Project Management

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Project Management in the Software Development
Environment Part 2
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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• What is the difference between Data and
  Information?
• Data are raw facts about the organization and its
  business transactions. Most data items have
  little meaning and use by themselves.
• Information is data that has been refined and
  organized by processing and purposeful
  intelligence.
• Information Systems transform data into useful
  information.
• An information system is an arrangement of
  people, data, processes, interfaces, and
  geography that are integrated for the purpose of
  supporting and improving the day-to-day
  operations in a business, as well as fulfilling
  the problem-solving and decision-making
  information needs of business managers.

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Information technology has significantly expanded
  the power and potential of most information
  systems.
• Information technology is a contemporary term
  that describes the combination of computer
  technology (hardware and software) with
  telecommunications technology (data, image, and
  voice networks).

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Transaction Processing Systems
• Business transactions are events that serve the
  mission of the business.
• Transaction processing systems are information
  system applications that capture and process data
  about (or for) business transactions. They are
  sometimes called data processing systems.

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Management Information Systems
• Management Information Systems supplement
  transaction processing systems with management
  reports required to plan, monitor, and control
  business operations.
• A management information system (MIS) is an
  information system application that provides for
  management-oriented reporting, usually in a
  predetermined, fixed format.

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Decision Support Systems
• Decision Support Systems are concerned with
  providing useful information to support the
  decision process.
• A decision support system (DSS) is an information
  system application that provides its users with
  decision-oriented information whenever a decision
  making situation arises. When applied to
  executive managers, these systems are sometimes
  called executive information systems.
• A DSS is designed to support unstructured
  decisions.

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Decision Support Systems
• A DSS provides one or more of the following types
  of support to the decision maker
• Identification of problems or decision making
  opportunities (similar to exception reporting).
• Identification of possible solutions or
  decisions.
• Access to information needed to solve a problem
  or make a decision.
• Analysis of possible decisions, or of variables
  that will impact a decision. Sometimes this is
  called what if analyses.
• Simulation of possible solutions and their likely
  results.

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Decision Support Systems
• A DSS can utilize a Data Warehouse.
• A data warehouse is a read-only, informational
  database that is populated with detailed,
  summary, and exception information that can be
  accessed by end users and managers with DSS tools
  that generate a virtually limitless variety of
  information in support of unstructured decisions.

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Expert Systems
• Expert Systems are an extension of the decision
  support system.
• An expert system is an information system
  application that captures the knowledge and
  expertise of a problem solver or decision maker,
  and then simulates the thinking of that expert
  for those who have less expertise.
• Expert systems are implemented with artificial
  intelligence technology, often called expert
  system shells.

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Office Information Systems
• Office Information Systems are concerned with
  getting all relevant information to all those who
  need it.
• Office information systems support the wide range
  of business office activities that provide for
  improved work flow and communications between
  workers, regardless of whether or not those
  workers are physically located in an office.
• Office information systems may use the following
  technologies
• Electronic forms technology
• Work group technology
• Electronic messaging technology
• Office automation suite technology
• Imaging technology

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A Review of Fundamentals ofInformation Systems

• Personal and Work Group Information Systems
• Personal and Work Group Information Systems
  typically are built using personal computer
  technology and software.
• Personal information systems are those designed
  to meet the needs of a single user. They are
  designed to boost an individuals productivity.
• Work group information systems are those designed
  to meet the needs of a work group. They are
  designed to boost the groups productivity.

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Project management framework
SDLC And Its deliverables
Managing Resources
Project Management
Managing Risk and change
Management Skills
Team Management
Software Economics
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Characteristics of Successful Teams 1-
Diversity in backgrounds , skills and
goals 2-Tolerance of diversity , uncertainty ,
and ambiguity 3-Clear and complete
communication 4-Trust 5-Mutual respect and
putting ones own views second to the team 6-
Reward structure that promotes shared
responsibility and accountability
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SDLC And Project Management
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SDLC will guide your project 1- It
will guide the Project deliverables 2- It will
guide the Tools and templates you should
use 3-It will help you manage people in your
team 4- It will guide the cost estimation and
feasibility study
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Overview of the Steps to Follow during the
Purchasing Fulfillment System Project
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A Project Manager Juggles Numerous Items during
a Project
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Tradeoffs between the Quality of the Program Code
versus the Speed of the Programming
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Summary Spreadsheet Reflecting the Present Value
Calculations of All Benefits and Costs for the CTS
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Break-Even Analysis for the Customer Tracking
System
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A Gantt Chart
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A PERT Chart
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PERT Chart Showing Activities and Sequence
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PERT Chart for the SPTS Project
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Viewing Project Information as a PERT Chart in
Microsoft for Windows
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System Development Life Cycles and Methodologies

• The process used to develop information systems
  is called a methodology.
• All methodologies are derived from a logical
  system problem-solving process that is sometimes
  called a system development life cycle.
• A system development life cycle (SDLC) is a
  logical process by which systems analysts,
  software engineers, programmers, and end-users
  build information systems and computer
  applications to solve business problems and
  needs. It is sometimes called an application
  development life cycle.

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System Development Life Cycles and Methodologies

• What is a Methodology?
• A methodology is the physical implementation of
  the logical life cycle that incorporates (1)
  step-by-step activities for each phase, (2)
  individual and group roles to be played in each
  activity, (3) deliverables and quality standards
  for each activity, and (4) tools and techniques
  to be used for each activity.
• A true methodology should encompass the entire
  systems development life cycle.
• Most modern methodologies incorporate the use of
  several development tools and techniques.

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System Development Life Cycles and Methodologies

• Why Do Companies use Methodologies?
• Methodologies ensure that a consistent,
  reproducible approach is applied to all projects.
• Methodologies reduce the risk associated with
  shortcuts and mistakes.
• Methodologies produce complete and consistent
  documentation from one project to the next.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 1 Get the Owners and Users Involved
• Owner and user involvement is an absolute
  necessity for successful systems development.
• The individuals responsible for systems
  development must make time for owners and users,
  insist on their participation, and seek agreement
  from them on all decisions that may affect them.
• Methodologies reduce the risk associated with
  shortcuts and mistakes.
• Methodologies produce complete and consistent
  documentation from one project to the next.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 2 Use a Problem-Solving Approach
• A methodology is, first and foremost, a
  problem-solving approach to building systems.
• The classical problem-solving approach is as
  follows
• Study and understand the problem (opportunity,
  and/or directive) and its system context.
• Define the requirements of a suitable solution.
• Identify candidate solutions and select the
  best'' solution.
• Design and/or implement the solution.
• Observe and evaluate the solution's impact, and
  refine the solution accordingly.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 2 Use a Problem-Solving Approach
• There is tendency among inexperienced problem
  solvers to eliminate or abbreviate one or more of
  the problem solving steps.
• The result can be range from
• solving the wrong problem
• incorrectly solving the problem
• picking the wrong solution

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 3 Establish Phases and Activities
• Most life cycles and methodologies consist of
  phases.
• In its simplest, classical form, the life cycle
  consists of four phases
• systems survey
• systems analysis
• systems design
• systems implementation
• A fifth activity, systems support, refines the
  resulting system by iterating through the
  previous four phases on a smaller scale to refine
  and improve the system.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 3 Establish Phases and Activities
• Phases are usually broken down into activities
  and tasks that can be more easily managed and
  accomplished.
• The phases of a project should be completed
  top-to-bottom, in sequence.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 4 Establish Standards for Consistent
  Development and Documentation
• Systems development standards usually describe
• activities
• responsibilities
• documentation guidelines or requirements
• quality checks
• The need for documentation standards underscores
  a common failure of many analysts the failure
  to document as an ongoing activity during the
  life cycle.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 5 Justify Systems as Capital
  Investments
• Information systems are capital investments.
• When considering a capital investment, two issues
  must be addressed
• for any problem, there are likely to be several
  possible solutions
• after identifying alternative solutions, the
  systems analyst should evaluate each possible
  solution for feasibility, especially for
  cost-effectiveness.
• Cost-effectiveness is defined as the result
  obtained by striking a balance between the cost
  of developing and operating a system, and the
  benefits derived from that system.
• Cost-benefit analysis is an important skill to be
  mastered.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 6 Dont Be Afraid to Cancel or Revise
  Scope
• A significant advantage of the phased approach to
  systems development is that it provides several
  opportunities to reevaluate feasibility.
• In the long run, canceled projects are less
  costly than implemented disasters!
• Most analysts fail to adjust estimated costs and
  schedules as scope increases. As a result, the
  analyst frequently and needlessly accepts
  responsibility for cost and schedule overruns.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 6 Dont Be Afraid to Cancel or Revise
  Scope
• The creeping commitment approach
• Multiple feasibility checkpoints are built into
  the systems development methodology.
• At any feasibility checkpoint, all costs are
  considered sunk (meaning irrecoverable) and
  irrelevant to the decision.
• The project should be reevaluated at each
  checkpoint to determine if it is still feasible.
• At each checkpoint, the analyst should consider
• cancellation of the project if it is no longer
  feasible
• reevaluation of costs and schedule if project
  scope is to be increased
• reduction of scope if the project budget and
  schedule are frozen, but not sufficient to cover
  all project objectives.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 7 Divide and Conquer
• All systems are part of larger systems (called
  super-systems).
• Virtually all systems contain smaller systems
  (called subsystems).
• We divide a system into its subsystems in order
  to more easily conquer the problem and build the
  larger system.
• By dividing a larger problem (system) into more
  easily managed pieces (subsystems), the analyst
  can simplify the problem-solving process.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 8 Design Systems for Growth and Change
• Many systems analysts have fallen into the trap
  of developing systems to meet only today's user
  requirements.
• Entropy is the term system scientists use to
  describe the natural and inevitable decay of all
  systems.
• During the support phase, the cost of maintenance
  exceeds the costs of starting over the system
  has become obsolete.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Principle 8 Design Systems for Growth and Change
• Systems that are designed to meet only current
  requirements are difficult to modify in response
  to new requirements.
• Many systems analysts become frustrated with how
  much time must be dedicated to supporting
  existing systems (often called legacy systems),
  and how little time is left to work on important,
  new systems development.
• Today's tools and techniques make it possible to
  design systems that can grow and change as
  requirements grow and change.
• Flexibility and adaptability do not happen by
  accident they must be built into a system.

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Underlying Principles of Systems Development

• Get the owners and users involved
• Use a problem-solving approach
• Establish phases and activities
• Establish standards for consistent development
  and documentation
• Justify systems as capital investments
• Dont be afraid to cancel
• Divide and conquer
• Design systems for growth and change