The document discusses different approaches to software project management. It describes why some software projects fail due to unrealistic timelines and overoptimism. It then outlines two main aspects of software project management - software engineering and management. It discusses how the software engineering methodology can be tightly or loosely coupled with the project management methodology. The document also analyzes the ad-hoc and process-driven approaches to project management, outlining their advantages and disadvantages. It notes that a process-driven approach is generally more suitable for large organizations while an ad-hoc approach may be used for smaller projects or organizations.

1. Approaches to software
project
management
BIM 8th Sem
By: Er. Sudarshan Sharma

2. Why do software projects fail?
•The team has an unrealistic idea about how
much work is involved.
• From far away, most complex problems seem simple
to solve
• Teams can commit to impossible deadlines by being
overly optimistic and not thinking through the work
• Few people realize the deadline is optimistic until it’s
blown

3. SPM has 2 aspects
• Software Engineering
• deals with constructing the components
• integrating them
• verifying them
• validating them
• and finally combining all of the components into a product
• and convincing the customer to accept delivery of it.
• Management
• facilitates software engineering so that the project deliverable is
• completed on time
• Efficiently
• effectively
• without defects

4. Alignment of software engineering
methodology with SPM methodology
• Tightly Coupled
• SE and PM are aligned tightly
• More focused o technical
• Loosely Coupled
• PM is on more priority
• Used in organizations where different types of projects are handeled

5. Alignment of software engineering
methodology with SPM methodology
• driven by a number of factors
• organizational size
• form of software engineering used on a particular project.
A completely aligned project management methodology is suitable for smaller, more
homogenous organizations, while less homogenous organizations should have a project
management methodology that is decoupled from the soft-ware engineering
methodology of the project.

6. Approaches of SPM
• Ad-HOC approach
• Process Driven Approach

7. Ad-HOC method based approach
• is driven by a number of factors,
• organizational size
• the form of software engineering used on a particular project.
• completely aligned project management methodology is suitable
for smaller, more homogenous organizations,
• less homogenous organizations should have a project management
methodology. why?
the methodology of software engineering used on a project has an impact on project
management, each project will need to have the management methodology tailored to
some extent to align with the software engineering methodology

8. Ad-HOC method Advantages
• Fits a dynamic environment
• Allows the leader to have absolute control
• Is perceived to allow very fast response to environmental changes
• Can be the least costly, and the most profitable, methodology (with a well-
seasoned SPM and if nothing surprising happens)
• Is perfect for pinning the blame for failure on one person (Always have your
CV ready!)
• Reduces process overhead activities to nearly zero (e.g., process definition,
maintenance groups, measurement, and analysis)
• Permits the principle of “unity of command” to be implemented (can be a
great motivator for people involved in a project)
• Leads to a sense of “heroism” in management styles

9. Ad-HOC method Disadvantages
• Creates uncertainty in the workplace
• Fosters a leader-centric environment rather than an environment driven by organizational
and project goals
• Centralizes authority: lose the leader, lose the project
• Results in outcomes being unpredictable (because they are person driven)
• Focuses on people monitoring rather than on overall project monitoring
• Causes organizational bandwidth (the capability of the organization to handle multiple
projects concurrently) to be dependent on a leader’s capacity (to manage multiple projects
simultaneously, work long hours, etc.)
• Causes growth in an organization to be limited by the capacity of an SPM

10. Ad-HOC method Disadvantages
• Leads to deterioration of morale in the workplace due to the encouragement of an
undesirable, ego-driven environment (e.g., encourages an increase of self-serving
sycophants)
• Hinders (or makes impossible) the development of leaders from within the organization
(employees work in their own “cocoons”)
• Hastens the inevitability of failure of human endeavors

11. Process Driven Approach
• Have documented processes for all activities
• Individuals must also be knowledgeable in the processes that concern
them to be effective and efficient
• The organization facilitates the execution of projects by providing the
processes
• The tools
• A knowledge repository
• The training
• Expert assistance as needed to help SPM
• Each SPM is responsible for executing projects while diligently conforming
to defined processes provided by the organizations

12. Process Driven approach Advantages
• Minimizes the person-dependency of project management
• Enables a beginner in project management to perform like an expert and an
expert to excel
• Facilitates the “plowing back” of experience gained from project execution
into the process (As a result, every project execution enriches the process.)
• Equips everyone with the best practices in the process culled from project
execution.
• Monitors projects rather than people
• Involves the organization in project execution and organizational expertise, not
only from the process, but also from senior executives whose considerable
experience influences project execution and supports its continued success
• Provides uniformity of project execution across the organization, irrespective of
the people involved in the project, which leads to organizational maturity

13. Process Driven approach Advantages
• Facilitates measurement, resulting in fair performance appraisals, which makes
possible real morale improvement in an organization (Having measurements also
facilitates benchmarking the organizational performance with similar
organizations and enables improvement thereof.)
• Builds the basis for predictability in project execution
• Enables all-round participation; iteratively drives an organization toward
excellence
• Promotes the recruitment and induction of new people into projects because
process-driven processes facilitate raising newcomers’ performances to
acceptable levels quickly

14. Process Driven approach Disadvantages
• It adds unnecessary burdens of reporting and documentation
• Slow due to unnecessary reporting
• Management is loosely coupled with technical aspect
• More focus on management
• Expensive and bureaucratic to operate.
• Not suitable for agile approaches.

15. Discussion- What is right approach
Ad-Hoc Vs Process Driven
Small organization/Large organization
Which is suitable in early career

16. Popular Standard Processes
• ISO 9000 (of the International Organization for Standardization)
• CMMI (Capability Maturity Model Integration of the SEI, the
Software Engineering Institute of Carnegie Melon University).
ISO covers the entire organization, while CMMI covers activities that are
specifically relevant to software and hardware products.

17. What does a process-driven approach
contain?
• Processes for carrying out the activities
• Agencies responsible for carrying out the activities
• Processes for ensuring that quality is built into the deliverables
• Agencies responsible for assuring quality in the deliverables
• Processes for defining and maintaining organizational processes
• Agencies responsible for defining and maintaining organizational processes
• Processes for measuring and analyzing the process performance
• Agencies responsible for measurement and analysis of process performance