Chapter 03 overview-of project planning Step Wise
0 likes258 views
The document outlines a structured approach to software project planning known as 'Step Wise,' designed for projects of varying sizes and complexities. It includes specific steps such as establishing project objectives, identifying risks, allocating resources, and executing the plan, using a case study involving a payroll system for Brightmouth College. Key elements of successful project management, such as stakeholder communication and risk assessment, are emphasized throughout the planning process.
Chapter 03 overview-of project planning Step Wise
- 1. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 1 Software Project Management Unit 1 Chapter 3 Step Wise: An approach to planning software projects
- 2. “What we learn with pleasure….. we never forget...” Alfred Mercier 13-07-20 SPM (5e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009 2
- 3. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 3 ‘Step Wise’ - aspirations • Practicality • tries to answer the question ‘what do I do now?’ • Scalability • useful for small project as well as large • Range of application • Accepted techniques • e.g. borrowed from PRINCE etc
- 4. SPM (5e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 4 ‘Step Wise’ - an overview 0.Select project 1. Identify project objectives 2. Identify project infrastructure 3. Analyse project characteristics 4. Identify products and activities 5. Estimate effort for activity 8. Review/ publicize plan 6. Identify activity risks 7. Allocate resources 9. Execute plan 10. Lower level planning Review Lower level detail For each activity
- 5. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 5 A project scenario: Brightmouth College Payroll • College currently has payroll processing carried out by a services company • This is very expensive and does not allow detailed analysis of personnel data to be carried out • Decision made to bring payroll ‘in-house’ by acquiring an ‘off-the-shelf’ application
- 6. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 6 Project scenario - continued • The use of the off-the-shelf system will require a new, internal, payroll office to be set up • There will be a need to develop some software ‘add-ons’: one will take payroll data and combine it with time-table data to calculate the staff costs for each course run in the college • The project manager is Brigette.
- 7. SPM (5e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009 7 14-07-20
- 8. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 8 Step 1 establish project scope and objectives • 1.1 Identify objectives and measures of effectiveness • ‘how do we know if we have succeeded?’ • 1.2 Establish a project authority • ‘who is the boss?’ • 1.3 Identify all stakeholders in the project and their interests • ‘who will be affected/involved in the project?’
- 9. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 9 Step 1 continued • 1.4 Modify objectives in the light of stakeholder analysis • ‘do we need to do things to win over stakeholders?’ • 1.5 Establish methods of communication with all parties • ‘how do we keep in contact?’
- 10. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 10 Back to the scenario • Project authority - Brigette finds she has two different clients for the new system: the finance department & the personnel office - A vice principal agrees to be official client, and monthly meetings are chaired by the VP and attended by Brigette and the heads of finance and personnel - These meetings would also help overcome communication barriers
- 11. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 11 Back to the scenario - continued • Stakeholders • For example, personnel office would supply details of new staff, leavers and changes (e.g. promotions) • To motivate co-operation Brigette might ensure new payroll system produces reports that are useful to personnel staff
- 12. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 12 Step 2 Establish project infrastructure • 2.1 Establish link between project and any strategic plan • ‘why did they want the project?’ • 2.2 Identify installation standards and procedures • ‘what standards do we have to follow?’ • 2.3. Identify project team organization • ‘where do I fit in?’
- 13. Education is not the learning of facts…. But the training of the mind to think…. -- Albert Einstein 17-07-20 SPM (5e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009 13
- 14. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 14 Step 3 Analysis of project characteristics • 3.1 Distinguish the project as either objective or product-based. • Is there more than one way of achieving success? • 3.2 Analyse other project characteristics (including quality based ones) • what is different about this project?
- 15. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 15 Step 3 continued • Identify high level project risks • ‘what could go wrong?’ • ‘what can we do to stop it?’ • Take into account user requirements concerning implementation • Select general life cycle approach • waterfall? Increments? Prototypes? • Review overall resource estimates • ‘does all this increase the cost?’
- 16. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 16 Back to the scenario • Objectives vs. products • An objective-based approach has been adopted • Some risks • There may not be an off-the-shelf package that caters for the way payroll is processed at Brightmouth College • Answer? • Brigette decides to obtain details of how main candidate packages work as soon as possible; also agreement that if necessary processes will be changed to fit in with new system.
- 17. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 17 Step 4 Identify project products and activities • 4.1 Identify and describe project products ‘what do we have to produce?’
- 18. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 18 Products • The result of an activity • Could be (among other things) • physical thing (‘installed pc’), • a document (‘logical data structure’) • a person (‘trained user’) • a new version of an old product (‘updated software’)
- 19. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 19 Products • The following are NOT normally products: • activities (e.g. ‘training’) • events (e.g. ‘interviews completed’) • resources and actors (e.g. ‘software developer’) - may be exceptions to this • Products CAN BE deliverable or intermediate
- 20. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 20 Product description (PD) • Product identity • Description - what is it? • Derivation - what is it based on? • Composition - what does it contain? • Format • Relevant standards • Quality criteria Create a PD for ‘test data’
- 21. Step 4 continued • 4.2 document generic- product flows SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 21
- 22. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 22 Step 4 continued • 4.3 Recognize product instances • The PBS (Product breakdown Structure) and PFD (Product flow diagram) will probably have identified generic products e.g. ‘software modules’ • It might be possible to identify specific instances e.g. ‘module A’, ‘module B’ … • But in many cases this will have to be left to later, more detailed, planning
- 23. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 23 Step 4 continued • 4.4. Produce ideal activity network • Identify the activities needed to create each product in the PFD • More than one activity might be needed to create a single product • Hint: Identify activities by verb + noun but avoid ‘produce…’ (too vague) • Draw up activity network
- 24. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 24 An ‘ideal’ activity
- 25. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 25 Step 4.5 Add check-points if needed Design module A Design module B Design system Design module C Code module A Code module B Code module C Test system Design module A Design module B Design system Design module C Code module A Code module B Code module C Test system Check-point put in a check point
- 26. Successful and unsuccessful people do not vary greatly in their abilities.... They vary in their desires to reach their potential… 20-07-20 JYOTSNA ANTHAL CHAUHAN
- 27. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 27 Step 5: Estimate effort for each activity • 5.1 Carry out bottom-up estimates • distinguish carefully between effort and elapsed time • 5.2. Revise plan to create controllable activities • break up very long activities into a series of smaller ones • bundle up very short activities (create check lists?)
- 28. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 28 Step 6 Identify activity risks • 6.1.Identify and quantify risks for activities • damage if risk occurs (measure in time lost or money) • likelihood if risk occurring • 6.2. Plan risk reduction and contingency measures • risk reduction: activity to stop risk occurring • contingency: action if risk does occur
- 29. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 29 • 6.3 Adjust overall plans and estimates to take account of risks • e.g. add new activities which reduce risks associated with other activities e.g. training, pilot trials, information gathering
- 30. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 30 Step 7 Allocate resources • 7.1 Identify and allocate resources to activities • 7.2 Revise plans and estimates to take into account resource constraints • e.g. staff not being available until a later date • non-project activities
- 31. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 31 Gantt charts Obtain user requirements Plan office layouts Week commencing 5 12 19 26 JUNE JULY 9 16 Analyse existing system 2 Draft and issue ITT Business analyst Systems assistant Business analyst Premises office LT = lead tester TA = testing assistant Survey potential suppliers Generate test cases Calculate volumes Business analyst Finance assistant Systems assistant
- 32. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 32 Step 8 Review/publicise plan • 8.1 Review quality aspects of project plan • 8.2 Document plan and obtain agreement Step 9 & 10 Execute plan and create lower level plans
- 33. SPM (6e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2017 33 Key points • Establish your objectives • Think about the characteristics of the project • Discover/set up the infrastructure to support the project (including standards) • Identify products to be created and the activities that will create them • Allocate resources • Set up quality processes
- 34. End of Unit 1 The end of one chapter is just the beginning of another…. Read on…. The BEST part is always yet to come….. SPM (5e) Step Wise: an introduction to project planning© The McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009 34