Project ManagementProject Management

Project PlanningEstimatingScheduling

Project planProject plan

Define project constraintsMake initial assessment of project

parametersDefine project milestones and deliverablesIncrementally apply the project

management process loop

LoopLoop– Draw up project schedule– Initiate activities according to schedule– Wait awhile– review project progress– revise estimates of project parameters– apply revisions to project schedule– re-negotiate project constraints and deliverables– if problems arise, initiate technical review and possible

revision until project completed or cancelled

Project Planning / SchedulingProject Planning / SchedulingProject milestones

– Stage deliverablesOption Analysis

– Determine organization and project specific goals

– Determine project options– Map options against goal fulfilment– Convert to polar graphs

Option analysisOption analysis

ScheduleReliability

Reuse

PortabilityEfficiency

Cost

Option AOption BOption C

Project schedulingProject scheduling Separate total work into tasks

– Requirements analysis : coding : testing is 2:1:2

Work out tasks, timings and dependencies– make out activity network / activity bar chart

PERT charts – include pessimistic, likely and optimistic estimates

Show critical path (i.e. shortest time) Staff allocation is also necessary

Critical Path AnalysisCritical Path AnalysisThis is used to determine how long the

project overall will take.The activities involved in the project are

defined and then sequenced.The sequence of the activities is determined

by the dependencies in the project.

Activity SequencingActivity Sequencing Involves reviewing activities and determining

dependencies.– Mandatory dependencies: inherent in the nature of the

work; hard logic.– Discretionary dependencies: defined by the project

team; soft logic.– External dependencies: involve relationships between

project and non-project activities. You must determine dependencies in order to use

critical path analysis.

Project Network DiagramsProject Network Diagrams

Project network diagrams are the preferred technique for showing activity sequencing.

A project network diagram is a schematic display of the logical relationships among, or sequencing of, project activities.

Sample Network DiagramSample Network Diagram

Step 1Step 1

Find all of the activities that start at node 1. Draw their finish nodes and draw arrows

between node 1 and those finish nodes. Put the activity letter or name and duration

estimate on the associated arrow.

Step 2 Step 2

Continuing drawing the network diagram, working from left to right.

Look for bursts and merges. – Bursts occur when a single node is followed by

two or more activities. – A merge occurs when two or more nodes

precede a single node.

Steps 3 and 4Steps 3 and 4

Step 3. – Continue drawing the project network diagram

until all activities are included on the diagram that have dependencies.

Step 4. – As a rule of thumb, all arrowheads should face

toward the right, and no arrows should cross on the network diagram.

Example – Make a cup of teaExample – Make a cup of tea Activities:

– Get a cup.– Fill the kettle.– Pour the tea.– Put a teabag in the teapot.

These activities are in the wrong sequence, because, we cannot pour the tea until the teabag and the boiling water have been in the pot for a couple of minutes.

All activities?All activities?Not all activities are documented:

– Get a cup.– Fill the kettle.– Pour the tea.– Put a teabag in the teapot.

We need to get a teapot and milk.We need to boil the kettle.We need to allow the tea to draw.

Sequencing the activitiesSequencing the activities 1. Fill the kettle.(20 sec). 2. Put the kettle on to boil (2 sec). 3. Get a teapot (7 sec). 4. Get a cup (4 sec). 5. Get milk (10 sec). 6. Get teabags(3 sec). 7. Put boiling water and teabag into the teapot (15

sec). 8. Pour the tea(3 sec).

Sequencing the activitiesSequencing the activities

8 cannot be done until all of the other things have been done.

4 and 5 can be done any time before 8.6 must be done before 7.1 must be done before 2.2 must be done before 7.3 must be done before 7.

Network pathNetwork path

1

2

4

3

5

7

6 8Start

20 sec

15 sec7 sec

2 sec

10 sec

4 sec

3 sec

1

2

4

3

5

7

6 8Start

20 sec

15 sec7 sec

2 sec

10 sec

4 sec

3 sec

Critical Path Method (CPM)Critical Path Method (CPM) CPM is a project network analysis technique used

to predict total project duration. A critical path for a project is the series of

activities that determines the earliest time by which the project can be completed.

The critical path is the longest path through the network diagram and has the least amount of slack or float.

Finding the Critical PathFinding the Critical Path

First develop a good project network diagram.

Add the durations for all activities on each path through the project network diagram.

The longest path is the critical path.

Simple Example of Simple Example of Determining the Critical PathDetermining the Critical Path

Consider the following project network diagram. Assume all times are in days.

2 3

4

5

A=2 B=5C=2

D=7

1 6

F=2

E=1

start finish

a. How many paths are on this network diagram?

b. How long is each path?

c. Which is the critical path?

d. What is the shortest amount of time needed to complete this project?

a. How many paths are on this network diagram?

b. How long is each path?

c. Which is the critical path?

d. What is the shortest amount of time needed to complete this project?

More on the Critical PathMore on the Critical Path If one or more activities on the critical path takes

longer than planned, the whole project schedule will slip unless corrective action is taken.

Misconceptions:– The critical path is not the one with all the critical

activities; it only accounts for time.– There can be more than one critical path if the lengths

of two or more paths are the same.– The critical path can change as the project progresses.

Critical PathCritical Path

start

T1

T2

T3

M1

M2

M3

M4

T5

T6

T7

T8

End

T taskM Milestone

Software Cost EstimationSoftware Cost Estimation Hardware costs Travel and training costs Effort costs can be calculated by

– Algorithmic cost modelling– Expert judgement– Estimation by analogy– Parkinson’s Law (whatever is there will be spent)– Pricing to win– Top-down estimation– Bottom-up estimation

Algorithmic cost modellingAlgorithmic cost modelling

highly parameterised algorithmswere originally based on no of lines of codenow based on Function point analysis

– External inputs and outputs– User interactions– External interfaces– Files used by the system