Step Wise: An 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

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 ‘Step Wise’ - an overview
0. Select
1. Identify
project 2. Identify project
project scope
infrastructure
and objectives
3. Analyze
project
characteristics

Review 4. Identify products

and activities
Lower
level 5. Estimate effort
detail for activity
For each
6. Identify activity activity
risks
10. Lower level
7. Allocate
planning
resources

8. Review/
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9. Execute plan publicize plan
 Case study 1: Brightmouth college
payroll
College has payroll processing carried out
by a services company (local government)
This is very expensive and does not allow
detailed analysis of personnel data to be
carried out
Decision made to bring payroll ‘in-house’
by acquiring an ‘off-the-shelf’ application

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 Case study 1: BMC - continued
The use of the off-the-shelf system will
require a new, internal, payroll office to
be set up
There will be a need to develop some
software ‘add-ons’: one will take
payroll data and combine it with time-
table data to calculate the staff costs for
each course run in the college
The project manager is Brigette.
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 Case study 2: International Office
Equipment
International Office Equipment (IOE)
assembles, supplies, installs and services
office equipment
Maintenance of equipment – not
supplied
In-house application
Sales staff inputs the job information
Generate monthly bills

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 Case study 2: IOE - continued
Enhanced application: annual maintenance
contract
Annual fee – number and type of equipment
Free maintenance
Job details still needs to be saved
Central coordinator – job allocation –
smartphone app
Amanda is the project manager

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 ‘Step Wise’ - an overview
0. Select
1. Identify
project 2. Identify project
project scope
infrastructure
and objectives
3. Analyze
project
characteristics

Review 4. Identify products

and activities
Lower
level 5. Estimate effort
detail for activity
For each
6. Identify activity activity
risks
10. Lower level
7. Allocate
planning
resources

8. Review/
8
9. Execute plan publicize plan
 Step 1: Identify 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?’
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 Step 1 continued
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?’

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 Case Study: Scope and objectives
Project proposal (accepted)
The main objectives are to allow:
details of annual maintenance work covered by
contracts to be recorded;
details of maintenance work covered by these
contracts to be recorded;
analysis of costs to be carried out so that the optimal
level of maintenance contract fees may be identified;
recording of job request and notification to engineers
via smartphones
Other objectives: expected timescales, resources

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 Case Study: Project authority
Brigette finds she has two different clients
for the new system: the finance department
and the personnel office. A vice principal
agrees to be official client, and monthly
meetings are chaired by the VP and attended
by Brigette and the heads of finance and
personnel
These meetings would also help overcome
communication barriers
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 Case Study: Stakeholders
For example, personnel office would
supply details of new staff, leavers and
changes (e.g. promotions)
To motivate co-operation Brigette might
ensure new payroll system produces
reports that are useful to personnel staff
Communication plan

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 Step 2: Identify 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?’

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 Step 3: Analyze 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?

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 Step 3 continued
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?’

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 Case study: BMC
Objectives vs. product-based approach
An objective-based approach has been adopted
Some risks
There may not be an off-the-shelf package that
caters for the way payroll is processed at
Brightmouth College
Answer?
Brigette decides to obtain details of how main
candidate packages work as soon as possible; also
agreement that if necessary processes will be
changed to fit in with new system.
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