Can I get input as to what differentiates a Project Management Lifecycle from a Software Development Lifecycle. My company is currently in the process of developing project management methodologies (the company has been around for many years but is very new to project management)- these methodologies will need to tie into the Business as well as the IT departments. We have done both "basic" project management and software development project management. So we continuously have discussions and differences of opinions regarding the PMLC vs SDLC. Do they share a common thread or are they two completely separate Lifecycles? Saving Changes...
Neville TurbitDirector| Project Perfect.com.auAbbotsford, Nsw, Australia
I have been working with organisations to separate the two for some years. If you establish a PM culture it can be applied everywhere in the organisation. The way I explain it is that PM methodology says break a task down into parts or phases. SDLC says the phases are Analysis, Design, Code and Test for example. PM methodology says define roles and responsibilities. SDLC says the R&R's are.....
If the organisation wants to move buildings, a PM methodology fits. It just has different phases, R&R's, Activities, etc. If it wants to produce a review of staff salary structure, same story. The key thing is to get people thinking about the process rather than the specifics of each type of project. If you can establish a project mentality, plugging in an SDLC or any other type of life cycle becomes easy.
Neville Turbit - www.projectperfect.com.au Saving Changes...
John SchlichterFounder| OPM Experts LLC http://opmexperts.comAtlanta, Ga, United States
Typically the product development process is decomposed into major activities to achieve specific objectives by phase (or stage), culminating in the end goal. Two of the most popular process diagramming methods to represent this kind of information are IDEF0 and Rummler-Brache. IDEF0 emphasizes the activities of an enterprise, whereas Rummler-Brache emphasizes the functional units of the enterprise performing the processes. It is often easiest to model the activities first before assigning functional responsibility for the activities. It is difficult to combine process design with organization design. Typical product development activities are widely known, yet each company's product development process will be unique to the organization's structure and to the special kind(s) of products being created. Separate from the product development processes are the project management processes. The latter are used to manage the former. For more on this topic, visit http://www.opmexperts.com/mb Saving Changes...
I like to divide and conquer and so think of the PMLC and SDLC as two concentric circles/cycles. The inner cycle is the SDLC which represents the IT work (i.e., need/problem analysis, requirements analysis, architect/design, etc.). The outer cycle is the PMLC and represents the PM work (i.e., scope mgmt, time mgmt, cost mgmt, risk mgmt, etc.). The PMLC bounds the SDLC. The SDLC work is excuted sequentially by SDLC phase. The PM work is executed repeatedly on top of each SDLC phase. Check out my website (www.addtis.com) for a more detailed explanation. Saving Changes...
Michael McCormickPMO Consultant/Owner| MPCSFredericksburg, Va, United States
All IT projects begin with the Project Management Life Cycle which at a later stage converges with the System Development Life Cycle.
The Project Management Life Cycle (PMLC) begins in the Project Initiation (or Pre-Planning) phase and extends to the Planning tasks in the Planning & Design phases. These phases require a copious amount of preliminary work to be done before a project begins. The quality of effort and thoroughness applied in completing these tasks will determine a project's destiny. Project completion on time, within budget and meeting customer expectations can all be foretold by the quality of work done during these phases. It is therefore important that the role of these phases in the overall success of a project not be downplayed.
With that said, the Anonymous question should be focusing on establishing a PMO for all project types, not just IT. Saving Changes...
