Industrial Talk by Commerce Dot Com Sdn. Bhd.

Abstract- Project management takes place in every industry. IT project management is a common type of project management. A talk was given on IT project management by a veteran who has been in the IT project management scene for a long time. This paper is written to study the importance and trends of IT project management. This study has shown that there are multiple project management methodologies used depending on project requirements and resources. It is also shown that there are a variety of trends in IT project management.

I. INTRODUCTION

The title of the talk is The Importance and Trending of IT Project Management. The talk was given by Mohd Khairul Reeza Ruslan on the 1 ^st December 2020 (Tuesday) from 10.00AM to 11.00AM. Mohd Khairul Reeza Ruslan is the Head of Project Management Office at Commerce Dot Com Sdn. Bhd. Mr. Khairul is currently working on ePerolehan Project for the Federal Government of Malaysia. The moderator of the talk was Senior Lecturer of School of Computing, UTM, Dr. Goh Eg Su.

II. IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT

A. The Importance of IT Project Management

Project is a “one-off” scope of work defined by time, cost, and quality. Project is hugely dependent on time factor, cost, and quality. Multiple projects make up a program and programs make up a portfolio. Project Management is the application of knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements. It requires us to apply our knowledge.

The UK government developed a project management methodology known as PRINCE2. PRINCE2 is a complex process of project management. The process involves multiple stages such as starting up, planning, execution, and monitor and control to ensure the expected quality is achieved. The final stage is the closing of the project. Different scales of projects use different processes of project management.

According to PRINCE2, the processes can be tailored and scaled down to the bare minimum that is required to ensure that project management can be applied while maintaining the process from starting point to closing point. This means that the number of documentations needed for quality control is not as thick or much for a small project compared to a big project. Implementing the whole PRINCE2 method for a small project is not viable because of the time and cost factor. In short, different sets of processes are applied for different scales of projects.

B. The Trending of IT Project Management

The first trend of IT Project Management is globalized gig economy. Due to the cost, the industry is shifting towards contract-based or short-term projects. People are able to freelance and take on multiple projects at once. In gig economy, the pay is high, so is the risk and expected outcome.

The second trend is a greater focus on data (BiG Data). Data is crucial for helping developers make the right decisions and meet clients’ demands. Lack of data can be costly, resulting in the companies losing huge sum of resources including money.

The third trend is automation and artificial intelligence. Cost and time are important aspects of project management. Artificial intelligence can be beneficial to us such as calculating the best project to be done and scheduling project time. Artificial intelligence also matches personnel with suitable projects to cut down the time spent on selecting the right individuals for a project and also increase efficiency.

The next trend is importance of change management. Change management ensures users are ready to use the newly developed system the moment it goes live. Without proper change management, users might not be able to adapt to the new system in a short time span.

The fifth trend is method melding. Complex projects always involve huge costs. In order to minimize the costs and ensure that a project can be completed on time, project management frameworks such as Agile, Scrum and Waterfall are combined into that single project.

The sixth trend is advanced project management tools and solutions. Communication and collaboration are important tools in project management. Developers from different countries and working from different places have to communicate and collaborate effectively to ensure a project is completed on time and as intended.

The final trend is the impact of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence determines a person’s ability to succeed in his/her career. Controlling emotions is important for managing or leading a team because your team looks to you for leadership. Emotions will impact the actions at a particular time. Poor control of emotions leads to terrible actions which will make you regret it later.

III. RELEVANT IT CAREERS

IT project managers combine their technical expertise with business acumen to direct their organization’s computer-related activities. They constantly monitor factors such as upgrades, installation of new equipment, security, departmental requirements, and cost efficiency. IT project managers also work with vendors to address needs and negotiate deals. IT project managers are needed in big companies across different sectors. In financial sector, IT project managers are employed by institutions such as Hong Leong Bank Berhad, RHB Bank Berhad and even Ministry of Finance. In health sector, IT project managers can work for Borneo Medical Centre, Regency Specialist Hospital and also Ministry of Health.

IV. REFLECTIONS

A. Tables

TABLE I. REFLECTION ON GOAL/DREAM

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

We would like to express our deepest appreciation to Dr. Nor Azizah binti Sa’adon, our Technology and Information Systems lecturer, whose contribution in guiding us and providing example on how to write a proper IEEE paper, helped us to complete our very first IEEE paper.

REFERENCES

[1] Mohd Khairul Reeza Ruslan, “The Importance and Trending of IT Project Management”, 1^st December 2020,

https://utm.webex.com/recordingservice/sites/utm/recording/1f7c1229a78448648c63a11cd72bd8ba/playback

[2] Beth Braccio Hering, “9 Project Management Career Paths: Industries, Salary, and More”, 28^th July 2019,

https://www.flexjobs.com/blog/post/project-management-career-paths/