Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Project Management Concepts zWhy is project management important? yCost xDod already spending $30 billion annually on software in late 80’s xThe US spent $150 billion x$225 billion worldwide yProjects frequently fail or have severe difficulties x“New” FAA air traffic control system xThey don’t meet specifications xThey take much longer than expected

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Why Do Major Engineering Undertakings Often Fail? zLarge projects often fail for two principal reasons: yCommunication: Inadequate communication leads to project failure yCoordination: Lack of communication implies that the team can not coordinate. Thus each group moves in an independent direction and the project will grind to a halt.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, The Spectrum of Management Concerns zEffective Software management encompasses three main areas: yPeople yThe problem yThe process

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, People zThe Players -- It is important to recognize the different categories of people involved in a large software project. ySenior Managers - who define business issues. yProject Managers - who plan, motivate, organize and control the practitioners yPractitioners - who deliver the technical skill that are necessary to engineer the project yCustomers - who specify the requirements yEnd users - who interact with the software once it is released.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Team Leadership -- A Critical Item zThe Problem yThe best programmers often make poor team leaders. yDifferent skills are required. zTechnical leadership model yMotivation - The ability to encourage technical people to produce to their best ability. yOrganization - The ability to mold existing processes that will enable the initial concept to be translated into reality. yIdeas and Innovation - The ability to invite creativeness even within a set of restrictions.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Team Organizational Models zMarilyn Mantei model: yDemocratic decentralized (DD). -- Does not have a defined leader. “Task Coordinators” are appointed to assure that a particular job is to be executed. These are later replaced by other “Task Coordinators” as new tasks arise. yControlled decentralized (CD) -- Has a defined leader who coordinates tasks, and secondary leaders who carry out subtasks. Problem solving is done by the group, implementation is done by subgroups. yControlled Centralized (CC) - Top-level problem solving and team coordination managed by the team leader. The communication between the leader and members is vertical.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Project Features Impacting Organization zDifficulty of problem to be solved. zExpected size of the resultant program. zThe time the team will remain together. zThe degree to which the problem can be modularized. zThe required quality and reliability of the system. zThe rigidity of the delivery date. zThe degree of communication required for the project.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Impact of Project Characteristics

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Other Underlying Organizational Factors zMatrix model yThe organization has divisions organized by skills, e.g., engineering, safety and mission assurance (SMA), human factors, etc. yProjects “rent” people from the divisions, as needed. zIssues yWho evaluates person for raises? yIndependence of reporting for safety & quality issues? yWho is boss?

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, How Do We Communicate? zInformally - Good phone/electronic service, a clear definition of group interdependencies and good relationships help encourage communication zMeetings - Regular project meetings help alleviate minor misunderstandings zWorkbook - a formal project workbook must be started from the beginning.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Project Coordination techniques zFormal, impersonal approaches - software engineering documents and deliverables, technical memos, project milestones, schedules and control tools zFormal interpersonal procedures - quality assurance activities - reviews and design and code inspections zInformal, interpersonal procedures - group meetings zElectronic communication - , bulletin boards, web sites, extension and video conferences zInterpersonal network - discussions with those outside of the project.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, A Study on the Impact of Coordination Techniques

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, The Problem zMust first determine project scope. yContext - How does this software to be built fit into the larger system? What constraints are imposed as a result of this? yInformation objectives - What customer-visible objects are produced from the software? What data objects are necessary for input? yFunction and performance - What functions or actions does the software perform to transform the output? zThe stability, or lack thereof, of the project requirements is a major factor in project management.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, The Process zSelect a software engineering model. zProject framework. yCustomer communication. yPlanning -- determine resources, time line & other info. yRisk analysis -- assess technical and management risks yEngineering -- build one or more representations of the product. yConstruction and release -- construct, test, install and provide user support. yCustomer evaluation -- obtain feedback on product

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Common Process Framework Activities

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Process Decomposition zTypical activities yReview the customer request. yPlan and schedule a formal, facilitated meeting with the customer. yConduct research to define proposed solutions. yPrepare a “working document” and meeting agenda. yConduct meeting with customer. yJointly develop mini-specs for the product. yReview each mini-spec for correctness, lack of ambiguity. yAssemble the mini-specs into a scoping document. yReview the scoping document with all concerned. yModify the scoping document as required.

Chapter 3 -- R. A. Volz -- Assistance - David Mar November 2, Summary zSoftware project management is an umbrella activity that continues throughout the life cycle of the system. zSoftware management includes people, the problem, and the process. zThe most critical element in all software system projects is the people. The team can have an number of structures that effect the way work is accomplished. zHowever, complete, consistent problem definition and an effective process are also essential ingredients.