Project Management Essay -- Management Information Technology

Most Project Managers come up through the ranks of an Information Technology (I.T.) department. They have mastered coding, testing. This experience helps prepare them to run projects, but there are still many unknowns for the new Project Manager. The official project request they receive is typically a vague, one-page list of objectives. In addition, I.T. Management cannot afford the time to guide the new Project Manager each step of the way. This paper will assist them in the initial stages of a project. Defining the Project: Purpose The first step in any project is to determine the purpose of the project. The project purpose should be a simple statement that is the guiding principle of the project. For example: The purpose of this project is to reduce the amount of time it takes to enter an order. Defining the Project: Requirements With the purpose in mind, the requirements for the project should be set. Often, the users will need to be contacted to clarify the requirements from their initial project request. The requirements should be in business terms, relate to organizational requirements, and be broken down by functional area. For example: * Improve the response time in Order Entry to improve customer service (Order Services Department) * Give the sales force the ability to enter orders while at the customer site to improve customer service (Sales Department) * Decrease the learning curve for new Order Entry Clerks to improve customer service and reduce training costs (Order Services Department) In each example, "improving customer service" is the organizational requirement that the project requirement relates too. The department (in parenthesis) represents the fu... .... This technique only clarifies requirements; thus, other requirement gathering methods are used in conjunction with it. Conclusion The two essential outputs of the initial stages of a project are: * Clearly defined, achievable requirements that are in step with organizational requirements * A reasonable, feasible work plan Remarks In order to complete, many projects are finding it advantageous to use a lifecycle approach. One of the reasons software project management remains a challenge is that, as has been all too frequently observed, progress in software development has not kept pace with progress in hardware development. The gap between software and hardware development is partly explained by the lack of standard methods and tools to boost the software development process. In short, "The cobbler's children have no shoes."

Shared and Non-Shared Events

Events, using a psychological approach, could either be shared or non-shared. Based on the denotation of shared and the non, one might have a pretty good idea of what the terms actually mean. One thing is for sure, though; apparently, not all events can be shared, which somehow contradicts one connotation of the word event. At any rate, this paper would define and differentiate shared and non-shared events as much as the author knows it. Shared EventsIn order to understand what the term means without the use of complex psychology books, we should make do with just the bare words themselves defined separately: Shared is the past tense of share, which means to allow joint access to a particular thing or concept. Anything can practically be shared—even personal things, if it is within one’s hygienic tolerance. An event, meanwhile, is anything happening. So, combining the two definitions, we would get anything happening that is experienced by not just a single person therefore, our bare definition of a shared event is formed.Adding the subject of psychology, a shared event is something that is experienced by all parties involved, but its significance impacts those of not just by one person but all those involved in the event. Non-Shared Events Since the definition of shared events is already established, we only need to define the word non in order to get our full definition of a non-shared event. The word non is an adverb that signifies that the word following it should be regarded as the contrary.Therefore a non-shared event is exactly the opposite of a shared event, which brings us to a definition of anything happening that is experienced by just a single person. Again, from a psychological perspective, we get â€Å"something happening, whose impact only affects one individual. Examples of Shared Events There are many examples of a shared event. A good and timely example is none other than the current economic crisis. Is it an event? Check. Does it affect those involved? Check.The current economic crisis, call it recession if you must, is definitely a shared event, not only because it is an event (a big one at that), but also because virtually everybody is affected. Employees are either losing jobs or losing benefits, investors are losing their business, and families are giving up their homes. Another example of a shared event is a regional disaster—they could either be natural disasters or man-made. Hurricanes, earthquakes, forest fires, and floods are just some of examples of regional disasters that are shared by everyone who happened to be in the area where it took place.Election is another shared event that impacts the population, as the outcome of an election could determine the future of a nation. Examples of Non-Shared Events There are also a number of examples for non-shared events. A person who gets himself or herself into an accident alone is one example. However, if that person is the provider for a family, his or her accident can be considered as a shared event, as that person’s accident would cause his or her family to be affected financially by the accident.The same it true with a person who gets sick. If he lives alone or if his inactivity does not affect the welfare of the family, his sickness would be considered a non-shared event. Otherwise, it is a shared event. Relationship events outside of the family is also an example of a non-shared event—other family members do not necessarily have to get involved in relationship matters outside of their circle (Eley & Stevenson, 2000).

12 Ways to Make Money Without a Job

12 Ways to Make Money Without a Job You don’t have a job at present. And, for whatever reason, you don’t want one. But you do need to make some money. Whether you’re out to try and earn $100k income while sitting at your desk,  or just pick up a few dollars to pay the bills when you need to, there are dozens of opportunities for you to make money without a job and bring in some extra bucks. Some of these jobs are web-based, others are merely odd jobs or out-of-the-box strategies, but either way, the internet is your friend. Use it to sell yourself and whatever skill or service you would like to use to generate income. You can’t afford to be squeamish about self-promotion, particularly in the freelance market where income disparities are a reality.If you’re in a situation where you’re looking to make money without a job, and you’re willing to hustle a little more around the edges to compensate for income stability, then the following 12  ideas might be something to co nsider.1. Sell or Rent Your StuffSecondhand, or â€Å"used†/†unique† items are all the rage these days. Go through your house or apartment for anything you just don’t need or use anymore and sell it on eBay or Amazon or Gumtree. Then look at your space itself. If you have an extra room, or you’re planning to go on vacation, consider renting out some or all of your space on Airbnb. If you live in a busy city, you could even rent out your parking space.2. Fill Out SurveysIt is actually possible to earn money by filling out online surveys. Compensation will vary, and might not ever be substantial, but lumping a bunch of these jobs together can add up. Start with a platform like MySurvey.net, which pays in gift cards. Look to other platforms if you prefer to be paid in cash.3. Ghost ShopLove shopping and being critical? Trying to find defects and keeping a keen eye out for details? Start applying on MysteryShopping.com if this appeals to you. Your report s after visiting shops, restaurants, hotels, etc. will be used to grade employees’ performance- and, hopefully, will improve future shoppers’ experiences.4. Publish on KindleYou don’t need to go the traditional publishing route to sell your books and earn money for your writing. Use Amazon’s Kindle platform to self-publish ebooks you’ve written. The sky’s the limit.5. Sell Stock PhotosEver try to use a stock photo and realize you have to pay a (sometimes hefty) fee? Get yourself set up with a site like Shutterstock, load your photos, and get paid when people use them. It’s possible to make a decent salary this way, even to break six figures!6. Invest (Legally) in PotNow that marijuana is legal in certain states, there are opportunities for you to do a bit of long-game gambling, if you’re so inclined and can afford the risk. Cash in on the craze by investing in marijuana-related stocks.7. Buy BitcoinUse sites like CoinBase and b uy a small amount to start. The biggest gains in Bitcoin may be gone, but you can monitor how your investment grows, then keep your eyes out for the next hottest cryptocurrency and get in on the ground floor.8. Sell BooksUse a site like BookScouter to see what the highest market rate might be for any given book- either your old paperback, or some bargain book you picked up in a used bookstore. Then sell it online for as much of a profit as the market will allow.9. Participate in Mock TrialsLawyers often need to test their cases out to get a sense of how they’ll go in court. Get paid to be part of a mock jury on sites like eJury  or  Online Verdict.10. Design ShirtsT-shirt design is, rather surprisingly, a bit of an emerging industry on the internet. Use different sites like Threadless, DesignbyHumans, or  TeeSpring  to make your designs. The company will set you a price and a sales goal, and the company will pay you, depending on how you do and how many shirts you sel l. If you have the chops to drive up sales without alienating all of your friends, this could be a great gig for you.11. Betatest or Review SoftwareEver wonder how companies work out the kinks and bugs in their software? Ever wonder who gets paid for this kind of work? Well, it could be you. Go to SoftwareJudge or Utest or Erli Bird, and get started. You can easily make $10 per hour or more doing what might actually be fun work.12. Donate Your Eggs or SpermThis one isn’t for the faint of heart or health, but it is perhaps one of the most lucrative options. If you’re selected for sperm donation, you can make up to $40 per donation. Eggs are much more complicated (and painful) to harvest, and require a significant physical commitment. But you could make anywhere from $3-$200,000 per donation, depending on your location and the quality of your eggs.