Project Management

Abstract

This chapter presents a definition and description of the duties and responsibilities of the project manager. The project manager is the most important individual in the application software process. Overall, the project manager must have both soft skills and hard skills. Hard skills are defined as the technical skills necessary to converse with development personnel, and soft skills cover such management abilities as leadership, integrity, intuition, mentoring, creativity, and compassion. The chapter also provides the necessary processes, recommended procedures, and reporting techniques that tend to support higher rates of project success. Furthermore, many projects have suffered because the management was not able to appropriately manage the contracted vendors. Organizations make the mistake of assuming that outsourced development and management is a safeguard for successful project completion. Organizations must understand that third-party vendors are not a panacea for comfort and that rigorous management processes must be in place in order to ensure a successful project. The “squeaky wheel gets oiled” phrase is very applicable when managing your vendors. This chapter offers best practices that keep vendors on their toes!