Software Project Management

Software Project Management (SPM) is a proper way of planning and leading software projects. It is a part of
project management in which software projects are planned, implemented, monitored, and controlled.
Software project management is an art and discipline of planning and supervising software projects. It is a sub-
discipline of software project management in which software projects planned, implemented, monitored and
controlled.
It is a procedure of managing, allocating and timing resources to develop computer software that fulfills
requirements.
What is Project?
A project is a group of tasks that need to complete to reach a clear result. A project also defines as a set of inputs
and outputs which are required to achieve a goal. Projects can vary from simple to difficult and can be operated
by one person or a hundred.
Projects usually described and approved by a project manager or team executive. They go beyond their
expectations and objects, and it's up to the team to handle logistics and complete the project on time. For good
project development, some teams split the project into specific tasks so they can manage responsibility and
utilize team strengths.
The project is a temporary activity that exists to produce a defined result. Each project will have its own agreed
and unique goals, along with a project plan, budget, schedule, deliverables, and tasks. A project may also
involve individuals from various teams within an entity brought together to fulfill a specific objective.
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Problems with Software Projects
● poor estimates and plans; ● lack of knowledge of application
area;
● lack of quality standards and measures; ● lack of standards;
● lack of guidance about making organizational decisions; ● lack of up-to-date documentation;
● lack of techniques to make progress visible; ● lack of quality control
● poor role definition – who does what? ● remote management;
● incorrect success criteria ● lack of training.
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What is Project Management?
Project management may be defined as the implementation of suitable processes and principles to initiate, plan,
implement and oversee the implementation of new programmes or improvements within the organization.
Project management is different from normal company management, which is a continual process. It involves
the creation of a new set of tasks in order to meet the goals or objectives agreed.
Project management is the process of planning, organizing, and executing tasks and resources to achieve
specific goals within a defined timeline and budget. It involves various activities, from defining project
objectives and developing project plans to managing project teams and overseeing project implementation and
delivery. Effective project management requires leadership, communication, time management, budgeting, risk
management, and problem-solving. Project managers are responsible for coordinating and directing project
teams, ensuring that resources are allocated efficiently and project deliverables are completed on time, within
budget, and to the required quality standards.
Project management is a key component of many industries, including construction, engineering, information
technology, healthcare, and marketing. It is essential for organizations that need to manage complex projects
with multiple stakeholders, competing priorities, and significant risks.
Effective project management can lead to many benefits, including improved productivity, increased efficiency,
better resource utilization, improved communication and collaboration, reduced risk, and increased stakeholder
satisfaction.
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Key Components of project management are:
Time: Scheduling is a set of techniques to develop and present schedules that show when work is to be
completed.
Cost: How are the necessary funds raised and finances managed?
Scope: What are the developments or improvements that the project will bring?
Quality: The standard for the results of the project.
The increase or decrease of one of these components will have an effect on the others. For example, reducing
the time allotted to finish the project would also limit the amount of work that can be completed (scope), which
will impact the project's quality and cost.
Project Manager
A project manager is a character who has the overall responsibility for the planning, design, execution,
monitoring, controlling and closure of a project. A project manager represents an essential role in the
achievement of the projects.
A project manager is a character who is responsible for giving decisions, both large and small projects. The
project manager is used to manage the risk and minimize uncertainty. Every decision the project manager makes
must directly profit their project.
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Role of a Project Manager:
1. Leader
A project manager must lead his team and should provide them direction to make them understand what is
expected from all of them.
2. Medium:
The Project manager is a medium between his clients and his team. He must coordinate and transfer all the
appropriate information from the clients to his team and report to the senior management.
3. Mentor:
He should be there to guide his team at each step and make sure that the team has an attachment. He provides a
recommendation to his team and points them in the right direction.
Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Defining Project Scope: The project manager is responsible for defining the project scope, which includes
identifying project goals, objectives, deliverables, timelines, and budget constraints. They work closely with
stakeholders to determine the project requirements and ensure they align with the organization's strategic goals.
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Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Project Planning: The project manager is responsible for creating a project plan, which includes developing a
work breakdown structure (WBS), identifying project milestones, assigning tasks and responsibilities, and
estimating project costs. The project plan guides the project team throughout the project lifecycle and ensures
project goals are achieved on time and within budget.
Resource Management: The project manager manages project resources, including personnel, equipment, and
materials. They must allocate resources effectively to meet project goals and objectives. This includes
identifying resource constraints, negotiating with stakeholders for additional resources, and developing
contingency plans to manage resource shortages.
Risk Management: The project manager is responsible for identifying risks, analyzing their potential impact,
and developing mitigation strategies. This includes creating a risk management plan outlining risks, potential
impacts, and mitigation strategies. The project manager works with the project team to implement the risk
management plan and monitor the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies.
Communication: The project manager communicates project goals, objectives, and progress to stakeholders,
including team members, clients, and management. This includes creating a communication plan that outlines
the project's communication needs, defining communication channels and protocols, and regularly updating
stakeholders on project progress.
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Project Manager Roles and Responsibilities
Project Monitoring and Control: The project manager is responsible for monitoring progress, identifying
potential issues, and taking corrective action to keep the project on track. This includes tracking project metrics,
such as cost, schedule, and quality, and making adjustments as necessary to ensure project success.
Quality Management: The project manager is responsible for ensuring that project deliverables meet quality
standards and are delivered on time and within budget. This includes developing a quality management plan
outlining the project's quality standards, quality control, and quality assurance processes.
Project Closure: The project manager is responsible for wrapping the project, documenting lessons learned, and
transitioning project deliverables to stakeholders. This includes conducting a final project review, documenting
the project results, and communicating project closure to stakeholders.
Phases of Project Management
1. Initiation
The start phase establishes high-level expectations for the project by establishing its necessity, feasibility, and
what is necessary to execute it. The project needs documentation (business case), an initial list of stakeholders,
an approximate estimate of the time and resources needed to execute the project (project charter), and the
stakeholder approvals needed to go on to the next phase are the outputs of this phase.
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Phases of Project Management
2. Planning
Project managers describe the project's scope, schedule, and dangers at the planning stage. A successful project plan is made
up mostly of completeness and continuity. A thorough project plan, a project communication strategy (if there is no project
plan), a baseline budget, a project schedule, individual project goals, a scope document, and an updated stakeholder register
are all products of this phase.
3. Execution
The project team members are coordinated and led during the project execution phase through effective project
communication to complete the tasks outlined in the approved project management plan. This phase also addresses efficiently
distributing and administrating other project resources, such as money and supplies. The results of the execution phase are the
project deliverables.
4. Monitoring and Control
Every step of the project is compared for time, cost, and performance throughout the project monitoring and controlling phase.
Any required changes are made to the project's activities and resources, and a plan to keep things on track. Project progress
reports and other communications which ensure adherence to project plans and stop bigger milestones and deadline
disruptions are among the outputs from this phase.
5. Closure or Completion
In a project management life cycle, the process of wrapping up the project, assessing the project deliverables, and handing
them off to the business executives is called project closure. Time is available at this point for both celebration and
introspection. This project management phase produces outcomes that have been accepted for the project as well as lessons
learned that may be used on future projects of a similar nature.
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Types of Feasibility Study in Software Project Development
Feasibility Study in Software Engineering is a study to evaluate feasibility of proposed project or system. Feasibility study is
one of stage among important four stages of Software Project Management Process. As name suggests feasibility study is the
feasibility analysis or it is a measure of the software product in terms of how much beneficial product development will be for
the organization in a practical point of view. Feasibility study is carried out based on many purposes to analyze whether
software product will be right in terms of development, implementation, contribution of project to the organization etc.
Types of Feasibility Study
Technical Feasibility: In Technical Feasibility current resources both hardware software along with required technology are
analyzed/assessed to develop project. This technical feasibility study gives report whether there exists correct required
resources and technologies which will be used for project development. Along with this, feasibility study also analyzes
technical skills and capabilities of technical team, existing technology can be used or not, maintenance and up-gradation is
easy or not for chosen technology etc.
Operational Feasibility: In Operational Feasibility degree of providing service to requirements is analyzed along with how
much easy product will be to operate and maintenance after deployment. Along with this other operational scopes are
determining usability of product, Determining suggested solution by software development team is acceptable or not etc.
Economic Feasibility: In Economic Feasibility study cost and benefit of the project is analyzed. Means under this feasibility
study a detail analysis is carried out what will be cost of the project for development which includes all required cost for final
development like hardware and software resource required, design and development cost and operational cost and so on. After
that it is analyzed whether project will be beneficial in terms of finance for organization or not.
Legal Feasibility: In Legal Feasibility study project is analyzed in legality point of view. This includes analyzing barriers of
legal implementation of project, data protection acts or social media laws, project certificate, license, copyright etc. Overall it
can be said that Legal Feasibility Study is study to know if proposed project conform legal and ethical requirements.
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Aim of Feasibility Study
The overall objective of the organization are covered and contributed by the system or not.
The implementation of the system be done using current technology or not.
Can the system be integrated with the other system which are already exist
Feasibility Study Process
Information assessment: It assesses the original project concept and establishes the main aims and objectives.
Information collection: It collects the necessary information and data required to evaluate the project’s many components.
Report writing: It produces an in-depth feasibility report that details the analysis and results.
General information: It gives a summary of the main points discussed in the report on the feasibility study.
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The Stakeholder of a Project
Stakeholders in project management are all entities that directly or indirectly affect or are affected by the
project. These could include the project manager, the team, the executive board, customers, suppliers, or
regulatory authorities. Understanding the roles and interests of these stakeholders is fundamental to managing
their expectations and leading a successful project.
A stakeholder is either an individual, group or organization that’s impacted by the outcome of a project or a
business venture. Stakeholders have an interest in the success of the project and can be within or outside the
organization that’s sponsoring the project. Stakeholders are important because they can have a positive or
negative influence on the project with their decisions. There are also critical or key stakeholders, whose support
is needed for the project to exist.
Types of Stakeholders
1. Internal Stakeholders
Internal stakeholders are within the organization. The project directly impacts them as they serve and are
employed by the organization managing it. Internal stakeholders can include employees, owners, the board of
directors, project managers, investors and more.
2. External Stakeholders
External stakeholders are outside of the organization and are indirectly impacted by the project. They’re
influenced by the organization’s work but are not employees of the organization. These people can be suppliers,
customers, creditors, clients, intermediaries, competitors, society, government and more.
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Stakeholder Examples
There are many types of stakeholders, many of which fall under the internal or external stakeholder categories.
Investors: These are stakeholders looking for a financial return and can be shareholders and debtholders. They
have invested capital in the business and want a return on that investment.
Employees: These stakeholders rely on their employment and job security. They have a direct stake in the
organization as it supports them and provides them with benefits.
Customers: These stakeholders want the product or service that the project delivers and they expect it to be of
quality and contain value.
Suppliers and Vendors: These stakeholders have their revenue tied up with the project as they sell goods and
services to the business managing the project. Project success means more business for them.
Communities: These stakeholders don’t want the project to negatively impact their health, safety or economic
development. The organizations that are housed in their communities or working on projects in their
communities can impact job creation, spending and more.
Government: These stakeholders get taxes and gross domestic product from a project. They are major
stakeholders as they collect taxes from both the company on a corporate level and individually from those it
employs.
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Manage Project Stakeholders
Managing stakeholders is easy if you follow the right stakeholder management steps. Here are the steps that any project manager should
follow when managing stakeholder relations.
1. Stakeholder Identification
Identifying the stakeholders in your project is key as the project’s success depends on it. If your stakeholder isn’t happy, the project isn’t a
complete success. You’ll want to start this process as soon as the project charter is created.
2. Stakeholder Analysis
Once you identify your project stakeholders, it’s time for the stakeholder analysis phase. This is when you’ll gather information and
requirements from them. You’ll also need to begin estimating their level of involvement and influence in your project to prepare stakeholder
communication strategies and prioritize them.
3. Stakeholder Prioritization
A key question for anyone managing a project is how should you manage a stakeholder on the project? To complicate matters, there might be
many stakeholders, and you should treat them like you would any other task on your to-do list: by prioritizing them.
Over the course of a project, one stakeholder might be more valuable in terms of the project objections and some might demand more
attention than others. When you’re building your project schedule, make sure to define who those people are and at what point in the project
phase you might need to attend to them more.
4. Stakeholder Engagement
Now we’ve come to the second part of our question. When we talk of stakeholder management, what we mean is creating a positive
relationship with your stakeholders by meeting their expectations and whatever objectives they agreed to in the project. This relationship
isn’t just granted, however. It must be earned. You can earn the trust and build a positive relationship with stakeholders through proactive
communication and by listening to their needs.
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Project Management Framework
A project management framework is a set of processes, tasks and tools that provide guidance and structure for the execution
of a project. The framework helps organizations map out the progression of the individual project steps, from beginning to
completion. The framework includes all aspects of the project, from required resources and tools to specific processes and
tasks.
Project management frameworks typically will be organized into three main components: the project lifecycle, the project
control cycle, and tools and templates. The project lifecycle provides a timeline with goals and milestones for five different
stages. The project control cycle provides functions for monitoring and management. Tools and templates can provide
organizations with ready-made frameworks that can be applied to project implementations.
The project control cycle involves the active monitoring and management of the project. Key functions of this component
include managing and mitigating risks, tracking progress across teams and team members, and communicating project status
with external stakeholders. The project control cycle has five of its own stages.
Stage 1: This stage involves drafting the initial plan, for teams involved in the project to follow.
Stage 2: Here, the focus is on monitoring project progress across the involved teams.
Stage 3: At this stage, project managers should evaluate actual progress and compare it to what progress was planned to be
completed by that time.
Stage 4: Project managers should look to identify if progress has deviated at all from the original plan and analyze the
implications if so.
Stage 5: If necessary, corrective action should be taken to steer the project back in the right direction.
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Project Management Framework Examples
There are many common types of frameworks designed for different projects, team sizes, industries and budgets. Here are
some project management framework examples.
1. Waterfall Project Management Framework
This project management framework is a linear, sequential process that involves completing each phase of a project before
moving on to the next. The phases are similar to a cascading waterfall, which is where it gets its name, with each phase
building on the previous one’s deliverables and feedback.
2. Agile Project Management Framework
Agile is a project management framework that breaks large projects into smaller, more focused parts so teams can work in
short, incremental phases called sprints. The name refers to moving quickly and managing shifting priorities.
3. Kanban Project Management Framework
Kanban is a visual project management framework that uses boards to help teams improve workflows, reduce waste and
increase team focus. The term comes from the Japanese word for sign or visual board and the framework was first developed
by Toyota engineer Taiichi Ohno in the 1940s.
4. Critical Path Method Project Management Framework (CPM)
This project management framework helps determine a project’s duration and identify tasks necessary for completion. It’s a
step-by-step process that involves breaking a project down into individual tasks, evaluating the resources and duration of
each and considering the relationships between them. The critical path method identifies the longest sequence of activities
that must be completed on time for the project to be finished, which is known as the critical path.
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5. Critical Chain Project Management Framework (CCPM)
This is a project management framework that focuses on resources to help teams complete projects as efficiently as possible. Critical chain
project management involves identifying the steps, timelines and resources needed to complete a project and then creating a roadmap to
ensure the project is completed on time and within budget.
6. Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT)
This project management framework helps plan and organize complex projects by estimating how long it will take to complete them. PERT
charts are used to plan tasks, which can help with scheduling deliverables and coordinating with team members.
7. Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)
This collection of processes, best practices, terminologies and guidelines that are accepted as standard within the project management
industry. It’s published by the Project Management Institute (PMI).
8. PRINCE2 Project Management Framework
PRINCE2, which stands for projects in controlled environments, is a project management framework used worldwide but is mostly found in
Europe. It’s a linear framework that focuses on moving projects through predefined stages and emphasizes organization and control. It can
be scaled and tailored to each project and can help develop the skills needed to become a successful project manager.
9. Six Sigma Project Management Framework
Six Sigma is a project management framework that uses data and statistical analysis to improve processes, reduce waste and increase
customer satisfaction. It’s a disciplined approach that can help organizations improve their products, services and processes in production,
marketing, finance, administration and other industries.
10. Hybrid Project Management Framework
This project management framework is a flexible and adaptable approach that combines the best elements of traditional and agile project
management methodologies. It allows businesses to balance structure and flexibility and to tailor project management techniques to meet the
specific needs of a project.
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The Cost-benefit Analysis
 A cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is a process that’s used to estimate the costs and benefits of projects or investments to determine their
profitability for an organization.
 A CBA involves defining the project scope, identifying costs and benefits, assigning monetary values, calculating the net present value
(NPV), analyzing results, and making informed decisions. It compares the total expected costs against the expected benefits to determine
the project's overall value and feasibility (often in the form of a ratio).
 Cost-benefit analysis compares a project or decision's estimated or projected costs and benefits. It’s a vital component of project
management because it measures a project’s financial feasibility and helps companies avoid losses. If the analysis shows that the benefits
outweigh the costs, you can assume that the project will be profitable for your company and that it’s viable to proceed . In contrast, if the
costs exceed the expected benefits, the project is not viable and should be rejected .
Scenarios to use cost-benefit analysis :
Project initiation: CBA allows you to forecast the viability of your project by comparing the potential benefits and costs. You can decide
whether to proceed or decline based on the expected value.
Budgeting: You can manage multiple projects more efficiently with a limited budget. By evaluating the anticipated benefits, CBA will tell
you whether to approve your allocated budget.
Resource allocation: You can effortlessly calculate the ROI (Return on investment) and thus identify which projects will be more lucrative.
CBA can optimize your resource allocation and distribute them more efficiently, especially when integrated with project scheduling
software.
Risk management: Using CBA, you can assess risks and apply mitigation strategies to address risks. It also enables you to allocate a budget
for potential risks based on the cost-benefit trade-offs of different contingency measures.
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Scenarios to use cost-benefit analysis :
Improving communication: Evaluating CBA, can help justify your project decisions and enhance transparency with a
quantitative approach, improving stakeholder communication.
Policy development: CBA can guide you in evaluating new policies or regulations within the project framework to apply
implementation strategies. You can ensure regulatory compliance by assessing the costs and benefits of different compliance
approaches.
Key components of a cost-benefit analysis
The key components of cost-benefit analysis are costs, benefits, timeframes, and discount rates. These components help
project managers efficiently calculate a business's costs and benefits.
You can assess the following costs throughout the CBA process:
Direct costs: You can trace direct costs to producing a specific product or service, including labor, materials, supplies, and
wages.
Indirect costs: You can't link indirect costs to producing goods or services. These costs include office rent, administrative
salaries, utilities, and overheads.
Intangible costs: You can identify intangible costs, but measuring them in monetary value is difficult. Examples of
intangible costs include decreases in productivity, loss of goodwill, and customer dissatisfaction.
Opportunity costs: Opportunity costs refer to choosing one project or strategy over another. For instance, allocating
resources to develop a new feature for a software project rather than improving existing features represents an opportunity
cost of potentially enhanced user satisfaction and retention.
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After identifying the costs, it’s crucial to recognize the benefits of projects that CBA measures
Tangible benefits: Tangible benefits are easily quantified and measured in terms of monetary value. Examples include revenue growth, cost
savings, and increased efficiency.
Intangible benefits: Similar to intangible costs, intangible benefits are difficult to measure in monetary value. These benefits include
enhanced reputation, employee satisfaction, and customer loyalty.
When conducting a cost-benefit analysis, you must consider both short-term and long-term costs and benefits:
Short-term: Short-term cost-benefit analysis gives you an idea of the immediate results you can expect from your project. For example,
hiring temporary staff for a project increases immediate payroll expenses.
Long-term: Long-term analysis provides a broader picture of the project's feasibility. For instance, investing in new equipment involves
maintenance and replacement costs.
 Steps to conduct a cost-benefit analysis for project management
Define the project scope
The first step in cost-benefit analysis is defining the project scope and creating a framework. A simple project plan template makes this easy.
You can start by stating the purpose of the analysis. Similarly, you should define your goals and objectives.
Determine the required resources, equipment, timeline, evaluation technique, personnel requirements, and relevant data. At this stage, you
should also identify and notify key stakeholders so they can provide their input.
Identify costs and benefits
The second step is to identify all the related costs and benefits. Sit down with your project management team and hold a brainstorming
session to ensure you cover all the bases -- a brainstorming template can help keep the conversation productive. This is where you may find
hidden costs that were not apparent at first glance.
Once you identify the project’s costs and benefits, you should start categorizing them as direct, indirect, tangible, intangible, and others.
Assign monetary values
When you finish categorizing all the cost and benefit items, it’s time to assign them a monetary value. Quantifying tangible costs and
benefits using market prices, historical data, and estimation techniques should be easy, but quantifying intangible items can be difficult.
Calculate net present value (NPV)
The cost-benefit analysis includes many future cash inflows and outflows. Calculating their current worth is essential to understanding their
current worth. Then, you can find the difference between the costs and benefits to calculate the NPV, which indicates whether the project will
be profitable. The calculations include four factors: benefits (B), costs (C), interest rate or discount rate (i), and the number of years since
starting the project (t).
NPV = B0-C0(1+i)0+B1-C1(1+i)1+......+Bt-Ct(1+i)t, or NPV =
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Example:- Project Time Framework and Cost Breakdown
No. Phase Duration Days
1 Requirement Analysis 60 days
Identifying current system problem 15 days
Analyzing a new System 10 days
Defining the system specification 15 days
Data Collector 20 days
2 System Design 30 days
Defining overall system 10 days
architecture (Designing Application
Layer)
Designing Database Layer 10 days
Designing network 10 days
3 Implementation 35 days
Patient Information Module 5 days
Laboratory Information Module 5 days
Appointment management module 5 days
Facility management module
Pharmacy management module 5 days
Accountant Management Module
User Management Module 5 days
4 Testing, Integration and Training 35 days
Technical staff training 10 days
Clinic Personnel Training and induction 5 days
System integration 5 days
Testing and Adaption 15 days
Total Days 160