INFO 638Lecture #11 Software Project Management Intro to Project Management INFO 638 Glenn Booker

INFO 638 Lecture #1 1

Software Project ManagementIntro to Project Management

INFO 638Glenn Booker


Syllabus

Course covers essential project management Traditional Project Management Adaptive Project Framework

Text complies with PMI’s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) We add software-specific concepts


Syllabus

Class focuses on application of project definition and management principles to a project of your choosing

Text is Wysocki’s Effective Project Management, 3e


My Background Systems Engineering approach Mostly work with long-lived systems Industry experience includes thirteen

years of Dept. of Defense (DoD) work, and five for the FAA – mostly in large scale system design, development, and testing


References

See web sitehttp://users.snip.net/~gbooker/

In particular, note the SEI, SPMN and STSC resources on the Reference Materials page The SEI document index is particularly

recommended, and the SPMN identifies a lot of classic mistakes to avoid.


Defining a Project

A project is a series of complex, connected activities with a common purpose Our most common context is a project to

develop or refine an information system, but most principles of project management apply to any project


Activities = Sets of Tasks

A key difference in project management is to start thinking of a project as a series of interrelated tasks which need to be accomplished Most other courses focus on how to

perform a single complex task, such as developing an ERD, or designing a good interface – here we focus on defining the tasks needed to complete the project


Project Limitations Projects also have limits on the

amount of time and money available to them There may be changes to these limits

negotiated, but there are always limits Projects need some form of

specification to describe what needs to be accomplished Here, they are system requirements


Program versus Project

Often program and project are used interchangeably, but nominally, a program is a larger concept than a project A program is a set of related projects

The Space Shuttle program consists of many flights which are each separately managed projects

Here we focus mainly on projects


Project Limits

Projects are limited in scope, as defined by one of these: A functional specification A Software Requirements Specification Use cases and their documentation A Statement of Work (SOW) A Mission Needs Statement (MNS)

(government term)


Project Limits

Projects are limited by their product quality and process quality requirements Cost – mostly the labor cost, but also

hardware, software, training, etc. Calendar time And other resources – people, facilities,

equipment, etc.


The Triangle

Projects generally get stuck facing a triangle Cost Time (schedule) Features and/or quality

At most, two of these points can be controlled Which one can you tolerate flexibility?


Project Classification

Projects are often classified by their approximate size and complexity Risk, business value, duration, cost, etc.

can be used to determine categories The categories are often used to

determine the extent of documentation needed (e.g. page 14), and may affect approval processes (bigger projects need higher level approval)


Traditional Project Management

Traditional Project Management (TPM) refers to commonly accepted management practices

In software development, it implies that some variation of the waterfall life cycle model is used DOD-STD-2167a (1988) is the classic

description of the waterfall life cycle; others will be discussed with the WBS


Traditional Project Management

Also note that TPM is typically regarded as the most time consuming way to run a project In software, extreme programming (XP)

and other agile methods have been developed to speed development for small, low risk projects


TPM Life Cycle

Wysocki has five major phases in the TPM life cycle Scope the project Develop the project plan Launch the plan Monitor/control project progress Close out the project


Scope the project This phase includes:

Define problems (with existing information system) and opportunities (for new features and/or use of new technologies)

Define project objectives in terms of business value – quantify improvements compared to current system

Identify project success criteria, risks, and constraints


Develop the project plan

Identify the project activities May divide activities into support

activities (which are done throughout project) and specific life cycle phases (per the life cycle model chosen)

Estimate duration and resources for each activity

Create project schedule or network Put all this into a project proposal


Launch the plan

Select and recruit project team members

Level resources needed across the plan

Schedule and document work packages A work package is the detailed set of

tasks needed to perform a given activity


Monitor/control project progress

Determine how project progress will be measured

Establish change control tools and processes, including an escalation process

Monitor actual progress vs. the plan Go back to “Develop the project plan”

if major changes are needed


Close out the project

When the project is completed Get customer approval of final product Install final product Deliver promised documentation Make sure everything’s happy Write up final project report


Support Activities

Ongoing activities throughout a project typically include Project management (or you don’t have

a job!) Quality management Risk management Procurement management


Project Management

Project management should include all five phases of the TPM life cycle

Many organizations omit one or more of the phases, most often the last ones, producing less-than-optimal results


Quality Management

There are zillions of books on various aspects of quality management

Most focus on two major aspects Quality of the product you are creating Quality or maturity of the processes you

use to create that product Mature processes produce more consistent

and predictable results


Quality Management

There are many guides to quality – Six Sigma, CMMI, TQM, ISO 9000, Malcolm Baldridge, etc.

Organizations with mature processes often use statistical process control methods to track quality and quantify improvements


Risk Management

Deliberate management of risks is critical to good project management

American culture would rather shoot the messenger than deal with risks openly – this has to change

Risks include any event, which hasn’t happened yet, which could delay the successful completion of a project


Risk Management Guide

Need to create a list of possible risks Describe each risk briefly Estimate the probability of the risk

happening Should be between 0 and 100%

Estimate the loss if the risk occurs How much effort will it take to recover

from the risk?



Multiply probability times loss to get the impact of each risk Impact = probability * loss

Sort risks in descending order of impact; keep the top 10 (typically) This is prioritizing the risks

For each significant risk, assign a risk owner to look for the risk occurring



Quantify what has to occur for the risk to have happened (detection) “If we are more than 10% over budget,

the risk for Exceed Budget has occurred” Must quantify each risk, or they’ll never

occur Determine how to prevent the risk,

if possible, or look for alternative approaches to make the risk go away



Plan a mitigation strategy to reduce the risk’s impact on your project

Once the project starts, keep reviewing the risks (e.g. weekly) to see if any risks have occurred, or if new risks have been identified


Risk Management = Security

Risk management looks like security analysis, such as for an airline Prevent a risk from happening (e.g. a

hijacker getting onboard) Detect when the risk has occurred (they

make their presence known) Mitigate the damage they can do (get

the plane on the ground safely)


Procurement Management All information systems involve some

commercial hardware, software, and networking equipment Selection and procurement of these

components is a key activity Start with the buy-versus-make

decision For each system component, will you

make it yourself, or buy something off-the-shelf?


Procurement Management Procurement has its own life cycle,

which runs parallel to part or all of the project life cycle Solicit RFI (optional; and not in text) Solicit RFPs Get responses Select Vendors Manage contracts Close out contracts


Solicit RFI

If you want to create a shorter list of candidate vendors, a Request For Information (RFI) can be used The RFI is a tool to screen out poorly

qualified candidate vendors An RFI mainly seeks proof that they

understand the type of requirements to be addressed, and have suitable relevant experience


Solicit RFPs

A Request For Proposal (RFP) is used to get proposals from candidate vendors FedBizOpps.gov posts RFPs for

government work over $25,000 The RFP states your requirements;

each candidate vendor decides how to meet your needs


Get responses

Candidate vendors may ask questions to clarify the RFP; answers are made available to all vendors

Vendors prepare a proposal to respond to the RFP

RFPs often have very strict time deadlines (30-90 days) and specific page and format limits


Select Vendors

A proposal often has different volumes, e.g. Business, Technical, Cost, etc. which are reviewed by different experts Each volume is scored or rated according

to guidance (grading criteria) stated in the RFP

The proposal with the highest score generally wins


Manage contracts Once the vendor is selected, contract

personnel write the details of the contract The contract specifies what will be

delivered, when, where, and often in what format

A Statement of Work details the require-ments to be fulfilled by the vendor

The schedule for payments to the vendor is also stated


Close out contracts

When the final deliverable products and/or services are provided by the vendor, the contract is closed out The contract generally specifies what

happens to equipment, informal documentation, and other work products resulting from the contract

Final payment is made to the vendor

Documents

INFO 638Lecture #11 Software Project Management Intro to Project Management INFO 638 Glenn Booker