1. Project Management Methods
By Dr. Baker Abdalhaq

2. Introduction
Software developers systematically fail to manage projects.
Solutions have been developed during the past 35 years.
Still, in practice not much has changed.

3. A typical "waterfall" model

4. Project stages Why have stages?
Break a large problem down into smaller, more manageable problems
A tool for monitoring progress
Has project kept to plan so far?
Are there any problems?
Points at which senior management assess project viability:
Will it deliver on-time and stay within budget?
Will it achieve what we want?
Is corrective action needed?
Management authorisation to proceed with next block of work
Concentrates the mind
Project team members do not want to be the cause of holding up the end of a stage

5. Project stages
How do you decide what stages a project should have? How many? How long?
How do you even know what tasks are needed in a project?

6. Waterfall approach
Software development has gradually evolved from unstructured to structured, both in producing programs and in managing projects
The waterfall approach assumes all requirements are written down before producing them. Each definition is "signed off" by the user before starting work
Project definition signed before starting project
Systems analysis agreed before starting design
Design agreed before starting programming, and so on
Advantages: Planned duration, responsibility pinned down, orderly, should result in few corrections late in project

7. Waterfall approach

8. Causes of failure once a project has started:
It can be difficult to state when a stage is complete, ie. we may have to correct to previous work
Causes of failure once a project has started:
74% Unclear objectives and requirements
60% Lack of business commitment
58% Business requirements changing
45% Poor communication
"No-one knows what they want until you give them what they ask for" (Gerry Weinberg)