Project Planning 1 Project Planning Adequate planning leads

Project Planning - 1

Project Planning � Adequate planning leads to the correct completion of work Project Start Project End

Planning �Inadequate planning leads to frustration towards the end of the project & poor project performance Project Start Project End

Project Planning �The biggest single problem that afflicts software developing is that of underestimating resources required for a project. � Developing a realistic project plan is essential to gain an understanding of the resources required, and how these should be applied.

Project Plan �Specifies the order of work to be carried out, resources, responsibilities, and so on. � Varies from small and relatively informal to large and very formal. � Developing a project plan is as important as properly designing code: �Important not to: – overestimate your ability; – simply tell clients what they want to hear;

Deliverable �A deliverable is an output of the project that can meaningfully be assessed. �Examples: – a report (e. g. , requirements spec); – code (e. g. , alpha tested product). �Deliverables are indicators (but only indicators) of progress.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) �The building blocks of a schedule start with a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). �The WBS is a hierarchical reflection of all the work in the project in terms of deliverables. �In order to produce these deliverables, work must be performed. �A typical approach in developing a WBS is to start at the highest level, with the product of the project.

Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) Example You are assigned as the project manager of a New Product Development project. � The new product you are developing is a new toy for children age's five through nine. The objective of this product development project is to increase the revenue of the organization by ten percent. �

Activities Once all the deliverables of the project have been identified, activities will be performed in order to create the deliverables. � In some cases, these activities are the physical deliverables, but in other cases they are the actions that need to be performed. � Listing out each of the activities to be performed will result in an activity list as demonstrated. �

Milestone �A milestone is a point at which progress on the project may be assessed. �Typically a major turning point in the project. �EXAMPLES: – delivery of requirements spec; – delivery of alpha tested code.

Gantt charts �Gantt charts are a kind of bar chart: – time plotted on x axis – bars on y axis for each activity

Gantt Chart

Project Plan - Summary �Deliverables �Milestones �Work breakdown structure Activities �Realistic estimates �Gantt chart Use your objectives!