Project Management
GIS PROJECT MANAGEMENT
MSc Thesis
Dissertation submitted in part fulfillment for the degree of Master of Science in Geographical Information Systems
April 1997 J.G.A. Bestebreurtje Manchester Metropolitan University
Mentor: Prof. Dr. H.J. Scholten Free University of Amsterdam
Master Thesis: GIS Project management
Final Version
ABSTRACT
Recent studies concerning GIS show that it is the fastest growing segment (both hard & software) of the graphical computer market. 70% of private organizations expect to use GIS as a strategic tool within their company. Like a product, GIS in an organization has a life cycle. According to the model of Nolan this life cycle starts with awareness and ends when full integration with other information systems is achieved. Until recently project management for GIS projects was mainly about projects which were considered to be experimental. The requirements for such projects differ from the requirements for projects which are strategic for a company. Strategic GIS projects require a project manager with thorough understanding of issues such as: planning, knowledge of the objectives of the project, project environment and politics. There is little experience with such GIS projects. However the question “ How to manage a GIS project effectively” has to be answered for strategically positioned GIS projects to be succesfull. It is important for project managers to understand the relationship between the position of GIS in an organisation (Nolan Model) in relationship to the importance of GIS for the organisation (Mc Farlan). The way a GIS project should be handled depends, to a large extend, on these two positionings. A combination of IT methodologies such as Structured Analysis and Design, project management methodologies such as PRINCE and Hewlett-Packards Customer Project Life Cycle 2 combined with best practices are proposed in order to provide a framework, for project managers, to handle GIS projects which are
MSc Thesis
Dissertation submitted in part fulfillment for the degree of Master of Science in Geographical Information Systems
April 1997 J.G.A. Bestebreurtje Manchester Metropolitan University
Mentor: Prof. Dr. H.J. Scholten Free University of Amsterdam
Master Thesis: GIS Project management
Final Version
ABSTRACT
Recent studies concerning GIS show that it is the fastest growing segment (both hard & software) of the graphical computer market. 70% of private organizations expect to use GIS as a strategic tool within their company. Like a product, GIS in an organization has a life cycle. According to the model of Nolan this life cycle starts with awareness and ends when full integration with other information systems is achieved. Until recently project management for GIS projects was mainly about projects which were considered to be experimental. The requirements for such projects differ from the requirements for projects which are strategic for a company. Strategic GIS projects require a project manager with thorough understanding of issues such as: planning, knowledge of the objectives of the project, project environment and politics. There is little experience with such GIS projects. However the question “ How to manage a GIS project effectively” has to be answered for strategically positioned GIS projects to be succesfull. It is important for project managers to understand the relationship between the position of GIS in an organisation (Nolan Model) in relationship to the importance of GIS for the organisation (Mc Farlan). The way a GIS project should be handled depends, to a large extend, on these two positionings. A combination of IT methodologies such as Structured Analysis and Design, project management methodologies such as PRINCE and Hewlett-Packards Customer Project Life Cycle 2 combined with best practices are proposed in order to provide a framework, for project managers, to handle GIS projects which are