Analysis of project management techniques within software engineering in the financial industry

M.Ing. (Engineering Management)Within the last 20 years, technology has progressed remarkably. Secondary market trading in South Africa was at an age where rates were being printed on ticker paper and this was considered real time rates. Deal tickets were completed by hand and the dealing room was complete chaos. Today the advancements of technology have evolved this industry remarkably. With real time rates feeding two or even three systems on screen, trade volumes have increased exponentially. The roles of information technology (IT) and software engineering are seen as support functions within most banking industries and are considered critical elements to any project. The project manager must be able to cope with constant change in the technology environment and intense pressure from stakeholders to produce quality results on time. All means of business are transacted through an electronic platform making the reliance and integrity of software systems critical. Software engineering becomes more than just simply writing a system for some designed purpose. Improper management of systems projects will impact heavily on daily operations. The primary aim of this research study is to investigate project management and portfolio management processes within the financial industry, and to recommend and formulate enhancements to these processes. The study will be conducted on a young and developing investment bank where policy and processes are not yet clearly established. A pilot project management process will be introduced and monitored against the following measurements areas: Quality, Stability, Deliverables, Relationships and Execution