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To Be or Not to Be a Project Manager
Case 9 40 2016 021
Author : 
Languages : 
  • English
Keywords: 
  • Project management,
  • IT project,
  • Technical expertise
Year of production : 
2016
Registration date : 
2016-11-02
Teaching notes included : 
Yes
Abstract

This brief case is about an IT project – the upgrading of a vendor-supported application – with a first-time project manager struggling to lead the project. Shireen Wilson, the project manager, had been given this opportunity to see whether this was a career path she wanted to pursue. The case explains events during a four- to five-month period from the perspective of two people: the PM and her line manager, Michael Sedgeway. The upgrade was eventually done, but only after several problems and delays. At the end of the case, the PM concludes, “I need to improve my technical knowledge. I assumed that as long as I was good at organizing things, I could leave the technical stuff to the techies.”

Primary domain : 
Management
Secondary domain : 
Information technology
Sectors : 
  • Professional, scientific and technical services
Source : 
Elsewhere
Type : 
Brief case (Descriptive or analytical case)
Type of data used in the production of the case : 
Factual data that is not public but masked/anonymised
Event location : 
N/A
Year of start of the event : 
2005
Year the event ended : 
2006
Business size : 
Multinational
Main themes covered

Communication skills; Project management skills; Triple constraints

Teaching objectives

The key objective is to deepen students’ understanding of project management and of what makes a good project manager, especially regarding technical expertise. The case is intended for introductory courses incorporating elements of project management. Students at the undergraduate level with some work experience will benefit most from this case study.

Concepts and theories related to the case
  • Communication skills
  • Project management
  • Triple constraint model
  • Planning