Chapter 1

Introduction to Software
Project Management

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 Learning Objectives
• Explain what a project is and provide examples of
software projects
• Describe what project management is and discuss
key elements of the project management
framework
• Discuss how project management relates to other
disciplines
• Understand the history of project management
• Describe the project management profession,
including recent trends in project management
research, certification, and software products
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 What is a Project?
• A project is “a temporary endeavor undertaken to
accomplish a unique product or service”
• Project can be sequences of task which is planned from
beginning to end bounded by time, resources, and
required result.
• Attributes of projects
oUnique purpose
oOutcome can be tangible or intangible
oProjects are undertaken at all organizational levels
oTemporary
oProgressive Elaboration
oRequire resources, often from various areas
oShould have a primary sponsor and/or customer
oInvolve uncertainty
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 Examples of projects
• Developing a new product, service, or result;
• Effecting a change in the structure, processes, staffing, or style
of an organization
• Developing or acquiring a new or modified information system
(hardware or software)
• Conducting a research effort whose outcome will be
appropriately recorded
• Constructing a building, industrial plant, or infrastructure or
• Implementing, improving, or enhancing existing business
processes and procedures

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 Samples of S/W Projects
• Many organizations upgrade hardware, software,
and networks via projects
• Organizations develop new software or enhance
existing systems to perform many business
functions
• Note: “SW projects” refers to projects involving
hardware, software, and networks
E.g. -Airlines reservation system
- Vehicle Tracking Using Driver Mobile Gps Tracking.
- Fingerprint Based ATM System. Etc.

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What is a project team ?
• A project team includes people, who might not usually work
together and could belong to different organizations and
across multiple geographies that come together to
accomplish the project.
• Project teams are also temporary – once the project is
completed the team will disperse.
• The project team might include people who don’t usually
work together but they come together only to accomplish
the project
• Resources may come from different organizations

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 The Relationships among Portfolios, Programs,
and Projects

• Portfolio refers to a collection of projects, programs, sub-

portfolios, and operations managed as a group to achieve
strategic objectives
• Programs are grouped within a portfolio and are
comprised of subprograms, projects, or other work that
are managed in a coordinated fashion in support of the
portfolio

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 Project Vs Operation

• Similarity:
• Both are performed by people,
• Both are planned, executed and controlled &
• Both have resource limitation.
• Differences
• Projects are unique and temporary (definitive beginning and ending),
while operations are ongoing and permanent with repetitive output.
• Projects have a fixed budget; on the other hand, operations have to
earn a profit in order to run the business.
• Projects are executed to start a new business objective and
terminated when it is achieved, while operational work does not
produce anything new and it is ongoing.
• Projects create a unique product, service, or result; Operations
produce the same product, aim to earn a profit, and keep the system
running.
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Projects Vs Programs

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 What is Project Management?

• Project management is “the application of knowledge,

skills, tools, and techniques to project activities in order
to meet project requirements” (Project Management
Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide), 2000, p. 6)
• The Project Management Institute (PMI) is an
international professional society. Their web site is
www.pmi.org.
• Business leaders understand that project management
is a function within the organization and hire individuals
are specifically trained in project management to
handle organizations project management needs.

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Process Groups of Project Management

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 Managing a project typically includes:
• Identifying requirements
• Addressing the various needs, concerns, and expectations
of the stakeholders in planning and executing the project;
• Setting up, maintaining, and carrying out communications
among stakeholders that are active, effective,
collaborative in nature;
• Managing stakeholders towards meeting project
requirements and creating project deliverables;
• Balancing the competing project constraints, which
include, but are not limited to: Scope, Quality, Schedule,
Budget, Resources, and Risks.

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Role of the Project Manager
• The role of a project manager is distinct from a functional
manager or operations manager.
• Typically the functional manager is focused on providing
management oversight for a functional or a business unit,
and operations managers are responsible for ensuring
that business operations are efficient.
• Depending on the organizational structure, a project
manager may report to a functional manager. In other
cases, a project manager may be one of several project
managers who report to a program or portfolio manager
who is ultimately responsible for enterprise-wide projects
• project managers have the responsibility to satisfy the
needs: task needs, team needs, and individual needs
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Fifteen Project Management Job Functions*

• Define scope of project • Identify and evaluate risks

• Identify stakeholders, decision- • Prepare contingency plan
makers, and escalation • Identify interdependencies
procedures
• Identify and track critical
• Develop detailed task list (work milestones
breakdown structures)
• Participate in project phase
• Estimate time requirements review
• Develop initial project • Secure needed resources
management flow chart
• Manage the change control
• Identify required resources and process
budget
• Report project status
• Evaluate project requirements

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 project manager possess the following
competencies:
• Knowledge—Refers to what the project manager knows
about project management.
• Performance—Refers to what the project manager is
able to do or accomplish while applying his or her project
management knowledge.
• Personal—Refers to how the project manager behaves
when performing the project or related activity. Personal
effectiveness encompasses attitudes, core personality
characteristics, and leadership, which provides the ability
to guide the project team while achieving project
objectives and balancing the project constraints.

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 Suggested Skills for Project Managers
• Project managers need a wide variety of skills
• They should be comfortable with change,
understand the organizations they work in and
with, and be able to lead teams to accomplish
project goals
• Project managers need both “hard” and “soft”
skills.
• Hard skills include product knowledge and knowing
how to use various project management tools and
techniques, and
• Soft skills include being able to work with various
types of people
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 Suggested Skills for Project Managers
· Communication skills: listening, • Interpersonal skills of project
persuading Manger
· Organizational skills: planning, • Leadership,
goal-setting, analyzing • Team building,
· Team Building skills: empathy, • Motivation,
motivation • Communication,
· Leadership skills: set examples, • Influencing,
be energetic, have vision (big • Decision making,
picture), delegate, be positive • Political and cultural
· Coping skills: flexibility, awareness,
creativity, patience, persistence • Negotiation,
· Technological skills: experience, • Trust building,
project knowledge • Conflict management, and
• Coaching.
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Most Significant Characteristics of Effective and Ineffective
Project Managers
Effective Project Managers Ineffective Project Managers
• Lead by example
• Set bad examples
• Are visionaries
• Are technically competent • Are not self-assured
• Are decisive • Lack technical expertise
• Are good communicators • Are poor communicators
• Are good motivators • Are poor motivators
• Stand up to upper
management when
necessary
• Support team members
• Encourage new ideas
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Project Management Framework

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 Nine Project Management Knowledge
Areas
• Knowledge areas describe the key competencies
that project managers must develop
• 4 core knowledge areas lead to specific project
objectives (scope, time, cost, and quality)
• 4 facilitating knowledge areas are the means through
which the project objectives are achieved (human
resources, communication, risk, and procurement
management)
• 1 knowledge area (project integration management)
affects and is affected by all of the other knowledge
areas

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 The Triple Constraint
• Every project is constrained in different ways by its
• Scope goals: What is the project trying to accomplish?
• Time goals: How long should it take to complete?
• Cost goals: What should it cost?
• It is the project manager’s duty to balance these three often
competing goals

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 Project Stakeholders
• Stakeholders are the people involved in or affected by
project activities

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Project Management Tools and Techniques
• Project management tools and techniques assist
project managers and their teams in various
aspects of project management
• Some specific ones include
• Project Charter, scope statement, and WBS (work
breakdown structure) (scope)
• Gantt charts, network diagrams, critical path analysis,
critical chain scheduling (time)
• Cost estimates and earned value management (cost)

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 Sample Gantt Chart

The WBS is on the left, and each task’s start and finish date are shown on the right
using a calendar timescale. Early Gantt Charts, first used in 1917, were drawn by
hand.
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 Sample Network Diagram

Each box is a project task from the WBS. Arrows show dependencies between tasks. The
bolded tasks are on the critical path. If any tasks on the critical path take longer than
planned, the whole project will slip unless something is done. Network diagrams were first
used in 1958 on the Navy Polaris project, before project management software was available.

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 Sample Enterprise Project Management Tool

In recent years, organizations have been taking advantage of software to help

manage their projects throughout the enterprise.

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 Project Management Software
• By now there are hundreds of different products to assist
in performing project management
• Three main categories of tools exist:
• Low-end tools: Handle single or smaller projects well, cost
under $200 per user
• Midrange tools: Handle multiple projects and users, cost $200-
500 per user, Project 2000 most popular
• High-end tools: Also called enterprise project management
software, often licensed on a per-user basis
• Project 2013 now includes a separate version for
enterprise project management

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How Project Management Relates to Other Disciplines
• Much of the knowledge needed to manage
projects is unique to the discipline of project
management
• Project mangers must also have knowledge and
experience in:
• General management
• The application area of the project

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 The Project Management Profession

• The job of SW Project Manager is in the list of the

top ten most in demand IT skills
• Professional societies like the Project Management
Institute (PMI) have grown tremendously
• Project management research and certification
programs continue to grow

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Top Ten Most in Demand IT Skills

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 You Can Apply Project Management to Many Areas

• Project management applies to work as well as

personal projects
• Project management applies to many different
disciplines (SWEng, IT, construction, finance, sports,
event planning, etc.)
• Project management skills can help in everyday life

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