Software Project Management (64)[detail]

Project

Temp endeavour undertaken to create unique product, service or result

Software project characteristics

one off event, finite duration, well defined objectives, reporting (milestones, schedule, budget), allocation of personnel (roles, responsibilities, authority), technically complicated, deliverable in the form of specific IT technologu, moderate-high risk due to previous failures in industry

Continuous Operations vs Project Operations

the same product being made over and over for recurring customers vs are custom designs per customer

Types of Software Projects

Migration, Conversion, Web Apps, Agile, Maintenance, Porting, Customising Product, Fresh Dev, Full Life Cycle

Software Project management

application of processes, methods, knowledge, skills and expertise to achive the project objectives

5 Process Groups

Initiating, Planning, Executing, Monitoring and Controlling, Closing

Standards for project management principles

APM (association for proj man) and PMI (proj man institute)

Portfolio, Program, Project Management

Hierarchy of Portfolios, sub-portfolios, programs, sub-programs, projects based on objectives required.

Why do you need soft proj man?

Cost, Jobs, Productivity, Professionalism, Reputation, Safety, Sanity

Criteria for Project Success

Delivered on cost? developed on time? software specs and user requirements met?

Factors in Soft Proj Failure

Poor Planning and Direction, Insuff. Communication, Insuff. Management, Failure to align w/ constituents and stakeholders, Ineffective involvement of execs, lacks of soft skills or abliity to adapt, poor or missing methodology and tools

Adhoc/Functional Approach

Makeshift solution, learn as you go, improvised

Adhoc Characteristics

Single leader, little to no plannig, minimal doc, limited consultation

Adhoc advantages

dynamic environments, rapid project start, small teams, low cost, minimal overhead

Adhoc disadvantages

High uncertainty, leader centric, central authority, limited growth, ego driven environment

Process driven/Projectized Approach

contains defined methods for doing the work, as well as checks to ensure processes are outputting results and everyone adheres to the process

process driven characteristscs

dedi project manager, documented processe, team members trained in processes, organisation oversight and infrastructure to support processes

SPM initiation activities

review and revision of estimates, resource management, kick off meeting, project plans, induction training

SPM execution activities

measurement, analysis, project monitoring, reporting and issue escalation, project delivery, documentation

SPM closure activities

release of resources, lessons learned, reusable components, skills database

process driven advantages

less dependent on individuals, best practices, collective experience, senior exec involvement, uniformity, better performance measures

process driven disadvantages

fixed, rigid, training of staff, recruitment of SPM, infrastructure and support costs, is it necessary?

adhoc best use

small orgs, start ups, minimal SPMs available, few projects, high risk, extreme uncertainty

process driven best use

larger orgs, many projects, larger teams, established markets and customer base, longer term plans

main categories of project lifecycles

predictive/plan driven, iterative/incremental, adaptive/agile

two broad categories of user requirements

functional and non-functional

feasibility studies assessed and judged by

ROI, Net Present Value, Internal Rate of Return

proejct life cycle

defines what type of work should be done in each phase

Responsible for project intitialion

PMO and/or SPM

Project charter

PIN (project initiation note), link to RFP

key feature of project management plan

estimate, resources, project boundary, dates, environment

work package

element at the lowest level of WBS

plans in planning phase

Project Management, Configuration Management, Quality Assurance, Induction Training, Deployment, User Training, Handover, Software Maintenance

Calendar

Simplest form of scheduling

key factors for scheduling

(i) Activities, (ii) milestones, (iii) start and end date of project, (iv) concurrent activities required, (v) sequential activities required, (vi) the presence or potential for resources conflicts, (vii) resource limitations.

3 point cost effort estimation

real/optimistic/pessimistic estimates

Earned value

difference between scheduled completion and actual completion

parametric estimation

estimate using a project variable e.g. lines of code for cost, budget, or duration

analogous estimation

estimate based on historical data from a similar project or activity

schedule variance

difference of earned value and planned value

cost variiance

difference of earned value and actual cost

key components of SPM execution

Work Management (allocation, de-allocation), Team Morale Management, Configuration Management, Quality Management, Product Integration Management, Project Control, Productivity Management, Stakeholder Expectations Management.

four steps of work management in exec

allocating work, assure completed work is under config management and passing QAT, deallocating HR to other tasks, promoting project artifact to next level

work register

monitoring and allocation of work packages to individuals or teams

types of work registers

activity based, single register, multiple register

Allocating workload

JIT, timing, matched, and achieveable

avoid workspace conflicts

conflict and competition, quality assurance, benchmarking, transparency in rewards

Project effort increase

scope creep, rework, low productivity, change requests, poor morale

Classes of software project metrics

effort, cost, quality, schedule, change, productivity

CPI

<1 = cost out of control, >1 = cost under control

Earned value analysis integrates

scope, cost, and schedule measures

Cost variance

negative = cost overrun, positive = cost underrun

executing processes

Coordinating people and other resources to carry out the plan

controlling processes

Ensuring that the project objectives are met by monitoring and measuring progress and taking corrective action when necessary

Project closure scenarios

after warranty support is completed, post customer acceptance and delivery, closure of contract w/ customer

activities in proj closure

identify reusable code, document and deposit into knowledge repo, knowledge sharing, project records with PMO

Reusable code

IP rights? standalone? does it connect to DB? partial code due to time to produce?

Management by exception

tolerances are set for project metrics and then corrective action is commenced if the metric is exceeded

Main themes of PRINCE2

Business Case, Organisation, Quality, Plans, Risk, Change, Progress

3 PM roles in Agile

Team Leaders, Team Members and Customers

Discussed in Stand ups

accomplishments, tasks completed, progress blockers

Agile Gantt alternative

Product Backlog

Agile focuses

individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, embrace change

Agile characteristics

Metaphor, teamwork and collab, guiding principles, open info, light touch, constant monitoring