use of tools and appropriate
technique have been utilized for the type of the project.
2.4 Work to Perform
2.4.1 Major Work Packages
Although the header used is work breakdown structure, the content provided in this
section of the project plan is simply a project schedule and dependency. As per the normal rules
of the work breakdown structure, the links between the work packages are not clear from the
table (Verzuh, 2015). In addition, the dependencies have not been provided in the correct manner
and many of the work packages have not been provided with any predecessor dependencies at all
while project phase is provided with multiple work package predecessors. The actual work
breakdown structure should like the following diagram.
Project Management
Initializing
Assign Project
Manager
Form Project Team
Develop Project
Charter
Planning
Develop Standard
Documentation
Define User
Requirements
Define Risks and
Risk Management
Approaches
Design
Research Similar
Customize Finance
Application
Develop Design
Document
Develop
Develop Prototype
Define Project
Management
Related
Deliverables
Create Project
Management Plan
Scope Statement
Plan
Work Breakdown
Structure
Implementation
Testing
Develop Test Plan
Develop Usability
Test Plan
Controlling
Team Meeting
Risk Management
Plan Review and
Update
Control Changes
Closing
Final Project Report
Present Final
Application of the
Project
Produce Lesson
Learnt Document
Project Completed
Figure 1: Work Breakdown Structure of the Project
(Source: Created by Author)

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2.4.2 Key Deliverables
The list of key deliverables has been provided in the plan. These deliverables must be
fulfilled within the duration of the project. The list of deliverables as provided in the project is as
follows.
 Project Charter
 Team Contract
 Scope Statement
 Work Breakdown Structure
 Gantt Chart
 Responsibility Matrix
 Risk Management Plan
 Milestone Report
 Change Request
 Lesson Learnt
2.4.3 Other
While the schedule was developed, it was assumed that the project will feasible in terms
of the assigned time frame for each of the tasks. However, due to improper linkages between the
work packages, the actual duration was not reflected properly in the chart.