Download Gis Project Management Msc Thesis - Unigis

Master Thesis: GIS Project management Final Version
2 METHODOLOGIES
2.1. Introduction
Clients experience project failure due to:
{ Inadequate definition of requirements;
{ Changing requirements;
{ Unrealistic time scale;
{ Underestimating project costs;
{ Incorrect choice of supplier.
© 1997 Hans Bestebreurtje, MSc UNIGIS
(Source: Input, 1994)
Although project managers are usually intelligent people different project managers make
the same mistakes over and over again. IT projects are getting more complex due to
business management and technological developments. A standard framework or
methodology describing the way to perform the project management tasks diminishes at
least the chance of “common” mistakes.
GIS is in the context of particular interest because:
{ It is a new technology and there is relatively little experience of implementing it;
{ It is not well understood;
{ It has some particular characteristics which affects the choice of methodology.
In the literature on GIS there is only limited reference to the use of methodologies in GIS
projects. As described in chapter 1, GIS is moving from the experimental phase in the life
cycle to the strategic position. The demands on GIS projects and GIS project managers are
changing accordingly and a structured project approach is becoming more important.
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