Software Project Management

Cristina Mîndruţă Software Project Management Slide 1

Software Project Management

Course 5


COURSE TOPICS

PLANNING PROCESS GROUP.

Time management planning processes Activity definition Activity resource estimating Activity duration estimating Activity sequencing Schedule development


Management plan processes

Time management planning processes.

Cost management planning processes

Quality planning

HR planning

Communications planning

Risk management planning

Procurement management planning


COURSE TOPICS


Time management planning processes Activity definition Activity resource estimating Activity duration estimating Activity sequencing Schedule development





Quality planning

HR planning





SCHEDULE DEVELOPMENT process

Def. Project schedule = set of planned dates for performing schedule activities and the planned dates for meeting schedule milestones.

Def. Project schedule process = iterative process that determines planned start and finish dates for project activities.



Schedule Development process:

Analyzes:

- schedule activities sequences

- schedule activity durations

- schedule resource requirements

- schedule constraints Creates the project schedule.

Result: Are established the preliminary start and finished dates for project

activities, based on schedule-related assumptions and constraints identified within the PSS.

Obs. As work progresses, the PMP will likely change, and new risks will be identified.



Schedule Development – evolving process

Main output:

Schedule Baseline = approved project schedule

against which project progress can be tracked.

Presentation methods for the project’s schedule:

- Milestone schedule

- Summary schedule

- Detailed schedule with logical relationships

Additional outputs:Schedule Model Data – supporting details:

identified assumptions and constraints

alternative schedules

extra time available, if neededRequested Changes documentUpdated Resource RequirementsUpdated Activity AttributesUpdated Project CalendarUpdated PMP with its associated Schedule Management Plan


COURSE TOPICS

TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES FOR SCHEDULING Methods Gantt chart characteristics Critical Path Method integrated with PERT





Quality planning

HR planning





METHODS

Gantt chart

Activity – time diagram.

Simple model.

Limitation: for complex projects, models that integrate procurement, resources and costs are necessary.

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METHODS

PERT diagram (program evaluation and review technique) Is a network diagram. Activities are represented as boxes. Placed in sequence, to represent the project flow.

Uses statistic instruments to compute the range of the possible values for activities durations.

Used in cases where uncertain, multiple possible values exist for the estimated durations.


METHODS

CPM (Critical Path Method)

Network representation.

Allows identifying a sequence of consecutive activities that represent the longest path along the project schedule.

Used in cases where exact estimations can be realized about activities durations.


METHODS

DISCUSSION In time, differences between PERT and CPM methods where dimished.In the same time with the evolution of milestone-based planification, some aspects of PERT are introduced with CPM.In software tools for planning, PERT and CPM are integrated.

Def. Milestone = planned event in the project life cycle. • Formal represented as an activity with the duration equal to 0. • Marks the end of an activity or of a project phase.• Helpful in controlling the fulfillment of the contractors’

responsibilities.

Def. Time baseline = Initial schedule of the project.• Used as the referece for comparing the current planification.


COURSE TOPICS






Quality planning

HR planning





GANTT CHART CHARACTERISTICS

activity activity duration

activity float (lag)

activity start dateactivity end date


GANTT CHART CHARACTERISTICS

Tool for project planning. Project progress is clearly represented. Gantt diagram format facilitates planning information communication and decission

making.

Def. Float (slack) = the amount of time that a terminal element (in a (WBS) can be delayed by, without causing a delay to the rest of the project.

Gantt chart allows float representation, but:

- inter-task relations are not represented => not visible the effects that the delaying of an activity have on other activities

- before placing an activity on the diagram, decissions about sequencing, duration and resources availability must be taken.

Problem. Gantt charts are not appropriate for complex projects.

Solution. Used in combination with CPM.


COURSE TOPICS






Quality planning

HR planning





CRITICAL PATH METHOD integrated with PERT

METHOD objectives:

Activity sequencing (Create activity diagram (activity graph)) Realize PERT analysis for task duration Identifiy critical path

Procedure steps:

1. Create project activity diagram (project network)

2. Estimate activity duration

3. Create activity plan

4. Critical path determination



A project network is a graph or flow chart (a schematic representation of an algorithm or a process) depicting the sequence in which a project's terminal elements are to be completed by showing terminal elements and their dependencies.

The WBS show the "part-whole" relations. In contrast, the project network shows the "before-after" relations.

The condition for a valid project network is that it doesn't contain any circular references.

Procedure steps:

Create project activity diagram (project network)

Estimate activity duration

Create activity plan

Critical path determination



Activity flow.

Each activity has allocated an identifier (number).

Procedure steps:





Float types:

a). Free float = the amount of time that a terminal element can be delayed by, without causing a delay to the subsequent activities

b). Total float = the amount of time that a graph branch can be delayed by, without causing a delay to the whole project.

- sum of the floats of all activities on the branch

- can be redistributed among all activities on the branch



Represent activity time attributes as:

Procedure steps:





Early start Early finish

Late start Late finish

ES, EF - governed by:

- predecessor task EF - current task duration

LS, LF - governed by:

- successor task LF - current task duration



Represent activity network :

Procedure steps:





Assumptions:

ES(0) = first activity start

For each consecutive activities k, k+1:

EF(k) = ES(k) + duration(k) –1

ES(k+1)=EF(k)+1

LS(k)=LF(k)-duration(k)+1

LF(k)=LS(k+1)-1Forward pass:

Cover the diagram from left to right and compute ES and EF for each task.

EF(n) = project finish date.

Backward pass:

LF(n)=EF(n) = project finish date.

Cover the diagram from right to left and compute LS and LF for each task.



RESULTS:

Activity plan analysis => project duration.

Float(k)=LF(k)-ES(k)-duration(k)

If Float(k)=0 => activity k is on the critical path, meaning that its delay results in the delay of the project.

Procedure steps:







CPM advantage:

- discover new relations among activities

- compute the probability to match project’s deadlines

- establish how changes modify the project

- presents complex data in an orderly manner.

The most popular form of project network is activity on node (AoN), the other one is activity on arrow (AoA).


EXAMPLE (AoN representation)

Simplified node representation



Simplified node representationForward pass:

Cover the diagram from left to right and compute ES for each task.

duration(start)=0

ES(k+1) = ES(k) + duration(k).




Backward pass: Cover the diagram from right to left and compute LS for each task.

ES(finish)=LS(finish)

LS(k)=LS(k+1)-duration(k)




Compute float:

Float(k)=LS(k)-ES(k)




Critical path

Project duration:

20 +15 +16 = 51

ANALYSIS

If Float(k)=0 => activity k is on the critical path, meaning that its delay results in the delay of the project.


COURSE TOPICS



Cost estimating

Cost budgeting





Quality planning

HR planning





COST MANAGEMENT PLANNING PROCESSES

Cost estimating process

Cost budgeting process

Closely interrelated.

Cost estimating should be completed before a detailed budget is requested.

Management is concerned in the cost earn relation.


COURSE TOPICS



Cost estimatingCost budgeting





Quality planning

HR planning





COST ESTIMATING process

Def. Cost estimating process = process of developing an approximation of the cost of the resources needed to complete the project activities.

Involves:• fluctuations

• risk

• other variances

• consideration of cost alternatives

Objective : to determine the most accurate and cost effective estimates.

Main relations with other processes: closely related to Activity Resource Estimating Process. lays the groundwork for Cost Budgeting Process.

Cost estimates are:as good as information available,refined as additional details become available.



1. Adapt the costs of a previous project.

Has low accuracy.

Approach especially used in initial estimations.

3. Individual cost estimations for activities and work packages.

Combine individual estimations estimated cost of the project

4. Elaborate a mathematical model for the project.

5. Software tools used in combination with previous methods significantly simplify the estimation process.

BUT the project manager still must do the estimations.



Assessments of the

probable costs of the resources

necessary to complete project activities

•Description of the activity’s scope of work•Documentation about how the estimate were developed•Known constraints•Explanations of assumptions made•Range of possible results

with desired and approved changes that are believed to have an impact on the project’s cost management.



Causes for incorect estimation:

1. Limited information (accepted in the first part of the PLC)

2. Sub-estimating

3. Lack of knowledge about technical problems

4. Estimated values motivated only by the wish to obtain funds (can be unrealistically low)

Project manager’s responsibilities:

- to realize realistic estimations

- to support and to respect them


COURSE TOPICS



Cost estimating

Cost budgeting





Quality planning

HR planning





COST BUDGETING process

Def. Cost budgeting process = process of aggregating the estimated costs of individual activities or work packages to establish a cost baseline.

Cost budgeting vs. Cost estimating

shows costs across time shows costs by category (activity)



Predict the costs for the project work.

Dictate when project activities occur and when associated budget monies will be spent.

Details purchasing requirements and associated cost.

Reflects how project costs will be controlled. Time-phased budget, used to measure and monitor overall cost performance on the project.

Usually displayed as an S-curve.

Includes, along with the baseline, a management reserve amount to compensate for either early progress or cost overruns.



Management reserve amount:

– a provision in the PMP to mitigate cost and/or schedule risk

– the difference between the maximum funding and the end of the Cost Baseline.

Management Reserve (MR) budget is an amount of the total allocated budget for management control purposes.

Its purpose is to provide an adequate budget for in-scope but unanticipated work on the contract. As a contract proceeds to completion, and unanticipated, in-scope work is identified, MR budget is allocated to that work.

Once allocated, MR budget becomes part of the performance measurement baseline (PMB) used to measure and control cost and schedule performance on the contract.


LABORATORY:

Study “Using Open Workbench” cap 1,3,4,5 and 6.

//blue/cadre/cmindruta/PM_InfoEngl/lab3/lab3_1lab3_2and associated files

Software Project Management

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