Project Topics

for ITPM Class C

1.       Group I ‘Frequency shopper’ (record customer id and location, points rewards, customer access their rewards information etc.)

a.       Nasuri Bongo

b.      Meriwati Baitaru

c.       Fecar r Mbuik

d.      Ridwan Pitay

2.       Group II ‘Knowledge management (data integrity, can be audited, available for institutional memory, etc. )

a.       Jaros B. Nafi

b.      Marten W. Ratu

c.       Novita P. Suni

d.      Rosita Koro Djoh

3.       Group III Intranet portal (any time anywhere)

a.       Hellen M.   Kana

b.      Apryanti Pong

c.       Deki IU

d.       Sancia M..F.H.Bobo

4.       Group IV Data Center(infrastructure as a services)

a.       Lolok Piter Takalogo

b.      Daniel Ikun

c.       Santina  V.F. Belo

d.      Dionicius Mau

5.       Gruop V Internet  of things (secure and smart nation )

a.       Farayana La Fayette

b.      Desi Fitriyaa

c.       Bella  V. Daris

d.      Maxelinoo Ufi

6.       Group VI Campus on-line(software as services)

a.       Maria M. Lodo

b.      Juvita Eco

c.       Yusmina Benu

d.      Jeremias Nennometa
e.   Deviani Honin

7.       Group VII Cloud computing  (Victual Computing )

a.       Radinal M. Usman

b.      Welem Logo Buke

c.       Juan. Anel Omalor

d.      Theodorik M. Woka

8.       Group VIII Campus IT infrastructure

a.       Daamianus Koli. Bungan

b.       Adrianus S. Hane

c.      Kristoforus Mado Lein       

9.       Group IX Campus Business continuity plan 

a.       Vendidus Ambut

b.      Tomar Y. Big

c.       Kokoh a. Theik

d.      Semuel Safa

                

Change Control in the Project Management

‘Hand is Assignment for next week'

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction:

In the early 1950 up to 1980 the change control was focusing on the project that has been planned within time and budget. There are issues that involving in the projects and project teams were often can’t meet project goals. In other word the project teams were rarely meeting the project original goals. Therefore, in early 1990 almost all project managers and companies top managements are realizing that, project managements are a process of fitting the needs along the project life cycle. Therefore it is in need of having the constant communication and negotiation along the project life time to adjust the objectives and goals in order to meet the expectation.

The administrative of the changing controls are important part in project management, because it will be transparent or clearly stated in the procedure on how and why it would be changed including who is the authorization person or body for changing. “The changing control system often involves the change control board, configuration management, and process of communication of the change”. (Schwalbe, K.,2010)

The changing to the procedures or contract may impact to the services of the delivery and qualities of the services, to the cost and time of the project, and to the other related resources (people, technology, and business). Therefore it has to be clear instruction in the contract on how and when we need to adapt the changing. For instances allocation person who is responsible for requesting a change or assessing the impact of the changing, who can makes a priorities and authorize the changes; who will be making the agreement with contractors; who is controlling the implementation of the changes, and who is documenting the changes.

My first suggestion is outsourcing the developers especially on software application and hardware technology. Because basically companies or organizations have not have enough human resource or even they have, the person may need specific course or trainings to perform the task. And it may not lead cost effectives and on time delivery as well. Therefore in the contract with developer have to have a clear picture. For example software application, we do need to explain or state in the contract or in the separate assessment document that current existing operation systems is X OS or so, other applications that are also up and running, and including what application that is planning  to develop and integrating into the current system. These are also involving security, scalabilities, availabilities, reliabilities, and change management. This situation is same as for deploying new hardware technologies.

Far before outsourcing the third parties, company or organization has to have a internal procurement procedure, whereas to help the organization or company in selecting the third parties to become a vendor, service delivery, and application developer.

My second suggestion is outsourcing the business continuity plan for the organization or company. Most organization or company has limited recourses to build similar office and system in case of the main office is burn down or defected by natural disaster or the system itself is down. Therefore organization or company has to have a contract with the third parties to establish essential system functionality in the third party data center or office. In the contract agreement has to clearly stated, what are those functionalities, the reliabilities of data and functionality, data integrity or confidentiality, including the availabilities, and security.

Conclusion: organization and Company internal change configuration management procedure have to be in place. This is to help the organization or company to know why and when need to change.

In the project contracts have to be flexible in the changing of the objectives or goals in order to meet the expectation, however it should be creating a clear control change management in the contracts.

References list:

·        Schwalbe, K. Information Technology Project Management, Revised 6th edition, Ch 4. P.162-164 and Ch 12.P.462-473

·        Lecture note, PM_WK2_seminar

·        Principle for service contract, Contract Management guidance [online]. Available from: http://www.ogc.gov.uk/documents/Contract_Management.pdf   (Accessed Date: May 14, 2011)

·        Institute of configuration management [online]. Available from: http://www.icmhq.com/ (Accessed Date: May 14, 2011)

Software Enterprise Key Consideration

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction:

Today Information Technology (IT) projects are more complex and sometimes it gets to be crept in the scope or even failure before it reaches to the success result. Therefore, in my opinion to organize a software enterprise or to delivery any IT projects for the organization, companies, and institutions have to be in line with the Information Technology Project Management knowledge and tools.

The first consideration is that any enterprise projects have to be a systematic in order to accomplish organization vision/goal, in line with organization strategy, such as to digitalize the manual operation to the automate operation, to ensure effectiveness of the business operations and system has to easy to use. In general to develop any system enterprise has to follows SDLC tools. The SDLC stands for System Development Life Cycle as it shows in the below diagram:

The SDLC diagram above is a framework to describe step by step that involving the software development. It is starting from ideas and assessment of the business requirement needs or feasibility, followed by initial project plan. Those eight steps are a sequence steps from ideas to maintenance. In the traditional approach it has four steps of system development project such as:

a)     Concept: The concept comes from someone ideas, end user ideas, business analyst, or system analyst to develop an application

b)    Development: The development part Business Analyst, System Analyst, Developer, designer, tester have to build a proto-type

c)     Implementation: In this stage end users and business analyst will confirm the features; in other end the developers will do a maintenance

d)    Close-out: In the close-out stage some time it faces the issues such as new regulation, new technology, and etc.

The traditional system development approach as shows in the below diagram:

The second consideration in the organizing the software enterprise is a triple constrain of the project management as follows:

Scope:  The scope is “work that needs to be done in order to deliver a product, service, or result with the specific feature and functions”, PMBOK Guide, P. 104

Time: The time is referring to the schedule or duration of the project

Cost: the cost is referring money, labor, equipments, and other resources needed to accomplish the project.

The third consideration of developing the software enterprise is focusing on the people. The reason is that to develop software has to involve the human being (people). People in the organization use the software for the business operation in order to improve the productivities. People that architecting and developing the application, and etc. There is different type of personality according to the McGregor (1960) “Theory X and Theory Y”. The theory X personality will be an average person such as to avoid their own responsibility, little ambition, wants security, prefers directed, the rewards are not sufficient, and dislike the current work. While the Theory Y personality will be happy with works that they have. These people have self direction and self-control to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization. People will learn to accept and even seek for responsibility. They are also imaginative person realization of the dream for the organization. McGregor, Maslow, and Herzberg also said that motivation is deeply in root in the human biology and psychology.

People from different cultures and nations have different attitude and behavior. Hofstede,G  “had done systematic observation on personal attitude and value in on single organization such as IBM around the world and it concludes four dimension of the group of personality. They are:

a.  Power of distance

b. Individualism and collectivisms

c. Masculinity and femininity

d. Uncertain avoidance” , Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007,P. 57)

The fourth consideration of the software development as follows:

a)     Market: Before, we are trying to develop new software enterprise; we have to do several researches around and if there is someone have done it, then we have to compare with the following questions such as: “are this new enterprise are unique?” Are this new production is better that existing one? Is it cheap compare to existing one? The project team have to do a short of research be for deciding to organization new software enterprise.

b)   Economic: To organize software enterprise implementation, we have to measure cost benefit for the investment. Is this application in line with over all organization strategy? Is this enterprise application support organization business growth? By having this enterprise, organization are more effective and efficient in the decision making processes? The aim of having the new software enterprise is to speed the productivities of the organization and to facilitate business process in the decision making or other purposes.

c)     Financial: By organizing the software enterprise has to have adequate fund to execute the project such as to pay labors, equipment, developers, designers, and other resources. 

d)    Technical: New software needs new technical expertise. The new technology application may need new hardware or software. It has to be tested with current applications and without any bags or errors. The technical engineers can be deployed to be on site or work from remote as a part of the virtual team. Hiring the right technical person to develop the application will help the organization to not wasting time and money on mistakes.

e)     Management: Managing the new software enterprise need several skills, such as soft skills, leadership, negotiator, communicator, team building, has to have project management knowledge, and etc. It is including using similar projects lesson learned from the past. It is important to decide to use internal resources that currently organization have or deploy from the outsourcing.

In conclusion: To organize new software enterprise, we have to have feasibility documents from business analyst such scope and visioning report, work requirement plan and business requirement documents. Business analyst and System Analyst develop the design. The developer and system engineers are developing the code according to the design. The developer and system analyst prototype or piloting the software enterprise or produce beta version and release candidate for testing purpose before it releases the gold version to deploy. During the process of developing the enterprise in SDLC, the team works, the communication plan, have clear vision/goals, use triple constrains in the project, and people are rewarded and recognized. These all are an integrate part to reach the successful result.

References:

Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007) Managing the Software Enterprise:

Software Engineering and Information Systems in Context. London: Thomson Learning.

Schwalbe, K. Information Technology Project Management, Revised 6th edition

Clause, R., (n.d)), Key considerations in Adding Enterprise, [Online]. Available from:

http://www.extension.iastate.edu/valueaddedag/info/keyconsiderationsinaddinganenterprise.htm  (Accessed:  19 October 2011)

Endeavour Software technology, [Online]. Available from:

http://yourmobileblog.blogspot.com/2010/04/enterprise-dilemma-key-considerations.html (Accessed:  19 October 2011)

Gallier, R. and Leidner, D.E., (n.d), Strategy Information Management: Challenges

and Strategies in Managing Information System, [Online]. Available from:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/19800099/Strategic-Information-Management (Accessed:  19 October 2011)

Enterprise Project Management, [Online]. Available from:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/35561435/Enterprise-Project-Management-EPM (Accessed: 19 October 2011)

Ethics in Information and Technology

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction:

The Internet global communication has brought countries without any boarder. In this case country law and enforcement has to be overridden with the international law. For instance, the crimes happened over the internet. “Normally physical location of the crimes will be determined the jurisdiction and sets of law to be applied,” Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007, P. 95). However, a person from Africa, sites the information on the Asia internet web sites whereas insulting or offence a person in Europe or USA, which law will be applied. Will it apply USA Law? Will it apply European Law? Will it apply African Law or Asia Law? In this complexity case, it will be analysis it sets of the laws and applied the international law.

Q1:

The CIO is using utilitarian approach on the Schrage scenarios. According to the Benthem is that ‘the greatest happiness to the greatest number’. This means that any decision to be taken it has to base on the benefits to the majority numbers of the employees and for the sake of the business operations. The CIO sees that outsourcing is the best practice to help company operation and minimized the operation cost than using internal IT then it has to be outsource. The internal IT team has to learn from the outsourcing team in order to perform next term. According to Dewey “doing in a right thing is good for the business”. Further Dewey explains that to disclose the information to the boss has to be done in the right moment or in the right time and in the right place. However, the CIOs have to think ahead and look the for the long-term business operation before it comes to the conclusion or decision.

With the normative approach, the CIOs have to use the internal policies, procedures, agreements, code of conducts, and organization culture or behaviors and values as a base for judging the employees, given the rewords and recognitions to the best performing of the employees. Therefore, in the Schrage scenarios, the CIO will be taking decisions base on the normative that has been taken place in the organization. This will be very clear for the CIOs to make a decision on the outsourcing in case the internal IT team cannot perform the task in timely manner. It can be outsourced the activities such as the CRM system development. The internal IT team can be learned from outsourcing best practices for the future implementation. In term of disclosing the information to the boss, in my case, as an employee had a confidential agreement with the organization whereas I can’t disclose any institutional memories to the public. It has to be approved by organization before it goes to public. In other end as employee that embedded in to the organization has a responsibility to make right thing in the organization. Also inform unethical issues to the management to solve in the proper manner.

Q2:

In the short term run the organization or company may loss the employees because not well rewarded to their efforts. In the Schrage scenario for the CRM system development, it can be forced to lose staff because the company willing to have outsource to meet the dead-line. In the long run it can be benefit to the organization or company because the CRM system in place and each to track customers information for the future businesses. The CRM system will make organization or company business more effective. According to Gupta and other stated that “the CIO has to consider the long term runs of the company rather than just current needs.” New ideas and constructive critics coming from employees in which that are for the improvement of the organizations and companies, they have to be considered by CIO.

Q3:

In my own opinion, the businesses have to be run in the good ethics rather than the businesses are focusing on the financial benefit. My argument is that with the good ethics the business can be survived and it is can be running for the long term of the period. While business that is focusing on the financial benefit may gain lot of benefit in the short term of period however it may not be in the long term. The simple reason is that because it is focusing on financial benefit and it might use unethical manner to reach their objectives. For instance: new product innovation. The company may reproduce coca cola to the market and have not paid the royalty to the originator coca cola company. At the end coco cola company may bring this company to the court and this company has to pay millions of dollar because use of coca cola brand name. Normally, this company has to get a license from the coca cola company before it reproduces. In the software application, we can’t just bought one application reproduce or copy them into thousand CDs and sell them in the market in order to gain financial benefit. It is unethical and it will cost for the long term running. It has to be started with the reseller license and doing the business.

In conclusion:

“Systematic innovation consists in the purposeful and organized search for changes and in the systematic analysis of the opportunities such changes might offer for economic and social innovation,” Drucker (2002). The normative approach is better base for CIOs to make a decision because it is cover almost all aspects or ruling the organization or company. In any ethical analysis situation the moral philosophy will be taken in first place.

References:

Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007) Managing the Software Enterprise:

Software Engineering and Information Systems in Context. London: Thomson Learning.

Lecture note, MNGSWE_WK3_seminar

Armstrong, G. and Kotler, P. (2010) Principles of marketing,13th edition, Global

edition:  Prentice Hall

Impact of unethical use of IT

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction:

According to the Andrews, “in the practicality of the ethics have three different aspects that are influencing the behavioral of the organization,” Andrews, K. R., (n.d). They are namely: The individual development which is will be producing personal ethical, the effect of multiple cross cultures effects either they are ethical and unethical environment that contributes in the organization, and the organization are developed the policies, the code of conduct, the procedures which are may encouraging the ethical or discouraging unethical behaviors.  The characteristic of the personal that are influencing in the organizations and the organizations are influencing the individuals (with the policies and procedures) that embedded are equally important. 

“For instance it is not allowing to “copying others works. It is plagiarism or thief other properties in one community culture. However, it is allowing doing so. As it becomes a share knowledge in that culture of the communities” Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007, p.77).

The information technology industries and the revolution of the information bring and contribute to the complexity of the ethical of the computing and ethical of the knowledge sharing properties. Some concerns in the ethical computing as follows:

a.     Monitor employees email and internet access

b.     Lot of people around the globe are copying or downloading music files, video files, and etc. without paying any cents to copyrights

c.      Hackers are breaking the financial data-bases

d.     Student is doing plagiarisms

e.      Spyware or cookies that are planning on the user computers to monitor their activities

One of the concrete examples is the closing down of the ‘DigiNotar’the Dutch certificate authority which grants SSL to the on-line companies. The company was attacked by hackers and able to generate the fake certification including directing users to the other web sites. According to the Bown that, there were significant looses in this event. The after the occurrence, the Dutch government took over the management of ‘DigiNotar’ and now withdraw the trust.

Other example is an ethical piracy of the software. Sometimes, we knew that it is piracy copy of the software application; however that is only the available in the software application in the country. I am talking about Microsoft piracy copies in the country, where the distributor are distributing piracy copies in the very first years of the independence. As the consequence of the piracies, the products are cannot be updated from the internet. Lot of viruses is spreading on the networks and disturbing all connectivity’s. It is including corrupting working files or event deleting the working files. In the beginning of the developing country, there are several difficulties in developing the software applications. We cannot buy software license directly from the source because Timor-Leste is not recognized as a country. Currently, most of the software applications, we bought from agencies that are registered in Australia or Singapore.

Any software application development has to be in-line with the country law and other regulations or ethical of the information and technology.

In conclusion: The ethical computing professional has putted himself or herself in relation to the client, communities, and with the other professionals in order to develop a technology either it is soft or hard for the sake of the society. The impact of the unethical computing may cost the loose of the financial or life of the person as it happened on Therac-25.

References:

Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007) Managing the Software Enterprise:

Software Engineering and Information Systems in Context. London: Thomson Learning.

Lecture note, MNGSWE_WK3_seminar

 

Strategic Leadership and Decision Making, [Online].  Available from: 

http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch15.html (Accessed: 21 October 201).

Whitney, L. ( 21 September , 2011), DigiNotar files for bankruptcy, [Online].

Available from:  http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-20109522-83/diginotar-files-for-bankruptcy/ (Accessed: 21 October 201).

 

Conflicting Value

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction:

The conflict may arise from two or more difference groups’ view-points. “Those view-points are coming from the way or environment that they live in or experience with before and believe in. This is might differ one another and it is creating potential of the conflicts”, Pearce, W.B. & Littlejohn, S.W. (1997, P.49).

In this situation and condition will be allowing us to judge the behaviors of the groups either “it is raising conflicts or supporting each other (themselves) to reach the organization vision”, Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007, p.77).

Base on the argument above, in my personal experiences with new born organization, it is difficult to adjust. Although in the first year, we did setup an organization strategic plan for period of three years with very clear vision which is “to be a leading petroleum regulatory authority in the region and a model for institutional development in Timor‐Leste”, Autoridate Nacional do Petroleo (2009). This vision becomes a core value to everyone in the organization. However, there are several departments still not started to execute their strategic plan. This may impacted to the core value above. In other end some departments or doing different things that is not in the strategic goals and objectives. It is happen because it is driven by new product sharing contracts that were not seeing in the planning. This reflection reported in the midterm evaluation of the strategic plan.

I do believe that, the organization evolution has to be in place in order to adjust, adapt and adopt as it moves on. However, it has to be consulted with the relevant entities before it moves or adopted the direction. Otherwise, it creates conflict among the entities. For instance staff capacity building, performance review and recognitions. This year, we had lack of the trainings to the staff; in the organization policy it is clear stated that staff is entitle to have at least two trainings a year and it bases on the needs of the staff to perform the job; now it adopts one training a year. Performance review and rewarding are not in line with internal policies. This has come to staff concerns. And it has become an implication to the organization as well. As a result, two staffs are leaving the organization. Staff sent a concern letter to the management. And staff motivation is decreasing.

In the general meeting earlier this year, I mentioned that we have done several activities that are not in line with the strategic plan goals, objective, and including to support the core value. I also did liaison with staff and management to address the internal issues or we called staff concern. In my view as aliased person, I do see the leadership is a determinant factor of mutual trust building in order to achieve organization vision or core value.

In my own department we believe each staff has value to contribute the program and project that we set as in line with IT strategy road map.

There are several features of moral conflicts to take consideration as follows:

a.     Misunderstandings:

b.     Mistrust

c.      Strained and hostile communication

d.     Negative stereotype

e.      Non negotiability

In conclusion:

The conflicts often end up with human right violation or even let to worse as genocide (to eliminate one of the conflict groups). Therefore, in today organization, institution, and company, the leadership is an important factor to reach the core values. He or she has to understand overall organization behavioral and its environment.

References:

Maiese, M. (July 2003), Moral or Value Conflict, [Online].  Available from: 

http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/intolerable_moral_differences/  (Accessed: 21 October 2011).

Kates, S.L.  (n.d), Conflicting value-Orientation and Intra personality conflict

, [Online].  Available from: 

http://digital.library.okstate.edu/OAS/oas_pdf/v33/v282_285.pdf (Accessed: 21 October 201).

Autoridade Nacional do Petroleo, [Online].  Available from: 

http://www.anp-tl.org/ (Accessed: 21 October 201).

Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007) Managing the Software Enterprise:

Software Engineering and Information Systems in Context. London: Thomson Learning.

Pearce, W.B. and Littlejohn, S.W., Moral Conflict: When Social Worlds Collide.

(Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Inc., 1997), 49

                                                                                                                                      

Virtual Team Challenges

By Raul Bernardino

Introduction:

The globalization and ICT revolution brings a lot of benefit for world communities. We can easily find an expert, talent, and experience person for specific fields. Either brings them to be onsite or just works from remote location.  The technology enables the virtual team works are possible.

The benefits of having the virtual team as follows:

a.     The business will use right expertise for job

b.     Does not need a relocation and it saves cost for the business

c.      The person does not need to resign from current post and leaves family for certain period of time

d.     It creates a creativities

e.      It creates a loyally

f.       Does not need to invest in the human capacity

There are some differences on onsite team and virtual team on the issues of culture, social interaction, and the working environment. The onsite team may direct effect with country and organization cultures which is dynamical progressing as organization and country moves. It is because he or she is present in those cultures environment by person or face to face.  While the virtual team may not has chance to have cross culture effect directly from the country that he or she works for from remote location. However, the virtual team has to aware that they are interacting with different person, culture, and ethical virtually. The virtual team is very much focusing on the task accomplishment of the individuals or group within the time table or schedule as planned.

There are several challenges in the virtual team as follows:

a.     The trust: It is quite hard to build a trust over virtual interaction, while not have a physically meet with the person. The one of the important component to build the trust here is the communication.

b.     The synergy: It is difficult for people to have a synergy while not spend time together. It is also difficult to build a team relationship. However the virtual team lead or manager have to establish schedule for virtual team to meet virtual either with videoconferencing or audio conferencing in order to improve the communication among the team, also discuss the issue the team member faced, including sharing the information.

c.      The Isolation: The virtual team member is working from remote individually. This isolation makes team member feels work alone and some time out of the loop because loss some updates from the rest of the team. For instance team member is not able to participate the virtual team meeting.

d.     The collaboration: Here the virtual team members have to work and thinking independently while manager or virtual team lead has adjust and adapt their styles in managing the team. He or she has to encourage, motivate, and monitor the progress of each individual works.  

e.      The performance review: It is hard for team lead to assess each individual that works virtually. He or she has to establish the reliable quantitative and qualitative measurement for the accuracy of the performance review. For instance establish the result agreement upfront. In the result agreement has to state tasks to executed, indicator of the outcomes, and time line of the delivery.

In Conclusion: The communication is essential part in the virtual team success or failure during programs or projects execution.

 References:

Hall, P. A.V. & Fernandez-Ramil, J. (2007) Managing the Software Enterprise:

Software Engineering and Information Systems in Context. London: Thomson Learning.

Lecture note, MNGSWE_WK2_seminar

Managing Groups and Teams/How Do You Build High-performing Virtual Teams?, [online].

Available from: http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Managing_Groups_and_Teams/How_Do_You_Build_High-performing_Virtual_Teams%3F   (Accessed: 14 October 2011)

Trautsch, B.R. (Dec.11, 2003) Managing Virtual Project Team, [Online]. Available

from: http://userwww.sfsu.edu/~ceb/b895/btrautsch895.pdf    (Accessed: 14 October 2011)

Kimball, L. (1997), Managing Virtual team, [Online]. Available from:

http://www.groupjazz.com/pdf/vteams-toronto.pdf (Accessed: 14 October 2011)

Virtual team benefits and challenges, [Online]. Available from:

http://www.time-management-guide.com/virtual-team.html  (Accessed: 14 October 2011)

Sasso, A. ( 2008), Overcoming Virtual team Challenges: After Action Review,

[Online]. Available from:  http://www.leadingvirtually.com/?p=25  (Accessed: 14 October 2011)