Management of Computer System Performance 4314

8/6/2019 Management of Computer System Performance 4314

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Chapter 13

Evaluation and Project Management

Management of

Computer SystemPerformance



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Agenda:

Project Planning

Understanding Cost Components Estimating the Project

Project Control

Ob jective:

Students should be able: to show theapproaches applied in evaluation and project

management .

Evaluation and Project Management



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Understanding Cost

Components

Costs are usually divided into two elements.

Direct and Indirect.

Specific allocations are a function of AccountingPractices and may differ.

Direct Costs-Labor, Materials, Facilities, Services

and Supervision

Indirect Costs- Administration, Fringe, G& A, Sr.Management. Etc .



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Projects & Project

Management

The following are some basic characteristics of aProject. Specific objectives ± defines concisely what you are

trying to do and what you will deliver«.in detail. This

will be to solve some problem or set of problems.

Schedule ± define specifically the duration of the effort

Budget ± Identify what is the budget and all variablesthat will affect it.

It should also include what you can and cannot control.

Resources ± Identify who will do the work andcommitments that those resources will be available.

One-time rather than ongoing



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Who are the Project Players?

The Sponsor ± The individual who has requestedthat the project be undertaken. They usually getor provide the funding and face the executives. (Remember the golden rule: he who has the gold, rules)

The Stakeholders ± Those who are affected bythe project and its implementation,

The Project Manager ± The individualresponsible for the management of the project.

Project Team ± The grunts. Individuals tasked toperform the work identified in the project plan.

Bystanders ± Those who provide unwantedadvice.



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Characteristics of a Project

Sequence or phases of activities

Unique (Non-repetitive)

Simple and/or Complex Inter-related activities

Specific Goal

Specific Time-frame

Specified Budget

Defined Specifications



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Project Stages

Scope

Definition

Scope Definition ±

Requirements & Business AnalysisPlanning

Planning ± Involves creating detailed,

step by step plansExecutionExecution ±

Execute the plan and only the plan.

Closure

Closure ±

Project review with a detailed lessons learned.

Feedback

Feedback Loops ± During the Execution,

as problems come up, take the issues back to the scope and planning stages as needed.



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Leading Contributors to

Project Success

Formal guidelines

Accountable sponsors

Project management skills Measurement systems

Formal priorities

Regular communication

Clear tracking Automated tools



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Why Projects Fail

Lack of Scope Control

Poor requirements Definition

Schedule/Cost overruns



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Time & Charge Numbers

Project time accounting is begun beforerequirements development begins. In every project in most companies, each has its

own budget.

Control and protect that budget.

The most efficient way to do this is through the use if real time accounting data. As people charge the

account, identify who and what they are doing. As projects grow or become more complex, this

becomes a problem.



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Importance of Estimates

Estimates are created using the following threevariables. Effort or Labor - This ensures that appropriate resources

are provided to the project. Time - Establishes an expectation to allow team members

to budget their time. This is also used to calculate costelements such as cost of capital and carrying costs.

Cost - Enables benefits to be weighed against costs. Thisis used as one of the key components of project valuation.



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Identifying Estimating Issues

Supportive data in the form of time and coststandards. The Basis of Estimate is a useful tool.

Reasonability based on experience

Definition of resource requirements for eachactivity

Influencing factors other than time and cost Contingency plan estimates



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Examples:Goal = e-business site

Function 1-Storyboards

1.1 Create layout Template

1.2 Select Color Scheme

1.3 Identify threads

Function 2 ± Site SystemDesign

2.1 Identify Static Pages

2.2 Identify Dynamic Pages 2.3 Identify Dynamic

content templates

Function 3 - ««

IT Project Management - WBS

GOAL Function 1

Task 1.1

Task 1.2

Task 1.3

Function 2

Task 2.1

Task 2.2

Task 2.3



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Importance of Scheduling

Role of project schedule

Coordinate tasks with non-project activities.

Acquiring or committing capital

Coordinate a project¶s task activities.

Assign resources over time.

Identify schedule and resource issues.

Identify potential problems.



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Planning Tools and Techniques

Gantt Chart: Popularized by Henry Gantt inthe early 1900¶s. Simple to construct,

Communicates resources and tasks well.

PERT Chart: Program Evaluation andReview Technique - Invented by US Navy in1958, More complex to construct,

Clearly shows relationships between tasks,

Show a more complete picture of the project.



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Schedule Components

Planned start and expected finish dates for allphases Major milestones and/or key events

Related reports Dependencies and the sequence of activities

There are three ways to present information visually.These are: The Calendar

The Gantt chart

The PERT/CPM (Arrow) chart



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Calendar



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Gantt



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Gantt Chart - Types of Task

Relationships

TASK A

TASK B

TASK A

TASK B

TASK A

TASK B

LAG TIME

FINISH TO START

LEAD

TIM

E



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PERT/CPM (Arrow)



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The Critical Path

For any presentation of a project schedule, the oneelement that requires clear and concise definition isthe Critical Path.

The Critical Path is a sequence of activities thatdrive the completion date. Late critical path activity equals late project

completion.

Identify critical path activities early and monitor

closely. Create prevention and contingency plans.

Monitor activities that could enter the critical path.



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Project Schedule Critical Path

The critical path is a sequence of Tasks

(WBS elements) that drive the completion

date.

Most critical path element have little, if any,

slack time. It must be completed sequentially

and on schedule.

If the critical Task path element is late, the projectwill be late.



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Project Schedule Critical Path

The management of a project¶s critical

path is critical. It is strongly suggested

that you, as the Project Manager; Identify critical path activities early and monitor

closely.

Create prevention and contingency plans.

Monitor activities that could enter the criticalpath.



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Project Schedules

Role of project schedule Coordinate tasks with non-project related activities.

Coordinate a project¶s task activities.

Assign resources over time. Identify schedule and resource issues.

Identify potential problems.

Planned start and expected finish dates for allphases. Major milestones and/or key events.

Related reports.

Dependencies and the sequence of activities.



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Creating a Bottom-Up Budget

This, as the title implies, requires that each element

within the Project be priced.

Determine how, at what rate, and when monetary

resources will be applied to a project. This is a costof capital approach and is critical to the

management of the budget.

Demonstrate whether you can meet the top-down

budget developed during the scope phase.



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Risk and Variance

The difference between the initial project budget andthe actual spending on the project is variance.

Causes of budget variance

Accuracy of estimates ± this is usually the biggest issue.Errors are made when getting aggressive to win the job.

Inflation ± Lately, this has been in check. Labor inflation isa potential problem.

Availability of resources ± Try to get a WebSphere

Programmer. Use of overtime and Seasonal fluctuations in prices ± if not

accounted, can trash a budget.



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Project Planning

Keys to Failure

Unplanned Schedule Delays are a major factor inproject failures. Many Project Managers fail to allow for any slack in any

portion of the schedule, essentially placing everything onthe critical path. This is sure to result in conflicts. Pre-mature Estimates - too precise with out the Project Schedule Not Adjusted as Scope Changes Failure to recognize Schedule Dependencies

Project Falls prone to the ³Mythical Man-monththeory - [Brooks]



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All Projects must have a risk managementprocess in place. This must include risk

mitigation. This approach is to identify critical paths through

the project¶s life and to identify various issuesassociated with each path.

Issues are weighted and those with the greatestprobability of occurrence are mitigated withalternative plans.

Risk Management



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IT Project Risk Management

R isk is inherent in every project.

Risk is a fundamental ingredient of opportunity.

It is inherent in every project. It is the possibility, not the certainty, of bearing

a loss that must be addressed.

Loss could be anything from diminished

quality of an end product to increasedcost, missed deadlines, or project failure.



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R isk is neither intrinsically good nor bad.

Risk is not something to avoid, especially because is

inherent in every project. It is to be mitigated.

Most risk mitigation methodologies consider risk as the

basis for opportunity.

The manner in which the risk is mitigated may be the

professional differentiator between your project solution

and that of your competitor.

As such, risk in itself, risk is neither essentially good

nor bad.



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R isk is not something to fear, but

something to manage.

Successful teams deal with risk by recognizingand minimizing uncertainty

They do this by proactively and aggressively

addressing each identified risk area and

developing a mitigation for it..



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Assess risks continuously throughout the project life cycle. Successful risk management is morethan just identifying risk factors at the start of the

project; Risk must be addressed and a constant assessment of

risk throughout the life of the project must beundertaken.

New risks are revealed during the life of a project and

work continues Previously identified risks change. They become

either;

more or less probable or more or less severe.



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Ongoing risk management of a project introduces adegree of resilience to change.

P roactive risk management involves identifying

risks ahead of time and preventing them throughreduction, transference, or avoidance.

R educe the risk . Risk reduction tries to minimize the likelihood that a risk will occur or,

to minimize the impact if the risk does occur.

Ex: architecting a system with strong system security sothat the risk of data loss or corruption is reduced.

Ex. minimizing the impact of a risk is installing anuninterruptible power supply to your hardware.



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T ransfer the R isk. (this does not refer to giving it to the new PMwhen you leave.)

Risk transference reduces overall risk by ensuring that itis handled by the most competent party.

Ex: when a company contracts with a third-party firm todeploy software, the customer determines that contractingwith an outside entity will result in fewer and less severerisks than if the customer¶s own people were to do it.

A company may also transfer a risk by transferring the

consequences. Ex. A company may have offsite data backup and

storage.

Ex: A company might choose to have an application-hosting provider host its critical functionality in a moresecure or proven environment.



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Avoid the risk . Risk avoidance tries to eliminate the risk by doing

something less risky. Selecting an alternative.

In the worst case this may involve canceling a project,but in other cases it could involve sacrificing somefunctional requirements to allow adoption of apackaged solution or avoiding unproven technology.

Ex: instead of creating open Internet access for a Web-based application, the company might choose to build avirtual private network to provide greater security.

Note: Canceling a project, from a business perspectivemay, be the correct solution.



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The IT Risk

Management Process

The process for Risk Management addresses thefollowing elements: Identify risks and quantify potential damages.

Determine and document risks likely to affect theproject.

Perform on a regular basis.

Use strategies to reduce potential impact.

Address both internal and external risks.

This is done from both a Top down and Bottomsup perspective.



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Risk and Budget Contingency

Management reserve

Budget to accommodate risks

Manage to achieve the expected value

Allocate time and money at expected value

This is easier said than done. Maintaining a

management reserve is usually difficult. It is one of

the first things to go when a contract is bid

competitively. For internal projects, there remainshope.



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Q uestion ?



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Homework

Management of Computer System Performance 4314

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