Software Project Planning

A project is well-defined task, which is a collection of several operations done in order to achieve a goal (for example, software development and
delivery). A Project can be characterized as:
 Every project may has a unique and distinct goal.

 Project is not routine activity or day-to-day operations.

 Project comes with a start time and end time.

 Project ends when its goal is achieved hence it is a temporary phase in the lifetime of an organization.

 Project needs adequate resources in terms of time, manpower, finance, material and knowledge-bank.

Software Project
A Software Project is the complete procedure of software development from requirement gathering to testing and maintenance, carried out
according to the execution methodologies, in a specified period of time to achieve intended software product.

Need of software project management

Software is said to be an intangible product. Software development is a kind of all new stream in world business and there’s very little experience
in building software products. Most software products are tailor made to fit client’s requirements. The most important is that the underlying
technology changes and advances so frequently and rapidly that experience of one product may not be applied to the other one. All such business
and environmental constraints bring risk in software development hence it is essential to manage software projects efficiently.
The image above shows triple constraints for software projects. It is an essential part of software organization to deliver quality product, keeping
the cost within client’s budget constrain and deliver the project as per scheduled. There are several factors, both internal and external, which may
impact this triple constrain triangle. Any of three factor can severely impact the other two.
Therefore, software project management is essential to incorporate user requirements along with budget and time constraints.

Software Project Manager

A software project manager is a person who undertakes the responsibility of executing the software project. Software project manager is
thoroughly aware of all the phases of SDLC that the software would go through. Project manager may never directly involve in producing the end
product but he controls and manages the activities involved in production.
A project manager closely monitors the development process, prepares and executes various plans, arranges necessary and adequate resources,
maintains communication among all team members in order to address issues of cost, budget, resources, time, quality and customer satisfaction.
Let us see few responsibilities that a project manager shoulders -
Managing People
 Act as project leader

 Liaison with stakeholders

 Managing human resources

 Setting up reporting hierarchy etc.

Managing Project
 Defining and setting up project scope

 Managing project management activities

 Monitoring progress and performance

 Risk analysis at every phase

 Take necessary step to avoid or come out of problems

 Act as project spokesperson

Software Management Activities
Software project management comprises of a number of activities, which contains planning of project, deciding scope of software product,
estimation of cost in various terms, scheduling of tasks and events, and resource management. Project management activities may include:
 Project Planning

 Scope Management

 Project Estimation

Project Planning
Software project planning is task, which is performed before the production of software actually starts. It is there for the software production but
involves no concrete activity that has any direction connection with software production; rather it is a set of multiple processes, which facilitates
software production. Project planning may include the following:

Scope Management
It defines the scope of project; this includes all the activities, process need to be done in order to make a deliverable software product. Scope
management is essential because it creates boundaries of the project by clearly defining what would be done in the project and what would not be
done. This makes project to contain limited and quantifiable tasks, which can easily be documented and in turn avoids cost and time overrun.
During Project Scope management, it is necessary to -
 Define the scope

 Decide its verification and control

 Divide the project into various smaller parts for ease of management.

 Verify the scope

 Control the scope by incorporating changes to the scope

Project Estimation
For an effective management accurate estimation of various measures is a must. With correct estimation managers can manage and control the
project more efficiently and effectively.
Project estimation may involve the following:
 Software size estimation
Software size may be estimated either in terms of KLOC (Kilo Line of Code) or by calculating number of function points in the software. Lines of code
depend upon coding practices and Function points vary according to the user or software requirement.

 Effort estimation
The managers estimate efforts in terms of personnel requirement and man-hour required to produce the software. For effort estimation software size
should be known. This can either be derived by managers’ experience, organization’s historical data or software size can be converted into efforts by
using some standard formulae.

 Time estimation
Once size and efforts are estimated, the time required to produce the software can be estimated. Efforts required is segregated into sub categories as per
the requirement specifications and interdependency of various components of software. Software tasks are divided into smaller tasks, activities or events
by Work Breakthrough Structure (WBS). The tasks are scheduled on day-to-day basis or in calendar months.
The sum of time required to complete all tasks in hours or days is the total time invested to complete the project.

 Cost estimation
This might be considered as the most difficult of all because it depends on more elements than any of the previous ones. For estimating project cost, it is
required to consider -
o Size of software
o Software quality
o Hardware
o Additional software or tools, licenses etc.
o Skilled personnel with task-specific skills
o Travel involved
o Communication
o Training and support
Project Estimation Techniques
We discussed various parameters involving project estimation such as size, effort, time and cost.
Project manager can estimate the listed factors using two broadly recognized techniques –
Decomposition Technique
This technique assumes the software as a product of various compositions.
There are two main models -
 Line of Code Estimation is done on behalf of number of line of codes in the software product.

 Function Points Estimation is done on behalf of number of function points in the software product.

Empirical Estimation Technique

This technique uses empirically derived formulae to make estimation.These formulae are based on LOC or FPs.
 Putnam Model
This model is made by Lawrence H. Putnam, which is based on Norden’s frequency distribution (Rayleigh curve). Putnam model maps time and efforts
required with software size.

 COCOMO
COCOMO stands for COnstructive COst MOdel, developed by Barry W. Boehm. It divides the software product into three categories of software:
organic, semi-detached and embedded.

 Cocomo (Constructive Cost Model) is a regression model based on LOC, i.e number of Lines of Code. It is a procedural cost estimate model for software
projects and often used as a process of reliably predicting the various parameters associated with making a project such as size, effort, cost, time and
quality. It was proposed by Barry Boehm in 1970 and is based on the study of 63 projects, which make it one of the best-documented models.

 The key parameters which define the quality of any software products, which are also an outcome of the Cocomo are primarily Effort & Schedule:
o Effort: Amount of labor that will be required to complete a task. It is measured in person-months units.
o Schedule: Simply means the amount of time required for the completion of the job, which is, of course, proportional to the effort put. It is
measured in the units of time such as weeks, months.

 Different models of Cocomo have been proposed to predict the cost estimation at different levels, based on the amount of accuracy and correctness
required. All of these models can be applied to a variety of projects, whose characteristics determine the value of constant to be used in subsequent
calculations. These characteristics pertaining to different system types are mentioned below.

 Delphi Technique
o The Delphi Technique refers to the systematic forecasting method used to gather opinions of the panel of experts on the problem being
encountered, through the questionnaires, often sent through mail. In other words, a set of opinions pertaining to a specific problem, obtained in
writing usually through questionnaires from several experts in the specific field is called as a Delphi technique.
o In a Delphi technique, the group facilitator or the change agent aggregates all the anonymous opinions received through the questionnaires, sent
two or three times to the same set of experts. The experts are required to give justification for the answers given in the first questionnaire and on
the basis of it, the revised questionnaire is prepared and is again sent to the same group of experts.
o The experts can modify their answers in accordance with the replies given by other panel members. The objective of a Delphi technique is to
reach to the most accurate answer by decreasing the number of solutions each time the questionnaire is sent to the group of experts. The experts
are required to give their opinion every time the questionnaire is received, and this process continues until the issues are narrowed, responses are
focused, and the consensus is reached.
o This technique is quite advantageous as diverse opinions can be gathered from the large pool of experts who might be geographically separated.
Also, the quality of decision gets improved as the expertise of each group member is capitalized to reach to a final solution

Project Scheduling
Project Scheduling in a project refers to roadmap of all activities to be done with specified order and within time slot allotted to each activity.
Project managers tend to define various tasks, and project milestones and them arrange them keeping various factors in mind. They look for tasks
lie in critical path in the schedule, which are necessary to complete in specific manner (because of task interdependency) and strictly within the
time allocated.
Arrangement of tasks which lies out of critical path are less likely to impact over all schedule of the project.
For scheduling a project, it is necessary to -
 Break down the project tasks into smaller, manageable form

 Find out various tasks and correlate them

 Estimate time frame required for each task

 Divide time into work-units

 Assign adequate number of work-units for each task

 Calculate total time required for the project from start to finish

Work Breakdown Structure

Introduction
Dividing complex projects to simpler and manageable tasks is the process identified as Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). Usually, the project
managers use this method for simplifying the project execution. In WBS, much larger tasks are broken down to manageable chunks of work. These
chunks can be easily supervised and estimated. WBS is not restricted to a specific field when it comes to application. This methodology can be
used for any type of project management.
Following are a few reasons for creating a WBS in a project:
Accurate and readable project organization.
Accurate assignment of responsibilities to the project team.
Indicates the project milestones and control points.
Helps to estimate the cost, time and risk.
Illustrate the project scope, so the stakeholders can have a better understanding of the same.
Construction of a WBS
Identifying the main deliverables of a project is the starting point for deriving a work breakdown structure. This important step is usually done by
the project managers and the subject matter experts (SMEs) involved in the project. Once this step is completed, the subject matter experts start
breaking down the high-level tasks into smaller chunks of work.
In the process of breaking down the tasks, one can break them down into different levels of detail. One can detail a high-level task into ten sub-
tasks while another can detail the same high-level task into 20 sub-tasks. Therefore, there is no hard and fast rule on how you should breakdown a
task in WBS. Rather, the level of breakdown is a matter of the project type and the management style followed for the project.
In general, there are a few "rules" used for determining the smallest task chunk. In "two weeks" rule, nothing is broken down smaller than two
weeks worth of work. This means, the smallest task of the WBS is at least two-week long. 8/80 is another rule used when creating a WBS. This
rule implies that no task should be smaller than 8 hours of work and should not be larger than 80 hours of work.
One can use many forms to display their WBS. Some use tree structure to illustrate the WBS, while others use lists and tables. Outlining is one of
the easiest ways of representing a WBS.
There are many design goals for WBS. Some important goals are as follows:
Giving visibility to important work efforts.
Giving visibility to risky work efforts.
Illustrate the correlation between the activities and deliverables.
Show clear ownership by task leaders.
WBS Diagram
In a WBS diagram, the project scope is graphically expressed. Usually the diagram starts with a graphic object or a box at the top, which
represents the entire project. Then, there are sub-components under the box.
These boxes represent the deliverables of the project. Under each deliverable, there are sub-elements listed. These sub-elements are the activities
that should be performed in order to achieve the deliverables.
Although most of the WBS diagrams are designed based on the deliveries, some WBS are created based on the project phases. Usually,
information technology projects are perfectly fit into WBS model.
Therefore, almost all information technology projects make use of WBS.
In addition to the general use of WBS, there is specific objective for deriving a WBS as well. WBS is the input for Gantt charts, a tool that is used
for project management purpose.
Gantt chart is used for tracking the progression of the tasks derived by WBS.
Following is a sample WBS diagram:

Conclusion
The efficiency of a work breakdown structure can determine the success of a project.
The WBS provides the foundation for all project management work, including, planning, cost and effort estimation, resource allocation, and
scheduling.
Therefore, one should take creating WBS as a critical step in the process of project management.

Resource management
All elements used to develop a software product may be assumed as resource for that project. This may include human resource, productive tools
and software libraries.
The resources are available in limited quantity and stay in the organization as a pool of assets. The shortage of resources hampers the development
of project and it can lag behind the schedule. Allocating extra resources increases development cost in the end. It is therefore necessary to estimate
and allocate adequate resources for the project.
Resource management includes -
 Defining proper organization project by creating a project team and allocating responsibilities to each team member

 Determining resources required at a particular stage and their availability

 Manage Resources by generating resource request when they are required and de-allocating them when they are no more needed.
Project Risk Management
Risk management involves all activities pertaining to identification, analyzing and making provision for predictable and non-predictable risks in
the project. Risk may include the following:
 Experienced staff leaving the project and new staff coming in.

 Change in organizational management.

 Requirement change or misinterpreting requirement.

 Under-estimation of required time and resources.

 Technological changes, environmental changes, business competition.

1. Risk Management Process

There are following activities involved in risk management process:
 Identification - Make note of all possible risks, which may occur in the project.

 Categorize - Categorize known risks into high, medium and low risk intensity as per their possible impact on the project.

 Manage - Analyze the probability of occurrence of risks at various phases. Make plan to avoid or face risks. Attempt to minimize their side-effects.

 Monitor - Closely monitor the potential risks and their early symptoms. Also monitor the effects of steps taken to mitigate or avoid them.

1.1Project Execution & Monitoring

In this phase, the tasks described in project plans are executed according to their schedules.
Execution needs monitoring in order to check whether everything is going according to the plan. Monitoring is
observing to check the probability of risk and taking measures to address the risk or report the status of various tasks.
These measures include -
 Activity Monitoring - All activities scheduled within some task can be monitored on day-to-day basis. When all activities
in a task are completed, it is considered as complete.

 Status Reports - The reports contain status of activities and tasks completed within a given time frame, generally a week.
Status can be marked as finished, pending or work-in-progress etc.

 Milestones Checklist - Every project is divided into multiple phases where major tasks are performed (milestones) based
on the phases of SDLC. This milestone checklist is prepared once every few weeks and reports the status of milestones.

Project Communication Management

Effective communication plays vital role in the success of a project. It bridges gaps between client and the organization, among the team members
as well as other stake holders in the project such as hardware suppliers.
Communication can be oral or written. Communication management process may have the following steps:
 Planning - This step includes the identifications of all the stakeholders in the project and the mode of communication among them. It also considers if any
additional communication facilities are required.

 Sharing - After determining various aspects of planning, manager focuses on sharing correct information with the correct person on correct time. This
keeps every one involved the project up to date with project progress and its status.

 Feedback - Project managers use various measures and feedback mechanism and create status and performance reports. This mechanism ensures that input
from various stakeholders is coming to the project manager as their feedback.

 Closure - At the end of each major event, end of a phase of SDLC or end of the project itself, administrative closure is formally announced to update every
stakeholder by sending email, by distributing a hardcopy of document or by other mean of effective communication.
After closure, the team moves to next phase or project.
Configuration Management
Configuration management is a process of tracking and controlling the changes in software in terms of the requirements, design, functions and
development of the product.
IEEE defines it as “the process of identifying and defining the items in the system, controlling the change of these items throughout their life cycle,
recording and reporting the status of items and change requests, and verifying the completeness and correctness of items”.
Generally, once the SRS is finalized there is less chance of requirement of changes from user. If they occur, the changes are addressed only with
prior approval of higher management, as there is a possibility of cost and time overrun.
Baseline
A phase of SDLC is assumed over if it baselined, i.e. baseline is a measurement that defines completeness of a phase. A phase is baselined when
all activities pertaining to it are finished and well documented. If it was not the final phase, its output would be used in next immediate phase.
Configuration management is a discipline of organization administration, which takes care of occurrence of any change (process, requirement,
technological, strategical etc.) after a phase is baselined. CM keeps check on any changes done in software.

Change Control
Change control is function of configuration management, which ensures that all changes made to software system are consistent and made as per
organizational rules and regulations.
A change in the configuration of product goes through following steps -
 Identification - A change request arrives from either internal or external source. When change request is identified formally, it is properly documented.

 Validation - Validity of the change request is checked and its handling procedure is confirmed.

 Analysis - The impact of change request is analyzed in terms of schedule, cost and required efforts. Overall impact of the prospective change on system is
analyzed.

 Control - If the prospective change either impacts too many entities in the system or it is unavoidable, it is mandatory to take approval of high authorities
before change is incorporated into the system. It is decided if the change is worth incorporation or not. If it is not, change request is refused formally.

 Execution - If the previous phase determines to execute the change request, this phase take appropriate actions to execute the change, does a thorough
revision if necessary.

 Close request - The change is verified for correct implementation and merging with the rest of the system. This newly incorporated change in the software
is documented properly and the request is formally is closed.