1 Chapter 3 Project Management. 2 The 4 P’s People — the most important element of a successful project Product — the software to be built Process.

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Chapter 3Chapter 3Project Project

ManagementManagement

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The 4 The 4 P’sP’s

PeoplePeople — the most important element — the most important element of a successful projectof a successful project

ProductProduct — the software to be built — the software to be built ProcessProcess — the set of framework — the set of framework

activities and software engineering activities and software engineering tasks to get the job donetasks to get the job done

ProjectProject — all work required to make — all work required to make the product a realitythe product a reality

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Software Software ProjectsProjects

• size

• delivery deadline

• budgets and costs

• application domain

• technology to be implemented

• system constraints

• user requirements

• available resources

Factors that influence the end result ...

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Project Management Project Management ConcernsConcerns

staffing?

cost estimation?

project scheduling?

project monitoring?

other resources?

customer communication?

risk assessment?

product quality?

measurement?

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Why Projects Why Projects Fail?Fail?

• • an unrealistic deadline is established an unrealistic deadline is established

• • changing customer requirements changing customer requirements

• • an honest underestimate of effortan honest underestimate of effort

• • predictable and/or unpredictable riskspredictable and/or unpredictable risks

• • technical difficultiestechnical difficulties

• • miscommunication among project staffmiscommunication among project staff

• • failure in project managementfailure in project management

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Software Software TeamsTeams

the difficulty of the problem to be solvedthe difficulty of the problem to be solved the size of the resultant program(s) in lines of code or the size of the resultant program(s) in lines of code or

function pointsfunction points the time that the team will stay together (team lifetime)the time that the team will stay together (team lifetime) the degree to which the problem can be modularizedthe degree to which the problem can be modularized the required quality and reliability of the system to be the required quality and reliability of the system to be

builtbuilt the rigidity of the delivery datethe rigidity of the delivery date the degree of sociability (communication) required for the degree of sociability (communication) required for

the projectthe project

The following factors must be considered when selecting asoftware project team structure ...

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Democratic decentralized (DD)Democratic decentralized (DD) Better for difficult problemsBetter for difficult problems High moraleHigh morale Low modularity?Low modularity?

Controlled decentralized (CD).Controlled decentralized (CD). High modularityHigh modularity

Controlled centralized (CC).Controlled centralized (CC). High modularityHigh modularity Faster for routine workFaster for routine work

Organizational Organizational ParadigmsParadigms

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Chief Programmer Chief Programmer TeamTeam

IBM – New York Times projectIBM – New York Times project Chief Programmer – backupChief Programmer – backup ““Librarian”Librarian” 2-5 programmers2-5 programmers

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Defining the Defining the ProblemProblem

establish scope—a narrative that establish scope—a narrative that bounds the problembounds the problem

decomposition—establishes decomposition—establishes functional partitioningfunctional partitioning

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Melding Problem and Melding Problem and ProcessProcess

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Software Engineering Tasks

plan

ning

risk

anal

ysis

engi

neer

ing

Product Functions

Text input

Editing and formating

Automatic copy edit

Page layout capability

Automatic indexing and TOC

File management

Document production

cust

omer

com

mun

icat

ion

COMMON PROCESSFRAMEWORK ACTIVITIES

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To Get to the Essence of a To Get to the Essence of a ProjectProject

Why is the system being developed?Why is the system being developed? What will be done? By when?What will be done? By when? Who is responsible for a function?Who is responsible for a function? Where are they organizationally Where are they organizationally

located?located? How will the job be done technically How will the job be done technically

and managerially?and managerially? How much of each resource (e.g., How much of each resource (e.g.,

people, software, tools, database) will people, software, tools, database) will be needed?be needed? Barry Boehm

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PERPERTT

Tasks – activities with well defined Tasks – activities with well defined beginning and endbeginning and end

Use a graph to show dependenciesUse a graph to show dependenciesCircles milestonesCircles milestonesArrows activitiesArrows activities

Determine critical path and slack timeDetermine critical path and slack time ExpediterExpediter Statistical estimates and simulations Statistical estimates and simulations

can be used for more realismcan be used for more realism

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BesBest t

prapracticcticeses

DODDOD Airlie software Council (Virginia)Airlie software Council (Virginia) 1994 initiative1994 initiative

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NinNine e

BesBest t

prapracticcticeses

Formal risk managementFormal risk management User manual as specificationUser manual as specification Inspections and peer reviewsInspections and peer reviews Metric-based scheduling and trackingMetric-based scheduling and tracking Binary gates at the inch-pebble levelBinary gates at the inch-pebble level Program-wide visibility of project plan Program-wide visibility of project plan

and progress versus planand progress versus plan

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NinNine e

besbest t

prapracticcticeses

Defect tracking against quality Defect tracking against quality targetstargets

Separate specification of hardware Separate specification of hardware and sotware functionalityand sotware functionality

People-aware management People-aware management accountabililtyaccountabililty

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WoWorst rst prapracticcticeses

Don’t use schedule compression to Don’t use schedule compression to justify usage of new technology on justify usage of new technology on any time critical projectany time critical project

Don’t specify implementation Don’t specify implementation technology in the RFPtechnology in the RFP

Don’t advocate use of unproven silver Don’t advocate use of unproven silver bullet approachesbullet approaches

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WoWorst rst PraPracticcticeses

Don’t expect to recover form any Don’t expect to recover form any substantial schedule slip (10% or substantial schedule slip (10% or more) without making more than more) without making more than corresponding reductions in corresponding reductions in functionality to be deliveredfunctionality to be delivered

Don’t put items out of project control Don’t put items out of project control on the critical pathon the critical path

Don’t expect to achieve large, positive Don’t expect to achieve large, positive improvements (10% or more over past improvements (10% or more over past observed performanceobserved performance

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Worst practicesWorst practices

Don’t bury all project complexity in the Don’t bury all project complexity in the software (as opposed to the hardware)software (as opposed to the hardware)

Don’t conduct the critical system Don’t conduct the critical system engineering tasks without software engineering tasks without software expertiseexpertise

Don’t believe that formal reviews provide Don’t believe that formal reviews provide an accurate picture of the project. an accurate picture of the project. Usefulness inversely proportional to Usefulness inversely proportional to number beyond fivenumber beyond five

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MicMicrosrosoft oft Level 5 can’t compete against Level 5 can’t compete against

Microsoft?Microsoft? 17 million copies of Word?17 million copies of Word? Legal problemsLegal problems Bozo explosion? Bozo explosion? 2000 unsolicited resumes/week2000 unsolicited resumes/week

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MS MS pepeoplopleweware are polpolicieiciess

Hire smart peopleHire smart people On project team right away (IBM - 6 On project team right away (IBM - 6

months training)months training) Weekly education sessionsWeekly education sessions MentorMentor Kick backKick back

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MS MS mamananagergerss

Induce uncertainty, don’t swallow itInduce uncertainty, don’t swallow it The manager is the greatest expert on The manager is the greatest expert on

when you will finish - rely on QA for when you will finish - rely on QA for opinionopinion

Prevent someone from going darkPrevent someone from going dark Don’t micromanageDon’t micromanage

rely on interdependence among team membersrely on interdependence among team members

Small milestonesSmall milestones Don’t trade one bad date for anotherDon’t trade one bad date for another

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MS MS devdeveloelopmpment ent prapracticcticeses

Case tools, formal analysis and design Case tools, formal analysis and design - not- not

Formal specification - notFormal specification - not Daily buildDaily build TestingTesting

Development not allowed to being until testing Development not allowed to being until testing signs off on specificationssigns off on specifications

1-1 ratio of testers to developers1-1 ratio of testers to developers Quick and dirty tests before buildQuick and dirty tests before build