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LECTURE # 12
2. Software Development Fundamentals
Management Fundamentals
2.10 Problems in Software Projects
Product-related Problems
III-defined scope: You need to define the scope of the software product in the initial stages of a software project. The scope of a software product is defined in terms of the functionality requirements, the performance requirements, the assumptions, and the constraints on the product. If the product scope is ill defined, the software project does not have a proper focus on the features required in the product.
Fuzzy users: You also need to clarify the background characteristics of the users of the final software product at the beginning of the software project. If the description of the users is fuzzy, then the software analysis, design, and development stages may reflect the ambiguity with regard to the functions and performance of the final software product.
Technology-related problems
You may also encounter technology-related problems in a software project. These include:
Overestimated savings from reusable components and new tools and methods: You can reuse software components in a software project to save time, effort, and cost of creating the component again. It is important that you assess the savings that the use of such a software component provides to a software project. This expectation of both the customer and the management might not be met, if you overestimate the savings from reusing software components.
Switching tools in mid way: The current technology environment offers new tools and technologies for software development at a fast rate. All these tools and technologies offer the benefits of a shorter development cycle, lower costs, and under better functionality than earlier tools. You should identify and commit to the tool and technology for the software project before the project commences. Switching the tool or technology used during the software development stage causes the developers to relearn a new tool. In addition,
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there is a chance that it might not be possible to integrate the software already developed with the new tool.
Integrating different software products in cross-platform implementation: The modem software environment requires that all software should integrate with each other. However, many software projects do not plan for integration with existing software in the same or different domain. This limits the applicationofsu9h software and reduces the shelf life drastically. They key to the success of a software product is interoperability. The software project manager needs to determine the scope for the software product such that is can be integrated easily with existing software.
Summary
The phases in a software project can be organized into a project life cycle. Some standard life cycle models are the Waterfall model, the Prototyping model, the Incremental model, and the Spiral model.
Organizational policies and attitudes influence the progress of a software project and the tasks of a software project manager. For smooth progress of software, project, the organization should be proactive in adopting changes in technology and market environments, focused on developing software, and accept software projects that match the organizational capability baseline. In addition, the organization should implement employee-friendly human resource policies and good knowledge management system.
The role of a software project manager includes managing resources, cost, risk, schedules, project plan, and quality. Software project management activities can be divided into phases. The main phases and the associated activities are initiating the project, planning, controlling, and tracking, implementing the product, and project closedown.
Initiating the project includes gathering requirements, determining the scope, allocating resources, and creating an initial project plan. Planning, controlling, and tracking involve creating a detailed project plan, constructing software, and implementing a control mechanism. Implementing the product comprises implementation plan, support plan, training plan, and user acceptance plan. Project closedown includes preparing closedown report, identifying learning for future projects, and identifying reusable software components for future software projects.
Problems- affecting software projects can be classified into people-related, project-related, product-related, and technology-related.
Various myths regarding software project management are adding more people to a late project can help to finish the project on time, combining the best resources
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