COURSE 5100 | 2-DAY SESSION
Software Project Management

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Course outline

Section 1A: Defining Business Systems
In any business there can be a significant number of systems that aren't necessarily associated with business functions. These systems must be identified and documented as part of the complete requirement specification.

1. Exploring business systems: usability, reliability, scalability, performance, and supportability
2. Differentiating between business functions and non-business functions
3. Differentiating between internal and external systems
4. Understanding design constraints
5. Identifying other requirements
   
   

Section 1B. General Project Management
Project management is far more than just making sure the technical work gets done well. It includes determining what should happen, establishing appropriate plans, ensuring the required resources will be available, directing the work, resolving resource, coordination and timing problems, understanding project status, taking corrective action when needed, and communicating appropriate information to the various interested parties.

1. Establish the project plans
2. Choose a software lifecycle
3. Define the project processes
4. Direct and manage the work
5. Lead configuration management activities
6. Control change
7. Monitor progress
8. Analyze and resolve problems
9. Take corrective actions
   
   

Section 2. Project Scope Management
One of the most vexing problems in software projects is establishing agreement about the scope of the project, and then managing that scope. Project success is not possible unless scope is managed well.

1. Establish the project charter
2. Document the project scope
   
3. Establish the project objectives and success criteria
4. Engineer clear product requirements
5. Manage the product requirements
6. Monitor project activities against the agreed-upon scope
7. Control and manage scope changes
   
   

Section 3. Project Resource Management
Each project requires a variety of resources to complete all of the work. If those resources are not available when needed, they will threaten the project's success.

1. Enumerate project tasks
2. Identify the required knowledge and skills
3. Determine other (non-personnel) resources that are needed
4. Compute project personnel needs
5. Reconcile available resource levels with the work
6. Acquire project personnel
7. Develop the team vision and charter
8. Define individuals' roles and responsibilities
9. Establish team operating procedures
10. Collaborate with other groups
11. Manage personnel
    
    

Section 4. Project Time and Cost Management
The "success" of most projects is measured by their ability to deliver the promised work within specific schedule and cost constraints. So, a key issue for all project managers is planning and managing cost and schedule.

1. Estimate product sizes
2. Define project activities and dependencies
3. Estimate the effort and cost associated with project activities
4. Compute activity resources and duration
5. Build the project schedule
6. Estimate project costs
7. Compile the project budget
8. Monitor and control project costs
9. Monitor and control the project schedule
   
   

Section 5. Project Quality Management (V&V)
The primary contributor to a project's success is the quality of the work that is done, and the main contributor to product quality is the way in which the project is planned and managed. When managers plan for and monitor cost and schedule, but not quality, quality is sure to suffer. And poor quality will generally result in schedule problems as testing and rework go on and on. Successful projects are those where quality is managed as surely as cost and schedule.

1. Identify verification and validation (V&V) activities
2. Choose the appropriate V&V activity for each product
3. Establish V&V procedures and success criteria
4. Assure that V&V activities are completed as planned
5. Analyze data from V&V activities
6. Take corrective action when quality levels are lower than needed
   
   

Section 6. Project Communication and Stakeholder Involvement
A project team does not work in isolation. There are many stakeholders outside of the team, some who will provide information or inputs for the team, and others who depend on the team to provide information or products to them. Successful completion of the project is dependent on how well the team's interactions with those other groups and individuals are managed.

1. Identify the project stakeholders
2. Establish a communication plan
3. Negotiate stakeholder involvement with the project team
4. Integrate the project's plans with those of the stakeholders
5. Obtain commitment from stakeholders concerning their involvement
6. Distribute information as planned
7. Manage interactions with stakeholders
8. Manage dependencies with other groups and individuals
9. Report project status and statistics
10. Conduct project reviews
11. Monitor commitments to others
12. Monitor stakeholder commitments to the project
13. Resolve coordination issues
    
    

Section 7. Project Procurement Management
Many projects obtain products or services from outside sources. They may buy tools, hire contractors, or even contract with another organization for development of certain components. The relationships with outside suppliers provide many opportunities for problems, and so they must be carefully managed to assure project success.

1. Identify acquisitions that will benefit the project
2. Plan the acquisition activities
3. Document the acquisition requirements
4. Review candidate products (if buying off the shelf)
5. Identify potential suppliers
6. Request proposals or quotes from potential suppliers
7. Choose suppliers
8. Establish contracts
9. Monitor supplier compliance with the contract
10. Coordinate with the supplier as needed
11. Accept and evaluate the supplied product or service
12. Close out the supplier contract
    

Section 8. Project Measurement and Analysis
Maintaining control over your project requires that you measure and track things that are important to the project. Often, organizations fail to measure those items that are truly important to project success. We don't want to waste effort measuring things that don't matter. But we must also be careful to measure those things that actually matter.

1. Establish measurement objectives
2. Specify measures to collect
3. Define measurement, analysis and data storage procedures
4. Plan for data management
5. Collect data
6. Analyze data
7. Store data and analysis results
8. Monitor project parameters
9. Apply statistical methods
10. Contribute information to organizational repository
11. Use organizational data for project planning
    
    

Section 9. Project Risk Management
Every project has risks to its success. Although risks are often outside of our direct control, planning for them often gives us the opportunity to mitigate. That is, we can make the risks less likely, or reduce their impact, should they be realized.

1. Establish a risk management strategy
2. Identify project risks
3. Analyze and prioritize project risks
4. Develop contingency and mitigation plans where needed
5. Monitor project risks
   
6. Implement mitigation plans