PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Recommended Books

• [1] “SW Project Management”, BY Bob Hughes

• [2] “IT Project Management” ‘BY Kathy Schwalbe

• [3] “Software Engineering” , BY Roger S. Pressman

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Why Study Software Project Management?

• To understand the processes, tools, techniques, and areas of knowledge needed to successfully manage software projects.

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what is a project

A Project is “a temporary attempt undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result``.

Project Attributes

• A project has a unique purpose

• A Project is temporary

• A Project is developed using progressive elaboration

• A Project requires resources

• A Project should have a primary customer or sponsor

• A project involves uncertainty

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project attriBUtes

a)A project has a unique purpose

Every project should have a well defined objectives since a project exist to achieve some specific outcomes. For example: To improve a business process, create a specific product or achieve a specific skill.

The purpose of a project is defined by the project requirements.

b) A Project is temporary

A project should have limited time spans: That is, a project has a start date and a deadline date (End date) for completion.

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project attriBUtes

c) A Project is developed using pregressive elaboration Projects are often defined broadly when they begin, and as time passes. The specific details of the project become clearer. A project team should develop initial plans and then update them with more detail based on new information.

d) A Project requires resources,

Resources include people, machinery, budget and other assets. Resources however, are limited and must be used effectively to meet project and other corporate goals.

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project attriBUtes

e) A Project should have a primary customer or sponsor.

A sponsor usually provides the direction and funding for the project.

f) A Project involves uncertainty

Because every project is unique, it is sometimes difficult to define its objectives clearly, estimate how long it will take to complete, or determine how much it will cost. External factors also cause project uncertainty.

The uncertainty is one of the main reason Project Management is so challenging especially on projects involving new technologies.

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the triple constraints

of project ManageMent

Every project is constrained in different ways by its:

Scope goals: What work will be done as part of the project?

Time goals: How long should it take to complete?

Cost goals: What should it cost to complete the project ?

These limitations are sometimes referred to as the Triple Constraints.

• It is the Project Manager’s duty to balance these three often-competing goals in order to create a successful project.

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the triple constraint of project ManageMent

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the triple constraints of project ManageMent

.

• Managing the triple constraints involves making trade-offs

between scope, time, and cost goals for a project.

For example, you might need to increase the Budget for a project to meet Scope and Time goals.

You might have to reduce the Scope of a project to meet Time and Cost (Budget) goal.

Experienced project managers know that you must decide which aspect of the triple constraint is most important.

If Time is most important : Most often the initial project scope and/or Cost goals need to be changed to meet the project schedule..

If Scope goals are most important, then the time and /or Cost goals need to be

adjusted

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The Triple ConsTrainTs

of projeCT ManageMenT

• The Triple Constraint describes how the basic elements of a project i.e. Scope, Time and cost interrelate. However there are other elements such a : Quality, Customer satisfaction and Sponsor satisfaction that can also play significant roles.

• The Quadruple Constrains of Project Management which includes `Quality` as well as Scope, Time, and Cost is also gaining acceptance in the project management.

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The Quadruple ConsTrains of projeCT ManageMenT

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The Triple ConsTrainTsof projeCT ManageMenT

• There is a common belief that the Quality considerations , including Customer

and/or Sponsor satisfaction , must be inherent in setting the Project Scope, Time, and Cost goals of a project.

• A project team may meet Scope, Time and Cost Goals but fail to meet quality standards or satisfy their sponsor, if they have not adequately addressed these constraints.

e.g. A Project team may have completed the work on time and within the cost constraint, but the quality may have been unacceptable.

A Project manager should be communicating with the project sponsor throughout the project to make sure that the project meets the sponsor `s expectation.

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The Triple ConsTrainTsof projeCT ManageMenT

• How can you avoid the problems that occur when meeting Project Scope, Time, and Cost goals, but lose sight of quality or customer satisfaction?

The answer is through a `Good Project Management`, which includes more than meeting the triple constraint,

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WhaT is projeCT ManageMenT

• Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet project requirements.”

• Project managers must not only strive to meet specific scopes, time, cost, and quality goals of projects they must also facilitate the entire process to meet the needs and expectations of the people involved in or affected i.e. `Stakeholders` by project activities.

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projeCT ManageMenT fraMeWork

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key projeCT ManageMenT fraMeWork eleMenTs

• The key elements of Project management framework include:

Project Stakeholders Project Management Knowledge areas Project Management Tools and Techniques

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key projeCT ManageMenT fraMeWork eleMenTs

a) Project Stakeholders

Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by project activities and include the :

Project sponsor, Project team, Project Support staff, Customers Users, Suppliers Opponents of the project

The Stakeholders often have very interests. Stakeholders` needs and

expectations are important in the beginning and throughout the life of a

project.

Successful Project managers should develop good relationships with

stakeholders to understand their needs and expectations.

.

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key projeCT ManageMenT fraMeWork eleMenTs

b) Project Management Knowledge Areas.

Knowledge areas describe the key competencies that project managers must develop.

Project Managers must have knowledge and skills in both the Four Core Knowledge areas as well as in the four Facilitating Knowledge areas plus in the Overarching knowledge area.

The Four Core Knowledge Areas that lead to specific

project objectives are:

1. Scope management 2. Time management3. Cost management,4. Quality Management. 1-19

key projeCT ManageMenT fraMeWork eleMenTs

1) Scope Management Project Scope management involves defining and managing all the

work required to complete the project successfully.

2) Time Management Includes estimating how long it will take to complete the work,

developing and acceptable project schedules , and ensuring timely completion of the project.

3) Cost Management Consists of preparing and managing the budget for the project

4) Quality Management Ensures that the project will satisfy the stated or implied needs for

which it was undertaken. 1-20

Key Project ManageMent FraMeworK eleMents

b) Project Management Knowledge Areas.

The Four Facilitating Knowledge Areas are the means through which the project objectives are achieved :

1. Human Resources Management, 2. Communication Management, 3. Risk Management, 4. Procurement Management. Plus

Project Integration Management, (the ninth knowledge area which is an overarching area that affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge areas.

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Key Project ManageMent FraMeworK eleMents

1. Project Human Resources Management

Is concerned with making effective use of people involved with the project.

2. Project Communication Management

Involves generating, collecting, disseminating , and storing project information.

3. Project Risk Management

Includes identifying, analyzing and responding to the risk related to project

4. Project Procurement Management

Involves acquiring or procuring goods and services for a project from outside the performing organization.

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Project ManageMent tools and techniques

• Project Management Tools and Techniques assist project managers and their teams in various aspects of project management.

• Specific tools and techniques include: Project charters, Scope statements, and WBS (For scope Mgmt). Gantt charts, Network diagrams, Critical Path Analyses, Critical Chain

Scheduling (For Time Management area). Cost estimates and earned value management (For Cost

Management area)

There are other tools used specifically in different Knowledge areas,.1-23

saMPle gantt chart

The WBS is shown on the left, and each task’s start and finish datesare shown on the right. Early Gantt charts were drawn by hand.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

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Project success

There are several ways to define Project success.

• A project is considered to be successful if it accomplishes one of the following criteria:

a) Met its scope, time and cost goals

Several critics raised for this simple definition of project success and the methods used for collecting data.

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Project success

b) Satisfied the customer / sponsorThe customer/sponsor might not be satisfied with the important aspect of the

project despite the fact that project met its scope, time and cost goals In this event , the project would be deemed a failure.

• Conversely. A project might not meet initial scope, time and cost goals, but the customer could still be very satisfied.

c) A project may be considered successful by the Sponsor, should the result of the project met its main objectives, such as saving money,

resulting in a good Return On Investment (ROI) or simply making sponsor happy regardless of other factors involved (i.e. scope, time and cost factors)/

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Project success Factors

1. Executive support

2. User involvement

3. Experienced project manager

4. Clear business objectives

5. Minimized scope

6. Standard software infrastructure

7. Firm basic requirements

8. Formal methodology

9. Reliable estimates

10. Other criteria, e.g. Milestones,

proper planning, competent staff, ownership.

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the role oF the Project Manager

• A Project Manager (PM) can have many different job descriptions, which can vary tremendously by industry, organization and by project. However, there are similar tasks such as planning, scheduling, coordinating, and working with people to achieve project goals.

• Remember that 97 percent of successful projects were led by experienced project managers.

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• Define scope of project.

• Identify stakeholders.

• Develop detailed task list (work Breakdown Structures).

• Estimate time requirements.

• Develop initial project management flow chart.

• Identify required resources and budget.

• Evaluate project requirements.• Identify and evaluate risks.• Identify interdependencies.• Identify and track critical

milestones.• Participate in project phase

review.• Secure needed resources.• Manage the change control

process.• Report project status.

job Functions oF Project ManageMent

.

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hard and soFt sKills For Project Managers

• Project managers also need “Hard” and “Soft” skills to achieve high performance on projects..

Soft skills

Otherwise called Human Relations Skills include: • Effective Communication• Leadership• Motivation• Negotiation• Problem solving• Coping Skills (to manage)

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Hard and Soft SkillS for Project ManagerS

Soft skills (Continued)

Why do Project managers need Soft Skills?

Project managers need soft skills to understand , navigate, and meet stakeholders needs and expectation, project managers need to lead, communicate, negotiate, solve problems and influence the organization at large.

Managers need to be able to listen actively to what others are saying. Help develop new approaches for solving problems, and persuade others to work toward achieving project goals.

PM must lead project teams by providing vision, delegating work, creating an energetic and positive environment, and setting an example of effective behavior. 1-31

Hard and Soft SkillS for Project ManagerS

Why do Project managers need Soft Skills? (Continued)

PM focus on Teamwork skills to employ people effectively

PM need to motivate different types of people

PM also needs strong Coping skills to maintain their sanity and reduce stress levels to cope with criticism and constant change, since project work involve changes between competing goals

PM must be flexible, creative, and sometimes patient in working toward project goals.

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Hard and Soft SkillS for Project ManagerS

Hard Skills

PM needs hard skills such as Product knowledge and knowing how to use various Project Management tools and techniques.

Due to the nature of the work; PMs make many decisions and deal with people in a wide variety of disciplines, so it helps tremendously to have a project manager who is confident in using the special tools and techniques that are the most effective in particular settings.

PMs do not normally have to be experts on any specific technology, but they have to know enough to build a strong team and ask the right questions to keep things on track.

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Hard and Soft SkillS for Project ManagerS

For example;

PM for large IT projects do not have to be experts in the field of IT, but they must have working knowledge of various technologies and understand how the project would enhance the business.

Knowledge Programming languages

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ten MoSt iMPortant SkillS for Project ManagerS

Project management experts from various industries were asked to identify the ten most important skills for effective Project Managers in a recent study.

1. Domain Experties

2. Leadership

3. Listening

4. Integrity, ethical behavior, consistent

5. Strong at building trust

6. Strong at building teams

7. Verbal communication

8. Conflict resolution, conflict management

9. Problem solving

10. Understands 1-35

MoSt iMPortant SkillS and coMPetencieS

• All PMs especially those working on technical projects, need to demonstrate Leadership and Management skills.

• Leadership and Management are terms often used interchangeable, although there are differences.

• A Leader focus on long-term goals and big-picture objectives, while inspiring people to reach those goals.

• A Manager often deals with the day-to-day details of meeting specific goals.

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advantageS of USing forMal Project ManageMent PracticeS

Improvement in customer satisfaction Better cost performance, higher Return On Investment (ROI) Better schedule performance, allocation of time commitments,

and utilization of resources, higher productivity Increased quality and thus reducing re-work Increase in delivering required features Will make everyone happier (stakeholders, team members,

management …)

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PrograM and Project Portfolio ManageMent

Program Management • a program is something which delivers a massive piece of

functionality. Within this program will be a large number of individual projects each of which will deliver a specific piece of the functionality. When all these projects have delivered, all their pieces will make the big deliverable.

• A Program Manager provides :• Leadership and direction for the Project Managers heading the projects

within the Program.• Coordinate the efforts of Project teams, functional groups. Suppliers,

and operation staff supporting the projects to ensure that projects and processes are implemented to maximize benefits.

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etHicS in Project ManageMent

Ethic is a set of principles that guide our decision making based on personal values of what is right and wrong.

• I will not share project information with non related people• I will practice with fairness and honesty

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WHY it ProjectS are different

• Level of uniqueness and complexity of each project due to the rapid changes in technology

• Difficulty in getting accurate customer requirements

• Rate of change in requirements

• Difficulty in testing all the possible states of software

• Constant training needed to keep team members current with the

technology.

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