SDPM - Lecture 2 -The STEP WISE Approach to Project Planning

Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science

STEP WISE

The STEP WISE Approach to Project
Planning

Prof. Dr. Thomas Bäck

System‘s Development and Project Management - Prof. Dr. Thomas Bäck 1

Leiden Institute of Advanced Computer Science Dates

Feb. 1 14:45 – 17:30 Introduction, Project Description
Feb. 2 13:45 – 16:30 STEP WISE Approach to Project Planning
Feb. 9 13:45 – 16:30 Selecting an Appropriate Software Dev.
Approach
Feb. 15 14:45 – 17:30 Activity Planning and Resource Allocation
Feb. 16 13:45 – 16:30 Software Effort Estimation
Feb. 22 14:45 – 17:30 Risk management, project escalation
Feb. 23 13:45 – 16:30 Project monitoring and control
Mar. 1 14:45 – 17:00 Exam
Mar. 2 13:45 – 16:30 Software Quality Assurance
Mar. 8 14:45 – 17:30 Managing People; Contract Management
Mar. 9 13:45 – 16:30 Various
Mar. 15 14:45 – 17:30 Trade Fair

2


Deadlines
February 18, midnight Assignment 1:
Project proposal ( bid )

February 25, midnight Assignment 2:
Project Plan including functional specification

March 1, midnight Assignment 3:
Deutsche Bank case, 5 ppt slides

March 1 (14:45 – 17:00) Exam
March 15 (14:45 – 17:30) Trade fair
March 16, midnight Assignment 4:
Personal reflection paper on project
management

3


Save Energy Applications

!   Project Control Book: Template !
!  ProjectControlBook.doc (Blackboard)
!   Project proposal (bid) due by Feb 18,
midnight



STEP WISE Approach to Planning
!   STEP WISE Approach to Planning Software
Projects
!   STEP WISE aspirations
!  Practicality
•  Tries to answer the question „what do I do now ?“
!  Scalability
•  Useful for small project as well as large
!  Range of application
!  Accepted techniques
•  E.g. borrowed from PRINCE, etc.
•  PRojects IN Controlled Environments


STEP WISE overview
1. Identify project objectives 0. Select Project 2. Identify project infrastructure

3. Analyze pr. characteristics

4. Identify products and activities
Review lower
level detail
5. Estimate effort for activity
For each activity

6. Identify activity risks

10. Lower level planning 7. Allocate resources

9. Execute plan 8. Review / publicize plan



Example: A project scenario
!   Hardware / software engineering company (C++
language of choice)
!   Teams are selected for individual projects – some
friction has been found between team members
!   HR manager suggests psychometric testing to select
team
!   Software package to be used to test staff
!   MS Access suggested as a vehicle for
implementation
!   Usability is important – decision to carry out usability
tests


Program management

!   Individual projects vs. Program components
!   Collection of projects that contribute to the
same overall organizational goals
!   Well-defined program goal, projects selected
and tuned according to this goal:
!  Contribution and visibility
!  Timing and resourcing
!  Financial outcome



Feasibility study
!   Introduction: identifies what the document is
!   Description of current situation
!   Problem description
!   Proposed development:
!  Business and financial aspects
!  Technical aspects
!  Organizational aspects



Feasibility study (cont‘d)
!   Estimated costs
!  Development costs
!  Setup costs
!  Operational costs
!   Envisaged Benefits
!  Direct Benefits
!  Assessable indirect benefits, e.g., increased
accuracy
!  Intangible benefits
!   Recommendations


Cost-benefit evaluation techniques
!   Net profit
!   Payback period
!   Return on investment (ROI)
!  The profit or loss resulting from a project

!   Net present value (NPV)
!  An approach used in capital budgeting where the present value of cash
inflow is subtracted from the present value of cash outflows.

!   Internal rate of return (IRR)
!  Often used in capital budgeting, it's the interest rate that makes net present
value of all cash flow equal zero.
Essentially, this is the return that a company would earn if they expanded or
invested in themselves, rather than investing that money abroad.

!   Decision trees, etc.



Step 1: Establish project scope and
objectives
!   1.1 Identify objectives and measures of effectiveness
!  How do we know if we have succeeded ?
!   1.2 Establish a project authority
!  Who is the boss ?
!   1.3 Identify all stakeholders in the project and their interests
!  Who will be affected / involved in the project ?
!   1.4 Modify objectives in the light of stakeholder analysis
!  Do we need to do things to win over stakeholders ?
!   1.5 Establish methods of communication with all parties
!  How do we keep in contact ?



Example: Continued
!   Project authority
!  Should be a project manager rather than HR
manager ?
!   Stakeholders
!  Project team members to complete online
questionnaires: concern about results ?
!   Revision to objectives
!  Provide feedback to team members on results



Stakeholders

!   = individuals/organizations that are involved in or
affected by project activities.
!  Can have tremendous impact on project development.
!  Conflict among stakeholders is inevitable.
!  Bargaining and negotiation required.
!  Often, all stakeholder groups are slightly annoyed with the
project team.
!  Tradeoffs among stakeholder groups.



Step 2: Establish project infrastructure
!   2.1 Establish link between project and any
strategic plan
!  Why did they want the project ?
!   2.2 Identify installation standards and
procedures
!  What standards do we have to follow ?
!   2.3 Identify project team organization
!  Where do I fit in ?



Step 3: Analysis of project characteristics
!   3.1 Distinguish the project as either objective or product-based
!  Is there more than one way of achieving success ?
!   3.2 Analyze other project characteristics (including quality-based
ones)
!  What is different about this project ?
!   3.3 Identify high-level project risks
!  What could go wrong ?
!  What can we do to stop it ?
!   3.4 Take into account user requirements concerning implementation
!   3.5 Select general life cycle approach
!  Waterfall ? Increments ? Prototypes ?
!   3.6 Review overall resource estimates
!  Does all this increase the cost ?



Example: Continued
!   Objectives vs. Products
!  Use paper questionnaire then input results of the
analysis ?
!   Some risks
!  Team members worried about implications and do not
cooperate
!  Project managers unwilling to try out application
!  Design difficult to implement in MS Access
!   Answer ? – Evolutionary prototype ?



Step 4: Identify project products and activities
!   4.1 Identify and describe project products –
What do we have to produce ?

A product breakdown
Usability testing
Structure (PBS)

Selected subjects Testing arrangements Test results Change requests

Booked machine Questionnaire design Completed Analysis report
questionnaire

!   PBS: Product Breakdown Structure



Products
!   The result of an activity
!   Could be (among other things)
!  Physical thing („installed PC“)
!  A document („logical data structure“)
!  A person („trained user“)
!  A new version of an old product („updated software“)
!   The following are NOT normally products
!  Activities (e.g., training)
!  Events (e.g., „interviews completed“)
!  Resources and actors (e.g., „software developer“) – may be exceptions
to this
!   Products CAN BE deliverable or intermediate



Product description (PD)
!   Product identity
!   Description – what is it ?
!   Derivation – what is it based on ?
!   Composition – what does it contain ?
!   Format
!   Relevant standards
!   Quality criteria

Create a PD for „test data“



Step 4 (cont‘d)
!   4.1 Document generic product flows
Testing plan

Selected subjects Questionnaire design Booked machine

Completed
Test results
questionnaire

Questionnaire analysis

Change requests

!   PFD: Product Flow Diagram Sequence in which products are to
be created


Step 4 (cont‘d)
!   4.3 Recognize product instances:
!  The PBS and PFD will probably have identified generic products,
e.g., „software modules“
!  It might be possible to identify specific instances, e.g., „module
A“, „module B“ …
!  But in many cases this will have to be left to later, more detailed
planning
!   4.4 Produce ideal activity network:
!  Identify the activities needed to create each product in the PFD
!  More than one activity might be needed to create a single
product
!  Hint: Identify activities by verb + noun but avoid „produce
…“ (too vague)
!  Draw up activity network


An „ideal“ Activity

Select subjects

Draft change
Plan testing Design questionnaire Conduct tests Analyze results
requests

Book machine



Step 4 (cont‘d)
!   4.5 Add check-points if needed
Design module A Code module A

Design system Design module B Code module B Test system

Design module C Code module C

Design module A Code module A

Design system Design module B Check-point Code module B Test system

Design module C Code module C



Step 5: Estimate effort for each activity
!   5.1 Carry out bottom-up estimates
!  Distinguish carefully between effort and elapsed time
!   5.2 Revise plan to create controllable activities
!  Break up very long activities into a series of smaller
ones
!  Bundle up very short activities (create check lists ?)



Step 6: Identify activity risks
!   6.1 Identify and quantify risks for activities
!  Damage if risk occurs (measure in time lost or money)
!  Likelihood of risk occurring
!  Problem of assumption
!   6.2 Plan risk reduction and contingency measures
!  Risk reduction: activity to stop risk occurring
!  Contingency: action if risk does occur
!   6.3 Adjust overall plans and estimates to take account of
risks
!  E.g., add new activities which reduce risks associated with other
activities, e.g., training, pilot trials, information gathering



Step 7: Allocate resources
!   7.1 Identify and allocate resources to activities
!   7.2 Revise plans and estimates to take into
account resource constraints
!  E.g., staff not being available until a later date
!  Non-project activities



Gantt charts
March April
5 12 19 26 2 9
Jean-Paul
Design module A Design module B

Nita Code module A

Percy Code module C Code module B

Ali Design module C Design module D

Franz Code module D

Dylan Test module C



Step 8: Review / publicize plan
!   8.1 Review quality aspects of project plan
!   8.2 Document plan and obtain agreement (from
stakeholders)

!   Step 9 and 10: Execute plan and create lower
level plans



Upcoming project proposal („bid“)
!   Use project control book template – project plan
!   For the bid: Feasibility study outline - bid
!   Distinguish between level one and level two
functionalities (must have vs. nice to have)
!   Draft basic timeline, projects charts needed for later,
updated version
!   Grading criteria:
!  Amount of detail
!  Clarity
!  Comprehensiveness
!  Consciseness
!  „Theory“ use



Summary of Terms

!   PBS: Product Breakdown Structure
!  What do we have to produce?
!   PFD: Product Flow Diagram
!  Sequence in which products are to be created
!   AN: Activity Network
!  Identify the activities necessary to create each
product in the PFD



PRINCE II

An excursion

Prof. Dr. Thomas Bäck



Excursion – PRINCE 2
!   Very similar to STEP WISE
PL1 Design Plan
!   Also, very product based
PL2 Define and
analyze products
PL3 Identify activities
and their dependencies

PL4 Estimate effort
for each activity

PL5 Schedule

PL6 Analyze Risk

PL7 Complete Plan


! Project Organization
 
! Users: Of products of the project
 
! Suppliers: Of goods and services needed by the project
 
! Executive: Ensures that project meets business requirements
 
! Represented on Project Board: Overall accountability for success
 
! Project Manager: Managing on day-to-day basis
 
!   Delegates to Team Managers for large projects
!   Project Stages: More manageable segments.
!   Each phase might have
!   Req. Analysis and specification
!   Logical design
!   Physical design
!   Build
!   Testing
!   Installation



!   Project Procedures
Project Management Team
Programme Project Project Team Team
Management Board Manager Manager Member

SU: Starting up a project
DP IP: Initiating a project
SU DP: Directing a project
CS: Controlling a stage
IP MP: Managing product
CS delivery
SB: Managing stage
MP boundaries
CP: Closing a project
SB PL: Planning
CP



!   Directing a Project:
!  Authorizing initiation
!  Authorizing a project (agree after planning: go ahead)
!  Authorizing stage – or exception plan
!  Giving ad hoc direction
!  Closing project
!   Starting up the Project:
!  Programme management (group of projects)
!  Project Mandate (document, identify customer, scope)
!  Project Brief (document, objectives of project)
!  Project Approach (document, general technical approach)



!   Initiating a Project:
!  Project Quality Plan
!  Project Plan
•  Major products to be created
•  Main activities to be undertaken
•  Project risks and counter-measures
•  Effort requirements
•  Time scales
•  Key decision points



!   Controlling a Stage:

ID Processes
CS1 Authorize Work Package
CS2 Assess Progress
CS3 Capture Project Issues
CS4 Examine Project Issues
CS5 Review Stage Issues
CS6 Report Highlights
CS7 Take corrective action
CS8 Escalate Project Issues
CS9 Receive Completed Work Package



!   Managing Product Delivery:

ID Processes
MP1 Accept Work Package
MP2 Execute Work Package
MP3 Deliver Work Package



!   Managing Stage Boundaries:

ID Processes
SB1 Planning a Stage
SB2 Updating the Project Plan
SB3 Updating the project business case
SB4 Updating the Risk Log
SB5 Reporting a Stage End
SB6 Producing an Exception Report


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