Project Management

1.The Art of Delivering Interface Requirements for ITIL Implementation

The last E-Book in this series explored the three core Top-Down steps that define requirements of the external system.  In this E-Book, you continue by examining the four central Top-Down steps that define requirements of the interface system, the Stakeholder/ITIL Interface System.

2.Describing the Space of Operations Analysis

 While many analysts practice their profession intuitively and ignore the rigors and organizing perspective that professional Requirements Analysis offers as a disciplined process of inquiry, this approach creates many problems.  I designed this E-Book to empower you as a professional analyst. This E-Book series enables you to perform your analyst duties with expanded insight, understanding, and competence.

3.The Art of Delivering Interface Requirements, Part One

The first step in interface system definition is basically an extension of the first external system step from the previous chapter, i.e., defining information needs.  Since in this step the analyst focuses the requirements process on the interface system, however, (s)he organizes the information according to data content type, identifying the audience of the data, defining output schedules, and even defining response-time requirements.

4.The Art of Delivering Interface Requirements, Part Two

The first step in interface system definition is basically an extension of the first external system step from the previous chapter, i.e., defining information needs.  Since in this step the analyst focuses the requirements process on the interface system, however, (s)he organizes the information according to data content type, identifying the audience of the data, defining output schedules, and even defining response-time requirements.

5.The Art of Successfully Initiating Projects

Nearly everyone in the course of their careers has worked on a project.  While some projects may be simple and take only a few hours or days to complete, others may be complex requiring many months just to get started. Whatever the scope, complexity, and duration of a project, project management can successfully initiate them all. Often, however, the project initiation process itself becomes a project.

6.The Art of Specifying System Requirements

As discussed in previous E-Books in the series, Requirements Analysis (RA) is one of the principal tasks of requirements engineering.  Moreover, RA itself is composed of several tasks and activities that are common to all analysis approaches, whether operations analysis, systems analysis, program analysis, management analysis, and so forth. When carefully employed via a disciplined approach, RA offers a powerful approach to problem definition.

7.Rationale for Preparing the Charter

A charter informs an organization that management is committed to a particular program, project, or organization. The charter confirms an organization’s business status and clarifies future goals.  It is a formal announcement that high-level management supports your efforts and not only approves of a program but expects it to succeed - and the entire company takes note.

8.Mastering the Tasks of Requirements Analysis, Part One

In the first E-Book in this series, you have briefly examined the space of RA and have begun to map the objectives, tasks, and activities of an analyst as a foundation for writing the requirements and specifications.  Generally, the analyst moves from goals to functions and then onto requirements and specifications.

9.Mastering the Tasks of Requirements Analysis, Part Two

Systems Management refers to the overall management and technical processes involved in carefully managing and controlling the data, information, and knowledge movement and management environments of an enterprise, or organization.   Systems Management exists to enable the workplace to execute operational tasks efficiently and effectively to meet the strategic demands of executive management according to the evolutionary and emerging contingencies of an external and global reality.

10.Mastering the People Side of Requirements Analysis, Part One

While one of the challenges for people in the requirements engineering profession is not to think like computers, I designed this topic to remind you that you are a human being working among human beings.  To a large extent, this topic will be the most challenging for you.

11.Mastering the People Side of Requirements Analysis, Part Two

This E-Book in the Fundamentals of Requirements Analysis series presents a way of evaluating the human dimension involved in defining a set of requirements.  It complements the content presented throughout this series.  Although you already know that the people side of RA is a core component of any RA environment, you should now realize that you can engage this dimension using a disciplined approach to human relations.

13.Mastering the Environment of Requirements Analysis

This E-Book series covers the proposal process from problem generation and Request-for-Proposal (RFP) preparation to proposal evaluation. I wrote this series of E-Books to enable you to better design and manage the core processes that form the proposal process.

14.Mastering the Work Breakdown Structure of Requirements Analysis

The previous E-Book in this series explored the psychology of  Requirements Analysis (RA).  In this the final E-Book in this Fundamentals of Requirements Analysis series, I present a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) for defining a set of requirements.  It follows from the course content presented throughout this program.  Although you already know that a WBS is a core component of any project management environment, you should also realize that a WBS is not a project plan.

15.Building the Project Management Advisory Group, The MAG

In this age of office technology, we conveniently use a wide range of automated labor saving devices to generally complete routine tasks.  The result is that you and I have become busier than ever with even more things to do. It appears that the highly touted automation of routine tasks has only increased our work load.  Experts argue that this state-of-affairs is ample proof that office automation is doing its job.