CS405 Project Management 1

Project Management “A well-planned project will take twice as long as originally expected; a poorly-planned project, three to four times as long” “Why is a project like a cavalry charge”? Project Management equals Project Planning + Project Execution Project Management manages: Cost Time Functionality Quality 2

Project Planning Step 1: Brainstorm tasks Don’t worry about whether they are too big or too small. That will shake out later. As much as possible, each task should produce a concrete deliverable; e.g. a program, a design, an analysis document, management sign-off, etc. » Ensures that the task is truly done. » Allows an objective measure of percent-complete 3

Project Planning Step 2: Identify dependencies What tasks must be complete before other tasks can begin Step 3: Assign resources/responsible groups 4

Project Planning Step 4: Estimate effort in “staff/days” A “staff/day” is what a person can reasonably accomplish in a day if uninterrupted. Tasks should be no less than 5 person-days and no more than 15 person-days » Smaller tasks should be captured on a check list associated with a larger task of related deliverables » Larger tasks need to be sub-divided. If at all possible, have each responsible group estimate its’ tasks. Some tasks may be milestone tasks; e.g. “Hardware Delivered”. They do not themselves consume project resources, but project tasks are dependent on their completion. 5

Project Planning Step 5: Layout tasks on a timeline Assume a person is only 85% available due to non- project activities Never give a resource more than three tasks to work on simultaneously; better to use a maximum of two » If there are many independent tasks that a resource can do simultaneously, assign them in sequence. Concentrate on one, max two, tasks at a time. Be prepared for a shock when you see where the final end date falls. 6

Project Planning Step 6: Adjust the plan Review task descriptions to determine if the nature of any tasks were not clearly understood. Look for possible overlap with other tasks which may be causing a double counting of effort. Consider adding more resources to tasks that are on the critical path of the project Look for bottleneck resources and consider how you can off-load some of their work to others. Never arbitrarily reduce the estimate for a task because it “looks too big”. Any change to a task’s estimate must have a clear explanation, usually a more precise definition of what is to be accomplished. “Law of Little Guesses”: estimating many small tasks causes estimate errors to cancel each other, resulting in an accurate estimate for the whole 7

Project Execution Two documents are necessary to execute a plan: Project Plan Issues List Review the plan on a weekly basis General explanation of what was done or not done; “So what happened last week?” Review the Issue List. (See below) Record how much time (staff/days) was spent on each task and how much time is remaining. Re-estimate when the task will be complete. Do not immediately change the overall plan. Work to bring the overall project back on track. If (when?) it becomes apparent that there is unrecoverable delay, then revise the plan. » “Plan the execution; execute the plan” 8

Project Execution Issues List Keeps a running document on all outstanding and resolved issues. Records: » Issue description » Date added to list » Priority- “Critical” (currently delaying project); “High” (may delay project); “Low” (not likely to delay project) » Issue manager » Estimated resolution date » Current status of the resolution » Notes documenting history of the issue (date/action taken) » Final resolution 9

Project Execution Project Reporting Do not have “individual contributors” submit written status reports; this should begin with first-line project supervision Weekly Status Report: Tasks Completed Tasks Late Tasks to be completed next week “Critical” issues (from Issues List) 10

Project Execution The Three Sins of Project Management To be in trouble To be in trouble and not know it To be in trouble, know it, and not report it Project success criteria: Time Cost Functionality Quality 11