Software Project Planning and Tracking M. M. Pickard, PhD Computer Science Stephen F. Austin State University

Overview The Sad State of Project Management Determining the Scope Allocating Resources Partitioning the Project Task Definition Scheduling Monitoring Post Mortem

The Sad State of Project Management Easy to find examples of failed projects Problems: Poor requirements identification Requirements creep Inaccurate estimates Lack of risk management Failure to update estimates Et cetera

Determining the Scope Identify requirements Write a scope statement Many techniques apply. . . Write a scope statement

Allocating Resources Determine hardware needed Determine software needed Determine expertise needed Estimate person-months required

Partitioning the Project Divide the effort as described by the scope statement into chunks that can be accomplished concurrently, if possible. Determine the “size” of each chunk. A sub-problem: what units will be used?

Task Definition Define the tasks necessary to complete each chunk. Determine the task dependencies. Define the outcomes of each task.

Scheduling Use an estimation method to arrive at time estimates. Associate tasks with milestones. Build reviews into the schedule.

Scheduling/Monitoring Consider use of PERT/CPM networks, Gantt charts. Microsoft Project Other tools Determine critical path.

Monitoring Collect process metrics. Review delivered artifacts. Compare accomplishments to scheduled performance. Revise schedule as appropriate. Determine current critical path.

Postmortem Following a project’s termination or completion, meet to discuss lessons learned.