Transcript Software Project Management

Software Project Management
DON F. ERWIN
BUFFALO STATE COLLEGE
BUFFALO, NEW YORK, USA
PART 2 – SOFTWARE PM, STAKEHOLDERS,
RISK MANAGEMENT
Survey
What are the top 5 issues you need to solve on
your software project?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The difficulties in estimations (budget, schedule, etc.)
Wrong assumptions
Customer changing mind
How to manage client expectations
Not enough qualified resources
Overview
We Plan to Cover:
Project Management Basics
Project Management on Software Projects
Stakeholder Management
Risk Management
Project Communication
Leadership in Software Project Management
IT Governance
Other???
Project Management on Software Projects
What is unique about Software Projects?
Management Methods
Developing the Right Approach
Focus on Stakeholders
Focus on Risk Management
Project Communication
Project Management on Software Projects
Software projects are different from other projects
• Address unique business processes
• Stakeholders are often passionate about current
business practices
• Stakeholders often have preconceptions about the final
product
• Designers/Developers often work more closely with end
users
Management Methods
Project Management Methods examples
• Project Management Institute (PMI) Framework
• Prince2
Development Methods
Plan-Driven
• Predictive
• Pre-planned
• Inflexible
Agile
• Adaptive
• Iterative
• Flexible
Ad-hoc
• “Cowboy Coding”
• Little planning
• Undisciplined
Management Methods
Project Management Methods
Development Methods
Software Project Managers
need to have knowledge of
both to be effective
(De Baar)
Developing the Right Approach
1. Analyze Situation
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Risk Assessment
2. Develop Approach
Iterative approach
Involve Stakeholders early
Focus on Risks
• Strategy
• Organization
• Feedback
(De Baar)
Developing the Right Approach
Strategy
• Steps to be taken, sequence, time frame
Organization
• Who, roles, relationships
Feedback
• Communication to stakeholders on status of products
and processes
(De Baar)
Developing the Right Approach
Advantages of Iterative Approach
• Solidify as things become clearer
• Focuses on stakeholders and their needs
• Explicitly documents decisions
(De Baar)
Developing the Right Approach
Tailor the approach at start-up
Involve stakeholders
Avoids the “not-invented-here” syndrome
Those who have to do the work know best what
it will take and what the risks are likely to be
(De Baar)
Introducing Process to the Organization
New projects (usually) mean new processes
• Start simple and add process as required
• Involve Stakeholders…
• Adding too much process, can add risk to the outcome of the
project
• Visibility is key (transparency)
• Schedules
• Budgets
Feedback
• Results
• Issues
• Changes
(De Baar)
Stakeholders
Who are they?
•
•
•
•
•
Direct (involved in the project)
Indirect (affected by the outcome of the project)
Internal (work for the organization)
External (Do not work for the organization)
Chickens or pigs?
How to identify them
• Identified by the Project Sponsor
• Identified by the Stakeholders
• Self-identified
Stakeholders
All stakeholders have something to say
• Customers want it for free
• Users want it to have great functionality
• Programmers don’t want to document and want to use
the latest technology
Stakeholders drive the Software PM Process
•
•
•
•
Negative affects
Positive affects
The human element is hard to predict
Understanding stakeholders’ expectations / abilities /
attitudes is critical
(De Baar)
Stakeholders
• The software project manager must be a negotiator and
leader.
• Must understand and be comfortable with organization’s
“politics” (good and bad).
• Requirements can change. (Stakeholders’ interests do not)
• Need to understand the stakes (interests) that drove the
expectations and requirements.
• First PM responsibility is to reassure stakeholders that
they are heard and that their interests are taken care of.
• PM must continually communicate with stakeholders
(even bad news…)
(De Baar)
The Flow of Stakes
Interests
Expectations
recorded by
have
communicate
Stakeholders
Project
Management
negotiated to
changes
Feedback
Requirements
communicated
(De Baar)
Your Stakes
• You are a stakeholder
• Understand if you can work the project before it is too
late to get out
• Be willing to say no
(De Baar)
Stakeholder Analysis
• Stakeholder identification
Who are the stakeholders?
• Stakeholder expectations and interests
What are the expectations and the interests of the
stakeholders?
• Stakeholder influence and role in the project
How should they be involved in the project to have the
best possible outcome?
(De Baar)
Stakeholder Analysis
Just ask…
1. What are your
expectations of the
project?
2. What is the purpose or
mission of the project
team?
3. What benefits are there
likely to be?
Just phrase the question as
boldly as you can.
This indicates what the
stakeholder thinks is the goal
of the project.
What does the stakeholder have
to gain from the project?
(De Baar)
Stakeholder Analysis
Just ask…
4. What are your top
priorities?
Are there any conflicts with
other issues? How important
is the project for this
stakeholder?
5. What resources are you This indicates the level of
willing to commit /
commitment and
reluctant to commit?
participation.
6. Do you expect some
Has the stakeholder something
conflict of interest?
to lose in the project?
7. How do you regard other Can you expect some struggles
stakeholders on the list? between certain stakeholders?
(De Baar)
Stakeholder Analysis
Just ask…
8. What outcome is
needed and/or expected
from the project?
9. When should the team’s
work be completed?
What milestones do you
expect?
10. To whom does the team
report and how often?
This gives you explicit
expectations about the
project results.
This gives you explicit
expectations about
project process.
Who’s calling the shots?
Look for the real
hierarchy.
(De Baar)
Stakeholder Analysis
Just ask…
11. What is the business case
for the project?
12. What organizational
policies influence the
project?
13. What are your
experiences with similar
projects (personally
and/or departmentally)?
This indicates the
expectations for the
business.
Policies can be regarded as
expectations of the
organization.
History determines one’s
current expectations.
(De Baar)
Stakeholder Analysis
Stakeholder analysis provides:
1. A list of all the stakeholders
2. An idea about each stakeholder’s relative importance
and influence
3. Insight into what stakeholders want out of the project
4. Insight into what makes stakeholders tick
5. An idea about whether stakeholders will work against
or for the project
(De Baar)
Stakeholder Analysis
Helps you Develop the Project Approach
• Strategy
• Organization
• Feedback
What is the other thing that helps you develop
the Project Approach?
Risk Management
Facts of Project Life
• Projects are full of uncertainty
• Things you don’t know
• Things you don’t realize you don’t know
Risk Management
• A structured approach to handle uncertainties
• Action
• Risk
• Likelihood of occurrence • Cost
• Effect if it occurs
(De Baar)
Risk Management
Risk as a Positive thing?
• Risk management helps assure desired outcome of the
project
• Scale to size of project, but always do it
Stakeholder involvement in Risk Analysis
• Extremely important
• Provides a means for them to feel ownership
• Identifies risks that management/development team
may not think of
(De Baar)
Risk Management Methods
Checklists
• For Example, SEI structured checklist for Software**
• Provides major areas to think about
• Product Engineering
• Development Environment
• Program Constraints
• Questionnaires provide specific questions to ask
• The goal is to get the team to think about any area that
could jeopardize the project
** http://www.sei.cmu.edu/
(De Baar)
Risk Management Methods
Risk Matrix
High
Likelihood
Low
High
Effect
Risk Management Plan
Write it down
• Process is important, and so is the document
• Helps you to make decisions when you are in the
middle of a crisis (risk realized)
• Review it often (Top Ten)
• Use checklists to identify risks
• Weight risks by some method, e.g. matrix
• Write down the cost of effect of the risk
• Develop a plan for what you will do if the risk is realized
Risk Management Example
Approaches to responding to risks include :
• Deflection (transferring the risk to another party)
• Control (minimize the effect)
• Retention (accept the consequences)
• Avoidance (reject the risk; do nothing)
Probability guidelines:
• Very Likely 70-100% A = 3
• Probable
40-70% A = 2
• Unlikely
0-40%
A=1
Impact guidelines for scope, cost, schedule, or quality
• Catastrophic
B=3
• Critical
B=2
• Marginal
B=1
Risk Management Example
Risk
Probability Estimated
of
Project
Occurrence
Impact
(A)
(B)
Weight
B+
(A-1)
2
2
3
End-user apathy, 1
resistance to
change. Culture
change and
process change
may not be well
received.
2
2
Departure of
resources
Issue or
Jeopardy
Control
No.
Mitigation
Strategy
Control

Maintain appropriate
documentation of
project activities.

Fast hiring processes
should be developed.

Fill project vacancy
with SunGard Higher
Education consulting
resources.
Control

A comprehensive
communications plan
will help to keep
employees informed of
progress and to build
enthusiasm.
Contingency
Mitigate the risk as
described.
Mitigate the risk as
described.
Reassign
employees whose
behavior inhibits
performance of their
duties or jeopardizes
the project.
Risk Management
Helps you Develop the Project Approach
• Strategy
• Organization
• Feedback
(De Baar)
Tailoring the Approach
1. Analyze Situation
• Stakeholder Analysis
• Risk Assessment
2. Develop Approach
• Strategy
• Organization
• Feedback
(De Baar)
Tailoring the Approach
Business
Priorities
Uncertainties
(Risks)
Strategy
•Increments
•Iterations
•Phases
Insight into Interests
(Stakeholder Analysis)
Organization
Feedback
(De Baar)
Uncertainties and Priorities
Dealing with Uncertainty
• Predictable
• Unpredictable, but resolvable
• Un-resolvable
Proactive Solutions
• Make them clear as fast and early as possible
• Make sure your solution and project structure has the
flexibility to cope with the uncertainties
Passive Solution
• Do nothing…
(Cockburn in De Baar)
The Strategy
Keep it simple and logical
Sequence for defining strategy
• Set a clearly-defined goal
• Determine the scope
• Adjust the project according to the outcome of the
previous step
• Execute the remainder of the project
(De Baar)
The Strategy
Based on Business Priorities and Risks will you
choose:
• A plan-driven method with fewer, bigger releases?
• An Agile approach with smaller releases which better
refine the product?
In many cases, some of each
• Iterations to get feedback to cover uncertainties
• Increments to satisfy the business needs for speed
(De Baar)
Strategy Options
Definitions5
Iteration: A period in which a number of predefined
tasks are performed. The results are evaluated to feed back
to the next iteration.
Increment: A period in which some functionality is
completed to a production-quality level.
Release: Some coherent set of completed functionalities
that is useful and usable to the intended users of the
system.
(De Baar)
The Project Organization
• Stakeholder Analysis influences Project Organization
• Project Organizations are usually temporary
• Keep them as small as possible (based on stakeholder
analysis)
• Find ways to address those that want to be involved but
do not add value
(De Baar)
The Project Organization
• Develop The Organization Chart
• Work Groups
• Help communication and control through group or
team leaders
• By specialization or product
• Assumes responsibility and accountability for leaders
• Take culture into account
• Steering Committee may be involved to authorize
spending, schedule/ scope changes, business practices
changes, etc.
• Consider type as it relates to PM considerations
Making the Organization Work
• Relate to the people in the boxes, not the boxes!
• Feedback, Feedback, Feedback
• Product
• Process
That takes us to the next subject: Feedback
(De Baar)
List of Works Cited
1. Project Management Institute (PMI), Project Management Body of
Knowledge (PMBOK). 3rd ed. 2004.
2. De Baar, Bas. Surprise! Now You're a Software Project Manager. 1st ed.
Lakefield, Ontario: Multi-Media Publications, 2006.
3. Bolman, Lee, and Terrence Deal. Reframing Organizations. 3rd ed. San
Fransisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003.
4. Denge, Peter. The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning
Organization. 1st ed. USA: Doubleday Publishing, 2006.
5. Aguanno, Kevin. Managing Agile Projects. Ed. Kevin Aguanno. Lakefield,
Ontario: Multi-Media Publications, 2005.