Software Project Management

Unit - 1
Prepared By :
Mr. Ankit Kumar Mishra
Asst. Professor,
ICST, SHEPA
Management :
• According to Harold Koontz: "Management is the art of getting things done
through and with people in formally organized groups”.

• According to Mary Parker Follet: "Management is the art of getting things done
through people."
Management Cont..
• Management is an individual or a group of individuals that accept responsibilities
to run an organization.
• They Plan, Organize, Direct and Control all the essential activities of the
organization.
• Management does not do the work themselves. They motivate others to do the
work and co-ordinate (i.e. bring together) all the work for achieving the objectives
of the organization.
• Management brings together all Six Ms i.e. Men and Women, Money, Machines,
Materials, Methods and Markets.
• They use these resources for achieving the objectives of the organization such as
high sales, maximum profits, business expansion, etc.
Project :
• It’s a temporary group activity designed to produce a unique product,
service or result.
• A project is temporary in that it has a defined beginning and end in
time.
• A unique activity having:
Sequence of tasks
Consumes resources
Achieves an objective
Results in something new
Characteristics Of Project :
• Non-Routine tasks are involved.
• Planning is required.
• The project has predetermined time span.
• Works involve several specialisms.
• Work is carried out for someone other than yourself.
• Work is carried out in several phases.
• The project is large or complex.
Reason Of Project Failure:
• Not enough resources.
• Not enough time.
• Unclear specifications.
• Changes in scope.
• Disagreement among stakeholders.
• Bad plan.
• Lack of Knowledge.
Introduction to Software Project Management

It is a process of managing, allocating and timing resources to develop computer software

that meets requirements.

In Software Project Management, the end users and developers need to know the length,
duration and cost of the project.

It is a sub-discipline of project management in which software projects are planned,

implemented, monitored and controlled.
Task Of SPM
1. Problem Identification.
2. Problem Definition.
3. Project Planning.
4. Project Organization.
5. Resource Allocation.
6. Project Scheduling.
7. Tracking, Reporting and Controlling.
8. Project Termination
Cont…
• In problem identification and definition, the decisions are made while
approving, declining or prioritizing projects.
• In problem identification, project is identified, defined and justified.
• In problem definition, the purpose of the project is clarified. The main product is
project proposal.
• In project planning, it describes a series of actions or steps that are needed to for
the development of work product.
• In project organization, the functions of the personnel are integrated. It is done in
parallel with project planning.
Cont….

• In resource allocation, the resources are allocated to a project so that the goals
and objectives are achieved.
• In project scheduling, resources are allocated so that project objectives are
achieved within a reasonable time span.
• In tracking, reporting and controlling, the process involves whether the project
results are in accordance with project plans and performance specification.
• In controlling, proper action is taken to correct unacceptable deviations.
• In project termination, the final report is submitted or a release order is signed.
Project Management/Life Cycle
PLC cont…
The Project Phases Involved:
• Phase 1: The Initiation Phase
• Phase 2: The Planning Phase
• Phase 3: The Execution Phase
• Phase 4: The Closure Phase
 Phase 1: The Initiation Phase
• This can also be referred to as the ‘Conceptualization Phase’ and is the starting point of
any project or idea.
• For the Conceptualization Phase to begin, a strategic need for the project or service
must be recognized by upper management.
Ask yourself the following questions during Conceptualization:
• What is the problem?
• Will the development of a project solve that problem?
• What are the specific goals of the project?
• Do we have enough resources to create and support the project?
The Conceptualization Phase typically involves:
• Creation of the statement of work (SOW).
• Presenting the business case.
• Creation of a business contract.
Phase 2: The Planning Phase
• The second phase of the project management life cycle is referred to as the Planning Phase.
• Once management has given the OK to launch a project, a more formal set of plans—
outlining initial goals—is established.
Ask yourself the following questions during Planning:
• What is the project purpose, vision, or mission?
• Are there measurable objectives or success criteria?
• Do you have a high level description of the project, requirements and risks?
• Can you adequately schedule and budget high level milestones?
The Planning Phase typically involves:
• Determining resource availability.
• Creating a project budget.
• Beginning to allocate tasks to certain resources.
 Phase 3: The Execution Phase

• The third phase is labeled Execution.

• This is when the actual work of the project is performed. Required materials, tools,
and resources are transformed to reach the project goals. During this
phase, performance is continually measured to ensure the project is successful.
Ask yourself the following questions during Execution:
• Are all resources being tracked?
• Is the project on budget and on time?
• Can resource planning be optimized?
• Are there major roadblocks that require change management?
The Execution Phase typically involves:
• Strategic planning.
• Implementation planning.
 Phase 4: The Closure Phase
• The fourth and final phase is called Closure Phase, also referred to as Project
Termination.
• This phase begins once the project has been completed.
Ask yourself the following questions during Termination:
• Are the project’s completion criteria met?
• Is there a project closure report in progress?
• Have all project artifacts been collected and archived?
• Has a project post-mortem been planned?
The Termination Phase typically involves:
The disbandment of the project team.
• Personnel and tools are reassigned to new duties.
• Resources released back to parent organization.
• Project transferred to intended users.
SPM Objective :
• The project objective define the target status at the end of the project. The
abbreviation S.M.A.R.T. is sometimes used to describe well defined objectives.

S = Specific
M= Measurable
A = Achievable and Acceptable
R = Realistic and relevant
T = Time Bounded
SPM Objective Cont..
SMART refers to criteria for setting goals and objectives, namely that these goals
are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. The idea is that
every project goal must adhere to the SMART criteria to be effective. Therefore,
when planning a project's objectives, each one should be:
Specific: The goal should target a specific area of improvement or answer a
specific need.
Measurable: The goal must be quantifiable, or at least allow for measurable
progress.
Achievable : The goal should be realistic, based on available resources and
existing constraints.
Relevant: The goal should align with other business objectives to be considered
worthwhile.
Time-bound: The goal must have a deadline or defined end.
The Management Spectrum
• Effective Software Project Management focuses on four P’s: People
Product Process Project
People
The most important contribution in a software project is made not by the system or the
tools but by the people.
• The human element is very vital in software project management.
• The success of a project depends on selecting the right kind of people with the right
kind of talent.
• Depending on their roles and responsibilities, people involved in a software project
can be categorized into the following main categories
• Senior manager
• Project manager
• Software Engineer
• Customer
• End user
People Cont..
• Senior managers who define the business issues that often have significant
influence on the project.
• Project (technical) managers who must plan, motivate, organize, and control the
practitioners who do software work.
• Practitioners/Software Engineers who deliver the technical skills that are
necessary to engineer a product or application.
• Customers who specify the requirements for the software to be engineered and
other stakeholders who have a peripheral interest in the outcome.
• End-users who interact with the software once it is released for production use.
Product :

Customers and software developers must meet

• To define objectives and scope of the project.
• To consider alternative solutions and to select the best possible approach.
• To identify technical and management constraints.
• Objectives identify the overall goals for the product (from the customers’ point of
view) without considering how these goals will be achieved.
• Scope identifies the primary data, functions and behaviors that characterize the
product, and more important, attempts to bound these characteristics in a quantitative
manner.
Problem Decomposition:
Sometimes called partitioning or problem elaboration.
• Once scope is defined …

• It is decomposed into constituent functions

• It is decomposed into user-visible data objects or
• It is decomposed into a set of problem classes

• Decomposition process continues until all functions or problem classes have been
defined
The Process:
The project manager must decide which process model is appropriate for:

• The customers who have requested the product and the people who will do
the work
• The characteristics of the product itself
• The project environment in which the software team works.

When a process model has been selected, define a preliminary project plan on the
set of common process framework activities.
 The Project
• For a successful project, we must understand what can go wrong
• Projects get into trouble when …
• Software people don’t understand their customer’s needs.
• The product scope is poorly defined.
• Changes are managed poorly.
• The chosen technology changes.
• Business needs change [or are ill-defined].
• Deadlines are unrealistic.
• Users are resistant.
• Sponsorship is lost [or was never properly obtained].
• The project team lacks people with appropriate skills.
• Managers [and practitioners] avoid best practices and lessons learned.
Overview Of Project Planning :
• Planning is deciding in advance:
• what to do
• how to do it
• when to do it
• who is to do it
• The project plan sets out:
• the resources available to the project;
• the work breakdown;
• a schedule for the work.
Project Planning Cont..
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 plan may be developed to support the main software
project plan that is concerned with schedule and budget.
Types of Project Plan
 Introduction to Stepwise Project Planning :
• Select Project
• Identify Project Scope and Objectives
• Identify Project Infrastructure
• Analyze Project Characteristics
• Identify Project Products and Activities
• Estimate Effort for Each Activity
• Identify Activity Risks
• Allocate Resources
• Review/Publicize Plan
• Execute Plan/Lower Levels of Planning
Introduction to Stepwise Project Planning :
Cont…
Select Project:
Called Step 0 because it is actually outside the main project planning steps.

• While feasibility study suggests that there is a business case for the project, it
would still need to be established that it should have priority over other projects.

• This evaluation can be part of project portfolio management.

1- Identify Project Scope and Objectives:
• Identify objectives and practical measures of the effectiveness in meeting those
objectives
• How do we know we are successful?
• Establish a project authority .
• Who is the boss?
• Stakeholder analysis – identify all stakeholders in the project and their interests .
• Who does what?
• Modify objectives in the light of stakeholder analysis
• What shall we do for the commitment of stakeholders to the project?
• Establish methods of communication with all parties
Step 2: Identify Project Infrastructure:

• Identify relationship between the project and strategic planning

• Identify installation standards and procedures

• Identify project team organization

Step 3: Analyze Project Characteristics:
• Distinguish the project as either objective- or product-driven
• Analyze other project characteristics (including quality-based ones)
• Identify high-level project risks
• Take into account user requirements concerning implementation
• Select development methodology and life- cycle approach
• Review overall resource estimates
Step 4: Identify Project Products & Activities:

• Identify and describe project products (or deliverables)

• Document generic product flows
• Recognize product instances
• Produce ideal activity network
• Modify the ideal to take into account need for stages and checkpoints
Step 5: Estimate Effort for Each Activity:
• Carry out bottom-up estimates
• Estimates for each activity is produced about
• Staff effort required
• Probable elapsed time
• Non-staff resources
• Elapsed time is different from effort!
• Effort is the amount of work that needs to be done.
• Elapsed time is the time between the start and end of a task.
• Revise plan to create controllable activities
Step 6: Identify Activity Risks:
Identify and quantify activity-based risks
• Look at each activity in turn and assess the risks to its successful outcome.
• The damage that each risk could cause and the likelyhood of its occurrence
must be evaluated.
Plan risk reduction and contingency measures where appropriate
Contingency plans specify action that is to be taken if a risk materializes.
Adjust overall plans and estimates to take account of risks
Step 7: Allocate Resources
• Identify and allocate resources
• Revise plans and estimates to take into account resource
constraints
Step 8: Review/Publicize Plan
• Review quality aspects of the project plan

• Each task should have quality criteria.

• These quality checks have to be passed before the activity can be “signed off”
as completed.

• Document plans and obtain agreement

• Plans should be carefully documented.

• All the parties to the project must understand and agree on the plan.
Steps 9/10: Execute Plan/Lower Levels of
Planning
• Once the project is under way, plans will need to be drawn up in greater detail for
each activity as it becomes due.

• Detailed planning of the later stages will need to be delayed because more
information will be available nearer the start of the stage.

• It is necessary to make provisional plans for the more distant tasks.

 ACTIVITIES COVERED BY
SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
PHASES
Initiating/Defining • State the problem(s)/goal(s)
• Identify the objectives
• Secure resources
• Explore costs/benefits in feasibility study
Planning • Identify and sequence activities
• Identify the “critical path”
• Estimate time and resources needed for completion
• Write a detailed project plan
Executing • Start with the actual project work
• Commit resources to specific task
Controlling • Establish reporting obligations
• Create report tools
• Compare actual progress with baseline
• Initiate Control interventions if necessary
Closing • Finalize all obligations/commitments
• Meet with stakeholders
• Release project resources
• Issue final report
References:
• Bob Hughes and Mike cotterell “ Software Project Management”
• Rajiv Chopra “Software Project Management”