IS3320 Developing and Using Management Information Systems Lecture 20: Project Management Rob Gleasure

IS3320 Today’s lecture  The software development lifecycle  Waterfall approach  Agile approach  eXtreme Programming (XP)

The SDLC The SDLC describes the activities performed at each stage of a software development project. This involves six steps 1. Requirements Gathering and Analysis 2. Design 3. Development/Implementation 4. Testing 5. Implementation 6. Maintenance

Why use the SDLC It provides a standard generic framework that can be re-used and adjusted across multiple projects SDLC + project parameters  Plan Project parameters will include:  Scope,  Budget,  Duration This let’s us negotiate details with clients, spot problems early, regulate development, etc.

The Waterfall Approach The classic model of development is the waterfall model introduced by Royce in 1970 Each phase is completed before the next begins Idea of handover between phases, i.e. ‘waterfall’ Upstream changes may occur but only to address some emerging issues (you don’t aim for this to happen)

The Waterfall Approach Taken from

Outputs of the Waterfall Approach Taken from Technology Specialist at Cognizant Technology Solutions, R. Angelin

Agile Approach To combat the high failure rates and growing dissatisfaction with software development approaches, in 2001 the ‘Agile Manifesto’ was introduced Agility is argued as a philosophy, not just a set of practices  Adaptation is preferred to prediction  Iteration is preferred to linearity  Working code is preferred to documentation

The 12 Principles of Agility 1. Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software 2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development 3. Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than months) 4. Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers 5. Projects are built around motivated individuals, who should be trusted 6. Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location) 7. Working software is the principal measure of progress 8. Sustainable development, able to maintain a constant pace 9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design 10. Simplicity—the art of maximizing the amount of work not done—is essential 11. Self-organizing teams 12. Regular adaptation to changing circumstance s

Agility View of SDLC Taken from

Types of Agile Approach There are many different types of agile methodologies, e.g.  eXtreme Programming (XP)  Scrum  Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)  Rational Unified Process (RUP) Of these, scrum and XP are arguably most common

eXtreme Programming (XP) Used successfully and routinely at companies like Bayerische Landesbank, Credit Swiss Life, DaimlerChrysler, First Union National Bank, Ford Motor Company and UBS. Built on core values of  Communication  Simplicity  Feedback  Courage  Respect

Planning in XP Business people decide about  Scope  Priority  Composition of releases  Date of releases Technical people decide about  Estimates  Consequences  Process  Detailed Scheduling

Planning in XP Daily standup meetings are used to manage this  15 minutes max  No sitting  Same time and place each day  Everyone quickly runs through what they did yesterday, what they will do today, and anything slowing them down

Designing, Coding, and Testing in XP Minimal design, especially early Single repository for code, everyone commits their code every day All code has unit tests More tests created as soon as a bug is found Code must pass all tests before it can be released

People in XP Seat together Whole team approach Informative workspace Energized Work Pair Programming Team Continuity

Advantages of Waterfall Simple way to negotiate tasks and milestones with various parties Provides structure Milestones are well understood Identifies issues early Good for management Lets quality or regulatory metrics be set in stone early on

Advantages of Agile Reflects iterative nature of exploratory development Ability to following changing requirements means more chance of useful output Does not require estimation of tasks that may are poorly understood Little administrative overhead Value realised early – client is almost guaranteed to get something…

When to Use Waterfall Requirements are well known and product is clearly defined Technology is mature New version of an existing product Migrating an existing product to a new platform Where implementation can’t be broken down

When to Use Agile Everything else… Even heavily regulated environments are adapting to use agile by following exploratory sprints with a ‘hardening sprint’

Want to read more? The Project Management Institute  Beck, K. (2004). Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change, Addison-Wesley The agile manifesto 