1. Chapter 6: Database Project Management
Information Technology Department
Bryar Hassan (MSc Eng.)

2. Contents Project Management Overview
Project Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
Project Management Toolset
Project Management Documentation
Project Scheduling and Control
Project Time Estimation
Project Risk Management
Database System Concepts

3. Project Management Overview
Projects are singular, but non-routine, events with precise objectives which must be achieved within a set timeframe.
The following need to be considered when planning a project
Purpose and aim of the project
Resources available both human and material
Costing, human and time constraints
The tasks, procedures or activities required to complete the project
Database System Concepts

4. Project Development Life Cycle (SDLC)
The development of information products and systems will usually follow a process that involves a number of distinct phases.
Each of the phases has a series of events or steps that are completed in order to arrive at the final product.
There are five phases of the SDLC:
The planning phase
The Analysis phase
The design phase
The implementation phase
The use/evaluation phase
Database System Concepts

5. The Planning Phase
The planning phase is the initial steps that take place to define the project and set the objectives that will be used to evaluate the overall success of the final solution.
The planning phase will normally follow a sequence of steps including:
Recognising the problem
Defining the problem
Setting project objectives
Identifying constraints
Conducting feasibility studies
Creating project proposals
Establishing control mechanisms.
A GANTT chart may be used to assist in the planning of a new system.
Database System Concepts

6. The Analysis Phase
The analysis phase of the SDLC is where existing system(s) are studied with the aims of designing a new or improved system.
In this phase, a number of important decisions are made - including who will work on the system, and the setting of specific performance goals for the system to achieve.
The analysis phase has the following steps:
Announcing the project
Creating the project team
Defining information needs
Defining system performance criteria
Creating a design proposal
Database System Concepts

7. The Design Phase
The design phase, as the name suggests, is where the new system will be designed.
In this phase, it is important that a number of different alternatives are investigated to ensure that the most efficient and effective solution is adopted.
In this phase, the steps that are followed include:
Preparing a detailed system design
Identifying and evaluating alternative system configurations
Selecting the best configuration
Preparing an implementation proposal.
Database System Concepts

8. The Implementation Phase
The implementation phase is where physical and conceptual resources that are required for the project are obtained and integrated into the existing system to produce the final working system.
There are a number of steps that are followed in this phase, including:
Planning and announcing the implementation
Acquiring the hardware resources
Acquiring the software resources
Preparing the physical facilities
Educating the participants and users
Preparing an implementation schedule (or changeover)
Changing over to the new system.
Database System Concepts

9. The Use/Evaluation Phase
Once the system has been implemented, the final phase in the project will be the use and evaluation phase.
In this phase, the system should be in full use to meet the objectives that were initially identified in the planning phase.
The use/evaluation phase has a number of steps:
Using the system
Auditing the system (including a post implementation review)
Maintaining the system
Re-engineering proposals.
Database System Concepts

10. Project Management Toolset
This resource covers the tools used by a Project Manager beginning with 'GANTT' charts.
GANTT Chart
PERT Diagrams (network diagrams)
Database System Concepts

11. What is Gantt Chart?
A Gantt chart, commonly used in project management, is one of the most popular and useful ways of showing activities (tasks or events) displayed against time
Gantt Chart allows you to see at a glance:
What the various activities are
When each activity begins and ends
How long each activity is scheduled to last
Where activities overlap with other activities, and by how much
The start and end date of the whole project
a Gantt chart shows you what has to be done (the activities) and when (the schedule).
Database System Concepts

12. Gantt Chart Example
Database System Concepts

13. PERT Diagrams (network diagrams)
They differ from GANTT charts in that they are better at identifying the relationship between tasks rather than the progress of tasks over time.
Database System Concepts

14. Project Management Documentation
Documentation is essential for the success of any information system. Documentation provides anyone who interacts with a particular system an overview of the system capabilities and its software.
Types of Documentation
Program Documentation
Program documentation
System and technical documentation
User documentation
Paper based documentation
Electronic documentation
Documentation media
Documentation for different users
Database System Concepts

15. Project Scheduling and Control
Gantt Chart - Timeline Chart
Development of
Activities
Milestones
Deadlines
With resources
People
Equipment
Money
Database System Concepts

16. Project Time Estimation
Most optimistic time (OT)
Nothing goes wrong
Most pessimistic time (PT)
Everything that could go wrong does •
Most likely time (LT)
Estimate = ((OT + 4*LT + PT)/6)
Example: calculate the estimation time of a project if you know the most optimistic time is 6 weeks, the most pessimistic time is 12 weeks, and the most likely time is 9 weeks.
Estimation time = ((6 + 4*9 + 12)/6) = 9 weeks
Database System Concepts

17. Project Risk Management
Reactive
do nothing until something goes wrong
move into fire fighting mode
move into crisis management mode
Proactive
identify and analyse risks
avoid risks
Database System Concepts

18. Types of Risks Product size Management or marketplace constraints
Users
Level of project definition
Development tools (environment)
Newness of the technology (early v late adoption)
Team size and experience
Database System Concepts

19. Risk Assessment Identify risk and its type (eg User)
Estimate the probability it will occur
Estimate its severity
Catastrophic
Critical
Marginal
Negligible
Develop a risk mitigation (avoidance), monitoring and management plan
Database System Concepts