Project management Objectives To introduce software project - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

1 2 Project management Objectives • To introduce software project management • Organizing, planning and scheduling and to describe its distinctive software projects characteristics • To discuss project planning and the planning process • DISCUSSION • To show how graphical schedule – Project Managers? representations are used by project management • To discuss the notion of risks and the risk management process 3 4 Topics covered Software project management • Concerned with activities involved in • Management activities ensuring that software is delivered on time • Project planning and on schedule and in accordance with the requirements of the organizations • Project scheduling developing and procuring the software • Risk management • Project management is needed because software development is always subject to budget and schedule constraints that are set by the organization developing the software 1

5 6 Software management distinctions Management activities • The product is intangible • Proposal writing • The product is uniquely flexible • Project planning and scheduling • Software engineering is not recognized as • Project costing an engineering discipline with the same • Project monitoring and reviews status as mechanical, electrical engineering, etc. • Personnel selection and evaluation • The software development process is not • Report writing and presentations standardized 7 8 Management commonalities Project staffing • May not be possible to appoint the ideal • These activities are not peculiar to people to work on a project software management – Project budget may not allow for the use of • Many techniques of engineering project highly-paid staff management are equally applicable to – Staff with the appropriate experience may not software project management be available – An organization may wish to develop employee • Technically complex engineering systems skills on a software project tend to suffer from the same problems as • Managers have to work within these software systems constraints especially when (as is currently the case) there is an international shortage of skilled IT staff 2

9 10 Project planning Types of project plans • Probably the most time-consuming project management activity • Continuous activity from initial concept through to system delivery. Plans must be regularly revised as new information becomes available • Various different types of plans may be developed to support the main software project plan that is concerned with schedule and budget 11 12 Project plan structure Activity organization • Activities in a project should be organized • Introduction to produce tangible outputs for • Project organization management to judge progress • Risk analysis • Milestones are the end-point of a process • Hardware and software resource activity requirements • Deliverables are project results delivered to customers • Work breakdown • The waterfall process allows for the • Project schedule straightforward definition of progress • Monitoring and reporting mechanisms milestones 3

13 14 Milestones in the RE process Project scheduling • Split project into tasks and estimate time and resources required to complete each task ACTIVITIES • Organize tasks concurrently to make Feasibility Requirements Prototype Design Requirements optimal use of workforce study analysis development study specification • Minimize task dependencies to avoid delays caused by one task waiting for another to Feasibility Requirements Evaluation Architectural Requirements report definition report design specification complete • Dependent on project managers intuition MILESTONES and experience 15 16 The project scheduling process Scheduling problems • Estimating the difficulty of problems and the cost of developing a solution is not easy • Productivity is not proportional to the number of people working on a task Identify Identify activity Estimate resources Allocate people Create project • Adding people to a late project makes it activities dependencies for activities to activities charts later because of communication overheads Software Activity charts requirements and bar charts • The unexpected always happens. Always allow contingency in planning 4

17 18 Bar charts and activity networks Task durations and dependencies • Graphical notations used to illustrate the project schedule • Show project breakdown into tasks. Tasks should not be too small. They should take about a week or two • Activity charts show task dependencies and the the critical path • Bar charts show schedule against calendar time 19 20 Activity network Staff allocation 15 days 14/7/99 4/7 11/7 18/7 25/ 1/8 8/8 15/8 22/8 29/8 5/9 19/9 12/9 15 days M1 T3 8 days T9 Fred T4 T1 5 days 4/8/99 25/8/99 25/7/99 T8 T11 T6 M4 M6 4/7/99 M3 T12 7 days start 20 days Jane T1 15 days T11 T7 T2 T3 T9 5/9/99 25/7/99 11/8/99 10 days 10 days Anne T2 M2 M8 M7 T5 15 days T4 T6 T10 T10 10 days 18/7/99 T12 Jim T7 M5 25 days Mary T5 T8 Finish 19/9/99 5

21 22 Risk management Software risks • Risk management is concerned with identifying risks and drawing up plans to minimize their effect on a project. • A risk is a probability that some adverse circumstance will occur. – Project risks affect schedule or resources – Product risks affect the quality or performance of the software being developed – Business risks affect the organization developing or procuring the software • PROJECT – Any risk planning? 23 24 The risk management process The risk management process • Risk identification – Identify project, product and business risks • Risk analysis – Assess the likelihood and consequences of Risk Risk Risk analysis Risk planning these risks identification monitoring • Risk planning – Draw up plans to avoid or minimize the effects Risk avoidance Risk List of potential Prioritised risk and contingency of the risk assessment risks list plans • Risk monitoring – Monitor the risks throughout the project 6

25 26 Risk identification Risks and risk types • Technology risks • People risks • Organizational risks • Requirements risks • Estimation risks 27 28 Risk analysis Risk planning • Consider each risk and develop a strategy • Assess probability and seriousness of to manage that risk each risk • Avoidance strategies • Probability may be very low, low, – The probability that the risk will arise is moderate, high or very high reduced • Minimization strategies • Risk effects might be catastrophic, – The impact of the risk on the project or serious, tolerable or insignificant product will be reduced • Contingency plans – If the risk arises, contingency plans deal with that risk 7