Software Project

Management
(COSC 612)

Tessfu G. (PhD)
School of Computing
Department of Computer Science
Dire Dawa Institute of Technology
Chapter 1 – Overview of Software Project
Management
 Project Management Fundamentals

• What is project?
• A project is a unique venture with a beginning and end, conducted by
people to meet established goals within parameters of cost, schedule and
quality.
• Projects are goal-oriented, involve the coordinated undertaking of
interrelated activities, are of finite duration, and are all, to a degree
unique.
• Projects are unique and temporary.

• Projects require project management:

• Every project has a beginning and an end.
• Every project produces a unique product
• Example of projects: Engineering redesign, introducing widow 10,
developing HRM system for DDU and etc.

3
 Cont…

• What is project management?

• Project management is the planning, scheduling, and controlling of
project activities to meet project objectives.

• The major objectives that must be met include performance, cost,

quality and time goals, while at the same time you control or maintain
the scope of the project at the correct level.

4
 Elements of Projects

• Complex, one-time processes

• Limited by budget, schedule, and resources
• Developed to resolve a clear goal or set of goals
• Customer-focused

5
 Trade-off Triangle

• The triple constraints of project:

• On Time, Budget, Quality = Required Scope

Time

Cost Quality

6
 Trade-off Triangle

• Know which of these are fixed and variable for every project.

7
 Ongoing Operations vs. Project

• Ongoing operations – produce similar products and have no defined end.

• It is also known as “process work”.
• Example:
• A bank teller serves over 100 customers daily, providing a few dozen
specific services.

• Project:
• Take place outside the process world.
• Unique and separate from normal
organization work
• Continually evolving
• Process:
• Ongoing, day-to-day
activities
• Use existing systems,
properties, and capabilities
• Typically repetitive

• A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product

or service.
8
 Process and Project Management

Process Project
1. Repeat process or product New process or product
2. Several objectives One objective
3. Ongoing One shot- limited life
4. People are homogeneous More heterogeneous
5. Systems in place to integrate efforts Systems must be created to integrate efforts

6. Performance, quality, Cost, and time
known
7. Part of the line organization
8. Bastions of established practice
9. Support status quo
Performance, quality, cost and time less
certain
Outside of line organization
Violates established practice
Upsets status quo

9
 Project Characteristics

• Generally, a project has the following characteristics:

• Ad-hoc endeavors with a clear life cycle
• Building blocks in the design and execution of organizational
strategies.
• Responsible for the newest and most improved products, services,
and organizational processes
• Provide a philosophy and strategy for the management of change
• Entail crossing functional and organization boundaries.

• Traditional management functions of planning, organizing,

motivating, directing, and controlling apply
• Principal outcomes are the satisfaction of customer requirements
within technical, quality, cost, and schedule constraints
• Terminated upon successful completion

10
 Challenge of Managing Projects

• Personnel
• Estimating
• Authority
• Controls
• Quality
• Scheduling

11
 Success of Project

• On time
• On Budget
• High quality
• Scope
• Performance
• The Cost – Schedule – Quality equilibrium
• Managing expectations
• The ultimate challenge: No Damage

12
 Project Management Functions

• There are two activities involved in this groundwork:

• The project manager must determine the purposes, goals, and constraints
of the project.
• The project manager must establish basic management controls
• Project planning puts together the details of how to met the projects goals,
given constraints.
• Project control includes activities that keep the project moving forward
including progress measurement, communication, corrective actions.

13
 Project Life Cycles

• A project life cycle represent the linear progression of a project, from

defining the project through making a plan, executing the work, and
closing out the project.

Define Plan Execute Close Out

14
Cont…

15
 Cont…

• Define (Conceptualization) – the development of the initial goal and

technical specifications.
• Planning – all detailed specifications, schedules, schematics, and plans are
developed
• Execution – the actual “work” of the project s performed
• Close-Out – project is transferred to the customer, resources reassigned,
project is closed out.

16
 Product Development Life Cycle

• The four steps necessary to create a new product are known a the product
development life cycle.
• Requirement, Design, Construct, and Operate

Requirements Design Construct Operate

17
Quadruple Constraint of Project Success

18
 Product Life Cycle vs. Project Life Cycle

• Product life cycle - describe the work required to create the product.
• Project life cycle - focuses on the managing the work.
• A product development life cycle my contain many projects, each of which
must go through the full project life cycle.

19
 Forms of Organizational Structure

• Functional organizations – group people performing similar activities int

departments.
• Project organizations - groups people into project teams on temporary
assignments
• Matrix organizations – create a dal hierarchy n which functions and
projects have equal prominence.

20
 Six Criteria for IT/CS Project Success

• System quality
• Information quality
• Usability
• User satisfaction
• Individual impact
• Organizational impact

21
 Software Project Management tasks
• What is SP and SPM?
• A Software Project - is the complete procedure of software
development from requirement gathering to testing and maintenance,
carried out according to the execution methodologies, in a specified
period of time to achieve intended software product.
• SPM - is the art and science of planning and leading software projects.
It is a sub-discipline of project management in which software projects
are planned, implemented, monitored and controlled.
• SPM - is aimed to ensure that the software is delivered on time, within
budget and schedule constraints, and satisfies the requirements of the
client.
• Management of software projects is different from other types of
management because:
• Software is not tangible
• Software processes are relatively new and still “under trial”
• Larger software projects are usually “one-off” projects
• Computer technology evolves very rapidly
22
 Why w need SPM?
• To deliver a quality product.
• To keep cost within clients budget.
• Tracking of project stages.
• Accomplishing task as per schedule.

23
 Why w need SPM?
• To overcome the problems with software projects such as
• Manger’s point of view
• Poor estimates and plans
• Lack of quality standards and measures
• Lack of guidance about making organizational decisions
• Lack of techniques to make progress visible
• Poor role definition – who does what?
• Incorrect success criteria

• Members’ Point of View:

• Inadequate specification of work
• Management ignorance of IT
• Lack of knowledge of application area
• Lack of standards

24
 Why w need SPM?
• To overcome the problems with software projects such as
• Lack of standards
• Lack of up-to-date documentation
• Preceding activities not completed on time – including late delivery of
equipment
• Lack of communication between users and technicians
• Lack of communication leading to duplication of work
• Lack of commitment – especially when a project is tied to one person who
then moves
• Narrow scope of technical expertise
• Changing statutory requirements
• Changing software environment
• Deadline pressure
• Lack of quality control
• Remote management
• Lack of training
25
 Software Project Management Processes
• Project process is a set of interrelated actions and activities that are
performed to achieve a pre- specified set of products, results, or services.
• They mainly fall into two major categories:
• Project Management Processes encompass the tools and techniques
involved in applying the skills and capabilities described in the
knowledge areas.
• Product-oriented processes are typically defined by the project life
cycle, varying by application area.
• Project management processes are grouped into five categories

26
Cont…

27
 Initiating Process Group
• This group defines and authorises a new project or new phase of an
existing project by obtaining authorization to start the project or phase.
• Initial scope of the project is defined
• Initial financial resources are committed
• Internal and external stakeholders are identified
• Project manager selected (if not already done)

• The two processes in this group are:

• Develop Project Charter
• Identify Stakeholders

28
 Planning Process Group
• This group defines and refines project objectives. Project management
plan and project documents that will be used to carry out the project are
created. Detailing of the plan is done progressively referred to as “rolling
wave planning”.

1. Develop project management 11. Determine budget

plan
2. Collect requirements
3. Define scope
4. Create Work Breakdown
Structure (WBS)
5. Define activities
6. Sequence activities
7. Estimate activity resources
8. Estimate activity durations
9. Develop schedule
10.Estimate costs
12. Plan quality
13. Develop human resource plan
14. Plan communications
15. Plan risk management
16. Identify risks
17. Perform qualitative risk analysis
18. Perform quantitative risk analysis
19. Plan risk responses
20. Plan procurements

29
 Executing Process Group
• This group integrates people and other resources to carry out the project
management plan for the project.
• It comprises of 8 processes:

1. Direct and manage project 5. Manage project team

execution. 6. Distribute information
2. Perform quality assurance 7. Manage stakeholder expectations
3. Acquire project team 8. Conduct procurements
4. Develop project team

30
 Monitoring and Controlling Process Group
• This group regularly measures and monitors progress to identify
variances from the Project Management Plans so that corrective actions can
be taken when necessary, to meet project objectives.
• It comprises of 10 processes:

1. Monitor and control 6. Control costs

project work 7. Perform quality control
2. Perform integrated 8. Report performance
change control 9. Monitor and control risks
3. Verify scope 10. Administer contracts
4. Control scope
5. Control schedule

31
 Closing Process Group
• This group formalizes acceptance of the product, service or result and
brings the project or project phase to an orderly end.
• It comprises of two processes:
• Close project or phase
• Close procurement

32
 Software Project Management Knowledge Areas
• The 42 Processes within the 5 Process Groups, are mapped into 9 Project
Management Knowledge Areas:
1. Project Integration Management
2. Project Scope Management
3. Project Time Management
4. Project Cost Management
5. Project Quality Management
6. Project Human Resource Management
7. Project Communications Management
8. Project Risk Management
9. Project Procurement Management

33
 Project Initiation Processes
• Project Charter
• A project charter is a document that formally authorises a project.
• It is a document usually issued by an entity external to the project
organization which provides the project manager with the authority to
apply organizational resources to project activities.

• A project charter:
• Includes the business need that the project is to address
• Includes the product description
• Establishes the scope of the project
• Names the project manager as the responsible and authorized party
• Identifies the project deliverables, schedule and budget

34
 Cont…
• The purpose of the Project Charter is to document the:
• Reasons for undertaking the project
• Objectives and constraints of the project
• Directions concerning the solution
• Identities of the main stakeholders

35
 Sample Project Charter
• A sample The project charter contents include:
• The specific purpose of the project
• Project objectives and criteria for success
• High level requirements
• High level project description
• High level risks
• Summary milestone schedule
• Summary budget
• Project approval requirements
• Assigned Project Manager and authority level
• Name and authority of the sponsor

36
 Assignment
• Discuss and develop the project charter for project title that you selected.

37
Next: Software Project Planning

38