Microsoft to expand project management range

Microsoft has announced plans to acquire UMT, a 16-year-old software and consulting firm that offers project and portfolio management products, TG Daily says.

Microsoft said that it will integrate UMT`s technology into its Office Enterprise Project Management solution, which is based on Microsoft Office Project Professional 2003 and Microsoft Office Project Server 2003.

Under the terms of the agreement, UMT will maintain its current operations until the transaction closes. Some members of the UMT executive team and a number of UMT product development employees are expected to join the Microsoft Office Project team upon completed acquisition.

The consulting arm of UMT will remain a separate entity and become the UMT Consulting Group, Microsoft said.

Webpronews.com writes that projects requiring the contributions of multiple individuals or teams using a multi-tiered development plan over a fixed period of time, include software application development, game development, execution of an advertising campaign, Web site design and development.

Nearly any kind of project, at varying levels of complexity, can be documented and conditions forecast to allow for more organised leadership and properly focused team members assigned to specific tasks to fulfil the overall goals of the project. Project management software should help in all phases of the project, including brainstorming and flowcharting tools to assist in workflow and design management.

Brainstorming management utilities can help organise and coalesce abstract design ideas into a fully developed product, and workflow management tools can help make the production, marketing and evolution of this product as efficient and organised as possible.

In response to the changing responsibilities of federal chief information officers (CIOs), opportunities for professional development have also expanded, reports FCW.com.

The CIO University, a consortium of a half-dozen universities, provides graduate-level courses and programmes on project management, security, capital planning, information systems architectures and other information technology related issues. The CIO Council created the virtual university, and the General Services Administration administers it.