Project Planning
Overview
•
•
•
•
•
Understanding the work
Breaking the work down
Dependences and tolerances
Estimating
Scheduling
Project Planning
1
What is a Project?
• ‘A temporary endeavour undertaken to accomplish a
unique purpose’
• Better understood by its attributes
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Time frame
Purpose
Ownership
Resources
Roles
Risks / Assumptions
Interdependent tasks
Organisational change
– Operating in an environment larger than itself
Taken from Marchewka, J. T. Information Technology Management, Wiley 2003
Project Planning
2
Balancing Resources
• Choices
Strategy
Budget
Outsource
Function
Application
Timescales
Human Resources
Partnership
Integrators
In House
Consultants
Project Planning
3
Project Inception - Roles
IT Sponsor
Business Sponsor
Project Board
Steering Committee
Project Manager
User Manager
Quality Manager
Team Leader(s)
Analyst(s)
Database Administrator
Programmer(s)
User(s)
Pilot (&)
Acceptance Team
See Cadle & Yeates Ch 3
Project Planning
4
Why Plan?
• A complex project probably won’t
succeed if it’s not planned
• People need to understand what is
going to happen
• A plan is a tangible demonstration that
you have thought about the work
• Without a plan, how do you know you
are on schedule?
Project Planning
5
Work breakdown (1)
Produce
Report
Project
Conduct
Investigation
Investigate
other
systems
Conduct
Interviews
M.D.
M.D.
Write
notes
Analyse
Requiremts
F.D.
Review
Notes
Investigate
s/ware
S.D.
Create
DFDs
Yeates & Cadle Ch 6
Project Planning
6
Work breakdown (2)
Project
Products
Management
Products
Specialist
Products
Analysis
Products
Interview
Notes
Quality
Products
Feasibility
Report
Reqs
Catalogue
DFDs
Package
Report
Following PRINCE Project Planning methodology
Project Planning
7
Work breakdown (3)
DFDs
Draft DFDs
Reviewed DFDs
At the bottom level, precise specification, incl:
•Composition of product
•Derivation of product
•Quality criteria
Project Planning
8
Dependences
• Network Diagram
Conduct
Interviews
Analyse
requirements
Produce
report
START
Investigate
packages
FINISH
Investigate
other systems
Investigate
Note
hardware
dotted lines and dummy activities
Project Planning
9
Dependences
Conduct Interviews
Investigate systems
Analyse req’s
Investigate packages
Investigate h/ware
Produce report
• Critical Path Analysis
Conduct
Interviews
8
START
4
8 days
4 days
3 days
8 days
5 days
5 days
Analyse
requirements
3
Investigate
packages
Investigate
other systems
Produce
report
8
5
FINISH
5
Investigate
hardware
Project Planning
10
Dependences
• Bar (Gantt) Charts
Conduct Interviews
Investigate other systems
Analyse requirements
Investigate packages
Investigate hardware
Produce report
days
5
10
Project Planning
15
20
25
11