What%is%the%ul+mate%goal%of%the%

project%manager?%

What%is%the%ul+mate%goal%of%the%project%
management?%

Project Manager
is a Person who thinks that NINE women can
deliver a baby in ONE month 10
 Why is Software Project
Management Important?
•  Money
–  2002-2003 UK government spent more on contracts
for ICT projects than on contracts related to
infrastructure
•  Projects are not successful
–  Standish group report:
•  In 2003 only 1/3 of projects were successful
•  82% were late
•  43% exceed their budget

11

Why is Software Project

Management Important?
•  Money
–  2002-2003 UK government spent more on contracts
for ICT projects than on contracts related to
infrastructure
•  Projects are not successful
–  Standish group report:
•  In 2003 only 1/3 of projects were successful
•  82% were late
•  43% exceed their budget
Lack skills and proven approach to project management and
risk management
12
 What is Project?
•  Dictionary:
–  A specific plan or design; a planned undertaking; a large
undertaking, e.g., a public works schema
•  Characteristics distinguish projects
–  Non-routine tasks are involved
–  Planning is required
–  Specific objectives are to be met or a specified product is to be
created
–  A predetermined time span
–  Work is carried out for someone other than yourself
–  Work involves several specialists
–  Formed temporary work groups to carry out the task
–  Work is carried out in several phrases
–  Available resources are constrained
13
–  Project is large and complex

Discussion
•  Producing edition of a newspaper
•  Putting a robot vehicle on Mars to search for signs of life
•  Getting married
•  Research what makes a good human-computer interface
•  Writing an operating system for a computer
•  Installing a new version of a word processing package in
an organization
•  A second-year programming assignment for a computing
students

14
 Software versus Other Projects
•  Invisibility
–  Bridge versus Software
–  Progress is not visible
•  Complexity
–  Software projects are more complex than
other engineered artefacts –
proved in numerious cases
•  Conformity
–  Governed by physical laws –
cement and steel
–  Requirements to human clients
•  Flexibility
–  Software is easier to change
–  Software will change to accommodate the environment rather
15
than vice versa

Software versus Other Projects

•  Invisibility
–  Bridge versus Software
–  Progress is not visible
•  Complexity
–  Software projects are more complex than
other engineered artefacts –
proved in numerious cases
•  Conformity Biggest
%p r
in%the%i oblems%
–  Governed by physical laws – nte
betwee rface%
cement and steel n%
monito the%
r%an
–  Requirements to human clients the%cha d%%
ir.%
•  Flexibility
–  Software is easier to change
–  Software will change to accommodate the environment rather
16
than vice versa
Activities Covered by Software
Project Management
•  Feasibility study
Feasibility study How%do% –  Assess whether a
we%do%it?% project is worth of
starting – has it a valid
business case
Is%it%worth%
doing?% •  Planning
Plan
–  Happens if feasibility
study indicates that the
prospective project
appears viable
Project execution •  Project execution
–  The plan indicates the
DO%IT!!!%
activities carried out to
create the product 17

Requirements
System

Requirements analysis

Architecture design
Requirements analysis
Design

Architecture design
Process implementation

Requirements analysis
Software

Detailed design

Code and test

Code and test

Integration

Qualification test
System

Integration
Qualification test
acceptance
Installation/
Software

Installation
support

Acceptance support
Categories of Software Projects
•  Compulsory versus voluntary users
–  Systems that staff must use
•  Record a sale
–  Use of systems is voluntary
•  Computer games
•  Information systems versus embedded systems
–  Carry out office processes
–  Control machines
•  Objectives versus products
–  Create product, the details of which have been specified by the
client
–  Certain objectives which could be met in different ways
•  Ask a specialist to recommend a solution
19

Stakeholders
•  People who have a stake or interest in the
project
–  Identify as early as possible
–  Set up adequate communication channel
•  Stakeholder groups
–  Internal to the project
–  External to the project team but
within the same organisation •  Financial interest
–  External to both the project team •  Development interest
and the organisation •  Usage Interest

20
 Objective owners
•  Stakeholders who control the financing also
own the project
–  They also set the objectives Actor and goal
modelling
•  Different stakeholders have
different motivation
–  Objectives identify the shared intentions
•  Objectives focus on the desired outcomes
–  Can be met in different ways The project will be a
success if …
•  Project steering committee
–  The project manager runs the project on a day-to-day
basis, but regularly reports to the steering committee
21

Well-defined Objectives
•  Effective objective – something that is within the
control
–  Specific – concrete and well defined
•  “to reduce customer complains”
•  “to improve customer relations”
–  Measurable – measures of effectiveness which tell how
successful the project has been
•  “To reduce customer complains”
–  Achievable – within the power to achieve
•  by individual or group
–  Relevant – to the true purpose of the project
–  Time constrained – a definite point in time by which the
objective should have been achieved 22
 Lecture Task 1%
•  Define%at%least%two%objec+ves%of%the%Project%
Management%course%
–  As%the%start%point%you%could%use%objec+ves%%
given%in%slide%2%
–  Iden+fy%objec+ve%owners'
–  Are%your%objec+ves%are%effec*ve?%Why?%

You%can%perform%
the%task%in%pairs%

Deliver0your0solu4on0in0100minutes0
23

What is Management?
•  Setting objectives for a system and monitoring
the performance of the system
•  Activities
–  Planning – deciding what is to be done
–  Organising – making arrangements
–  Staffing – selecting the right people for the job
–  Directing – giving instructions
–  Monitoring – checking on progress
–  Controlling – taking actions to remedy hold-ups
–  Innovating – coming up with new solutions
–  Representing – liaising clients, users, developers,
suppliers, and other stakeholders 24
 Project%Control%Cycle%
The%real% Actions
world%

Data%collec+on%

Data

Define%objec+ves% Data%processing%

Information

Making%
decisions/plans%
Modelling% Decisions

Implementa+on% 25

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