Project Management

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Project Management

• Session 1 Introduction to Project Management

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Today

• Introduction
• Administrative items
• Fundamentals
• Classic Issues

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Syllabus Review

• Grades
• Exams
• Assignments
• Class web site
• http//kehk.wordpress.com

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Textbooks

• text
• Bob Hughes, Mike Cotterell, Software Project
  Management, 3rd Edition, McGrawHill
• Kathy Schwabe, An Introduction to Project
  Management, Course Technology
• Recommended reading
• All related books, articles, research papers

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Basics

• Essential elements of software project management
• Real-world case studies

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Format

• Essentials of software project management
• Research readings and writing
• Real-world case studies

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Project Manager Positions

• V.P. Program Development
• Executive Program Manager
• Program Manager
• Project Administrator
• Project Coordinator
• Project Manager
• Assistant Project Manager

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SPM

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Project Management

• Whats a project?
• A Project involves getting a new, complex
  activity accomplished
• Involve new activities, typically involve high
  level of uncertainty and risk
• Unique
• One Time (First Time Activity)
• To Achieve Specific Objectives
• PMI definition
• A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to
  create a unique product or service

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Project Management Skills

• Leadership
• Communications
• Problem Solving
• Negotiation Skills
• Influencing the Organization
• Time Management
• Mentoring
• Budgeting and cost skills
• Process and technical expertise

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Examples of Project

• Developing a new Software
• Implementing a new Decision Support System
• Developing a new office plan/layout
• Introducing a new product to the market
• Designing an airplane or a supercomputer
• Opening a new restaurant
• Constructing a bridge, dam, highway, or building
• Relocating an office or a factory
• Performing major maintenance or repair
• Producing or directing a movie
• Construction of Egyptian Pyramids
• Launching Windows XP, Yukon
• Implementing SAP in PIA
• Development of US Space Station

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Project as a System

• What are Systems?
• Systems are collections of interrelated parts
  working together to accomplish one or more
  objectives
• The value of viewing Information System Project
  as a system
• Total View of the project in light of its
  intended purpose is clear
• Dimensions of Complexity
• Individual, Group, Organization, Multiorganization

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Project Success / Failure

• Why Project Fails?
• Does not conform to the design
• Late
• Over Budget
• Lack of User Involvement
• Lack of top-management support
• Unclear Objectives

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Project Critical Success Factors

• Project mission
• Top management support
• Plan/Schedule
• Client consultation
• Personnel
• Technical Tasks
• Client acceptance
• Monitoring and Feedback
• Communication
• Troubleshooting

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Interactions / Stakeholders

• Project Stakeholders
• Project sponsor
• Executives
• Team
• Customers
• Contractors
• Functional managers

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PMIs 9 Knowledge Areas

• Project integration management
• Scope
• Time
• Cost
• Quality
• Human resource
• Communications
• Risk
• Procurement

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6 basic functions by PMI

1. Manage the projects scope by defining the goal
   and work to be done in sufficient details to
   facilitate understanding and corrective action,
   should the need arise
2. Manage the human resource involved in the project
3. Manage communication to see that the appropriate
   parties are informed and have sufficient
   information to keep the project on track
4. Manage time by planning and meeting a schedule
5. Manage quality so that the project results are
   satisfactory
6. Manage costs so that the project is performed at
   the minimum practical cost and with budget, if
   possible

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Four Project Dimensions

• People
• Process
• Product
• Technology

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Some Challenges

• Its always a people problem Gerald Weinberg,
  The Secrets of Consulting
• Developer productivity 10-to-1 range
• Improvements
• Motivation
• Team selection
• Team organization
• Commitment
• Matching people to tasks
• Career development
• Balance individual and team
• Clear communication

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People-Related Issues

• Undermined motivation
• Weak personnel
• Weak vs. Junior
• Uncontrolled problem employees
• Heroics
• Adding people to a late project

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People-Related Issues Cont

• Noisy, crowded offices
• Customer-Developer friction
• Unrealistic expectations
• Politics over substance
• Wishful thinking
• Lack of effective project sponsorship
• Lack of stakeholder buy-in
• Lack of user input

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Process-Related Issues

• Optimistic schedules
• Insufficient risk management
• Contractor failure
• Insufficient planning
• Abandonment of plan under pressure

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Process-Related Issues Cont

• Wasted time during fuzzy front end
• Shortchanged upstream activities
• Inadequate design
• Shortchanged quality assurance
• Insufficient management controls
• Omitting necessary tasks from estimates
• Planning to catch-up later

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Product-Related Issues

• Requirements gold-plating
• Feature creep
• Developer gold-plating
• Push-me, pull-me negotiation
• Research-oriented development

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Technology-Related Issues

• Overestimated savings from new tools and methods
• Switching tools in mid-project
• Lack of automated source-code control

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Trade-off Triangle

• Fast, cheap, good. Choose two.

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Trade-off Triangle

• Know which of these are fixed variable for
  every project

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Tracking

• Cost, effort, schedule
• Planned vs. Actual
• How to handle when things go off plan?

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Measurements

• To date and projected
• Cost
• Schedule
• Effort
• Product features
• Alternatives
• Earned value analysis
• Defect rates
• Productivity
• Complexity

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Technical Fundamentals

• Requirements
• Analysis
• Design
• Construction
• Quality Assurance
• Deployment

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Project Phases

• All projects are divided into phases
• All phases together are known as the Project Life
  Cycle
• Each phase is marked by completion of
  Deliverables
• Identify the primary software project phases

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Project Life Cycle
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Major Processes in Project Management
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Project Phases

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Major Components of a Project

• Project Initiation Selection, and Definition
• Identification of need
• Evaluation of alternatives
• Risk assessment
• Identification of stakeholders
• Project Organization
• Developing WBS
• Developing project organizational structure

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Major Components of a Project

• Analysis of Activities
• Defining the project major tasks
• Developing the list of activities
• Precedence relationship among activities
• Developing Network Model
• Identifying milestones

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Major Components of a Project

• Project Scheduling
• Development of a calendar
• Estimation of activity duration
• Estimation of activity performance dates
• Monitoring actual progress and milestone
• Updating the schedule
• Resource Management
• Defining resource requirements
• Acquisition of resources
• Allocation of resources among project activities
• Monitoring of actual resource use and cost

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Major Components of a Project

• Technological Management
• Identification of technological risks
• TQM
• Risk Management and Controls
• Working on Complexity
• Project Budgeting
• Estimation of direct and indirect cost
• Development of cash flow forecast
• Development of budget
• Monitoring actual cost

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Major Components of a Project

• Project Execution and Control
• Development of data collection and analysis
  system
• Execution of activities
• Tracking deviation in cost, configuration,
  schedule and quality
• Update plan
• Forecasting
• Project Termination
• Evaluation of project success
• Recommendation for improvements in PM practices
• Post Project Review