Teaching and Learning Activity Solutions

Module: HSPM300-1
Week number (Date): 4,(10 march 2022)
Unit covered: Chapter 6 & 7

1 Explain what a plan for plan consists of in a project

Plan for plan is an overview of all the things that need to go into the project plan.
Plan for plan involves:
 Brainstorming with knowledgeable team members
 Getting it all down on paper Chapter 6,
 Identifying further breakout sessions page 84

2 Summarize the guidelines or ANY ONE of the methods you might go through
when estimating a budget for the project. You need to use the knowledge
gained in chapter 7 and put mostly in your own understanding.

Try to account for all realistic costs so that you can give a stakeholder an
approximation for the project. To achieve accurate cost estimates, you and your
customers need to recognize and understand everything a project requires.

The budget estimate is somewhat more reliable because you have a better grasp on
what has actually to be included in your software as you spend more time gathering
requirements.
Not all the necessary information is usually available until later in the planning
process, but that will not stop customers and your managers from asking you cost
questions that they expect to have answered right now.

Budget estimates can typically be created based on historical information. If you have
done a similar project in the past, you can use this historical information to predict Chapter 7,
what your current project is going to cost. page 103

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3 A project is composed of planning, implementing and controlling/monitoring.
In your own view, do you think these three are dependent on one another?
Support your view.

The three are dependent on one another, as there cannot be one without the other. If
one is left out then the desired results will not be achieved.

Planning is the process of putting together all that is required to come out with a
desired goal or product. For a project, this is a route-map of the project or how the
project is to be executed, when, by whom, for how long, at what cost and what is
expected as the product. It is the act of deciding how to do something.

Once a plan has been laid out, it needs to be implemented according to the setout
rules, policies, and guidelines in the planning document. Implementation cannot be a
success when you do not know what is expected as the product produced by the
project or what it is expected to do. All this information is contained in the planning
documents. Once implementation has started, there is a need to continuously check
with the planning document to see that development is in line with the project plan
and expectation.

To ensure this becomes a success, there is a need for monitoring the activities of
the various stages and teams of the development cycle to ensure that there are no
deviations from the initial plan of the project. Every project needs to meet project
policies and standards especially in software development, monitoring keeps all these
adhered to. Without a plan, there is no yardstick to measure performance, quality, and Chapter 6,
evaluate progress. page 80

4 Annett Distributors had an 18months software development project that ran

into millions over budget. Upon further analysis, the project manager realized
that there were some additional costs that they did not include in the initial
budget planning. In your own understanding of budgeting for a software
project, what are the various types of costs the project manager should have
taken into consideration when planning for the software project? Provide
examples for each type of cost.

Direct costs- these are costs exclusive to any project or portfolio. These costs are
easily connected to a specific “cost object”, in this case, the project. They include
resources directly involved in delivering and managing the work. Examples are the
salaries of project staff and material costs.

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 Indirect costs-These includes overheads and other charges that may be shared out
across multiple activities or different departments. In some instances, these costs are
for activities or services that benefit more than one project. Examples include building
rental, management, security and insurance.

Fixed costs- These are costs that remain the same regardless of how much output
is achieved or throughout the course of the project. Examples include development
computers and development space/buildings

Variable costs- These are costs that fluctuate depending on how much of the
resources are used. These can be salaries of project staff that come in at various
stages of the software development project cycle.

Besides these major four categories of costs, there are additional costs that are
incurred during a project life cycle. These are a result of some forgotten additional
costs that will impact on the project cost. These additional costs are,
 Web hosting fees
 Quality assurance testing- this is usually outsourced
 Documentation costs
 Communication, PR, and advertising- if a new technology is being launched.
 Customer Service- this can be in the form of a call center.
 Subject-matter experts-any experts contacted at any stage of the development
cycle that was not budgeted for
 Licensing fees-any third-party software used in the project

Chapter 7, page 111-112

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