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LECTURE # 21
3. Processes
3.5 Initiating Process
Inputs
- Product Description
- Strategic Plan
- Selection Criteria
- Historical Information
Outputs
- Project Charter
- Project Manager assignments
- Constraints
- Assumptions
Tools and Techniques
- Project selection methods
- Expert judgment
The tasks performed for project initiation are mentioned below:
Requirement gathering : The first task is to gather the customer requirements. Customer requirements may be spoken or unspoken. Therefore, the challenge for the project manager is to elicit the requirements in such a way that both the spoken and unspoken customer needs and wants are gathered. After collecting the required information, you need to translate the customer requirements into technical specifications for the software project.
Scope determination : The scope of a software project can be defined as the combination of the software product arid services to be delivered to the customer. You carry out the scope determination exercise to define the scope of the software project. The scope determination exercise enables you to refine and understand the customer requirements. You can refine the scope definition further by breaking down each deliverable into smaller and more manageable activities. The scope determination exercise also helps you identify the technology for creating the software product.
Resource allocation : During project initiation, you identify the resources required and allocate them to the software project. The resources identified may be people, reusable software components, and hardware or software tools. You allocate the resource to the software project on the basis of the activities defined in the scope
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determination exercise. While allocating appropriate resources for a software project, you also need to calculate the cost of each resource. The cost of a resource is calculated according to the duration of the resource in the software project. Estimating the cost of resources also helps you prepare a budget for the software project.
Initial project plan: Another exercise that you carry out during project initiation is the creation of a rough project plan. This plan is a draft version and carries only the primitive project plan features. This project plan carries the initial risk analysis of the software project, the initial start and end dates, the duration of the activities in the project, and the sequencing of these activities.
3.6 Planning Process
Devising and maintaining a workable scheme to accomplish the business need that the project was undertaken to address
Planning is setting the direction for something -- some system -- and then guiding the system to follow the direction.
The basic planning process typically includes similar nature of activities carried out in similar sequence.
The phases are carried out carefully or -- in some cases -- intuitively, for example, when planning a very small, straightforward effort the complexity of the various phases (and their duplication throughout the system) depend on the scope of the system.
For example, in a large corporation, the following phases would be carried out in the corporate offices:
- In each division
- In each department
- In each group, etc.
Planning typically includes use of the following basic terms
Goals: Goals are specific accomplishments that must be accomplished in total, or in some combination, in order to achieve some larger, overall result preferred from the system, for example, the mission of an organization. (goals are outputs from the system.)
Strategies or Activities: These are the methods or processes required in total, or in some combination, to achieve the goals. (strategies are processes in the system.)
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Extending: The goal should stretch the performer's capabilities. For example, I might be more interested in writing a 30-page paper if the topic of the paper or the way that I write it will extend my capabilities.
Rewarding: I'm more inclined to write the paper if the paper will contribute to an effort in such a way that I might be rewarded for my effort.
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