Question

One of the hazards for the project manager (PM) of an information security project is the reliance on the subject matter experts to keep the PM fully informed about the status of the project.

Theresa is a PM for a single sign-on project within an urban teaching hospital. The project appears to be going along well until Theresa begins to hear rumblings of some technical problems that may interface with the project delivery time line. She calls a meeting with the technical team. The team assures her that things are fine and that they will figure out whatever the problems are and will be ready as planned.

Reply to the following questions:

How can Theresa ensure that the technical team is being realistic in their assessment?

What strategies might Theresa use to better understand the potential technical issues and the potential impacts of those issues?

Would you recommend that Theresa inform the project sponsors of the potential for a delay or should she accept the position of the technical team?

Answer 1

1. Theresa needs to check the project milestones that have been achieved and are secure and the project milestones, which need to be achieved. She can keep a track of the issue log as well to anticipate the project and workflow timeline adherence. This way, she can estimated whether the technical team is being realistic in their problem assessment.

2. Theresa must keep a track of the WBS chart as well as the issue log. The technical team needs to maintain this issue log in which the following information is updated on regular basis:

• Issue Type
• Identifier and time of detection
• Brief description of issue
• Priority rating to issue
• Issue Ownership
• Target Resolution Date
• Current Status
• Resolution description

From this issue log, Theresa will be able to analyze and have an understanding of the technical issues and their impact.

Theresa can also maintain a risk management matrix, which maps the potential issues that may crop up in the system and their potential impact.

3. Theresa needs to be ethical and tell the project sponsors about the probability of a potential delay in project delivery. The sponsors need to be kept on the same page as the status of the project. She can also assure them that the team is working their best, to address the problem and release the project asap.