Software Project Management

1. Software Project Management Session 1 QaiserAbbas Fall 2010

2. Job Functions and Tasks for Project Management • Project Planning • Develops preliminary study with project team, identifying business problem, requirements, project scope and benefits • Identifies key project results and milestones • Develops project plan and work breakdown structure and communicates to team and client • Determines needed resources; including client involvement • Estimates timelines and phases • Influences selection of project team members • Assigns project responsibilities based on assessment of individual skills and development needs • Defines clear individual roles and performance expectations • Establishes acceptance criteria • Determines appropriate technological approach

3. Job Functions and Tasks for Project Management (Continued) • Managing the project • Continually reviews project status • Reviews work against key results criteria • Uses systematic method for logging project status, checking against schedule • Uses change management / request procedure • Uses project meetings to measure progress against plan, communicate changes and issues • Assesses skill-needed documentation of meetings, work, conversations, and decisions • Measures quality through testing against requirements • Conducts project reviews and walk-throughs (with appropriate client involvement)

4. Job Functions and Tasks for Project Management (Continued) • Lead project team • Involves team in planning • Uses both formal and informal methods to track project status • Recognizes individual and team accomplishments or results • Manages performance issues in a timely manner • Delegates tasks effectively based on understanding individual strengths and weaknesses • Maintains open door for staff ideas and concerns • Sets performance and development objectives for staff • Schedules and holds regular team meetings

5. Job Functions and Tasks for Project Management (Continued) • Building client partnerships • Involves working jointly with client in defining project goals and key results • Works with client to ensure alignment of project to overall business goals • Listens and responds actively, documents client needs, changes, and demands • Implements procedures for controlling and handling change • Develops client understanding of the system and trains in systems use • Presents and reports periodically to client • Establishes lines of responsibility and accountability to client

6. Job Functions and Tasks for Project Management (Continued) • Targeting to the business • Manages in accordance with visions and values • Links overall architecture principles • Interfaces effectively with business systems and processes • Plans for impacts on related systems / departments to achieve maximum efficiency • Understands business needs, time, and cost pressures • Keeps current with business and technology development competitors • Aligns project with corporate and business priorities and direction

7. Additional Factors • Company / project structure and vision • Domain and technical expertise • Nature of client / market • Nature of project team

8. What is a Project? • Dictionary Definitions • A specific plan or design • A planned undertaking • A large undertaking: e.g. a public works scheme

9. Characteristics of a Project • Non-routine tasks are involved • Planning is required • Specific objectives are to be met or specified product is to be created • Pre-determined time span • Work is carried out for someone other than yourself • Work involves several specialisms • Work is carried out in several phases • Resources that are available are constrained • Project is large or complex

10. Project Parameters • Scope • What is included • What is NOT included • Quality • Product • Process • People • Cost • Project cost • Customer budget • Time • Resources • People • Equipment • Physical facilities

11. The Scope Triangle

12. The Scope Triangle (Continued) • Scope Creep • Causes • Poorly defined scope and requirements • Addition of requirements by client • Controls • Well-defined scope, requirements, and contract • Change control process • Hope Creep • Causes • Incorrect reporting • Controls • Removal of fear from environment • Activity breakdown to small, measurable level • Random checks on work done

13. The Scope Triangle (Continued) • Effort Creep • Causes • Lack of expertise or ability • Underestimation of tasks • Controls • Activity breakdown to small, measurable level • Adequate resource allocation and training • Provide mentoring or additional resources • Feature Creep • Causes • Lack of awareness • Controls • Increase awareness • Change control process

14. Software Projects vs. Others • Invisibility • Complexity • Conformity • Flexibility

15. Project Management Activities • Feasibility Study • Planning • Execution

16. Classic Project Life Cycle • Requirements Analysis • Specification • Design • Coding • Verification and Validation • Implementation/Installation • Maintenance and Support

17. Methods, Plans and Methodologies • Method – Steps to perform a type of activity • Plan – Converting a method to a real activity • Start and end dates • Who will carry it out • What tools and materials will be used • Methodology – Sequenced group of methods or techniques

18. Categorizing Software Projects • Information Systems vs. Embedded Systems • Objectives vs. Product

19. Management • Planning – deciding what is to be done • Organizing – making arrangements • Staffing – selecting the right people for the job, etc. • Directing – giving instructions • Monitoring – checking on progress • Controlling – taking action to remedy hold-ups • Innovating – coming up with new solutions • Representing – liasing with users, etc.

20. Problems with Software Projects • Poor estimates and plans • Lack of quality standards and measures • Lack of guidance about making organizational decisions • Lack of techniques to make progress visible • Poor role definition – who does what? • Incorrect success criteria

21. Problems with Software Projects (Continued) • Inadequate specification of work • Management ignorance of IT • Lack of knowledge of application area • Lack of standards • Lack of up-to-date documentation • Preceding activities not completed on time – including late delivery of equipment • Lack of communication between users and technicians • Lack of communication leading to duplication of work

22. Problems with Software Projects (Continued) • Lack of commitment – especially when a project is tied to one person who then moves • Narrow scope of technical expertise • Changing statutory requirements • Changing software environment • Deadline pressure • Lack of quality control • Remote management • Lack of training

23. Setting Objectives • Project Authority • Project Steering Committee/Project Board • Sub-Objectives and Goals • Measures of Effectiveness

24. Stakeholders • Internal to the project team • External to the project team but within the same organization • External to both the project team and the organization

25. Business Case • Feasibility Study – Cost-Benefit Analysis • Ensure Intactness of Business Case, For Example • Development costs are not allowed to rise to a level which threatens to exceed the value of benefits • Features of the system are not reduced to a level that the expected benefits cannot be realized • Delivery date is not delayed so that there is an unacceptable loss of benefits

26. Requirement Specification • Functional Requirements • Quality Requirements • Resource Requirements

27. References • Effective Project Management, 2nd Edition, Robert K. Wysocki, Robert Beck Jr., David B. Crane, John Wiley and Sons Inc., 2000 – Chapter 2, 4 • Software Project Management, 3rd Edition, Bob Hughes and Mike Cotterell, McGraw Hill, 2002 – Chapter 1