How will the use of outsourcing impact the way in which a project is managed?

 

Outsourcing may impact the way in which a project is managed in many ways. By outsourcing a small piece of a project or entire portions of a project, the entire scope can be altered in a very good way as far as deliverable times go. It will alter deliverable times and cost which will increases the amount of meetings with the client and the funding agent, increasing attention around the company in regards to the project portion being outsourced. Depending on the amount of cost versus time, the company may alter their interest in either continuing the project or terminating it. Typically outsourcing may reveal an inverted relationship between time and money in accordance to the project completion date requiring the project manager to re-assess the details of the project. Outsourcing can be pricey but the time constraint can be minimized because of having a contractor who specializes in the specific trade that may create a deliverable to meet the need sooner rather than later. If time is of the essence and a certain deliverable is of high priority, spending on outsourcing is likely to occur. If time is worth money, sometimes spending the extra dollar is worth it, but then the project scope and costing are affected in which the project manager must then modify the project plan to incorperate the cost and time. The project manager must then look at the project in a different perspective because now since outsourcing is involved, the project team may contribute their time to other duties involved which might shorten the entire project delivery date in a beneficial way and makes everyone look good. Sometimes a project incorporates an outsourcing agent in the plan and sometimes not. Anticipating outsourcing services by assessing risk can save time, money and ultimately show project leader integrity through effective management skills.

How is this course going so far?

I feel that this class as a project has been a flood of emotions as far as productivity goes. In the beginning we were talking about ways to make a project happen. In order to do this we were able to meet with the stakeholders and get an idea of what we were able to do as far as implementation for this Website construction project, just to find out that the project was terminated, to be revamped given simulation type of stipulations to continue with the project. This was a good experience to see how people get together and come through to bring their dedication to the table and come through for the team. Team work is amazing when people come together and hammer out the wrinkles in any situation. As for now, documentation is in getting organized, closing processes are about to take place in the next few weeks, but overall, so far so good.

During the progress review, how might a project manager assess the contribution of each member of the project team?

During the progress review, the project manager can assess the contributions of each member of the project team by weekly evaluations, setting goals, milestones and monitoring the members individual performance. The military is very picky on how they evaluate their members, but considering civilian jobs, I feel that professionalism can be scrutinized even more. Evaluating things that are universal to any job that is not biased to certain tasks can be used as a universal tool in deciphering team productivity and contributions. If I assessed evaluations, I would have a numbering system, 1-5 for several categories such as overall professionalism, appearance, time management, communication, team collaboration skills and punctuality because time is money and money makes money.

Why is user-centred development critical to successful systems development projects?

User-centered development is critical to successful systems development projects because the users are the main part of the system being and the most important part of the system. To form a project around a user is like custom fitting an outfit. When clothes are custom fitted they just look and feel better to the person wearing them and is appealing to the people looking at them. In the sense of a project, the user can operate at a more functional rate with increased effectiveness because of the detail in user compatibility provided to help the user be a more important asset to the company. To have users not be able to comprehend a system because it is too technical can cause a lot of wasted time and money to the company. To make a system less foreign to a user can cause a company to save time, money, make money and grow larger all because of user productivity. That is why it is important that user centered development be recognized as a critical part in a successful system development project.