S2024 MAD115 Project Management

Submitted To: Arjit Thakur

Submitted By: Jasmine Kaur
Student ID: A00193413
 1. Fundamentals and Challenges of Project Management
Question: Explain the fundamentals of project management and describe the main
challenges faced by developers in project management. How can effective project
management practices help mitigate these challenges?

Fundamentals of Project Management: Project management means to coordinate the work

to facilitate the processes of planning, scheduling and controlling of projects in terms of scope,
time, and cost. Some of the key principles include: specifying the goals, setting a map of
activities, providing the resources, and control. Communication is also another factor that
cannot be overemphasized, especially when it comes to managing the various stakeholders. For
instance, with a google sheet it is easy to plan and manage project timelines and track project
progress against predefined goals such as the Gantt chart.

Challenges: Some of the general problems affecting project management are scope creeps that
are changes to project requirements, that occur without proper authorization resulting in
additional time and costs. Delay causes relate to time management, while problems with
resources may stem from their inadequacy or suboptimal utilization. For instance, the Denver
International Airport baggage handling system project suffered either time and cost overruns
because of increase in the project scope and inadequate resource management.

Mitigation Strategies: Such factors can be managed effectively by the best practices in project
management through proper planning, risk analysis and control, and regular and proper
communication. For example, managing project scope by having welly documented project
scope statement and having a built a change management process can help control for scope
creep. The organization of time and work involves the practices such as organization of critical
activities using the critical path method to determine the critical activities. Project or weekly/
bi-weekly meetings make everyone aware of the progress and any challenges which may exist.

2. Roles and Responsibilities in Project Management

Question: Identify the key roles and responsibilities of a project manager and project team
members. How do these roles contribute to the success of a project?

Project Manager: The project manager must plan projects, do them, as well as close them.
What they do next is coordinating tasks, carrying out resource planning, communicating with
stakeholders. Crucial duties will include setting out objectives of the particular task ahead of
us, determining timetable, financial forecasts, and risk reduction.

Team Members: Team players carry out the actions outlined in the project design poster. They
bear the responsibility of releasing distinct work units, joining efforts with neighboring
teammates and giving progress notifications. Their competence and dedication essentially
contribute to the success of the campaign.

Product Owner: In Agile methodologies, the product owner represents the stakeholders and
the voice of the customer. They prioritize the product backlog, define user stories, and ensure
the team delivers value to the end-users.

Stakeholders: Stakeholders are individuals or groups with an interest in the project's outcome.
They provide requirements, feedback, and approval for project deliverables. Effective
stakeholder management involves regular communication to ensure their needs and
expectations are met.

Collaboration for Success: Collaboration among these roles ensures the project stays on track
and meets its objectives. For example, the project manager coordinates with the product owner
to align on priorities, while team members work together to complete tasks efficiently.
Stakeholders' feedback helps refine the project deliverables, ensuring they meet user needs.

3. Introduction to Agile Methodology

Question: List and explain some leading project management methodologies with a focus on
Agile. Describe the key concepts and practices from Agile methodology, including the
Manifesto for Agile Software Development and key Agile terminology.

Leading Methodologies: Common project management methodologies include Waterfall,

Lean, and Agile. Waterfall is a linear approach, suitable for projects with clear requirements.
Lean focuses on maximizing value by eliminating waste. Agile, however, is iterative and
flexible, making it ideal for projects with changing requirements.

Agile Concepts and Practices: Agile

emphasizes iterative development,
customer engagement and flexibility in
responding customer needs. The Agile
Manifesto identifies four essential aspects:
individuals and interactions as opposed to
processes and tools; working software is
preferred over extensive documentation;
adaptation is more important than contract
negotiation; response to change changes
directions planned beforehand.
Key Agile Terminology:

• Sprints: Described as time-boxed intervals which typically last 2-4 weeks. During this
period, there will be a number of functions that will have been implemented.
• User Stories: Development priorities are guided by descriptions of features from the
perspective of an end-user.
• Kanban: A visually-rich work management system that shows work states and how
work is proceeding.

Agile allows teams to better respond to changes because it centers on delivering

incremental enhancements and adapting quickly, this helps to increase customer
satisfaction, and project flexibility.

4. Merits and Functions of Project Management Software

Question: What are the advantages of using project management software applications?
Describe the main functions of project management software and identify resources that can
be optimized using these tools.

Merits: Project management software has many benefits, such as better cooperation, instant
monitoring, and efficient preparation of resources. It makes communication in a team easier,
gives a chance to look at the progress of a project, and serves for timely and budget-friendly
task and financial planning.

Main Functions: Task assignment, scheduling and progress tracking are some of the main
functions of project management software. For example, tasks together with timelines can be
viewed using tools such as Gantt charts and Kanban boards. Successful project management
requires monitoring both times spent on different activities as well as how much money is spent
during its execution.

Optimized Resources: Software for managing projects boosts the usage of resources such as
time, budget, and human resources. For instance, time-efficient management is enabled by
automatic scheduling and reminders, whereas there is proper allocation of financial resources
with features that track budgets. Burnout and productivity can thus be reduced through clearer
task assignments hence improved productivity resulting from workload balancing which also
optimizes human resource.
 5. Comparison of Project Management Software
Question: List some of the main project management software available in the market.
Compare their advantages and disadvantages.

Trello: Jira:

• Pros: Easy to use, intuitive Kanban • Pros: Strong functional capabilities

boards help in achieving goals, that support Agile techniques,
flexible. comprehensive personalization,
• Cons: Suitable for less complicated strong report.
works because it has few reporting • Cons: Hard to learn; new users can
functions. find it too much.
• Compatibility: It is best for small • Compatibility: People who work on
groups with straightforward tasks. programming software together as a
team as such programs should be used
on complex projects.

Asana: ClickUp:

• Pros: Ease of use, flexibility of the • Pros: predefined templates, multiple

project formats, board and timeline project views, broad range of features.
format, and the ability to collaborate. • Cons: High probability of
• Cons: Can be expensive for a large complexity, occasional performance
group, fewer options to change the issues,
product layout. • Compatibility: Ideal for various
• Compatibility: Suitable for teams of project types, from simple to highly
all sizes, across various industries. complex projects.

Each software has its strengths and weaknesses, and the best choice depends on the specific
needs and scale of the project.

References:
• https://www.edubridgeindia.com/blog/understanding-what-is-agile-methodology/
• https://www.forbes.com/advisor/business/software/trello-vs-
jira/#:~:text=While%20Trello%20and%20Jira%20both,visually%20track%20a%20pr
oject's%20tasks.
• https://zapier.com/blog/clickup-vs-asana/
• https://kissflow.com/project/benefits-of-project-management-software/