Project Management
Dr Martin Stanton
E137
m.stanton@mmu.ac.uk
Assignment 2 – Group Project
• Yes – I said GROUP project
• Max 5 per group
– email me by 16.00 on Wednesday
•
•
•
•
You will use VB.NET
You will use UML
You can use Rational Rose/Visual Paradigm
Apply basic principles of SAD and DB design
Assignment 2 – Group Project
• Hand in
– Final set of deliverables
• 7th March 2008
• Receipting Office
– Demos
• During Lab sessions
• From w/c 10/3/06 (Last week of term)
Assignment 2 – Group Project
• You will have at least two meeting with your Tutor
– Held during lab sessions
– All Group members present
– These are ASSESSED
• You will also be assessed on
– Final Product
– Project Planning/Management
• Produce your own group plan
– YOUR contribution to the group work
Assignment 2 – Management
• You will have a team meeting each week (minimum)
• You will write notes on the meetings:
–
–
–
–
Problems encountered
Decisions taken
Effects of changes on project plan
Updated plan
• Do a risk assessment on the project
– What can go wrong ?
– Look at every aspect of the project
Assignment 2 – Problems
• What can go wrong (incomplete)
– During Development
• VB too difficult
• Team members absent
• Cannot do it at home
– Submission
• Printer breaks down
• Team member disappears
• Demo doesn’t work
Assignment 2 – Process
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Examine the requirements
Decide on initial set of Use Cases
Write Use Case Descriptions
Decide on final set of Use Cases
Divide up Use Cases between team members
Generate Class Diagram for each Use Case
Merge Class Diagrams
Generate Database
Design User Interface based on use Case Descriptions
Link User Interface to Database
Test User Interface against Use Cases (does it meet the requirements?)
Evaluate – Use Cases, Database, Application
Modify System
Document Changes and write final Specification of delivered product
Project Management
Dr Martin Stanton
E137
m.stanton@mmu.ac.uk
Plan
• Introduction
• Project planning
• Project planning
– Resource analysis
– Gantt chart and WBS
• Project planning
– Network analysis I
• Project planning
– Network analysis II
• Risk management
• Quality
• Budgets and cost
control
• Project teams
Review
Book List
• Hughes and Cotterell
– Software Project Management
• Cadle and Yeates
– Project Management for Information Systems
• Lockyer and Gordon
– Project Management and Project Network Techniques
This Lecture
• Introduction
– What is a project?
– The project management process
– Project management information systems
A Project
A unique process, consisting of a set of
coordinated and controlled activities with start
and finish dates, undertaken to achieve an
objective conforming to specific requirements
including constraints of time, cost and
resources
(Lockyer and Gordon, 1996)
A Project
•
•
•
•
•
•
Unique process
Coordinated and controlled activities
Start and finish dates
To achieve an objective
Specific requirements
Constraints of time, cost and resources
Project Characteristics
• Organisation is temporary
• Often forms part of a larger project
• Objectives and product characteristics may be
defined and achieved progressively
• Result may be the creation of one or several
units of a project
• Interrelation between activities may be
complex
Project Characteristics
‘Project management is principally concerned
with the management of change’
(Lockyer & Gordon, 1996)


Change management in IS development
Change management in organisations
Project Factors
• Size of the project
– Budget/costs, Size of team, Size of product
• Complexity
• Industry in which it is carried out
– Civil engineering
– Manufacturing
– IS/IT
Classifying Projects (Lock, 1996)
• Civil Engineering
– Realisation phase is outdoors, large capital = many
contractors = communication headaches
• Manufacturing Projects
– Development of specialised hardware, physical design
• Management Projects
– Projects that do not result in a produced piece of hardware
(including software projects?)
• Research Projects
– Include a higher element of risk (including software
projects?)
Project Funding
• Revenue projects
– Carried out within the normal organisational structure
– Normally within a single accounting period
• Capital projects
– May extend over a number of accounting periods
– Occupy considerable time employ considerable capital
– Not carried out within the normal organisational structure
(Lockyer & Gordon, 1996)
Capital Projects
• Cross functional and time boundaries
– Cannot be accommodated within the normal
running of an organisation
– A special organisational structure is set up – the
project team
– This structure usually only exists for the duration
of the project
Organisation Structures
• Hierarchical
• Matrix
• Project Management Structure
Hierarchical
http://www.slc.co.uk/noframe/corpinfo/orgchart.html
Large Corporation
http://www.baesystems.com/aboutus/ovdiagra.htm
Project Teams
• Revenue Projects
– Teams taken from within functions
– All report to function manager
• Capital Projects
– Teams taken from various functions
– Who do they report to?
Matrix Structure
Example 1 – Car Manufacture
• Manufacture of a
production car
– No Clear Finish
– Not unique for each
product
– Standard Organisational
Structure
• The design, launch and
initial production for a
new car
– Defined start/finish
– Unique for each product
– Temporary organisational
structure
Example 2 – A New Course
• Existing Course
• Course Team
–
–
–
–
Course Leader
Module Leaders
Administrator
Year Tutors
• Team members may
change but team still
exists
• New Course
• Working Group
– Chair
– Committee
– Administrator
• Team set up for course
development but then hands
course over to course team.
Question
• What are the defining characteristics of
Software/Information Systems projects that
make them different from other types of
project?
• See Sommerville’s “Software Engineering” for
examples
All Projects Should Have:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Project plan
Time frame
Product specification
Statement of required quality
Budget
Cost plan
Identification of areas of uncertainty
Risk evaluation and responses
Introduction
• What is a project?
• The project management
process
• Project management information
systems
Process Overview
• A project is broken down into stages
• Each stage in turn will be broken down into
smaller and more manageable tasks
• It important to include planning as part of the
project management process
Four Phase Model
• Lockyer (1996) describes a four phase model
of the project process
– Conception - assess the feasibility of the project
– Development - prepare the project plan
– Realisation - carry out the plan
– Termination - close the project
Conception Reports On…
• The capability of the organisation to
– Produce the product in the time required
– Support capital outlay
– Procure external items or services
Conception
Development
Realisation
Termination
Conception Reports On…
• The acceptability of
– Geographical requirements on procurement or
ecology specified in the project enquiry
– Contract conditions specified in enquiry
Conception
Development
Realisation
Termination
Conception Reports On…
•
•
•
•
The final price for the product
The cost involved in development
The project budget
Specification of the product including quality
and reliability requirements
Conception
Development
Realisation
Termination
Conception
Can it be done?
Yes or No?
Conception
Development
Realisation
Termination
Conception ≈ Feasibility
• It is possible that we will
reject the project!
• What are the
consequences of:
– Too much detail?
– Insufficient detail?
Development
• As the organisation is now committed to the
project it must:
– Appoint a project manager
– Assemble project team
– Draw up a detailed plan of work
Conception
Development
Realisation
Termination
Realisation
• A reporting system is required to keep
everyone informed:
– Team, top management, customers etc.
• A log is also kept of problems and how they
were resolved
Conception
evelopment
Realisation
Termination
Termination
• Uses the project log to evaluate the
project and the process and indicate:
– The success/failure of methods used
– How team members performed
– How reliable suppliers were
Conception
evelopment
Realisation
Termination
Termination
• Capital equipment that was used for the
project is now likely to be redundant
• Termination also involves getting rid of such
equipment as profitably as possible
Conception
evelopment
Realisation
Termination
Observations
• Often the phases of the project will overlap
• There is often a pause between conception
and the other phases
• It is possible that each phase may be treated
as a project in its own right
– This might affect continuity of the project
Introduction
• What is a project?
• The project management process
• Project management
information systems
PM Information Systems
• Projects need systems that can collect data in
real time concerning the project progress and
costs
• Data analysis and distribution of information
must be carried out as rapidly as possible
MS Project – Gantt Chart
MS Project – Pert Chart
Resource Analysis
Other Software Tools
• Project Management Tools
• Accounting tools
– e.g. spreadsheets, invoice generators
• Documentation tools
– Word processors, report generators
• Group work tools
– Discussion forums, GDSS
Questions
• Is the development of an information system a
project?
– Explain your answer using information from this
lecture
• How does the four phase model compare to
the waterfall model of software development?
Useful Links
• The OGC Project Management Web Site
– http://www.ogc.gov.uk/sdtoolkit/reference/deliverylifecycle/impplans/pro
j_mgmt.html
• Project Management Software Tools
– http://www.project-management-software.org/
– http://www.startwright.com/project1.htm
• Example Project Definition Document
– http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/sccwebsite/sccwspublications.nsf/f2d920e0
15d1183d80256c670041a50b/547330bbc5c2e99f80256c2a0059f4c7/$
FILE/Project%20Definition%20Document.pdf