SPM

SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

JDD.MUNEZERO
 Clear your mind

PM principles, tools and Consider most of the things as

techniques are very much guidelines and practical lessons
based on common sense. for you – there is no formula on
how best to prepare a project
plan.

This does not mean it is easy, Try not to think in absolute terms –
and you do not need good rarely, there are black and white
preparation to handle a options. There are often many
project yourself. shades of grey in between.

2
 Definition of a Project
What is a Project?

“A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service or result.”

- Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK Guide 5th Ed

3
 IS THIS A PROJECT?

• Building a house
• Coming to school everyday
• Getting married
• Investigating in user’s computer problem
• A programming coursework
• Writing an Operating system
• Installing a new application (Windows,…)
• Doing undergraduate studies
 SOFTWARE PROJECT SUCCESS RATE

• A successful project is one that has been delivered on time, on budget,

with the required functionality.

• A challenged project is one that is late, over budget or delivered with

less that the required functionality.

• A failed project is one that has either been cancelled prior to

completion or delivered and never used.
• Software Project Success Rates : 29% successul, 53% challenged,
18 failed. (Standish Group, 2004).

• Software Project Success Rates : 16% successful, 74%

challenged, 10 failed. (Ox ford University, 2004).
 PROJECT SUCCESS

Customer Requirements
Completed within allocated
satisfied/exceeded
time frame

Completed within allocated

budget Accepted by the customer
 PROJECT FAILURE

Scope Creep Poor Requirements Gathering

Unrealistic planning and

scheduling Lack of resources
Characteristics of a Project

9
 The Triple Constraint in Project Management
There are three fundamental factors for each
project:

• Scope = the sum of the activities and work to be

performed in order to reach the project goal. In
other words, the scope is everything that needs to
be done during the project.

• Time = the available timeframe given for the

project to reach its goal.

• Cost = the resources available for the project.

If a change is made to one of them, one
or both the others will change as well The three dimensions always need to be looked at
together because:
Example: you are planning to build a two-floor house (scope) until the end of the summer
(time) and within a specific budget (cost).

If things change and you decide you need three floors to be constructed (scope change), you
will need more resources (cost) and most probably more time.

Another example would be if you decide you need the house ready before the summer (time
change). This would mean you need extra workers to complete the construction faster (cost)
and/or you might need to simplify the construction

- e.g. skip the interior works (scope).

• Although different from how we
know and see it today temporary
initiatives with a specific goal and
resource constraints have been
happening for thousands of years.
• Can you imagine pitching the Great
Pyramid of Giza to a board of
directors? As one of seven wonders
of the world , this construction was
no doubt a massive endeavor with a
unique result.
• Great amounts of materials and
workforce were employed and it's
still unknown exactly how the work
was organized and executed but the
planning and management was
something innovative even for
today's standards.
15th century.
• This period was all about overseas
expeditions to find new lands and
resources.
• One particular project manager
Christopher Columbus had tough times
finding the budget for his initiative to
find a path through the West to Asia.
• His budget was three ships and a
timeline of one year with a request of 10
percent of future revenues from any
discoveries.
• His business case was rejected multiple
times by the king of Portugal, Genoa,
Finally,
Venicehe found his sponsor though - the King and
Queen of Spain.
and even the
Columbus Kingand
departed of England.
fourteen ninety two
and made the first steps toward the discovery
of the American
continent by Europeans.
• Finally, he found his sponsor though -
the King and Queen of Spain.

• Finally, he found his sponsor though -

the King and Queen of Spain.
 19th century.
• Here comes the industrial revolution
the beginning of the fastest
technological growth in recorded
history. Automation and mass
production changed the face of trade
and the way industries operate
economy and society had seen
nothing like it.

• Competition started growing and with it the better use of time and
resources employed for given work became much more critical.

• As a result, the project management field started to develop at a much

faster pace. Henry Gantt, one of the forefathers of project management,
created a simple yet ingenious table that illustrates activities
 Twentieth Century.
• This is when project management as
we know it really came into its own
and started developing.
• We mentioned that after the Industrial
Revolution the time and resources
were more more limited and using
them efficiently became absolutely
fundamental.

• As a result, the project management field started to develop at a much faster pace.
• Henry Gantt, one of the forefathers of project management, created a simple yet
ingenious table that illustrates activities that need to be performed on the vertical
axis and a time indicator on the horizontal axis.
• This was probably the first project's schedule.
• we have the revolutionary Critical Path
method invented by DuPont and Remington
Rand Corporation’s n the late 1950s.

• The CPM helped project managers calculate

the fastest way to complete a project.
• This is done by analyzing how the different
activities are linked to each other.
• Together with the expected durations it
helps project managers identify the best way
to sequence the activities in their project.
• Project management was established as a
profession to associations were founded the
International Project Management Association
ie IPMA and a few years later the project
management institution PMI.
• Their goal was and still is to develop the project
management discipline and to establish
standards, best practices tools and guidelines.
• All of this led to the development of innovative
project management standards and
approaches.
welcome to the 21st century,

• where businesses have progressed

technologically and expanded
geographically like never before. What
is exceptional about today's projects is
the amount of complexity around the
desired result.
• You can imagine the difference between
opening a physical store versus an
online one. Design, connection speed
online payment, security, client data
regulations, customer service and so
on.
• The activities people and risks to
consider are so much more in today's
world. And with more demanding
projects comes a need for a strong
project manager.
• One who can lead the way through
complex projects, which will inevitably
determine the life or death of a
business.
• We'll now be taking you step by step
through the lifecycle of a project
explaining what to do from beginning
to end.
 What creates demand for a project?

Projects are often triggered by a “mix” from more than one from the above possible reasons.
 Who is the Project Manager?
Project management costs generally a total between 7-
15% of the project’s Total Installed Cost. You can
think of the PM as the “CEO” of the project.

The accountable person for the project’s success*.

*Project success = accomplish the specific goal of the
project, within the time and budget constraints upon
from the beginning

Why do you need a PM? ✓ To take

accountability ✓ To steer people and activities
✓ To handle risks and issues
Project Manager Skills
• Projects encompass many different
individuals and organizations, but the
project manager is the face of the
project and the point of contact for any
questions or concerns about their
project.
• Including all tasks performed by other
people.
• But just try to imagine what project
managers deal with.They need to be
able to manage work in which they
sometimes do not have any experience
with.
• They need to also manage the experts
performing this work and ensure they
deliver as per expectations.
 • On top of that, they need to successfully relate
with professionals from all levels of seniority,
• from junior team members, through heads of
departments to the high level managers like
CEOs.
• They must own their project and every
cog working within it, they are
accountable for all of it. And with that
comes the power bestowed upon them
to make decisions and take action.

But what makes them worthy of this power?

What makes PM them worthy of this power?

• Their skills, knowledge, attitude and

practical experience.
• There are countless attributes a
project manager will have, both
professional and personal.
• What we can do is look at the three
major skill sets and essential
qualities within them.
Project Manager Skills

• There are countless attributes a project

manager will have, both professional
and personal.
• What we can do is look at the three
major skill sets and essential qualities
within them.

• The first piece includes the technical

skills and knowledge.
• This is the A to B of project
management.
1. project management, triple
constraint, scope, time and cost.
The link between the elements and how to
manage them throughout the project.
2. The theoretical framework, including
key definitions and the five phases in
the project life cycle.
4. Personal Organization: The ability to
order your own tasks.
6. Critical thinking, the ability to filter useful
information from the not so useful and on this
basis make the right decisions.
7. basic software : And finally, efficient use of basic
software, enabling you to create clean tables and slides
for your plans, trackers and presentations, respectively.
3. PM Tools and Documents :
The ability to apply critical project
management tools and documents.
• Project Charter.
• Project Plan.
• Gantt Chart.
• Critical Path Method Project
Budget Status Review Materials.
• Risk Log.
5. Task Management. Being able to
structure, work into tasks, prioritize,
assign, follow up and bring those
tasks to completion.
• Social Skills : Can you imagine having to
work with an IT expert in Germany, a
sales representative in the US, a
financial manager in India and the CEO
in, let's say, Singapore and all of that in
the same day?
• That's a reality and you need to adapt
your communication style, language and
behavior to the person
• The last piece here is business
specific knowledge or industry
experience.

• Nevertheless, being a great expert

in the field does not guarantee the
successful completion of a project.

• While it may help, there is one

thing you need to be an expert
in to achieve success for your
project management.
• In projects, there are different individuals and organizations that need to work in a
coordinated manner for the success of the project.
• As mentioned, the PM is the “face” of the project.
• He/she is the single point of contact who can answer any question about his/her
project, including all works streams and tasks performed by other people.
• PM is accountable for the end result of their collective work.
• It might sound easier than it is.
• So, how to do it? We explained, that PMs have the knowledge, skills, attitude and
practical experience to “manage” not only their work, but also the work of the others.
• In addition, by being appointed as a PM, you are being empowered by the Project
Sponsor to take action and make decisions.

These skills, knowledge, and attitude are not limited to:

• Project management and business knowledge:

Ability to lead project work, and know-how to address classical project situations;
knowledge of the project lifecycle; planning quality; management of project’s critical areas;
work with project management tools and documents.
Put controls in place to be able to track progress. Business analysis skills; business acumen;
awareness and knowledge of the PM industry standards.
 • People and Workflow Management Skills: Efficiently organize project work and define
responsibility and due date. Issue resolution skills; people skills - work with all
stakeholders, motivate project team, communicate in a way to create trust among the
team members and senior management.

• Strategy and Leadership Skills: Negotiate, and influence work and stakeholders in
the project/program interest; work towards the objectives of the overall program;
ensure work is aligned with the overall corporate strategy.
Promote the values and benefits of the project/program to the broad organization
These are all central to the PM role. To this, however, we want to highlight a few other
characteristics: The attitude, behavior, and professionalism that the PM expresses are very
important for the image of the project - the organization’s perception of the work:

• Attitude and behavior: Positive and goal-oriented attitude, especially during difficult
times. Projects are complex initiatives that include various subjects, people and
personalities, expectations, and constraints.
• There can often be competition for resources and tension due to constraints.
• PM has to be able to handle the pressure and stress that can emerge.
• In the meantime, take the right decisions and trade-offs.
• A good PM works well under pressure to keep the project on the path to success.

• Professionalism: Irrespective of the challenges, a PM is a business professional.

As such, they need to act as an example, and show high morale, ethics, and credibility.
 10 PROJECT MANAGEMENT KNOWLEDGE AREAS

• Knowledge areas describe the key competencies that project managers must
develop
• Project managers must have knowledge and skills in all 10 knowledge areas
(project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource,
communications, risk, procurement, and stakeholder management)
• This text includes an entire chapter on each knowledge area
Knowledge Areas
Define and manage all the work required to complete the project.
Scope Management

Time Management Estimate duration, develop schedule, time control.

Cost Management Prepare and control the budget.

Ensure that the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs.
Quality Management
Human Resource
Make effective use of people.
Management
Communication Generate, collect, disseminate, and store project information
management
Risk Management Identify, analyze and respond to project risks.
Procurement Acquire or procure goods and service from outside of the organization
Management
Stakeholder Identify and analyze the stakeholder’s needs during the process.
Management
Integration
management Overarching functions
The development of the skills
Project Management Terminologies & Definition
• The role and importance of a PMO unit can also be diverse.
• A PMO will have a strategic role if they are responsible for project
selection and product portfolio management.
• The project team are the experts
responsible for the execution of
the work.
• For example, developers on a
software project or designated
managers coordinators in case of
bigger projects for example
construction workers and the
responsible supervisor.
• In other words, everyone who is directly working on the project.
• These can be from different departments and can also include external
employees or companies and vendors for example consultants, coaching
professionals, hardware and equipment vendors et cetera.
• Project stakeholders.
• All individuals or organizations who
participate in a project, can influence or
are influenced by the project work and
results.
• These can be management, customers,
competitors, vendors, clients and in
some cases - society, for things like
public infrastructure projects.
• Program management: is the coordinated management of multiple projects which
have similarities similar gols, similar resources, etc. By managing them as a program,
the organization gains advantages by realizing efficiencies and synergies.

• For example, if your company wants to implement a similar software in European

branches and each country needs a separate project it will be efficient to manage it in
a program.

• The project managers can be helping each other.

• Project portfolio management. This is the term that refers to the co-ordinated
management of multiple programs and projects. Think of a pharmaceutical
company.

• In any minute, there are hundreds if not thousands of separate research projects
for new drugs. Such corporations need strong portfolio management to follow this
huge work and resources.
Project Phases
• As we discussed, each project is
unique. The goal the team with their
own personalities, the time frame
and the circumstances all make a
project its own entity.

• The Project Management Institute,

which we mentioned in an earlier
lesson, have determined five phases
which characterize the development
of a project. Let's have a look.
• The first process group is the initiation.
This is where the project sponsor lays
the foundations of the project.

• They will define the overall objective

or concept or the problem which
needs resolving.

• They will suggest a budget and a time

frame and put all of this in the project
business case.

• And public service announcement

for all aspiring project managers.
This is also the phase where the
project manager is chosen.
 • The second phase is planning.
• This is the phase that can make or break
a project. Good planning will increase
the chances of completing a project
within the project management triple
constraints.
• In the planning phase, the project
manager needs to set the work and
organize how the project team will
execute it.
• They estimate and define resources and
risks.
• The project manager must ask all the
• They need to find out things like what activities right questions and work with other
need to be performed to create the project stakeholders to find the answers.
deliverables and project scope, how much time
should be given to each one of these activities?
• What is the required budget?
• What activities will each member of
the project team do?
• And plenty more.
• Finally, the project manager must
document all of these findings into a
project management plan.
• The recipe for how to execute the work to
achieve the goal, the better.
• This recipe is more comprehensive, detailed.
Realistic.
• The higher the project's chances of being a
delicious success.
• Planning equals a strategy for winning
• Finally, after all this intensive
planning, the moment we've all been
waiting for, the starting gun is fired.
• The project team starts creating the
deliverables.
• If the project is construction related,
this is when the team starts building.
• If it's a software development project,
this is when they start coding and
programming.
• It's here in the execution phase where
the project manager ensures the
smooth running of the project.
Motivating the team and resolving any
issues that crop up.
• Beware, though it does not start after
execution. This phase runs in parallel to it.
• The project manager performs monitoring and
control activities they have developed to track
the progress of the project streams and ask
• Is the execution progressing as per the
plan we created?
• Is the speed and quality in line with the
timeframe?
• Are the expenses within the budget?
• If not, if there are delays, slow downs or
gaps, the project manager must identify
them and take action to fix them before
it's too late.
• The closure phase when all the project
work is done, the project manager still has
some final tasks to do to formally complete
the project.
• They must hand the project over to
whomever it was designed for.
• The sponsor must officially approve and
sign off the project confirming the agreed
objective has been achieved.
• Then the project team, the stakeholders
and the project manager sit and discuss
the lessons learned, what went well, what
didn't, and what could be improved for
future projects.
• Continuous improvement is important,
which is why project managers must
constantly learn new skills and build on
their expertise.

• Once the feedback is documented, the

process is complete, and everyone
involved can have a little bit of rest until
the next project begins.

• in-depth look into each process group

of the project's life cycle.
• Next lesson we start with the initiation
phase.