What’s different about IS project management?

What’s different about IS project management?

William R. MussattoCyberStrategies, [email protected]

Topics

Software Intensive / People Intensive Projects

Information Technology Projects

Software Intensive Projects

The Nature of SoftwareFive Basic Steps of Project Planning

where software projects begin to differ from other projects

Differences in Tracking and Control

The Nature of Software

Always Something New reuse, yes, but ...

Pure Mind StuffExtremely MalleableComplexity and Functionality

Gravitate to Software

The Nature of Software

Doesn’t Wear OutDefects Designed InDefects Hard to Detect

Five Basic Steps in Project Planning

Decomposing Project into TasksDefining Dependencies among TasksEstimating Resource Requirements

for Each TaskPerforming a Risk AnalysisScheduling the Project

Source: William H. Roetzheim, “Managing Software Projects: Unique Problems and Requirements”, from Paul Dinsmore, editor, The AMA Handbook of Project Management.

Five Basic Steps in Project Planning Where Software Projects Differ

Traditional projects emphasize dependency definition and scheduling evidence: commercial PM software

Software projects emphasize resource estimation and risk analysis

Decomposing the Project into Tasks

Large Portion of Software Project Consists in Deciding What to Do 30% not true of traditional projects

Three Different Kinds of Decomposition Orientations concept, capability, implementation

Decomposing the Project into Tasks

Concept-Oriented rough, generic outline of project

requirements ballpark estimates accurate to within +/- 50%

Capability-Oriented after functional requirements analysis before top-level design accurate within +/- 25%

Decomposing the Project into Tasks

Implementation-Oriented after software design is well advanced

post top-level design

fairly accurateprovided skill sets of programmers are well

understood

Essential Incompleteness of Software Tasks never know when they are really finished

Decomposing the Project into Tasks

Actual Construction of Software Only 10-15% of Effort

Bulk of Work in Integration and Test different from traditional projects

Scope of Software Tasks Varies with Interpretation varying in cost and complexity by factor

of 10 for same requirements

Defining Dependencies Among Tasks

Software Tasks Often Exhibit “Partial-Finish-to-Start” Dependencies Task A must be X % complete before

starting Task Bfor traditional projects, X=100for software projects, X ranges from 25 to

75

Dependencies Not So Rigid

Defining Dependencies Among Tasks

Dependencies Arise from People, Not Tasks different skill sets different work habits have to allocate right persons to specific

tasks

Estimating Resource Requirements

Area of Major Difference with Traditional Projects

Software Project Costs Nonlinear linear example: construction industry

@ $50/foot software costs linear as long as number

of people involved remains fixed jumps in nonlinear ways when more

people are added

Estimating Resource Requirements

ComplexityThe Rule of 7 +/- 2Sheer Combinatorics of RelationsBulk of Cost on Large Software

Projects is Primarily Communications Costs

Number of Interactions and Relationships

Performing a Risk Analysis

Risk Analysis of Paramount Importance to Software Project Managers

Software Projects Always Creating Something New

Usually Pushing State of the Art in Some Area especially true of embedded, real-time

software like R&D projects, this usually involves risk

Performing a Risk Analysis

Successful Project Managers Consider Risk for Each Task in WBS typically for risk avoidance

early prototypingassigning top talentcontingency planning

Risk Measurement: Measure of Severity times Probability of Occurrence subjective nature of probability

Performing a Risk AnalysisFive Risk Considerations

Technical software fails to realize intended

functionalitySchedule CostNetwork Risk

ripple effect on other tasksOverall Risk

Performing a Risk Analysis

Software Project Managers Probably Need to Spend More Time on Risk Consideration than Traditional Project Managers

Scheduling the Project

Later Developments Can Cause Previously Completed Tasks to Become Incomplete Once Again later software module impacts design

of previously completed modules try to minimize

Scheduling the Project

Close Coupling of Cost and Schedule software projects are dependent on

expensive laborengineers do the construction work!Workers are highly mobile.Workers have different skill sets.

Scheduling the Project

Some Estimates of Cost and Schedule Relationship for Software Projects with schedule compression, costs

increase as an inverse fourth power (according to some researchers

cutting schedule in half increases cost by factor of sixteen!

adding requirements while holding the schedule fixed amounts to the same effect

Differences in Tracking and Control

Greater Technical Astuteness Required of Software Project Managers must understand top-level aspects

Quality Control Very Important on Software Projects

Customer Expectations Must Be Carefully Managed creeping featurism, aka requirements creep

Software Engineering Institute

SEI CMM - Capability Maturity ModelLevel 1: InitialLevel 2: RepeatableLevel 3: DefinedLevel 4: ManagedLevel 5: Optimizing

Software Engineering Institute

Higher Levels Not Easy to Reach expensive and time consuming

Most Organizations at Level 1Very Few at Level 5

less than a dozen worldwide

Software Intensive ProjectsSummary

Software Is Very ComplexSoftware Projects Are People IntensiveResource Estimation and Risk Analysis

Major Factors Software ProjectsFunctional Baselines Shift in Software

ProjectsSEI CMM Step in Right Direction

IT Projects:Characteristics

Rapid Market Change Rapid Technology ChangeDistributed Systems

networked systems many different organizations

Source: Otto, Dhillon, Watkins, “Implementing Project Management in Large-Scale Information Technology Projects”, from Paul Dinsmore, editor, The AMA Handbook of Project Management.

IT ProjectsHow IT Projects Differ

Fuzzy Scope Definition interrelationship and interdependency

of business functions use of text to define scope difficulties in defining end deliverables frequent changes in business

requirements during project life cycle

IT ProjectsHow IT Projects Differ

Multiproject Environment Challenges finite resource pool to draw from specialized technical talent has to be

shared across multiple projectsleads to more intensive conflict resolution

resource management needs to be done continuously to control costs

IT ProjectsHow IT Projects Differ

Organizational Structures Weak Matrix Structure

project managers often serve as functional managers

• not really full-time project managers• potential conflict of interest

lack authority that counterparts in aerospace have

Some Benefitsfaster reaction timemore control over direct subordinates

IT ProjectsSummary

IT Projects Are Software Intensive Software projects are people intensive

Subject to Rapid Technological Evolution

Constrained by Incompatible Organization Structures in some cases