IT/Software Project Management

Introduction

Lecture 1
KAMRAN DAHRI)
Text Books

• Software Project Survival Guide

• Steve McConnell

• PMBOK Guide (4th Edition)

• PMI

• Project Management
• Dr. Harold Kerzner

• Rapid Development
• Steve McConnell
 Course Objectives

• Introduce methods and tools of

project management that’ll help you
practically.
Administrative Details

• We will communicate through a facebook

group

• All lecture presentation and other material

will be posted on the course group 24 hours
after the lecture.

• All assignments/ project deliverables are to

be sent by the announced deadline through
e-mail at kamran.dahri@usindh.edu.pk
 Grading
Assessment Marks
Attendance 10
Assignment 10
Midterms 30
Final 60
TOTAL 100
The field of IT/Software Project
Management
• Jobs: where are they?
• Professional Organizations
– Project Management Institute (PMI) (pmi.org)
– Software Engineering Institute (SEI)
– IEEE Software Engineering Group
• Certifications
– PMP
– CAPM
– PRINCE 2
– CompTIA Project+
• Book
– “PMBOK Guide” – A Guide to the Project Management Body of
Knowledge
• Tools
– MS Project
 Management
• Getting activities completed
efficiently and effectively through the
available resources.
– Efficiency – Doing things Right
(Minimize costs)
– Effectiveness – Doing the Right things
(Goal attainment)
Management Functions
• Planning
• Organizing
• Leading
• Controlling
Management
 Project Management

• What is a project?

– A project is a temporary endeavor

undertaken to create a unique product,
service or result.
 Project Management

• Examples of a project
– Developing a new product or service
– Effecting a change in structure,
staffing, or style of an organization
– Developing or acquiring a new or
modified information system
– Constructing a building or infrastructure
– Implementing a new business process
or procedure
 Project Management

• What is Project Management?

– Application of knowledge, skills, tools

and techniques to project activities to
meet project requirements.
 Project Management

• Managing a project includes:

– Identifying requirements
– Addressing the various needs, concerns, and
expectations of the stakeholders as the project is
planned and carried out
– Balancing the competing project constraints including
• Scope
• Quality
• Schedule
• Budget
• Resources
• Risk
 Project Management

• Program

– A program is defined as a group of

related projects managed in a
coordinated way to obtain benefits and
control not available from managing
them individually.
 Project Management

• Examples of Programs
– University building an online
registration system for all departments
– A company decides to automate its
various functions
 Project Management

• Portfolio

– A portfolio refers to a collection of

projects or programs and other work
that are grouped together to facilitate
effective management of that work to
meet strategic business objectives.
 Project Management

• Examples of Portfolios
– An organization wishes to build up on
its online presence by launching
various marketing and sales initiatives.
– An organization decides to add a new
product to meet its business objectives.
 Project Management

• Projects and Strategic Planning

– Market Demand
– Strategic Opportunity/ Business Need
– Customer Request
– Technological Advance
– Legal Requirements
 Project Management

• Project Management Office (PMO)

– An organizational body assigned
various responsibilities related to
centralized and coordinated
management of projects under its
domain.
 Project Management

• Primary Functions of a PMO

– Managing shared resources across all projects
– Identifying and developing Project
Management Methodology, best practices and
standards
– Coaching, mentoring, training, and oversight
– Monitoring compliance
– Developing and managing project policies,
procedures, templates, etc.
– Coordinating communication across projects.
 Project Management

• Project vs. Operational Work

– Operations are ongoing and produce
repetitive product, services, or results.
– Operations work does not terminate
when its current objectives are met but
instead follow new directions to support
the organization’s strategic plans.
 Project Management

• Project vs. Operational Work

– Building an extension to your house.
– Shelving books in the library.
– Writing a software program.
– Organizing a large conference.
– Preparing a weekly SPM lecture.
Management
IT/SW Project Management

• Invisibility
– IT/Software Projects are not visible all the time.
• Complexity
– IT/Software products contain more complexity than
other engineered artifacts.
• Flexibility
– IT/software systems are likely to a high degree of
change
• Failure Rate
– IT/Software Projects have a higher failure rate than
other projects.
Software Project Management

• Why do Software Projects Fail?

– People begin programming before they
understand the problem
– Teams can commit to impossible
deadlines by being overly optimistic and
not thinking through the work
– Defects are injected early but discovered
late.
– Managers try to test quality into the
software.
Software Project Management

• Why do Software Projects Fail?

– Many project managers faced with a
deadline that's clearly unrealistic will put
pressure on their team to work late and
make up the time.
– They silently trim the scope, gut quality
tasks, start eliminating reviews,
inspections, and pretty much any
documentation, and just stop updating
the schedule entirely.