Software Project Management

Lecture 1Introduction, Fundamentals, Classic Mistakes

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Required Textbook

“Information Technology Project Management”, Kathy Schwalbe

Coursework

Assignments (25%) Discussions allowed but no plagiarism.

Mid-Term Exam (30%)

Final Exam (40%)

Attendance (5%)

The Field

Jobs: where are they?

Professional Organizations Project Management Institute (PMI) (pmi.org) Software Engineering Institute (SEI) IEEE Software Engineering Group

Certifications PMI PMP

The “PMBOK” – PMI Body of Knowledge

Tools MS Project

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Project Management Skills

LeadershipCommunicationsProblem SolvingNegotiating Influencing the OrganizationMentoringProcess and technical expertise

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Software Project Management

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Management

ProjectManagement

SoftwareProject

Management

PM History in a Nutshell

Birth of modern PM: Manhattan Project (the bomb)

1970’s: military, defense, construction industry were using PM techniques

1990’s: large shift to PM-based models 1985: TQM 1990-93: Re-engineering, self-directed teams 1996-99: Risk mgmt, project offices 2000: M&A, global projects

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Project Management

What’s a project?

PMI definition A project is a temporary endeavor

undertaken to create a unique product or service

A project manager Analogy: conductor, coach, captain

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Project vs. Program Management

What’s a ‘program’?Mostly differences of scaleOften a number of related projectsLonger than projectsDefinitions varyEx: Program Manager for MS Word

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Interactions / Stakeholders

As a PM, who do you interact with?Project Stakeholders

Project sponsor Executives Team Customers Contractors Functional managers

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PM Tools: Software

Low-end Basic features, tasks management, charting MS Excel, Milestones Simplicity

Mid-market Handle larger projects, multiple projects,

analysis tools MS Project (approx. 50% of market)

High-end Very large projects, specialized needs,

enterprise AMS Realtime Primavera Project Manager

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Tools: Gantt Chart

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Tools: Network Diagram

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PMI’s 9 Knowledge Areas Project integration management Scope Time Cost Quality Human resource Communications Risk Procurement

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Why Rapid Development

Faster deliveryReduced risk Increased visibility to customerDon’t forsake quality

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Strategy

Classic Mistake AvoidanceDevelopment FundamentalsRisk ManagementSchedule-Oriented Practices

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Four Project Dimensions

PeopleProcessProductTechnology

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Trade-off Triangle

Fast, cheap, good. Choose two.

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Trade-off Triangle

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Know which of these are fixed & variable for every project

People

“It’s always a people problem” Gerald Weinberg, “The Secrets of Consulting”

Developer productivity: 10-to-1 range

- Improvements:- Team selection- Team organization Motivation

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People 2

Other success factors Matching people to tasks Career development Balance: individual and team Clear communication

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Process

2 Types: Management & TechnicalDevelopment fundamentalsQuality assuranceRisk managementLifecycle planning

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Process 2

Customer orientationProcess maturity improvementRework avoidance

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Product

The “tangible” dimensionProduct size managementProduct characteristics and

requirementsFeature creep management

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Technology

Often the least important dimensionLanguage and tool selectionValue and cost of reuse

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Planning

Determine requirementsDetermine resources Select lifecycle modelDetermine product features strategy

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Tracking

Cost, effort, schedulePlanned vs. ActualHow to handle when things go off

plan?

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Measurements

To date and projected Cost Schedule Effort Product features

Alternatives Earned value analysis Defect rates Productivity Complexity

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Technical Fundamentals

RequirementsAnalysisDesignConstructionQuality AssuranceDeployment

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Project Phases

All projects are divided into phasesAll phases together are known as the

Project Life CycleEach phase is marked by completion

of Deliverables Identify the primary software project

phases

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Lifecycle Relationships

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Seven Core Project Phases

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Project Phases

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Phases Variation

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ConceptExploration

SystemExploration

Requirements

Design

Implementation

Installation

Operations andSupport

Maintenance

Retirement

36 Classic Mistakes

Types People-Related Process-Related Product-Related Technology-Related

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People-Related Mistakes Part 1

Undermined motivationWeak personnel

Weak vs. JuniorUncontrolled problem employeesAdding people to a late project

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People-Related Mistakes Part 2

Noisy, crowded officesCustomer-Developer frictionUnrealistic expectationsPolitics over substanceWishful thinking

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People-Related Mistakes Part 3

Lack of effective project sponsorshipLack of stakeholder buy-inLack of user input

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Process-Related Mistakes Part 1

Optimistic schedules Insufficient risk managementContractor failure Insufficient planningAbandonment of plan under pressure

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Process-Related Mistakes Part 2

Wasted time during fuzzy front endShortchanged upstream activities Inadequate designShortchanged quality assurance

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Process-Related Mistakes Part 3

Insufficient management controlsFrequent convergenceOmitting necessary tasks from

estimatesPlanning to catch-up laterCode-like-hell programming

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Product-Related Mistakes

Feature creepPush-me, pull-me negotiationResearch-oriented development

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