SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

(KOE-068)
UNIT 1

Ms. Parul Phogat

Assistant Professor
CSE-AIML
 Software Project

A project is a group of tasks that need to complete or achieve a goal.

A Software Project is the complete procedure of software development from requirement gathering to
testing and maintenance, carried out with proper methodologies and resources, in a specified period
of time to achieve intended software product.

• According to Harold Kerzner- A project is a series of activities or tasks that have a specific
objective to be completed within certain specifications, have defined start and end dates and
consume resources properly (i.e. money, people, equipment or tools(H/W + S/W).

• James Lewis views a project- as a one-time job that has definite starting and ending points,
clearly defined objectives, scope and a budget.
 Software Project Management

Software project management is the art and science of planning and leading software
projects. It is a sub-discipline of project management in which software projects are
planned, monitored and controlled in a proper manner.

This includes defining project requirements, creating a project plan, allocating resources and
tracking progress towards completion.

It provides a framework for managing software development activities from start to finish.

Software project management is the art and science of planning and leading software
projects. It is a sub-discipline of project management in which software projects are
planned, monitored and controlled.
Causes of SPM failure

• Unrealistic project goals

• Inaccurate estimates of needed resources
• Badly defined system requirements
• Unmanaged risks
• Poor communication among customers, developers and users
• Use of immature technology
• Inability to handle projects complexity
• Poor project management
So we need SPM to resolve or manage these problems in a good way so that
we can satisfy the client with successful project.
Benefits of good project management

• Save time and money

• Improve internal communications
• Make better business decisions
• Facilitates better risk management
• Helps you to optimize your workflows for smoother processes and happier employees
• It brings leadership and direction to projects
• It ensures proper expectations are set around what can be delivered, by when and for
how much.
How to manage a software project successfully

• Assign Right task/job to right person

• Motivating your team by sharing others’ success stories
• Avoiding any changes to tasks once assigned
• Trying to stick to the plan (until it needs to be changed)
• Breaking down the plan
• Assigning specific daily tasks (Reporting on daily basis)
 Software Project Manager

• A software project manager is a person who undertakes the responsibility of executing

the software project. Software project manager is thoroughly aware of all the phases of
SDLC that the software would go through. Project manager may never directly involve
in producing the end product but he controls and manages the activities involved in
production.
• A project manager closely monitors the development process, prepares and executes
various plans, arranges necessary and adequate resources, maintains communication
among all team members in order to address issues of cost, budget, resources, time,
quality and customer satisfaction.
Project managers play an important role in ensuring successful delivery of software
projects within budget and on time.
They collaborate with cross-functional teams such as developers, designers, testers and
other team members to ensure that everyone is aligned towards achieving project goals
 Job responsibilities of Project Manager

• Defining and setting up project scope

• Planning and Organizing (Estimation of Cost, Duration and Effort)
• Staffing (assign right task to a right person)
• Directing and Motivating the team( leading employees in order to ensure that they are
working towards the accomplishment of organizational goals).
• Monitoring and Controlling(Setting up reporting hierarchy and also includes processes
required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project).
• Innovating( it is about the implementation of new ideas ).
• Decision making and Representing (take necessary step to avoid or come out of
problems and he/she must act as project spokesperson)
Triple constraints for software
projects

Project must be completed within specific time(have defined start and end
dates), budget and good quality.
The Process of Software Project Management

• The process of software project management is a structured approach that involves the planning,
execution, and monitoring of software development projects.
• This process helps ensure that the project is completed on time, within budget, and meets the
requirements of client.
• The first step in this process is to define the scope of the project. This involves identifying what
tasks need to be completed, who will complete them, and when they need to be done.
• Once the scope has been defined, a project plan can be developed outlining all necessary steps for
completion.
• During execution phase team members are assigned their respective tasks as per its priority levels
mentioned in Project plan. Responsibilities are assigned with deadlines which needs tracking
during Monitoring & Control Phase.
The Process of Software Project Management

• Monitoring and control

phases focus on keeping track of progress toward goals while ensuring quality standard
s met along with risk response being active throughout whole life cycle
.

• Effective communication between stakeholders also plays an important role in

successful software project management as it helps avoid misunderstandings or delays
that could derail progress towards end goal.

• Having a well-defined process for managing software projects can lead to improved
productivity , better decision-making ultimately resulting into
timely delivery with high quality result.
 Activities of SPM

• Feasibility Study

• Planning

• Project Execution
Project management life cycle

1. Project initiation involves starting up the project, by documenting a business

case, feasibility study, terms of references, appointing the team and setting up a
project office.
2. Project planning involves setting out the roadmap for the project by creating the
project plan, resource plan, financial plan, quality plan, acceptance plan and
communication plan.
3. Project execution involves building the deliverables and controlling the project
delivery, scope , costs , quality, risks and issues.
4. Project closure involves winding down the project by releasing staff, handing
over deliverables to the customer and completing a post implementation review.
 Project initiation

Project initiation involves starting up the project, by documenting a business case,

feasibility study, terms of references, appointing the team and setting up a project office.
Project planning

Project planning involves setting out the roadmap for the project by creating the project
plan, resource plan, financial plan, quality plan, acceptance plan and communication
plan.
 Project execution

Project execution involves building the deliverables and controlling the project delivery,
scope , costs , quality, risks and issues.
 Project closure

Project closure involves winding down the project by releasing staff, handing over
deliverables to the customer and completing a post implementation review.
Principal project management process
Categorizing Software
Projects
• Compulsory vs. Voluntary Users
• Information Systems Vs. Embedded Systems
• Outsourced Projects
• Object Driven Development
 StakeHolders

These are People who have stake or interest in the project

Internal to the project Team: This means that they will be under the
direct managerial control of the project leader.
External to the project Team but within the same organization:For
example, the project leader might need the assistance of the users
to carry out systems testing
External to both project team and organization:May be customers (or
users) who will benefit from the system that the project implements
 Setting Objectives

A project authority needs to be explicitly identified with overall

authority over the project.

Project Steering committee:

Responsibility of setting ,monitoring and modifying objectives

Project Manger reports to the steering committee
Software Project vs. other
type of Projects

• Invisibility
• Complexity
• Conformity
• Flexibility
SPM OBJECTIVE (S.M.A.R.T.)

Specific: When setting a goal for yourself, your goal should be very clear and specific, or you will
struggle when the time comes to focus your efforts. “W” questions are important when setting these
goals:
‍- What? Think about what you are trying to accomplish
- Why? What is the reason for this goal, and why is this goal important.
- Who? Think about who will be involved.- Where? If there is a relevant location, identify it here.
- Which? You will need to determine any possible requirements or obstacles that may become an issue
along the way.

Measurable: While working on setting your goals, it’s important to understand that they need to be
measurable ones, so that you can track them. Set milestones or specific tasks to accomplish during
your project, and track and assess your progress.

Achievable: In order for your goals to be achievable, they also need to be realistic ones. They should
feel challenging but still remain possible. So, take a close look at any possible previously overlooked
opportunities, and think about the resources you will need to bring your goal to completion. These
resources might translate to developing new skills, so think about what you will need in order to
acquire them and how long this will take you.
SPM OBJECTIVE (S.M.A.R.T.)

Relevant: You need to be sure your goal matters to you, and it is also necessary that
your goal aligns with other goals; whether they might be different and broader
business goals or personal goals along the way.

Time-bound: This step is about working with the right time-set in mind. You need to
have a clear deadline to truly focus on accomplishing your goal. Think about it as a
project with no finish line; you wouldn’t know where and when to start. Setting clear
deadlines is imperative to goal accomplishment
ISO 12207 Software Development Life
Cycle
Software Management Activities

• Software project management comprises of a number of activities,

which contains planning of project, deciding scope of software
product, estimation of cost in various terms, scheduling of tasks and
events, and resource management. Project management activities may
include:
• Project Planning
• Scope Management
• Project Estimation
Need identification

• The term “elicitation” is prefered to “capture”, to avoid the suggestion that

requirements are out there to be collected simply by asking the right questions. It is
the process of learning, uncovering, extracting, surfacing, and/or discovering needs
of customers, users, and other potential stakeholders.

In the process of requirement elicitation there are four main categories of participants:
• The facilitator, who acts as a chairperson of the meeting, has a critical role in
organising the work of the requirements negotiation team.
• The users, who are people involved in using the system, are the “owners” of the
problem.
• The analyst, who is a representative of the design team, has a key role in the
transfer of the requirements from the “problem owners” to the design team.
• The design team, who are the system implementers, are responsible to meet the
elicited requirements.
Steps in need identification

1. Assess the business and technical feasibility for the proposed system.
2. Identify the people who will help satisfy requirements and understand their
organizational bias.
3. Define the technical environment (e.g. operating system, telecommunication
needs) into which the system or product will be placed.
4. Identify “domain constraints” that limits the functionality or performance of
the system or product tobe built.
5. Define one or more elicitation methods (eg interviews, team meetings)
6. Solicit participation from many people so that requirements are defined from
different point of view.
7. Identify ambiguous requirements as candidates for prototyping.
8. Create usage scenarios to help customers/users better identify key
requirements.
Management Principles:
The principles of project management are the fundamental
rules that should be followed for the successful
management of projects.

• Formal project management structure

• Invested and engaged project sponsor
• Clear and objective goals and outcomes
• Documented roles and responsibilities
• Strong change management
• Risk management
• Mature value delivery capabilities
• Performance management baseline
• Communication plan
Management Control
Project Planning

• The project planning tasks ensure that various elements of the project are
coordinated and therefore guide the project execution.
• Planning phases can be classified as:
1. Development of project plan
2. Execution of project plan
3. Change control and corrective actions
Stepwise project
planning
 Stepwise project planning

STEP 0: Select project

STEP 1: Identify project scope and objectives
1. Identify objectives and measures of effectiveness in meeting them
2. Establish a project authority
3. Identify stakeholders
4. Modify objectives in the light of stakeholder analysis
5. Establish methods of communication with all parties
STEP 2: Identify project infrastructure
6. Establish relationship between project and strategic planning
7. Identify installation standards and procedures
8. Identify project team organisations
STEP 3: Analyse project characteristics
9. Distinguish the project as either objective or product driven
10. Analyse other project characteristics
11. Identify high level project risks
12. Take into account user requirements concerning implementation
13. Select general life cycle approach
14. Review over all resource estimation
 Stepwise project planning
STEP 4: Identify project products and activities
1. Identify and describe project products
2. Document generic product flows
3. Recognize product instances
4. Produce ideal activity network
5. Modify ideal to take into account need for stages and checkpoints
STEP 5: Estimate effort for each activity
6. Carry out bottom up estimates
7. Revise plan to create controllable activities
STEP 6: Identify activity risks
8. Identify and quantify activity based risks
9. Plan risk reduction and contingency measures where appropriate
10. Adjust plans and estimates to take account of risks
STEP 8: Review/publicize plan
11. Review quality aspects of project plan
12. Document plans and obtain agreement
STEP 9 AND 10 : Execute plan/lower levels of planning
This may require the reiteration of the planning process at a lower level
 Planning objective
Clear objective lead to a higher rate of project success. By taking the time to properly plan
your project’s objective, the tasks leading towards these objectives are easily created.
• If a sailor knows where the fish are, he can direct his boat to a proper spot.

Project plan
• Introduction
• Project organization
• Risk analysis
• Hardware and software resource requirements
• Work breakdown
• Project schedule
• Monitoring and reporting mechanisms
Types of project plan
 Project portfolio management
• Project portfolio management provides an overview of all the projects that an organisation is undertaking or is
considering. It prioritize the allocation of resources to projects and decides which new projects should be
accepted and which existing ones should be dropped.
• The concerns of project portfolio management include:
• Identifying which project proposals are worth implementation
• Assessing the amount of risk of failure that a potential project has
• Deciding how to share limited resources, including staff time and finance, between projects- one problem
can be that too many projects are started given the resources available so that inevitably some projects will
miss planned completion dates.
• Being aware of the dependencies between projects, especially where several projects need to be completed
for an organisation to real benefits.
• Ensuring that projects do not duplicate work
• Ensuring that necessary developments have not been inadvertently been missed
The three key aspects of project portfolio management are portfolio definition, portfolio management and
portfolio optimization.
 Project Portfolio
Management
The main benefits of project portfolio management are:

• It provides alignment between company objectives and

projects.
• It takes the personal bias out of project planning, so there are
no “pet” projects.
• It makes decision-making easier around project conflicts
• It helps the project management office or portfolio manager
turn down projects that are not aligned with business priorities.
• It emphasizes the importance of focusing on the long-term, big
picture view.
• It builds governance and oversight into the management of
projects.
Risk Evaluation

• Risk evaluation is meant to decide whether to

proceed with the project or not, and whether the
project is meeting its objectives.
• Risk Occurs:
• When the project exceed its original
specification
Risk Identification and Ranking

• Identify the risk and give priority.

• Could draw up draw a project risk matrix for each
project to assess risks.
• Project risk matrix used to identify and rank the risk of
the project.
• The table illustrates a basic project risk matrix listing
some of the business risk for the project with their
importance and likelihood classified as high(H),
medium(M), low(L)