This document outlines the top 10 risks in software projects and provides mitigation techniques for each. The risks include personnel shortfalls, unrealistic estimates, developing the wrong functions and properties, making changes outside the project scope, continuous requirement changes, shortfalls in third party tools or tasks, not meeting real-time performance needs, insufficient hardware capabilities, and challenges with cross-cultural teams. For each risk, the document lists several mitigation techniques that use project management approaches like detailed planning, change management processes, and risk management techniques.

1. Top 10 Risks
in Software Projects
Project Management Approach

2. 1. Personnel Short Falls
Talent Retention
Proper Staffing
Cross Training
Right Person on Right Job
Organizational Agreements
Training (Cross Functional)
Team Building
Risk Management Technique

3. 2. Un-Realistic Estimates (Schedule and Budget)
Detailed Scheduled Estimation
Detailed Cost Estimation
Incremental Development
Software Reuse (Code/products)
Time and Material Agreement.
Requirement Scrubbing
Qualified Resources
Risk Management Technique

4. 3. Wrong Function and Properties Development
Detailed Requirement Analysis
User Interviews and Surveys
Prototype
Spiral/ Agile Development
Performance Analysis
Quality Factor Analysis
Early User Manual Release
Parallel Run
Aggressive User Testing
Risk Management Technique

5. 4. Gold Plating (Making Out of Scope Changes)
Requirement Scrubbing
Strong Change Management
Cost-Benefits analysis
Prototyping
Detailed Scope Analysis and
baseline.
Define and Agree Project Boundaries
Risk Management Technique

6. 5. Continuous Requirement Changes
Strong Change Management
Incremental Development
Requirement Freeze
Scope Baseline
Associate to Cost part
Information Hiding during
development
Risk Management Technique

7. 6. Short Falls in 3rd Party Tool
Benchmarking
Inspection
Tools comparative Analysis
Reference Checking
Compatibility Analysis
Functional Analysis of tool
Requirement Mapping
Risk Management Technique

8. 7. Short Falls in 3rd Party Tasks
Reference Check
Pre-Award audits
Penalty Clause in contract
Protype Analysis
Team Building Mechanism
Resource retention policy
Market Reputation
Risk Management Technique

9. 8. Short Falls in Real-Time Performance
Simulation
Prototype
Benchmarking
Load Testing and Benchmarking
Parallel Running
Create War room with Experts
ReTuning Estimation Consideration
Risk Management Technique

10. 9. Hardware Capabilities
Simulation
Prototype
Benchmarking
Load Testing and Benchmarking
Technical Analysis
Cost Benefit Analysis
Referencing Check
Risk Management Technique

11. 10. Cross Culture Teams (Onsite/Off Shore)
Team Building Activities
Cross Cultures Analysis
Time Gap Management
Weekly / Daily Remote meetings
Progress Dashboard
Clear Demarcation of Responsibilities
Risk Management Technique

12. JAI HIND
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