1 Software project management (intro) An introduction

2 What is a project? n One definition –‘a specific design or plan’ n Key elements –non-routine –specific objectives –planned –predetermined timespan –constrained resources

3 What is a project? n More key elements –work carried out for a third party –work involves several specialisms or phases –size and complexity

4 Are software projects really different from other projects? Not really, but: n invisibility n complexity n flexibility n need to conform to human ideas all add to difficulties

5 Position of planning n Feasibility study - decide if project is worth doing n Plan how you are going do it, then do it feasibility study planning project Is it worth doing?How do we do it? Do it!

6 Contents of a feasibility study report  Introduction: identifies what the document is;  Description of current situation  Problem description  Proposed development  business and financial aspects  technical aspects  organizational aspects  continued >

7 Contents of feasibility study continued  Estimated costs  development costs  operational costs  Envisaged benefits  Recommendations

8 stages typically include implement requirements gathering specificationdesign code testing

9 Some types of project n Information systems versus industrial systems What type of system is an operating system? n Project may be to create: –a product for the general market –a system for a specific client

10 Products vs objectives A project may be to: n create a product the details of which have been specified by the client –the client has the responsibility for justifying the product n meet certain objectives –there might be several ways of achieving these objectives

11 What is management? Management may involve: n planning — deciding what is to be done n organizing — making arrangement n staffing — selecting the right people n directing — giving instructions n monitoring — checking on progress –continued

12 What is management? contd. n controlling — taking action to remedy hold-ups n innovating — coming up with new solutions n representing — liaising with users

13 Stakeholders n They may be: –in the project team –outside the team but in the organization –outside the organization n External stakeholders may be –customers or user affected by system –contractors n There will be different types of users with different interests n Need for good communication!

14 Objectives n Different stakeholders will have different objectives –need for agreed objectives n Need for an identifiable project authority –to set, monitor and modify objectives –can contain user, development and management representatives n Objectives –can be informally expressed as: ‘in order for the project to be a success, the project must….’

15 Objectives -continued n Objectives must be: –concrete –have measures of success n Objectives can be: –broken down into sub-objectives or goals –can be informally expressed as ‘in order to achieve A, we must achieve B,C,D etc’ –identifying sub-objectives involves considering the ‘how’ as well as the ‘what’

16 Requirement specification n Functional requirements –what the system is to do –systems analysis aims to provide these n Quality requirements –other attributes of the system e.g response time; usability; reliability n Resource/time requirements –cost –time n Trade-offs between the different factors

17 The control cycle real world collect data process data define objectives make decisions modelling implement data information decisions actions