MIS Project management

Chapter 3

Managing Systems Projects

Systems Analysis and Design 9th

Edition

Chapter Objectives

2

Explain project planning, scheduling, monitoring,

and reporting

Describe work breakdown structures, task

patterns, and critical path analysis

Explain techniques for estimating task completion

times and costs

Chapter Objectives

3

Describe various scheduling tools, including

Gantt charts and PERT/CPM charts

Analyze task dependencies, durations, start

dates, and end dates

Describe project management software and how

it can assist you in project planning, estimating,

scheduling, monitoring, and reporting

Chapter Objectives

4

Discuss the importance of project risk

management

Understand why projects sometimes fail

Introduction

5

You will learn about project planning, estimating,

scheduling, monitoring, reporting, and the use of

project management software

You also will learn how to control and manage

project changes as they occur

Overview of Project Management

6

Project Management

A successful project must be completed on time,

within budget, and deliver a quality product that

satisfies users and meets requirements

Project manager or project leader

Project coordinator


7

What Does a Project Manager Do?

Project manager, project leader

Project planning

Project scheduling

Project monitoring and controlling

Project reporting

Project management

Organizing, planning and

scheduling software projects

Concerned with activities

involved in ensuring that

software is delivered on time

and on schedule and in

accordance with the

requirements of the

organizations developing

and procuring the software

Software engineering is an economic

activity it is subject to economic,

non-technical constraints.

Well-managed projects sometimes

fail. Badly managed projects

inevitably fail.

Why manage projects?

Proposal writing

Project planning

Estimation (Scheduling and Costing)

Project monitoring and control

Personnel selection and evaluation

Report writing and presentations

Management activities

Contains

the objectives of the project

the methodology or process (activities, milestones and deliverables)

the schedule and cost estimates

The client decides whether to award the project to your team based on the quality of the proposal

Proposal

Project planning

Probably the most time-consuming

project management activity

Continuous activity from initial

concept through to system delivery

Plans must be regularly revised as

new information becomes available

Establish and maintain plans that

define project activities

Things to consider in planning

project

schedule

project personnel/ project team

cost estimates

Project plan

Project Planning Process Area

Establish estimates

Estimates of project planning parameters are established and maintained

Develop a project plan

A project plan is established and maintained as the basis for managing the project

Obtain commitment to the plan

Commitments to the project plan are established and maintained

Meeting commitments

Commitment – a pact that is freely assumed, visible, and expected to be kept by all parties (stakeholders)

Commitment is necessary to achieve plans

Feasible commitments are made when plans are realistic

Commitment is a process

Types of project plan

Plan Description

Quali ty plan Describes the qual i ty procedures ands tandards that w il l be used in a project .

Validation plan Describes the approach, resources andschedule used for sys tem val idation.

Configurationmanagement plan

Describes the configurat ion managementprocedures and s tructures to be used.

Maintenance plan P redicts the maintenance requi rements ofthe sys tem, maintenance cost s and effortrequi red.

Staff development plan. Describes how the ski ll s and experience ofthe project team members wi l l bedeveloped.

Introduction

Describes the objectives of the projects and the

constraints

Project Organization

Describes the people involved and their roles

Describes the organization of the team

Risk Analysis

Possible project risks, risk exposure, and the risk

reduction and elimination strategies

Hardware and Software Resource Requirements

Estimates of the price and delivery schedule should be included if need to be acquired

Project plan structure

Work breakdown

Breakdown of the project into activities

Identifies the milestones and deliverables associated with each activity

Project schedule

Dependencies between activities

Estimated time required to reach each milestone

Allocation of people to activities

Monitoring and reporting mechanisms

Management reports which should be produced, when these should be produced and the project monitoring mechanisms used

Project plan structure

Software development

is a process of

gradual refinement…

the same is true for software

estimation

Software Estimation

Accurate estimation can be done if you have a

detailed understanding of what the customer wants

Software

engineercustomer

Example questions that

contribute to uncertainty

Does the customer want this feature?

Does the customer want the cheap or expensive implementation of this feature?

If cheaper version is implemented, will the customer later want the expensive version?

How long will it take to debug and correct mistakes on this feature?

How long will it take to integrate this feature to the other features?

Estimation vs. Control

Mismatch between the desired

feature and the available resources

Solution:

Customers must bend on their

ideas about the product; or

Customers must adjust the

resources they are willing to

commit

Estimation vs. Control

Build to budget

Developers are given flexibility on the

product features

Have control on cost and schedule

Guidelines

Including a feature vs. leaving it out

Implementing better feature vs.

implementing feature that costs less

Cooperate with the

customer

Inform your customer about the parts of the project where you can give estimates

Inform them when you will have better estimates

Map out the whole set of estimates you intend to provide

Offer the Build to Budget

customer should understand the trade-offs of the approach

If customer still insists on precise estimates that you cannot provide

Explain why you cannot give it to them yet

Make it clear that you want to cooperate

Tell the customer...

“As soon asI know,

you’ll know”


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Project Activities and Planning Steps

Step 1: Create a Work Breakdown

Structure

27

Work breakdown structure (WBS)

What is a Gantt Chart?

Task group

Can present an overview of the project’s status, but

does not provide detailed information that is

necessary when managing a complex project


Structure

28

What is a PERT/CPM Chart?

The Program Evaluation Review Technique (PERT)

Critical Path Method (CPM)

The distinction between the two methods has

disappeared over time

Bottom up techniques because it analyzes a large,

complex project as a series of individual tasks.

Know the tasks, their durations and the order in

order to calculate the time that it will take to

complete the project. to


Structure

29

PERT/CPM Chart ?

PERT/CPM is called a bottom-up technique

Project tasks

Once you know the tasks, their duration, and the

order in which they must be performed, you can

calculate the time that it will take to complete the

project

Gantt Chart


Structure

30

Which Type of Chart is Better?

Although a Gantt chart offers a valuable snapshot

view of the project, PERT charts are more useful for

scheduling, monitoring, and controlling the actual

work

PERT and Gantt charts are not mutually exclusive

techniques, and project managers often use both

methods


Structure

31

Identifying Tasks in a Work Breakdown Structure

Task or activity

Event or milestone

Break the project down into smaller tasks, creating

a work breakdown structure


Structure

32

Identifying Tasks in a

Work Breakdown

Structure Listing the tasks

Can be challenging,

because the tasks might

be embedded in a

document

Create a table with

columns for task

number, description,

duration, and

predecessor tasks


Structure

33

Identifying Tasks in a Work Breakdown Structure

Estimating Task Duration

Person-days

Best-case estimate (B)

Probable-case estimate (P)


Structure

34

Identifying Tasks in a Work Breakdown Structure A WBS must clearly identify each task and include

an estimated duration

A task, or activity is any work tat has a beginning and an end and requires the use of company resources such as people, time and money. Tasks are conducting interviews, designing a report selecting software, delivery of equipment, training users.

Tasks are basic units of work that the projects manager plans, schedules and monitors.

Estimating Task Duration Worst-case estimate (W)

Weight


Structure

35

Identifying Tasks in a Work Breakdown

Structure

Factors Affecting Duration

Project size and scope

Human resources

Experience with similar project

constraints


Structure

36

Displaying the Work Breakdown Structure

If you are managing a complex project with many

tasks, you can use task groups, just as you would in

a Gantt chart, to simplify the list

Step 2: Identify Task Patterns

37

Task pattern

What are Task Patterns?

Large or small, tasks depend on each other and

must be performed in a sequence, not unlike the

commands in a software program

Task patterns can involve dependent tasks, multiple

successor tasks, and multiple predecessor tasks


38

How do I Use Task Boxes to Create a Model?


39

What are the Main Types of Task Patterns?

Dependent Tasks

Multiple successor tasks

Concurrent task

Predecessor task

Successor task

Multiple Predecessor Tasks


40

How Do I Identify Task Patterns?

You can identify task patterns by looking carefully at

the wording of the task statement

Words like then, when, or and are action words that

signal a sequence of events

How Do I Work With Complex Task Patterns?

When various task patterns combine, you must

study the facts carefully in order to understand the

logical sequence


41

How Do I Work With Complex Task Patterns?

Consider the following three fact statements and the

task patterns they represent

Dependent tasks

Dependent tasks and multiple successor tasks

Dependent tasks, multiple successor tasks, and

multiple predecessor tasks

Step 3: Calculate the Critical Path

42

What Is a Critical Path?

A series of tasks which if delayed would affect

the completion date of the overall project.

if any task on the critical path falls behind

schedule, the entire project will be delayed.

Step 3: Calculate the Critical

Path

43

How Do I Calculate the Critical Path?

First, you should review the task patterns

The next step is to determine start and finish dates,

which will determine the critical path for the project

Slack time - is the amount of time that the task

could be late without pushing back the completion

date of the entire project

Project Management Example

44

Task No Description Duration (days) Predecessor

Task

1 Develop Plan 1 -

2 Assign tasks 4 1

3 Obtain Hardware 17 1

4 Programming 70 2

5 Install Hardware 10 3

6 Program Test 30 4

7 Write User Manual 25 5

8 Convert Files 20 5

9 System Test 25 6

10 User Training 20 7, 8

11 User test 25 9, 10

Project Monitoring and Control

45

Monitoring and Control Techniques

The project manager must keep track of tasks and progress of team members, compare actual progress with the project plan, verify the completion of project milestones, and set standards and ensure that they are followed

Structured walkthrough

Called design reviews, code reviews, or testing reviews


46

Maintaining a Schedule

Maintaining a project schedule can be a challenging task

The better the original plan, the easier it will be to control the project

If enough milestones and frequent checkpoints exist, problems will be detected rapidly

Project managers often spend most of their time tracking the tasks along the critical path

Reporting

47

Members of the project team regularly report their progress

Project Status Meetings

Reporting

48

Project Status Reports A project manager must report regularly to his or

her immediate supervisor, upper management, and users

Should explain what you are doing to handle and monitor the problem

Most managers recognize that problems do occur on most projects; it is better to alert management sooner rather than later

Project Management Examples

49

PERT/CPM Example

You construct a PERT/CPM chart from this task list

in a two-step process

Step 1: Create the work breakdown structure

Step 2: Enter start and finish times


50

Software-Driven

Example

Open Workbench

Open-source software

When you use project

management

software, you follow

the same step-by-step

process to develop a

WBS and create

various types of

charts


51

Software-Driven Example Work breakdown structure

Gantt chart

Network diagram

Project planning is a dynamic task and involves constant change

Risk Management

52

Every IT project involves risks that systems analysts and project managers must address

Risk management

Steps in Risk Management Develop risk

management plan

Identify the risks Risk identification

Risk Management

53

Steps in Risk Management (continued)

Analyze the risks

Qualitative risk analysis – evaluates each risk by estimating the probability that it will occur and the degree of impact.

Quantitative risk analysis – purpose of QRA is to understand the actual impact in terms of dollars, time, project scope or quality. (What if analysis)

Create a risk response plan

Monitor risks

Risk Response plan

54

Is a proactive effort to anticipate a risk and

describe an action plan to deal with it.

An effective risk response plan can reduce the

overall impact by triggering timely and appropriate

action.

Monitor risk – this activity is on going throughout

the risk management process. It is important to

conduct a continouos tracking process that can

identify new risks, notice changes in existing

risks, and update any other areas of the risk

management plan

Risk Management

55

Risk Management Software Most project management software includes

powerful features

The IT team can make a recommendation regarding the risks

Depending on the nature and magnitude of the risk, the final decision might be made by management

Managing for Success

56

Business Issues

The major objective of every system is to provide a

solution to a business problem or opportunity

A system that falls short of business needs also

produces problems for users and reduces employee

morale and productivity


57

Budget Issues

Cost overruns typically result from one or more of

the following:

Unrealistic estimates

Failure to develop an accurate forecast that considers all

costs over the life of the project

Poor monitoring of progress and slow response to early

warning signs of problems


58

Budget Issues

Cost overruns typically result from one or more of

the following:

Schedule delays due to factors that were not foreseen

Human resource issues, including turnover, inadequate

training, and motivation


59

Schedule Issues

Problems with timetables and project milestones

can indicate a failure to recognize task

dependencies, confusion between effort and

progress, poor monitoring and control methods,

personality conflicts among team members, or

turnover of project personnel

The Bottom Line

60

When problems occur,

the project manager’s

ability to handle the

situation becomes the

critical factor

The Bottom Line

61

Sometimes, when a project experiences delays or

cost overruns, the system still can be delivered

on time and within budget if several less critical

requirements are trimmed

Brooks’ Law

Systems Development

Guidelines

62

Develop a project plan

Involve users and listen carefully to them

Use project management tools to identify tasks

and milestones

Develop accurate cost and benefit information

Remain flexible

Information Technology Department

63

Trivia: What do people mean by

estimates?

An estimate is the most optimistic

prediction that has a non-zero

probability of coming true

Accepting this definition leads

irrevocably toward a method called

what’s-the-earliest-date-by-which-you-

can’t-prove-you-won’t-be-finished

estimating- Tom DeMarco

Project scheduling

Split project into tasks

Estimate time and resources required to complete each task

Organize tasks concurrently to make optimal use of workforce

Minimize task dependencies to avoid delays caused by one task waiting for another to complete

Dependent on project managers’ intuition and experience

Scheduling problems

Estimating the difficulty of problems and the cost of

developing a solution is hard

Productivity is not proportional to the number of

people working on a task

Adding people to a late project makes it later

because of communication overheads Mythical

Man-Month

The unexpected always happens. Always allow

contingency in planning

Recalibration

Example

given 6 month

schedule

first milestone in 4

weeks

it took 5 weeks to

meet the first

milestone

How to recalibrate

the schedule?

Recalibration

Assume you can

catch up later in

the schedule

Add the week

to the total

schedule

Multiply the

whole

schedule by the

magnitude of slip

Handling schedule pressure

Schedule pressure can

produce damaging effects

on the project

Encourages shortcuts on

specific project

Encourages fire-righting

mentality

More

schedule

pressure

More

stress

More

mistakes

More

schedule

slips

Project staffing

May not be possible to appoint the

ideal people to work on a project

Project budget may not allow for the use

of highly-paid staff

Staff with the appropriate experience may

not be available

An organization may wish to develop

employee skills on a software project

Bar charts Graphical notations used to illustrate the

project schedule

Show project breakdown into tasks. Tasks

should not be too small. They should take

about a week or two

Bar charts show schedule against calendar

time


(SPI Workshop. www.DigitalFilipino.com)

Provides understanding into the project’s

progress so that appropriate corrective

actions can be taken when the project’s

performance deviates significantly from the

plan

CMM Project Monitoring and Control

Process Areas

Monitor project against plan

Actual performance and progress of the project

are monitored against the project plan

Manage correction action to closure

Corrective actions are managed to closure when

the project’s performance or results deviate

significantly from the plan


Manage to a plan Progress must be tracked against plans and

specifications, including Product size

Product effort, cost, and schedule

Activities

Risks

Mechanisms to track progress against plans Internal reviews

Formal reviews with the customer


Taking corrective action

If and when discrepancies between plans and

actual progress occur, a judgment must be

made about whether to:

Change the way the work is being done and/or

Adjust the plans

Archives of original and adjusted plans

should be kept

Chapter Summary

76

Project management is the process of

planning, scheduling, monitoring and

controlling, and reporting upon the

development of an information system

Project managers are responsible for project

planning, scheduling, monitoring, and

reporting

Planning, scheduling, monitoring and

reporting all take place within a larger project

development framework

Chapter Summary

77

In project scheduling, the project manager

develops a specific time for each task, based

on available resources and whether or not the

task is dependent on other predecessor tasks

Every successful information system must

support business requirements, stay within

budget, and be available on time

Sound project management involves the

same skills as any other management

MIS Project management

Education

Transcript of MIS Project management