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What is Software Project Management?, Study Guides, Projects, Research of Software Project Management

Virtual University of Pakistan (VUP)Software Project Management

What is Software Project Management? solved assignment

Typology: Study Guides, Projects, Research

2014/2015

Uploaded on 11/26/2015

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What is Software Project Management?
Software project management is the art and science of planning and leading software projects.
It is a sub-discipline of project management in which software projects are planned, implemented,
monitored and controlled.
History:
Companies quickly understood the relative ease of use that software programming had
over hardware circuitry, and the software industry grew very quickly in the 1970s and 1980s.
To manage new development efforts, companies applied proven project management methods,
but project schedules slipped during test runs, especially when confusion occurred in the gray
zone between the user specifications and the delivered software. To be able to avoid these
problems, software project management methods focused on matching user requirements to
delivered products, in a method known now as the waterfall model. Since then, analysis of
software project management failures has shown that the following are the most common causes:
1. Unrealistic or unarticulated project goals
2. Inaccurate estimates of needed resources
3. Badly defined system requirements
4. Poor reporting of the project's status
5. Unmanaged risks
6. Poor communication among customers, developers, and users
7. Use of immature technology
8. Inability to handle the project's complexity
9. Sloppy development practices
10. Poor project management
11. Stakeholder politics
12. Commercial pressures
Difference between Good Leadership and Good Management.
Do you want to be led or to be managed? Being led indicate that you are
willingly being led by a leader whereas being managed, you are being told
what to do and usually not willingly. Warren G. Bennis says "Managers do
thing right; leaders do the right thing" I believe this saying is correct
because what a Manager does is to complete whatever it is set for he or
she to be accomplished and follow the company policy closely. A manager
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What is Software Project Management?

Software project management is the art and science of planning and leading software projects.

It is a sub-discipline of project management in which software projects are planned, implemented, monitored and controlled.

History:

Companies quickly understood the relative ease of use that software programming had

over hardware circuitry, and the software industry grew very quickly in the 1970s and 1980s.

To manage new development efforts, companies applied proven project management methods, but project schedules slipped during test runs, especially when confusion occurred in the gray zone between the user specifications and the delivered software. To be able to avoid these problems, software project management methods focused on matching user requirements to delivered products, in a method known now as the waterfall model. Since then, analysis of software project management failures has shown that the following are the most common causes:

  1. Unrealistic or unarticulated project goals
  2. Inaccurate estimates of needed resources
  3. Badly defined system requirements
  4. Poor reporting of the project's status
  5. Unmanaged risks
  6. Poor communication among customers, developers, and users
  7. Use of immature technology
  8. (^) Inability to handle the project's complexity
  9. Sloppy development practices
  10. Poor project management
  11. Stakeholder politics
  12. Commercial pressures

Difference between Good Leadership and Good Management.

Do you want to be led or to be managed? Being led indicate that you are

willingly being led by a leader whereas being managed, you are being told

what to do and usually not willingly. Warren G. Bennis says "Managers do

thing right; leaders do the right thing" I believe this saying is correct

because what a Manager does is to complete whatever it is set for he or

she to be accomplished and follow the company policy closely. A manager

will only need to complete the task set therefore only "doing the task right"

regardless of how his or her subordinates feel. Whereas a leader will

influence his or her subordinates with his idea before making the right

decision. My definition of Management is making the most efficient use of

human, physical and financial resources to achieve given objectives;

involves planning, monitoring, coordinating and reviewing activities. This

would be what a manager would have to go through when given and

objective to achieve. The definition of Leadership is to influencing others to

achieving desired aims and objectives; leaders set the agenda that

managers follow. Ideally, a manager who is also a leader is everyone who

wants to follow but it is hard to have both in life.

"Leadership is only a facet of good management." (1). The role of

leadership: to provide inspiration, create opportunities, energize people,

and make key choices. We need to understand that there are two kinds of

leaders: strategic and operational. A strategic leader can predict the

company's future and to invest the resources necessary to create it.

Operational leader's job is to implementing the vision. Although, there are

two different leaders, but there are only four things that it takes to become

a Good Leader. They are: selecting talent, motivating people, coaching,

and building trust. A good leader should not be afraid of subordinates that

are more knowledgeable or talented then him or her.

9 Differences Between Managers and Leader:

Managers have employees. Leaders win followers.

Managers react to change. Leaders create change.

Managers have good ideas. Leaders implement them.

Managers communicate. Leaders persuade.

Managers direct groups. Leaders create teams.

Managers try to be heroes. Leaders make heroes of everyone around

them.

  1. (^) Planning, making decisions, and problem solving.
  2. Avoiding common managerial mistakes.

9. Improving the organization and management of extension :

  1. Managing people effectively in extension programmes is a skill that requires

constant planning and development. An extension programme manager can be defined as the person who is vested with formal authority over an organization or one of its sub units. He or she has status that leads to various interpersonal relations, and from this comes access to information. Information, in turn, enables the manager to devise strategies, make decisions, and implement action (Mintzberg, 1988). Management is concerned with the optimum attainment of organizational goals and objectives with and through other people. Extension management organizations are characterized by many strategies, wide spans of control, democracy, and autonomy. Their management practices cannot be reduced to one standard set of operating guidelines that will work for all organizations continually. However, all managers of professional organizations face the same challenge: to manage one's time, objectives, and resources in order to accomplish tasks and implement ideas (Waldron, 1994).

  1. Managers of extension programmes are painfully aware of the need for revision and development of the new skill sets held by today's high performers. If change is not handled correctly, it can be more devastating then ever before. High performers reflect, discover, assess, and act. They know that a new focus on connecting the heads, hearts, and hands of people in their organization is necessary. Astute managers know what needs to be done but struggle with how to do it. Quite often they prefer to consider themselves as teachers or communicators rather than managers. This results in under-utilization of the increasing amount of literature on management theory and practice. The root of the problem is implementation. They must learn how to motivate others and build an efficient team.
  2. More formally defined, management is the process by which people, technology, job tasks, and other resources are combined and coordinated so as to effectively achieve organizational objectives. A process or function is a group of related activities contributing to a larger action. Management functions are based on a common philosophy and approach. They centre around the following:
    1. Developing and clarifying mission, policies, and objectives of the agency or organization
    1. Establishing formal and informal organizational structures as a means of delegating authority and sharing responsibilities
    1. Setting priorities and reviewing and revising objectives in terms of changing demands
  6. (^) 4. Maintaining effective communications within the working group, with other groups, and with the larger community
    1. Selecting, motivating, training, and appraising staff
    1. Securing funds and managing budgets; evaluating accomplishments and
  1. (^) 7. Being accountable to staff, the larger enterprise, and to the community at large (Waldron, 1994b).