Managing Processes: Project Plan, Managing Quality, Project Execution, Project Initiation

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Project Execution: Product Implementation, Project Closedown >>

Software Project Management (CS615)

LECTURE # 9

2. Software Development Fundamentals

Management Fundamentals

2.8

Managing Processes

⇒ Managing the Project Plan

Preparing it project plan for a software project helps you ensure that the specified

requirements and objectives are met successfully. It is a collation of all planning

activities that have happened for a software project. This includes activities such

as design and analysis, activity definition, risk planning, and cost estimation. To

create the plan, you assess all planning activities, organizational policies

regarding the creation of the project plan and assumption and constraints for the

project. To implement the software project plan, you require management skills,

such as leadership, communication, and problem solving, along with the basic

knowledge about the software. You also need to ensure that the senior

management bf the company has authorized work on the software project.

Knowledge management techniques help you to make informed decision

regarding the project plan.

After the project plan is executed, you manage the changes to it in such a way that

the performance measurement baselines are not impacted, To manage the project

plan effectively you monitor the project plan, periodic performance status reports,

and requests for change. The primary tool that you can use to control the changes

in the project plan is the change control mechanism: This is a set of formal

procedures for changing the project plan.

⇒ Managing Quality

The quality of software development depends largely on the understanding of

`quality' and quality management within the software development team. In

software projects where each member has a different understanding of quality and

his or her role in implementing it, the software product is usually not of the

required quality.

Implementing software quality is often associated with the software developer.

However, the role of the project manager is crucial in implementing quality

awareness and a quality-producing work environment. When a software project

starts missing deadlines and is in danger of exceeding the budget, project

managers often lose the focus on quality and lay stress on meeting deadlines.

However, the focus should be the other way round. A focus on delivering a

Software Project Management (CS615)

quality product, even at the cost of missing a deadline or two ensures that your

customer comes back for repeat orders. On the other hand, the price of non-

conformance (PONC) on quality standards simply translates into the loss of

goodwill and loss of business.

Modern quality management techniques compliment project management and the

role of the project manager. Quality management techniques ensure that a

software product conforms to the customer requirements. Quality management

further ensures that errors are prevented in the first round itself. Checks for errors

and effort for removing the errors consume much more time, effort, and cost than

it takes to prevent the errors in the first place. Therefore, maintaining quality in a

software project is the domain of all team members.

However, as the project manager you have a critical role in maintaining quality.

You provide the resources required to complete the activities of the software

project and ensure that quality levels are constantly monitored.

You first identify the areas that must be monitored for ensuring quality and the

quality measures to implement. Then, consider the quality policy of the

organization, the scope of the project, the applicable standards, and the software

product description. Next, use tools, such as a cost-benefit analysis and a

flowchart, to identify the areas where you need to monitor quality and the

subsequent actions for control. The output of this exercise is the quality plan for

the software project. In addition, this exercise allows you to create checklists to

help monitor quality.

As a software project manager, you also need to use a quality control mechanism

so that the quality of the software product does not suffer. The aim of the quality

control mechanism is to ensure compliance with quality standards.

2.9

Project Execution

You already learned in the beginning of the chapter that a software project is

divided into different phases. This division is done on the basis of the activities

performed in each phase. Similarly, project management activities are also

arranged in phases. As a project manager, you perform the activities that map to

each of these phases. The project management phases can be broadly categorized

as follows;

Project initiation

Project closedown

Project planning, control, and tracking

Product implementation

Project Initiation

Software Project Management (CS615)

The tasks performed for project initiation are mentioned below:

Requirement gathering: The first task is to gather the customer requirements.

Customer requirements may be spoken or unspoken. Therefore, the challenge for

the project manager is to elicit the requirements in such a way that both the

spoken and unspoken customer needs and wants are gathered. After collecting the

required information, you need to translate the customer requirements into

technical specifications for the software project.

Scope determination: The scope of a software project can be defined as the

combination of the software product arid services to be delivered to the customer.

You carry out the scope determination exercise to define the scope of the software

project. The scope determination exercise enables you to refine and understand

the customer requirements. You can refine the scope definition further by

breaking down each deliverable into smaller and more manageable activities. The

scope determination exercise also helps you identify the technology for creating

the software product.

Resource allocation: During project initiation, you identify the resources required

and allocate them to the software project. The resources identified may be people,

reusable software components, and hardware or software tools. You allocate the

resource to the software project on the basis of the activities defined in the scope

determination exercise. While allocating appropriate resources for a software

project, you also need to calculate the cost of each resource. The cost of a

resource is calculated according to the duration of the resource in the software

project. Estimating the cost of resources also helps you prepare a budget for the

software project.

Note:

Scope determination and resource allocation are discussed in more detail in later

chapters.

Initial project plan: Another exercise that you carry out during project initiation

is the creation of a rough project plan. This plan is a draft version and carries only

the primitive project plan features. This project plan carries the initial risk

analysis of the software project, the initial start and end dates, the duration of the

activities in the project, and the sequencing of these activities.

Project Planning, Controlling, and Tracking

This activity of the project manager involves detailed tasks. These tasks are

mentioned below:

Detailed project plan: After the scope for the software project is determined and

the product design is ready, you prepare a detailed project plan. To create a

detailed project plan, you define a detailed list of all the elements that make up the

Software Project Management (CS615)

project deliverables. Next, the deliverables are further broken up to help In the

calculation of durations, start dates and end dates for each activity mentioned in

the plan. Roles and responsibilities are assigned to people with the appropriate

skills to complete each activity within specified time.

Control mechanism: These are set up to control the impact of changes on the

software project. The control mechanism includes a detailed risk management and

mitigation plan, a detailed quality plan, and quality assurance activities. You also

implement a review and audit system for periodic assessment and measurement of

the software project activities. The review and audit system enables you to

evaluate the progress of the software project. It ensures that all necessary data is

collected, deviation from the planned baselines is checked, and corrective action

is taken at all checkpoints. In this way, the review and audit system ensures

compliance with the organizational processes for software development.

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