The goal of project management is to produce an
information system that is acceptable to its end users and
that is developed within the specified time frame and
budget. The acceptability, deadline, and budget criteria
must all be met for a project to be considered completely
successful. Failing to meet any one of these three criteria
usually indicates a failure, at least in part, in project
management. Even though outside factors might
contribute significantly to project failure, the role of
project management is to recognize such factors and to
eliminate or minimize their negative effects.
The job of a project manager is to manage a project to
develop an information system. The project manager is
usually a member of the information systems
department, typically a senior systems analyst. The
project manager might also be called the project leader or
When appropriate, the lead analyst or the chief
programmer.
Most IS projects also have a project coordinator. The
project coordinator handles the administrative and
procedural responsibilities for the developing IS. This
person also negotiates between end users when they have
conflicting requirements and makes the final ruling on all