Chapter 6: Database Project Management Information Technology Department Bryar Hassan (MSc Eng.) bryar.hassan@kissr.edu.krd

Contents Project Management Overview Project Development Life Cycle (SDLC) Project Management Toolset Project Management Documentation Project Scheduling and Control Project Time Estimation Project Risk Management Database System Concepts

Project Management Overview Projects are singular, but non-routine, events with precise objectives which must be achieved within a set timeframe. The following need to be considered when planning a project Purpose and aim of the project Resources available both human and material Costing, human and time constraints The tasks, procedures or activities required to complete the project Database System Concepts

Project Development Life Cycle (SDLC) The development of information products and systems will usually follow a process that involves a number of distinct phases. Each of the phases has a series of events or steps that are completed in order to arrive at the final product. There are five phases of the SDLC: The planning phase The Analysis phase The design phase The implementation phase The use/evaluation phase Database System Concepts

The Planning Phase The planning phase is the initial steps that take place to define the project and set the objectives that will be used to evaluate the overall success of the final solution. The planning phase will normally follow a sequence of steps including: Recognising the problem Defining the problem Setting project objectives Identifying constraints Conducting feasibility studies Creating project proposals Establishing control mechanisms. A GANTT chart may be used to assist in the planning of a new system. Database System Concepts

The Analysis Phase The analysis phase of the SDLC is where existing system(s) are studied with the aims of designing a new or improved system. In this phase, a number of important decisions are made - including who will work on the system, and the setting of specific performance goals for the system to achieve. The analysis phase has the following steps: Announcing the project Creating the project team Defining information needs Defining system performance criteria Creating a design proposal Database System Concepts

The Design Phase The design phase, as the name suggests, is where the new system will be designed. In this phase, it is important that a number of different alternatives are investigated to ensure that the most efficient and effective solution is adopted. In this phase, the steps that are followed include: Preparing a detailed system design Identifying and evaluating alternative system configurations Selecting the best configuration Preparing an implementation proposal. Database System Concepts

The Implementation Phase The implementation phase is where physical and conceptual resources that are required for the project are obtained and integrated into the existing system to produce the final working system. There are a number of steps that are followed in this phase, including: Planning and announcing the implementation Acquiring the hardware resources Acquiring the software resources Preparing the physical facilities Educating the participants and users Preparing an implementation schedule (or changeover) Changing over to the new system. Database System Concepts

The Use/Evaluation Phase Once the system has been implemented, the final phase in the project will be the use and evaluation phase. In this phase, the system should be in full use to meet the objectives that were initially identified in the planning phase. The use/evaluation phase has a number of steps: Using the system Auditing the system (including a post implementation review) Maintaining the system Re-engineering proposals. Database System Concepts

Project Management Toolset This resource covers the tools used by a Project Manager beginning with 'GANTT' charts. GANTT Chart PERT Diagrams (network diagrams) Database System Concepts

What is Gantt Chart? A Gantt chart, commonly used in project management, is one of the most popular and useful ways of showing activities (tasks or events) displayed against time Gantt Chart allows you to see at a glance: What the various activities are When each activity begins and ends How long each activity is scheduled to last Where activities overlap with other activities, and by how much The start and end date of the whole project a Gantt chart shows you what has to be done (the activities) and when (the schedule). Database System Concepts

Gantt Chart Example Database System Concepts

PERT Diagrams (network diagrams) They differ from GANTT charts in that they are better at identifying the relationship between tasks rather than the progress of tasks over time. Database System Concepts

Project Management Documentation Documentation is essential for the success of any information system. Documentation provides anyone who interacts with a particular system an overview of the system capabilities and its software. Types of Documentation Program Documentation Program documentation System and technical documentation User documentation Paper based documentation Electronic documentation Documentation media Documentation for different users Database System Concepts

Project Scheduling and Control Gantt Chart - Timeline Chart Development of Activities Milestones Deadlines With resources People Equipment Money Database System Concepts

Project Time Estimation Most optimistic time (OT) Nothing goes wrong Most pessimistic time (PT) Everything that could go wrong does • Most likely time (LT) Estimate = ((OT + 4*LT + PT)/6) Example: calculate the estimation time of a project if you know the most optimistic time is 6 weeks, the most pessimistic time is 12 weeks, and the most likely time is 9 weeks. Estimation time = ((6 + 4*9 + 12)/6) = 9 weeks Database System Concepts

Project Risk Management Reactive do nothing until something goes wrong move into fire fighting mode move into crisis management mode Proactive identify and analyse risks avoid risks Database System Concepts

Types of Risks Product size Management or marketplace constraints Users Level of project definition Development tools (environment) Newness of the technology (early v late adoption) Team size and experience Database System Concepts

Risk Assessment Identify risk and its type (eg User) Estimate the probability it will occur Estimate its severity Catastrophic Critical Marginal Negligible Develop a risk mitigation (avoidance), monitoring and management plan Database System Concepts