Project Management

OrganizationScheduling31 January

ORGANIZATIONProject management

Organization Needed to control communications cost

Channel of communications costs about 2 hours per week

Optimal number 3-7 Organization structures

Hierarchical Peer

Requires leader of team or aspects Subteam

Requires gatekeeper Matrix

What can you tell from an organization?

The formal structure NOT the informal working mode

SCHEDULINGProject management

How to Build a Schedule

Identify the component parts Identify the dependencies Estimate

Really just another word for guess Prefer educated guess

Lay out assignments and time frames

Project Plan for this project Use simple Excel spreadsheet (or equivalent)

Deliverable/Milestone Responsible Due Revision 1 Delivered

project web site Sam 20-Jan 20-Janarchitecture Jane (all) 8-Feb 15-Feb 23-Febproject plan Harry 10-Feb 15-Feb 16-Febinitial user interface Sam 13-Feb 15-Feb 18-Febcontract Jane 20-Feb 15-Feb 18-Feb

What you should be able to tell from your project plan

What is Joe working on this week? Who can help me if I run into

trouble? If I have to choose an activity to be

late, which one will impact the project more?

Tools to Help

Product description Clear statement of what you are building

Work breakdown Product flow PERT charts

Program Evaluation and Review Technique

Gantt charts

Work Breakdown Structure

Need to break down the tasks into component parts and tasks

Level of detail important Lacks any time component

Work Breakdown

Graphical WBS

Product Flow

Identify sequences and dependencies

Distinguish new from existing components

Product Flow

PERT Charts Critical path analysis or method

Program Evaluation and Review Technique Also known as activity networks

Developed by Navy in 1958 Three stages:

Planning (tasks and sequence) Scheduling (start and finish times) Analysis (float and revisions)

Two different models Activities are nodes (most common) or arcs

Pert Chart Activity Box

Pert Charts

CPM: Critical Path Method

Alternative to PERT Dupont 1957 Graphical view of project Predicts time required to complete Shows which activities are critical

to maintaining the schedule

Planning: PERT and CPM1. Identify the specific

activities and milestones. 2. Determine the proper

sequence of the activities.

3. Construct a network diagram.

4. Estimate the time required for each activity.

5. Determine the critical path.

6. Update the PERT chart as the project progresses.

1. Specify the individual activities.

2. Determine the sequence of those activities.

3. Draw a network diagram. 4. Estimate the completion

time for each activity. 5. Identify the critical path

(longest path through the network)

6. Update the CPM diagram as the project progresses.

Gantt Charts

Milestone charts Invented by Harvey Gantt in 1916 Advantages

Less detailed Amenable to management overlays

Gantt Chart

Gantt Chart with Overlays

Scheduling Steps and Tools Put together minimal solution

Primary requirements Start with external commitments

Product descriptions Milestones (contract)

Introduce internal milestones Work breakdown structure Product Flow PERT Chart, Gantt chart

Focus on the risks Risks (contract)

Add next level of features where possible Secondary requirements

Software Sources Open source tools:

dmoz.org/Computers/Software/Project_Management/Open_Source/

Reviews and Inspections

Reviews and Inspections Why?

Developer can’t correct unseen errors More eyes to catch problems Earlier is cheaper

Integration fix typically 3-10 times the cost at design

Difference in terms Review implies completed work, often

reviewed by someone at a different level Inspection implies peer review of work in

progress

Inspections

Introduced by Michael Fagin in 76 (IBM Systems Journal)

Formalized process Specific roles and steps Heavy preparation and follow-up

Used for documents and code

Will you review or inspect?What will you review or inspect?How will you review or inspect?