Tutorial #4 Chapter 5

a)

Project Management Purposes Characteristics Advantages

Techniques
Work Breakdown  To help plan effectively for a  WBS produces a  Can be use to allocate
Structure (WBS) system by breaking key task detail list to be and delegate
or activities down in to performed by the responsibility to help
more manageable and project, helping accomplish different
smaller units of work to deliver better tasks or activities.
costing,  Can help sequence and
scheduling, and schedule the timing of
resource planning different events to
for a project. improve the
 Cost breakdown effectiveness of how time
structure (CBS) is allocated (the software
list every item product will be able to
classified and its deliver within 3 months).
expenditure for  Improve resource
the project in planning and the
order to get more efficiency of how
detail estimate resources are consumed.
cost or  Can be used as a basis as
expenditure. financial “exception
reporting” (can keep
overall costs within
budget).
 Can be used for risk
management
Gantt Chart  Horizontal bar chart used  Can be used to  Help to plan, coordinate
for project scheduling. Each plan time scale and track specific task for
activity or task is depicted for the project. a project.
as a block over time, actual  Can be used to  Good for small projects
performance is recorded in estimate resource when the number of task
real time and compared to required. of activities are small and
planned deadline necessary  Graphical not complex.
for achieving completion. illustration of a
schedule of task
to complete.
Critical Path Analysis or  Network (or critical path)  Display clearly  Effective time
Network Analysis analysis cab display more interdependent management
logically the sequence and relationship that  Estimated time to be
timing of each activity exist between the complete can be
(defined in Gantt Chart), different activities calculated.
they communicate or task to be
 interdependency and a completed.
more effective time  Highlight those
management tool for large activities which
and complex project. are ‘critical
activities.
 Arrange task into
an optimum
sequence of
events allowing a
project to be
completed.
 Highlight ‘float
lines’ for all
activities.

Question 2
a) Technology Risk
 The database used in the system cannot process as many transactions per second as
expected - slow system performance because too many users online at the same time
 Reusable software components contain defects that mean they cannot be reused as
planned

b) Organizational risks
 The organization is restructured so that different management are responsible for the
project.
 Organizational financial problems force reductions in the project budget.

c) People risks
 Impossible to recruit staff with the skill required.
 Key staff are ill and unavailable at critical times.
 Required training for staff is not available.

d) Requirement risks
 Changes to requirements that require major design network are proposed.
 Customers fail to understand the impact of requirement changes.

e) Estimation risks
 The time required to develop the software is underestimated.
 The rate of defect repair is underestimated.
 The size of the software is underestimated.