Software Project Management subject for BTECH

(SEM VI) THEORY EXAMINATION 2021-22.

Solutions

Section A :

(a) Define Software Project Management.

Solution: Software Project Management is the process of planning, organizing, and controlling
resources to complete a software project within specific constraints such as time, budget, and
quality.

(b) Briefly discuss about the Project Evaluation.

Solution: Project Evaluation is a process of assessing the performance of a software project against
its objectives. It involves measuring various aspects such as cost, schedule, quality, and customer
satisfaction.

(c) Define Project Life Cycle.

Solution: Project Life Cycle is a series of phases that a software project goes through from initiation
to closure. The phases include planning, analysis, design, implementation, testing, and maintenance.

(d) Discuss about the Effort Estimation.

Solution: Effort Estimation is the process of predicting the amount of effort required to complete a
software project. It involves analyzing various factors such as project scope, complexity, team size,
and experience.

(e) Briefly discuss about the need of Activity Planning.

Solution: Activity Planning is essential in software project management as it helps in defining tasks
and activities required to complete a project within specific constraints such as time and budget. It
also helps in identifying dependencies between tasks and allocating resources accordingly.

(f) What do you mean by Risk Management?

Solution: Risk Management is the process of identifying potential risks that may affect a software
project and taking necessary steps to mitigate or avoid them.

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(g) What do you mean by Project Management and Control?

Solution: Project Management and Control refer to the processes involved in planning, monitoring,
controlling, and executing a software project within specific constraints such as time, budget, and
quality.

(h) Define Framework for Management.

Solution: Framework for Management refers to a set of guidelines or principles that provide
structure for managing a software project. It includes processes, tools, and techniques that help in
achieving project objectives.

(i) What do you understand by the Organizational behavior?

Solution: Organizational behavior refers to the study of how individuals and groups behave within an
organization. It includes aspects such as communication, motivation, leadership, and decision-
making.

(j) Discuss about the need of Staffing in Software Projects.

Solution: Staffing is essential in software projects as it involves identifying and hiring skilled
professionals who can contribute to the project's success. It also involves allocating resources
effectively to ensure timely completion of tasks.

Section B

2(a)Explain in detail about the Best methods of staff selection Motivation.

Sol:- Best methods of staff selection Motivation: The best methods of staff selection and motivation
involve identifying the right candidates for a project team and providing them with the necessary
resources, support, and incentives to perform their best. Some methods include conducting
thorough interviews and assessments to identify candidates' skills and experience, providing training
and development opportunities to enhance their skills, offering competitive compensation packages,
recognizing and rewarding good performance, and promoting a positive work culture.

2(b) Write short notes on any two of the following:

(i) Software process and Process Models

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(ii) Choice of Process models

(iii) Rapid Application development(RAD)

(i) Software process and Process Models: A software process is a set of activities that are performed
during the development of software products. Process models are representations of these activities
that help in planning, executing, monitoring, and controlling software projects. Some common
process models include Waterfall model, Agile model, Spiral model, V-model.

(ii) Choice of Process models: The choice of process model depends on various factors such as
project size, complexity, criticality, customer requirements, team size and experience. For example,
Agile model is suitable for small teams working on complex projects with changing requirements
while Waterfall model is suitable for large teams working on well-defined projects with stable
requirements.

(iii) Rapid Application development(RAD): Rapid Application Development (RAD) is an iterative

approach to software development that emphasizes rapid prototyping and feedback from end-users.
It involves developing software in short iterations or sprints with frequent testing and feedback from
end-users. RAD is suitable for projects where time-to-market is critical or where requirements are
not well-defined.

2(c) What do you mean by Project schedules? Mention the Objectives of Activity planning.

Sol:- Project schedules: Project schedules are detailed plans that outline the sequence of activities
required to complete a project within a specified timeframe. The objectives of activity planning
include identifying all tasks required to complete a project; determining their dependencies;
estimating their duration; assigning resources; creating a schedule; monitoring progress; identifying
and managing risks.

2(d) Discuss about the concept and need of Cost monitoring Earned Value Analysis.

Sol:- Cost monitoring Earned Value Analysis: Cost monitoring involves tracking project costs against
the budget and identifying any variances. Earned Value Analysis (EVA) is a technique used to measure
project performance by comparing the planned value, earned value, and actual cost of a project. EVA
helps in identifying cost overruns, schedule delays, and other issues that may impact project
performance.

2(e) Describe the activities and Importance of Software Project Management.

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Sol:- Need of Activity Planning: Activity planning is an essential component of project management
that involves breaking down a project into smaller, manageable tasks and creating a detailed plan for
their execution. The need for activity planning arises from the fact that projects are complex and
involve multiple tasks that need to be completed in a specific sequence. Activity planning helps in
identifying all the tasks required to complete a project, determining their dependencies, estimating
their duration, assigning resources, creating a schedule, monitoring progress, and identifying and
managing risks. Without activity planning, it would be difficult to manage projects effectively and
ensure that they are completed on time and within budget.

Section C

3.

(a) Explain in detail about the Risk Management Process. 20 3

(b) Discuss about the concept and need of Quality Assurance in Software Projects. 20 4

Solution:

(a) Risk Management Process: Risk management is an essential component of project management
that involves identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks that may impact a project's success. The risk
management process consists of several steps, including:

1. Risk identification: This involves identifying potential risks that may impact a project's success.

2. Risk assessment: This involves assessing the likelihood and impact of each identified risk.

3. Risk mitigation: This involves developing strategies to mitigate or reduce the likelihood or impact
of identified risks.

4. Risk monitoring: This involves monitoring identified risks throughout the project lifecycle to ensure
that they are effectively managed.

5. Risk communication: This involves communicating identified risks and their potential impacts to
stakeholders.

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By following a structured risk management process, project managers can identify potential risks
early on and develop effective strategies to mitigate them, thereby increasing the chances of project
success.

(b) Quality Assurance in Software Projects: Quality assurance is an essential component of software
development that involves ensuring that software products meet specified quality standards and
requirements. The need for quality assurance arises from the fact that software products are
complex and require rigorous testing to ensure their reliability, functionality, usability, performance,
security, and maintainability.

Quality assurance in software projects involves several activities, including:

1. Defining quality standards and requirements: This involves defining quality standards and
requirements based on customer needs and expectations.

2. Developing test plans: This involves developing test plans that outline how software products will
be tested to ensure they meet specified quality standards and requirements.

3. Conducting testing: This involves conducting various types of testing, such as unit testing,
integration testing, system testing, and acceptance testing, to ensure that software products meet
specified quality standards and requirements.

4. Reporting defects: This involves reporting defects or issues identified during testing and working
with development teams to resolve them.

5. Continuous improvement: This involves continuously improving the quality assurance process by
identifying areas for improvement and implementing changes to address them.

By implementing effective quality assurance processes, software development teams can ensure that
their products meet specified quality standards and requirements, thereby increasing customer
satisfaction and reducing the risk of product failure.

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4.

(a) Explain in detail about the concept and need of Change Management in Software Projects. 20 1

(b) Discuss about the concept and need of Configuration Management in Software Projects. 20 4

Solution:

(a) Change Management in Software Projects: Change management is an essential component of

software project management that involves managing changes to software products, processes, and
documentation throughout the project lifecycle. The need for change management arises from the
fact that software projects are complex and dynamic, with changing requirements, technologies, and
stakeholders.

Change management in software projects involves several activities, including:

1. Change identification: This involves identifying potential changes to software products, processes,
or documentation.

2. Change assessment: This involves assessing the impact of identified changes on project scope,
schedule, budget, quality, and risks.

3. Change approval: This involves obtaining approval from stakeholders for proposed changes.

4. Change implementation: This involves implementing approved changes to software products,

processes, or documentation.

5. Change monitoring: This involves monitoring implemented changes to ensure that they meet
specified quality standards and requirements.

By implementing effective change management processes, software development teams can manage
changes to their products effectively while minimizing their impact on project scope, schedule,
budget, quality, and risks.

(b) Configuration Management in Software Projects: Configuration management is an essential

component of software project management that involves managing configuration items (CIs), such

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as source code files, documentation files, test cases files throughout the project lifecycle. The need
for configuration management arises from the fact that software projects involve multiple developers
working on different components of a product simultaneously.

Configuration management in software projects involves several activities including:

1. Configuration identification: This involves identifying all configuration items (CIs) associated with a
software product.

2. Configuration control: This involves controlling changes to CIs throughout the project lifecycle.

3. Configuration status accounting: This involves tracking the status of CIs throughout the project
lifecycle.

4. Configuration auditing: This involves verifying that the actual configuration of a software product
matches its expected configuration.

By implementing effective configuration management processes, software development teams can

ensure that their products are developed and maintained in a controlled and consistent manner,
thereby reducing the risk of errors, inconsistencies, and delays.

5.

(a) Discuss in detail about the Change control Software Configuration Management. 20 4

Solution:

Change control software configuration management (CCSCM) is a process that involves managing
changes to software products, processes, and documentation using specialized software tools. The
need for CCSCM arises from the fact that software projects involve multiple developers working on
different components of a product simultaneously, which can lead to conflicts, errors, and
inconsistencies.

CCSCM involves several activities including:

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1. Version control: This involves managing different versions of software products, processes, and
documentation.

2. Baseline management: This involves defining and managing baselines for software products,
processes, and documentation.

3. Change tracking: This involves tracking changes to software products, processes, and
documentation.

4. Change approval: This involves obtaining approval from stakeholders for proposed changes.

5. Change implementation: This involves implementing approved changes to software products,

processes, or documentation.

6. Change monitoring: This involves monitoring implemented changes to ensure that they meet
specified quality standards and requirements.

By implementing effective CCSCM processes using specialized software tools such as Git or SVN,
software development teams can manage changes to their products effectively while minimizing
their impact on project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and risks.

5(b) Explain in detail about any two of the following.

(i) Stress.

(ii) Health and Safety.

(iii) Ethical and Professional concerns. 20 5

Solution:

(i) Stress: Stress is a common problem in software development projects that can affect the
productivity, quality, and morale of team members. Stress can arise from various sources such as
tight deadlines, unclear requirements, conflicting priorities, interpersonal conflicts, and technical
challenges.

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To manage stress in software development projects, project managers can take several measures
such as:

1. Setting realistic deadlines and milestones.

2. Providing clear requirements and expectations.

3. Encouraging open communication and collaboration among team members.

4. Providing training and support to team members.

5. Recognizing and rewarding team members for their contributions.

(ii) Health and Safety: Health and safety are important concerns in software development projects
that involve long hours of sitting in front of a computer screen, which can lead to various health
problems such as eye strain, back pain, neck pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, obesity, diabetes, and
heart disease.

To promote health and safety in software development projects, project managers can take several
measures such as:

1. Providing ergonomic workstations that are designed to reduce physical strain on team members.

2. Encouraging regular breaks from computer work to stretch or walk around.

3. Providing healthy snacks or meals to team members.

4. Encouraging physical activity outside of work hours.

5. Providing health insurance or wellness programs to team members.

(iii) Ethical and Professional Concerns: Ethical and professional concerns are important
considerations in software development projects that involve sensitive data or critical systems that

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affect public safety or security. Ethical concerns may arise from issues such as privacy violations, data
breaches, intellectual property theft, or conflicts of interest. Professional concerns may arise from
issues such as incompetence, negligence, or misconduct.

To address ethical and professional concerns in software development projects, project managers
can take several measures such as:

1. Establishing clear ethical and professional standards for team members.

2. Providing training and support to team members on ethical and professional issues.

3. Encouraging open communication and reporting of ethical or professional violations.

4. Enforcing consequences for ethical or professional violations.

5. Conducting regular audits or reviews of software products, processes, and documentation to

ensure compliance with ethical and professional standards.

6(a) Describe any two of the following.

(i) Basics of Software estimation.

(ii) Effort and Cost estimation.

(iii) Dynamic System Development Method.

Solution:

(i) Basics of Software Estimation: Software estimation is the process of predicting the effort, time,
and cost required to develop a software product. The basics of software estimation include
understanding the scope, requirements, complexity, and risks associated with a software project.
There are several methods for software estimation such as expert judgment, analogy-based
estimation, algorithmic models, and machine learning-based models.

(ii) Effort and Cost Estimation: Effort and cost estimation are two important aspects of software
estimation. Effort estimation involves predicting the amount of work required to complete a software

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project in terms of person-hours or person-days. Cost estimation involves predicting the total cost of
a software project in terms of money or resources required to complete it.

(iii) Dynamic System Development Method: Dynamic System Development Method (DSDM) is an
agile project management framework that emphasizes collaboration, flexibility, and continuous
delivery. DSDM involves several phases such as feasibility study, business study, functional model
iteration, design and build iteration, implementation phase, and post-project review. DSDM also
emphasizes user involvement throughout the development process to ensure that the final product
meets their needs.

6(b) Write down about any two of the following.

(i) Critical path (CRM) method.

(ii) Risk identification.

(iii) PERT technique.

Solution:

(i) Critical Path Method (CPM): The critical path method is a project management technique used to
identify the critical path in a project schedule. The critical path is the sequence of tasks that must be
completed on time in order to complete the project on schedule. CPM involves identifying all the
tasks in a project, estimating their duration, and determining their dependencies. The critical path is
then identified by calculating the longest sequence of tasks that must be completed on time.

(ii) Risk Identification: Risk identification is a process used to identify potential risks associated with a
software project. This process involves identifying potential risks, assessing their likelihood and
impact, and developing strategies to mitigate or avoid them. Risk identification can be done through
brainstorming sessions, risk checklists, or expert judgment.

(iii) PERT Technique: The Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) is a project management
technique used to analyze and represent the tasks involved in completing a project. PERT involves
breaking down a project into smaller, more manageable tasks, estimating their duration, and
determining their dependencies. The technique uses a network diagram to represent the tasks and
their dependencies, with each task represented by a node and each dependency represented by an
arrow. PERT also uses three time estimates for each task: optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely.
These estimates are used to calculate the expected duration of each task and the overall project

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duration. PERT can help project managers identify critical tasks that must be completed on time to
meet project deadlines and can also help them identify potential risks or delays in the project
schedule.

7(a) Briefly discuss any two of the following through an example.

(i) Cost-benefit evaluation technology

(ii) Risk evaluation

(iii) Stepwise Project Planning

Solution:

(i) Cost-Benefit Evaluation Technology: Cost-benefit evaluation technology is a technique used to

evaluate whether a proposed software project is worth investing in. This technique involves
comparing the expected benefits of a project with its expected costs to determine whether the
benefits outweigh the costs. For example, if a company is considering investing in a new software
product, it may use cost-benefit evaluation technology to determine whether the potential revenue
generated by the product will be greater than the cost of developing and marketing it.

(ii) Risk Evaluation: Risk evaluation is a technique used to identify and assess potential risks
associated with a software project. This technique involves identifying potential risks, assessing their
likelihood and impact, and developing strategies to mitigate or avoid them. For example, if a
company is developing a new software product, it may use risk evaluation to identify potential risks
such as technical challenges, market competition, or changes in customer needs. The company can
then develop strategies to mitigate these risks, such as investing in research and development,
diversifying its product line, or conducting market research.

(iii) Stepwise Project Planning: Stepwise project planning is a technique used to plan and manage
software projects in a structured and iterative manner. This technique involves breaking down a
project into smaller, more manageable tasks and defining the requirements for each task. The project
team can then prioritize the tasks based on their importance and complexity and develop a timeline
for completing them. For example, if a company is developing a new software product, it may use
stepwise project planning to break down the development process into smaller tasks such as
requirements gathering, design, coding, testing, and deployment. The team can then prioritize these
tasks based on their importance and complexity and develop a timeline for completing them.

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7(b) Explain in detail about any two of the following.

(i) Stress.

(ii) Health and Safety.

(ii) Ethical and Professional concerns.

Solution:

(i) Stress: Stress is a common issue in software development projects due to tight deadlines, high
workload, and technical challenges. Stress can have negative effects on team members' health,
productivity, and morale. To manage stress in software projects, project managers can implement
stress management techniques such as providing support resources like counseling services or
encouraging team members to take breaks or engage in stress-reducing activities like exercise or
meditation.

(ii) Health and Safety: Health and safety are important considerations in software development
projects as team members may be exposed to physical or mental health risks such as eye strain,
repetitive strain injuries, or stress. To ensure the health and safety of team members, project
managers can implement measures such as ergonomic workstations, regular breaks, and training on
safe work practices.

(iii) Ethical and Professional Concerns: Ethical and professional concerns are important
considerations in software development projects as team members may be exposed to ethical
dilemmas such as conflicts of interest or confidentiality breaches. To address these concerns, project
managers can implement ethical guidelines and codes of conduct that outline expected behaviors
and consequences for violations. They can also provide training on ethical decision-making and
encourage open communication among team members to

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