Dairy of an IT Project Leader: a case study on project management leadership

Abstract

This case is about the challenges faced in development and deployment of a large manufacture resource planning (MRP) II / enterprise solution for Major Insulators Ltd, a leading insulator manufacturing company in India. The case has been presented in the form of a diary of a project manager - wherein he narrates how the project unfolds on a week by week basis. Participants are able to find parallels to the situations described in the case in their own work area. After discussing issues and possible solutions / best practices, the case expects the participants to work out a fresh project plan, including a profit and loss account for the project. The purpose of the case is to sensitise / highlight to participants: (1) the issues faced in managing large IT deployments; (2) project management and leadership behaviours for the success of IT projects; (3) the business and monetary implications of project related decisions; and (4) the breadth and depth of thought required while planning a project. The case has been successfully used for training: (1) project leaders, project managers, transition managers; (2) business analysts and functional consultants; (3) senior developers and domain experts making a transition to the above roles; and (4) students of MBA, MCA, MSc / BSc (computer science / IT) etc. The case can be used in workshop mode for half-day (discussion only) to full-day (including new project plan preparation) under any of the following situations: (1) software development companies or end user IT departments; (2) companies at any level of maturity as per the capability maturity model framework; and (3) any large IT application in any domain.