Essay Example on Strategic Decisions in Project Management: Choosing Computer Hardware and Software

What exactly is an information technology system? How does it work? What are its management, organization, and technology components?

Information technology system refers to an all-encompassing term for the systems, people, and processes that businesses use to create, store, manipulate, and distribute information. An information technology system works by bridging the gap between the user and the technology. The Information Technology process needs to be aligned with the business needs to produce quantifiable results in business needs.

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Information technology system management, organization, and technology components include People, Business Procedures and data, hardware, and software consecutively. People make the management component of the information technology system; these users use the information system to record day-to-day business transactions. The organization component of the information management system is made up of Business Procedures. Business procedures are agreed-upon best practices that guide the users and all other components on how to work efficiently. Data, Software, and Hardware make up the technology component of the Information technology system. Data with is later processed to information in detail about transactions within an organization. Hardware is made up of the physical components of a computer system; they include computers, printers, and networking devices, among others. Software, on the other hand, refers to the programs that run on the hardware.

What are the major distinctions between videoconferencing and telepresence? What are the ways in which telepresence provides value to a business? Would you consider it smart management? Explain your answer.

Video conferencing refers to conducting a conference between two or more participants at different sites by using computer networks to transmit audio and video data. Each participant has a video camera, microphone, and speakers mounted on his or her computer. As the two participants speak to one another, their voices are carried over the network and delivered to the other's speakers. Whatever images appear in front of the video camera appear in a window on the other participant's monitor. Simultaneously, Telepresence allows real-time two-way collaboration between people who are not in the same location. They can speak as if they are in the same room and share data with ease. This technology allows for greater communication and collaboration and provides benefits to your business. Telepresence can include video teleconferencing tools, where a picture and audio stream is conveyed to a remote location, and more involved robotics installations that can help a user accomplish tasks from a remote location.

Telepresence provides value to the business in various ways; these include Human interaction, Cost Savings, and Support business enablement. Firstly, Though Human interaction telepresence enables one to keep each member within a session, he is fully engaged as there is an excellent focus on facial expressions and body language within Telepresence. Secondly, Cost saving is another way Telepresence provides value to the business. Since the employees do not have to spend funds on transport, they can save on transportation and other office utilities needs. Lastly, Telepresence enables business enablement for others. This means that the business can eliminate communication bottlenecks to growth and progress, thus ensuring that the organization performs at its best (Keller, Pfeffel, Huffstadt, & Müller, 2020).

I would consider Telepresence smart management. The main reason is the advantages such as costs saving business continuity, and alleviation of bottlenecks, among others. These advantages ensure that a business runs at its best, with little to no hiccups, and has a quick return on investments.

What are some key technological trends that heighten ethical concerns these days? How would you prepare your newly hired junior project managers to mitigate these challenges?

Some key technological trends that heighten ethical concerns include computing power doubling every eighteen months has made many organizations user information systems for most of their decisions (Waldrop, 2016). Advancement in data analysis and Artificial intelligence for large pools of data is a third technological trend that heightens ethical concerns because companies and government agencies can find detailed personal information about an individual. A rapid decline in storage costs has been responsible for the multiplying databases on individuals—employees, customers, and potential customers maintained by private and public organizations and the rapid expansion of the internet.

I would prepare my junior project managers to mitigate these challenges by implementing policies for system use and processes, Implementation of Access Control Lists, and user rights within the system. Finally, I would offer training to the junior project managers to get them up to speed faster.

Why are systems for collaboration and teamwork so important to the project manager? How do systems serve the different management groups in a business?

Systems for collaboration and teamwork are essential to a project manager as they offer many advantages. These include Anticipation of the future, Planning, and work prioritization, and coordination of various tasks. These systems ensure that a project manager is aware of the project status and can generate comprehensive reports.

Collaboration systems serve different management groups in various ways. These ways manifest patterns, such as each user type has specific tasks delegated to them. This task can then be accomplished and later updated in the system. Top-level managers can use data retrieved from these systems to set standards and plan for the future.

Why is selecting computer hardware and software for the organization an important project management decision? What management, organization, and technology issues should be considered when selecting computer hardware and software?

Selecting computer hardware and software for the organization is crucial for the organization as different organization has different needs. These needs come in terms of Organization size, Capacity, Location and mode of operation, and Deliverables, among others. These Hardware and software needs must be aligned with the business needs to help the business grow. If the mentioned needs are not aligned with the organizational needs, they can act as bottlenecks to growth (Al-Safwani, Fazea, & Ibrahim, 2018).

Management, organization, and technology factors should be considered when selecting computer hardware and software. When the company is large smaller firms can manage with a simple spreadsheet; most will need more specific software to manage their company. They should consider their business strategy and the market's demand for the services –how they will be approaching their goals, and how necessary they invest in information systems. They should also consider which departments will be needing what kind of software and if the cost will be reasonable. They should also consider competing companies if customers prefer another company because of the particular software service that the company uses.

References

Al-Safwani, N., Fazea, Y., & Ibrahim, H. (2018). ISCP: In-Depth Model for Selecting Critical Security Controls. Computers & Security, 77, 565-577.

Keller, L., Pfeffel, K., Huffstadt, K., & Müller, N. H. (2020, July). Telepresence Robots and Their Impact on Human-Human Interaction. In International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction (pp. 448-463). Springer, Cham.

Waldrop, M. M. (2016). The Chips Are Down for Moore's Law. Nature News, 530(7589), 144.