Project Life Cycle

1
Project Life Cycle

• Introduction and Overview

2
Topics

• What is a project?
• What is project management?
• What is a project life cycle?
• How does this apply to information technology
  projects?

3
What is a project?
Comparison

• A unique and specific undertaking to produce a
  set of deliverables within clearly specified
  time, cost and quality constraints.
• Operational activity repetitive set of actions
  consistent with the conduct of business

Trait Project Operational Activity
Unique Yes No
Time scale Defined Planned
Budget Planned Fixed
Resources Planned Assigned
Risk Considered Minimal
Change Benefits None
Westland, page 2
4
What is a project? Activity

• Identify an example of a project
• Identify an example of an operational activity
• Complete the chart at the right

Trait Project Operational Activity
Unique
Time scale
Budget
Resources
Risk
Change
5
What is project management?

• The skills, tools and management processes
  required to undertake a project successfully.
• Skills knowledge and ability
• Tools things used in applying skills
• Processes how skills are applied and tools are
  used
• Effective assignment and application of resources
  to accomplish work within assigned constraints
• The ability to adjust to circumstance
• Change factors

Westland, page 2
6
What is project management?

• What can change?
• Complete the chart at the right to identify
  potential changes

Trait Project Operational Activity
Unique
Time scale
Budget
Resources
Risk
Change
7
What is a project life cycle?

• Phases, activities, and tasks needed to execute
  the work associated with a project

• Westland
• Initiation
• Planning
• Execution
• Closure

• Traditional
• Definition
• Analysis
• Planning
• Conduct
• Closure

8
The Project Life Cycle
Define what is to be done and what is to be
produced
Review the experience and the results
concentrate on lessons learned
Execute the plan do the work keeping abreast of
situational impact
Define how the work is to be done, what is to be
used, and who is be assigned
Westland, page 4, Figure 1-2
9
Project Initiation Process

• The steps involved in start up

1. Appoint project leadership
2. Project Manager
3. Chief Engineer
4. Team leaders
5. Establish a project work area

1. Establish scope
2. Establish Constraints
3. Define boundary conditions
4. State objectives

1. Determine doability
2. Determine affordability

1. Determine needed skills
2. Assess available resources
3. Define training needs
4. Identify recruiting needs
5. Name the team

1. State the business problem
2. Explain the business reasons to solve
3. Identify what is propose

1. Conduct a reality check
2. Obtain approval to proceed
3. Go/No go decision

Westland, overview slides, 8
10
Project Planning Process

• Detailed planning of the work to be performed

• Create a set of plans thataddress the critical
  successcomponents of a project
• Work
• Labor
• Materials
• Money
• Satisfaction/goodness
• Risks/mitigations

1. Conduct a reality check
2. Obtain approval to proceed
3. Go/No go decision

1. Review procurement requirements
2. Develop acquisition plan
3. Initiate procurement

Determine/document customers satisfaction
requirements
Determine/document plan To communicate project
status and needs
Westland, overview slides, 10
11
Project Execution Process

• Constructing the project deliverables

12
Project Closure

• Review the experience
• Work and associated quality
• Team performance
• Cost experience
• Risk experience
• Procurement experience
• Discuss lessons learned
• Release dedicated resources
• Create the archive
• Final report to management
• Thank the team!

13
The Project Life Cycle - Activity

• We have looked at generalized project management
  you should take away the idea that it could be
  applied to any type of project. Since our focus
  is on information technology, how do you think
  this generalized approach might apply to
• Software projects?
• Hardware projects?
• Combination (hardware software) projects?
• New development projects?
• COTS integration projects?
• Software maintenance projects?

14
The Project Life Cycle - Activity
Team Project Type Application of Generalized Project Management
1 Software Development
2 Hardware Installation
3 Hardware/Software Combination
4 New Software Development
5 COTS Implementation and/or Integration
6 Software Maintenance
15
Information Technology Projects

• Several different types
• Software projects
• Hardware projects
• Combination (hardware software) projects
• New development projects
• COTS integration projects
• Software maintenance projects
• And, each is different with its own nuances

16
Information Technology ProjectsCommon Phases
Problem Definition Analysis
Documentation
Project Conduct
Solution Summary
Test Acceptance
Requirements Analysis
Implementation
17
Project Conduct

• Depends on the type of project
• Software different from hardware
• Development different from COTS
• Combination projects share some but not
  necessarily all aspects
• Maintenance is just different

18
Project Conduct - Activity

• For each of the project types listed on slide 15,
  list the sub-phases of project conduct