Transcript Managing Object-Oriented Projects—CPA Based on Chapter 21 of Bennett, McRobb and Farmer: Object Oriented Systems Analysis and Design Using UML, (2nd Edition), McGraw Hill, 2002. ©

Managing Object-Oriented
Projects—CPA
Based on Chapter 21 of Bennett, McRobb and
Farmer:
Object Oriented Systems Analysis and Design
Using UML, (2nd Edition), McGraw Hill, 2002.
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
1
In This Lecture You Will Learn:
Why we plan
 What to plan for
 How to create and manage a plan
 About resource smoothing

© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
2
Objectives
By the end of this topic you will be able to:
 Construct a small network diagram
 Understand the use of ‘float’ to improve
resource management
 Identify project failure factors
 Suggest strategies for success
 Explain and justify the contents of a project
plan
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
3
Why Plan?

Two ‘folk wisdom’ sayings among IS
development people:
“Failing to plan is planning to fail”
“If you can’t plan it, don’t do it”
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
4
Why Plan?
Systems development is complex
dynamic
 May need to bid for resources
 Skills and careers
 Estimates and understanding the work
 Management and professionalism
 Meeting client requirements

© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
5
Why Plan?

Failure can be spectacular:
– LSE Taurus project

£480M
– London Ambulance Despatch System

£43M (and suspicion of some deaths)
– Mull of Kintyre Chinook crash


29 dead, including high-ranking police and
military intelligence officers
Pilots blamed by RAF Board of Enquiry, but
many suspect software was at fault
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
6
What To Plan For

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





Big Picture!
Tasks, dependencies and allocation to staff
Control, performance management
Quality
Client liaison
Procurement
Installation, testing, training
Contingency planning
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
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What To Plan For
Three slogans maybe sum it all up:
 Plan for success
 Manage change
 Manage risks
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
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Creating and Managing a Plan

Basic Techniques
– Product (or Work) Breakdown Structure
– Network Analysis
– Gantt Chart
Specify tasks, dependencies
 Estimate duration, cost
 Resource smoothing

© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
9
Monitoring the Plan
Regular control checks
 Progress reports to…

– Programme Manager
– Project Board
– IS Steering Committee
Exception and problem reports
 Corrective action

© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
10
Resource Smoothing
Level out human resources to avoid
peaks and troughs of activity
 Typically done by rescheduling some
non-critical tasks (i.e. tasks with float)

© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
11
Worked Examples
Product Breakdown Structure
 A hierarchy of products or tasks
 Useful for:

– identifying tasks and products
– estimating total costs
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
12
PBS
Example
Project
Analysis Spec
Quality Plan
Design Spec
Project Plan
Software
Test Plan
Documentation
Implementation
Plan
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
13
Worked Examples
Gantt Chart (or common bar chart)
shows sequence and time of tasks
 Useful for:

– overall plan of simple projects
– identifying need for smoothing
– monitoring progress
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
14
Gantt
Example
Activities
2 staff
Slack time in which the
activity can float.
A Interview users
See A
B Prepare use cases
C Review use cases
3 staff
2 staff
D Draft screen layouts
2 staff
E Review screens
3 staff
F Identify classes
3 staff
G CRC analysis
3 staff
H Prepare draft class
diagram
4 staff
I Review
documentation
Days
Staffing bar chart
Unsmoothed
Number of
staff
Days
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
15
Gantt
Example
Activities
A Interview users
B Prepare use cases
C Review use cases
D Draft screen layouts
E Review screens
F Identify classes
G CRC analysis
H Prepare draft
class diagram
I Review
documentation
current date.
Extent
of completion
Days
Smoothed
Number of
staff
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
Days
16
Worked Examples
Network/Critical Path Analysis
 Also known as PERT

– Program Evaluation and Review Technique

Useful for:
– scheduling complex projects
– finding overall project time
– identifying dependencies
– identifying critical tasks
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
17
PERT Chart Notation (one of
many styles)
Earliest start
time for
activity D
Milestone
number
11
Milestone
Activity
label
D
18
8
7
15
24
7
Latest start time for
activity D
Activity
duration
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
18
PERT Chart Illustration
2
B
2
1
0
2
5
E
6
2
D
A
5
9
3
5
C
2
4
11
2
7
F
2
7
H
9
5
G
9
14
I
10
18
4
4
8
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
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Dummy
activity
19
PERT Chart Illustration
Non-critical
milestone with
7 days float
2
2
5
B
0
1
0
9
5
16
2A
5
5
3
5
D
C
2
7
4
7
E
2
11
18
2
F
2
H
9
7
9
4
Milestone on critical
path has zero float
6
5
14
9
14
I
4
10
18
18
G
8
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
13
14
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Constructing a PERT Chart
Usually done in three stages:
 Draw the network
 Forward pass finds earliest finish time
 Backward pass finds critical path
 Critical activities need more attention
from project manager
 Delay in a critical task delays
completion of the whole project
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
21
PERT Example (from Hughes
and Cotterill, p123)
Activity Description
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
Duration Precedents
H/W selection
6
S/W design
4
Install H/W
3
Code / test
4
File take on
3
Manuals
10
Training
3
Install /©test
2
Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
A
B
B
E, F
C, D
22
Summary
In this lecture you have learned about:
 Why we plan
 What to plan for
 How to create and manage a plan
 About resource smoothing
© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
23
Reading
Chapters 5 & 6 of Yeates and Cadle
 Chapters 6 – 8 of Hughes and Cotterell,
1999, Software Project Management,
McGraw Hill

© Bennett, McRobb and Farmer 2002,
and De Montfort University 2002
24