Response to Discussion Question Week 1 In my current field, I operate in an organization that is in the IT industry in Nigeria and multiconcept in business

s model, we undertake hardware supply and installation and software supply and implementation. This is in addition to trainings and other turnkey IT projects. The growing need for technological know-how and usage is impacting on the global community. For me it is indicative of a shrinking global community such that it is becoming much easier and faster to reach different communities, use technology and support technology too. Today the responses of people and businesses to new technology is not about just acquiring it but acquiring the benefits that adopting information technology brings to their work space. It can be argued that innovation in information technology has been a major driving force behind globalization and that information technology has now become a key component of global business strategy (Lawlor, 2007). One major trend that has caught us all in the information technology field is the cloud technology. Several task are been achieved using the cloud technology and this has so much saved several costs that would have gone into the purchase of hardware infrastructure. Most organizations that inquire about our software services are always adopting the options that give them an opportunity to use the software without having to invest on servers (whether High -end or Low-end). The implication of these is that there is now a clear focus by those who design technology, suggest technology and implement technology to go along with technology that can conserve space, time and budget without compromising quality. Impact on Project Management As the world moves towards a global village, it become imperatives for systems, organizations, governments and individuals to come out with developments / new products and ideas that will not only enrich their immediate environment but will also benefit the global community. These designs are not spontaneous; they are products of researches, polls and experiments that cut across years, locality, technology, cultures, policies and nature. Most of the information derived from these exercises is inferred within a short while and decisions are taken. Today, its becoming easier for information to be shared and analyzed simultaneously, with the use of IT. We can now oversee projects across different areas and organizations using technology, thats why we can talk of virtual teams and virtual meetings on projects. This assertion was further enunciated by Bardhan et al (2007) In summary our results clearly suggest that the alignment between project characteristics and IT usage has a strong impact on project performance, and this impact is mediated through the notion of project competencies.

The implication for firms is that they will realize significant benefits in terms of project outcomes only if better IT-project alignment is internalized in terms of tightly linked and hard to imitate competencies that stress customer relevance and consistent performance while maximizing supply side leverage. My experience In my organization, we sometimes take on the role of IT project consultants for our clients, where we help them to evaluate particular software solutions and also manage the implementation of the solutions. Very recently we were engaged in the management of the deployment of enterprise wide Business Intelligence software for one of our clients in the Health Care Management industry. This organization with branches in the 36 state capitals of Nigeria wanted to install the BI solution at their Lagos Head Office but needed the other branches to also access the solution at their offices too. Good that the solution was a web enable solution meant that the other branches needed to just log on to the solution from their offices. On recognizing that the issue of finance for the project had come up, we proposed that they take the cloud option so they dont have to invest in extra infrastructure. The project team was set up and it included staff from other branches, we all interacted via the web during the set up The original manufacturers of the BI solution, my organization as the Project Managers and the health management organization (our client). It is interesting to note that the BI solution has its office in America and the implementation was taking place in Nigeria. Not once did we meet face to face but the project was successfully done and achieved in 7 days. The solution is up and running. Imagine how time and money would have impacted on the project had we decided to meet at a location to hold our meetings and reviews. Why is there an increasing demand for Project Management? There is an increased demand for project management because of the increasing need for organizations to remain efficient and improve on processes. Organizations and Governments are beginning to see how the intermediate role played by project managers account for the overall success of planned targets. There must be a way to harmonize constraints against expectations; the project management role clearly defines this. The results have to be benchmarked against history, successes and failures and lessons learnt for progress. Only project management can guarantee this. From the MSc in Project Management programme, which module do you believe will give you the best insight into your current field? How might that module improve your professional performance? I believe the module Execution and Control with risk will give me the best insight into my current field. This module will be able to improve my performance in the area of matching the project deliverables with actual work and also expertise in managing the change process and the impact on the overall project performance.

Description of my working environment My organization has her offices in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria. We occupy ground floor offices of a Plaza that also house other organizations. We operate an open office structure so we basically see each other and interact with each other every day. We operate a minimal noise level office this is why we basically shield our offices from the outside distractions. This is because we know that what we do require the utmost concentration and reasoning. We are strictly IT driven in our office; we send emails even if the person concerned was sitting in front of you. We are a process organization but very strategic. We believe that the right processes are what make the right IT deployment. As a rule we allow a semi - formal dress code because we really like to relax to do our work.

References Bardhan, I.R, Krishnan, V.V, Lin, S. (2007), Project Performance and the Enabling Role of Information Technology: An Exploratory Study on the Role of Alignment in MANUFACTURING AND SERVICE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT Vol 9, No 4, Fall 2007, pp 579-595. PMI (2008), A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, 4th Edition. Lawlor, B. (2007), The Age of Globalization: Impact of Information Technology on Global Business Strategies, Senior Capstone Project pp 1-2.