Software Project Management
Course Objective
To learn the techniques required to
plan, organize, monitor and control
software development projects
Learning aspects in SPM …
Managing people, process and problems
during a software project
Relating software metrics with software
projects
Estimating effort, cost and project duration
Risk assessment techniques
Project scheduling
Project quality management
Change management during software
development and after delivery to customer
Books
Text Book:
Mike Cottrell and Bob Hughes, Software Project Management
(Second Edition), McGraw Hill, 1999.
Pankaj Jalote, Software Project Management in Practice,
2002.
Walker Royce, Software Project Management - A Unified
Framework,
James A. Crowder, Shelli Friess, Agile Project Management:
Managing for Success; Springer Switzerland, 2015
A Guide to The Project Management Body of Knowledge –
PMI Standards Committee (William R. Duncan)
Course Contents
Topics from Book
Project Management
Metrics for Process and Projects
Estimation
Project Scheduling
Risk Management
Quality Management (selected topics)
Change Management
From reference material – contents in lecture
slides and in the form of handouts
LECTURE #1
The beginning…
Lecture Outline
Introduction
Basic concepts
Project Management & Software
Project Management
Project Management Skills
PMBOK
Introduction
Software Project Management
What is Software?
Software can be considered a product
of engineering just like an airplane,
automobile, television, or an other
object that requires a high degree of
skill to turn a raw material into a usable
product.
But software is developed or
engineered, not manufactured!
What is Software? (Contd.)
Software can be of different types:
System software
Application software
Engg./Scientific software
Embedded software
Product-line software
Web-applications
Artificial Intelligence software
etc.
What is a Project ?
definition
It is a temporary work (having specific
start and completion dates) undertaken to
create a unique product or service
What is a Project ? (Elaboration)
Temporary
It means that every project has a definite
beginning and definite end
End is reached when project’s objectives have been
achieved OR it is clear that objective will not be met.
The project is terminated in such a situation
The term temporary does not apply to a project’s
product or service (which is a lasting result)
Unique
It means that the product or service is different
in some distinguishing way from all similar
products or services
What is a Project ? (Contd.)
Projects may involve a single person or
thousands
Projects may be completed in hours, several
months or years
Examples of projects
Developing a new product or service
Designing a new vehicle
Constructing a building
Running a campaign for political office
Implementing a new business procedure or
process
And so on …
What is Management?
It is a set of activities and tasks undertaken
by one or more persons for the purpose of
planning & controlling the activities of others
in order to achieve an objective or complete
an activity that could not be achieved by
others acting independently.
What is Management? (Contd.)
Components of Management:
Planning
Organizing
Staffing
Directing (Leading)
Controlling
What is Management? (Contd.)
Planning
Pre-determining course of action to achieve the objectives
Organizing
Establishing relationship among work units and granting
responsibility and authority to obtain the objectives
Staffing
Selecting and training people
Directing (Leading)
Creating an atmosphere that will assist & motivate people
to achieve the desired end results
Controlling
Establishing, measuring, and evaluating performance of
activities towards planned objectives
What is Project Management ?
It is the discipline of planning, organizing,
and managing resources to bring about the
successful completion of specific project
goals and objectives
Project Management (Contd.)
Following are related to Project Management
Professional Organizations
Project Management Institute (PMI) (pmi.org)
Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
IEEE Software Engineering Group
Certifications (offered by PMI)
PMP (Project Management Professional)
CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management)
PMBOK – Project Management Body of Knowledge,
published by PMI
Tools
MS Project
Software Project Management
Management
Project
Management
Software
Project
Management
Software Project Management
A sub-discipline of project
management in which software
projects are planned, monitored and
controlled
Software Project Management
(Contd.)
Software development is a complex
undertaking particularly when it involves
many people working over a relatively long
time.
Hence software development projects need
to be managed.
Everyone involved “manages” to some
extent, but the scope of management
activities varies for every person.
Managerial Skills
Robert L. Katz identified three kinds of
skills for administrators*. The fourth
may be added to it.
Technical skills
Human skills
Conceptual skills
Design skills
*in “Skills of an Effective Administration” 1955, and “Retrospective Commentary”, 1974, both printed in Harvard
Business Review
Managerial Skills (Contd.)
Technical skills
Knowledge of & proficiency in activities involving
methods, processes & procedures.
Working with tools & specific techniques.
Human skills
Ability to work with people.
Cooperative effort, team work.
Creating a conducive environment for people/
workers.
Managerial Skills (Contd.)
Conceptual skills
Ability to see the “big picture”.
Ability to recognize significant elements in a
situation & to understand the relationship among
them.
Design skills
Ability to solve problems that will eventually
benefit the enterprise.
The skill to design effective & practical solutions
to problems rather than becoming “problem
watcher” only.
Important for upper level managers.
Skills Vs. Management Levels
in Organizational Hierarchy
Conceptual &
Top Management
Design Skills
Middle Management
Human Skills
Supervisors
Technical Skills
Project Management Skills
Project Management Skills (in simple words)
Leadership
Communications
Problem Solving
Negotiating
Influencing the Organization
Mentoring
Process and technical expertise
PMBOK
The Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK) is a collection of
processes and knowledge areas generally
accepted as best practice within the project
management discipline.
Generally accepted means that it is
applicable to most of the projects most of
the time.
It is an internationally recognized standard
(IEEE Std 1490-2003).
PMBOK (Contd.)
PMBOK recognizes 5 basic process groups
and 9 knowledge areas typical of almost all
projects.
The five basic process groups are:
Initiating
Planning
Executing
Monitoring and Controlling
Closing
PMBOK (Contd.)
The 10 suggested Knowledge Areas are:
Project Integration Management
Project Scope Management
Project Time Management
Project Cost Management
Project Quality Management
Project Human Resource Management
Project Communications Management
Project Risk Management
Project Procurement Management
Project Stakeholder Management
Advantages of Using Formal
Project Management
Better control of financial, physical, and human
resources.
Improved customer relations.
Shorter development times.
Lower costs.
Higher quality and increased reliability.
Higher profit margins.
Improved productivity.
Better internal coordination.
Higher worker morale (less stress).
References
Today’s lecture has been taken from:
Software Engineering: A Practitioner’s
Approach – Roger Pressman
Software Engineering Project
Management – Richard H. Thayer
PMBOK-2000.pdf
End of the Lecture!
