Software Project Management

1. Software Project Management Conclude Adaptive Project Framework INFO 638 Glenn Booker Lecture #9

2. Client Checkpoint • A key feature of APF is that is requires customer input throughout the life cycle • Combined with short iterations, this makes problems readily identifiable, and often easily corrected Lecture #9

3. Client Checkpoint • The Client Checkpoint focuses on two major activities • Review of the quality of work done in the existing cycle • Need planned and actual functionality added to the system in this cycle • Adjust schedule for the next cycle accordingly • Need the Scope Bank Lecture #9

4. Client Checkpoint • Key questions to answer are: • What was planned to have been accomplished during this cycle? • What was actually accomplished? • Is its quality up to expectations? • Is the scope of this version still valid? • Are changes needed to the project scope? • Is the development team working well? • What was learned from this cycle? Lecture #9

5. Client Checkpoint • Planning for the next cycle needs to be updated as needed • Define the scope of • Functionality completed in previous cycles • Functionality not completed, or poor quality, from previous cycles • Functionality planned for this and near term future cycles Lecture #9

6. Client Checkpoint • From this, the outputs should be • Updated list of functionality to be developed, and already developed • Changes to priorities of functionality, if needed • Duration of the next cycle • On larger projects, changes in scope might require contractual updates Lecture #9

7. Go back to Cycle Plan phase • After the client checkpoint, loop back to the cycle plan phase, until this version of the product has been completed • Notice that we didn’t do detailed planning during the client checkpoint for this reason – it’s followed by the planning phase • Stop loop when done with Version Lecture #9

8. Post-Version Review • Recall that a Version of the product is the result of many cycles • Once a Version is completed, it is a deliverable product to the customer (plus its manuals and documentation) • The Post-Version Review is done upon completion of each Version Lecture #9

9. Post-Version Review • There are three activities in the Post-Version Review • Determine if the project has met its business objectives • Was the error rate reduced, or customer base expanded, or whatever objectives were defined for this project met? Lecture #9

10. Post-Version Review • Review lessons learned • Look for improvements based on the lessons learned from the previous cycle • Are there issues involving the team or customer interface that need resolution? • Look for APF process improvements • Identify ways to make the APF work better for your organization and industry • This is a built-in quality improvement process Lecture #9

11. That’s APF! • That concludes the core activities in the Adaptive Project Framework • The phases were Version Scope, Cycle Plan, Cycle Build, Client Checkpoint, and Post-Version Review • Now we’ll look at APF variations Lecture #9

12. APF Variations • APF is designed to evolve during a project by • Adjusting the number of cycles • Adjusting the length of cycles • Adjusting the priorities of functions • Adjusting the scope of functions at each client checkpoint • But there are other uses of APF Lecture #9

13. Proof of Concept • APF can be used for quick proof-of-concept projects • Goal is to gather enough evidence to make the business case for the project • Might involve prototyping, feasibility studies, describing use cases, storyboarding, or any other technique needed to show the project’s idea is worth pursuing Lecture #9

14. Revising Version Plan • As a project goes through the first few cycles, you may discover the overall scope is flat out wrong • In such cases, might need to restart the project from scratch, or at least make radical changes to the scope and WBS • Even killing the project might be needed Lecture #9

15. Extreme Project Management • Extreme Project Management (xPM) is similar to APF, but is better suited to projects with poorly defined goals • You don’t know what the objective is • It isn’t the same as Extreme Programming (XP), which is part of the Agile family of development methods Lecture #9

16. Extreme Projects • Extreme projects are generally fast, innovative, and ill defined • High speed – must be developed quickly • High change – must respond to fast changes in the project requirements • High uncertainty – must be able to handle rapid and unexpected changes in project direction and focus Lecture #9

17. Extreme Project Management • xPM consists of four phases which are contrived to spell out INSPIRE • INitiate • SPeculate • Incubate • REview • The goal is to work with the client to determine the project’s goal Lecture #9

18. INitiate • xPM works with an unknown number of short (1-4 week) cycles • The Initiate phase focuses on establishing the project boundaries • Define the project goal (or what’s known of it) • Prepare a POS • Establish project overall time box and cost limits Lecture #9

19. INitiate • Establish number and length of cycles (and expect them to change) • Establish project priorities • Scope, cost, quality, time, available resources – which are most fixed? Lecture #9

20. SPeculate • The Speculate-Incubate-Review phases are repeated for each cycle until the project objective is understood • The Speculate phase fishes for ideas about how to approach defining the problem • Yes, it sounds like a lot of brainstorming Lecture #9

21. SPeculate • Speculate phase consists of • Define general structure of the project • Define Conditions of Satisfaction (COS) to be met by the project’s objective • Describe scenarios that fulfill the COS • Prioritize requirements • Identify what the first cycle will produce • Determine how the project will decide to proceed further or not Lecture #9

22. Incubate • The Incubate phase is the working part of the xPM approach • Explore and discover more about the project, based on the planning outlined in the Speculate phase • Assign resources for activities • Establish cycle plan • Work together to produce deliverables Lecture #9

23. REview • The Review phase analyzes the results of this cycle, and decides the approach for the next cycle, if any • What did we learn from this cycle? • What new ideas should we act upon? • What should we do in the next cycle? Lecture #9

24. REview • So the activities in this phase include • Apply learning from previous cycle • Adjust project goal if needed • Reprioritize requirements if needed • Make go/no-go decision for next cycle • Then, if continuing the project, go back to the Speculate phase Lecture #9

25. xPM vs. APF • xPM and APF have a lot in common • The main differences are • xPM has unknown project goals • xPM has more variability in project scope, budget, and time • xPM has more variability in cycle duration and number of cycles Lecture #9

26. xPM vs. APF • xPM is wildly open to changes, and therefore has more risk of not producing anything than APF or TPM • In exchange for that risk, it most openly encourages creativity and new ideas Lecture #9