SPM

 WEEK 1

Task Type: Individual Project   Deliverable Length: 3–5 pages    Points Possible: 100   Due Date: 5/26/2013

Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

Throughout this course you will be working to develop a Software Project Management Plan for a major software project of your choosing. Each week, you will complete a part of the project plan. The final plan is due at the end of the course.

You will select an organization and apply research to the analysis and development of the project plan for the project that you have chosen. Additional information and the deliverables for each Individual Project will be provided in the assignment description for the project. This is the course's Key Assignment that you will make contributions to each week.

Project Selection

The first step will be to select an organization as the target for your Software Project Management Plan. This organization will be used as the basis for each of the assignments throughout the course. Select an existing organization, or identify a hypothetical organization, and submit a proposal to your instructor before proceeding with the assignments in the course. Approval must be sought within the first several days of the course. Your instructor will tell you how to submit this proposal and what notification will be given for project approval.

The following is a background scenario that will be used to help define your project:

You have been hired as a consultant to manage the development of a human resource management system (HRMS) for your chosen organization. The system will integrate seamlessly with other applications, such as the core financial system, e-mail, inventory, procurement, and so forth. Below are samples of several types of requirements for creating a software project management plan. Depending on the concrete situation of your chosen organization, you are allowed to make modifications, additions, or deletions to these sample requirements. However, you should keep at least 60% of the original sample requirements for each type of requirement (functional, technical, operational, and security).

· Basic information on the project's triple constraints:

· Delivery time: 6–18 months

· Cost: No more than $2.5 million

· Quality: Easy to use, secure, has remote access capability, and has multiple redundancy

The project management office reports to the chief information officer (CIO) and will be your point of contact for providing necessary information to your team. The following are the major components of the system requirements that were gathered from key project stakeholders using various joint application development (JAD) sessions:

Sample Functional Requirements

· The system should be used to streamline the various human resources (HR) activities in the organization. The following stakeholders are examples of various roles and their functional requirements. If your chosen organization does not have all of these roles, choose 7 roles from this list for your project.

· Senior management [chief executive officer (CEO), chief information officer (CIO), and others] wants the system to be deployed on time and within the given budget.

· The office of the chief financial officer (OCFO) wants all financial systems to work seamlessly with the new HRMS.

· The office of human resources wants all information regarding position advertisement, hiring, screening, benefits, payroll, and others to be secure and easily accessible.

· Administration services wants enough document retention procedures in place.

· Regulatory agencies want to know if the organization follows the required rules and procedures.

· The union wants to make sure that the new application will not invade employees' privacy information.

· Employees want to be paid biweekly, and they want their benefit information to be kept secure.

· The customer support team wants to be involved in the project from the beginning to be able to understand the system.

· The information technology team wants to make sure that the new system is in line with the organizational enterprise architecture framework.

Sample Technical Requirements

· The system will be Web-based.

· The new system should use a relational database to store information.

· The chief enterprise architect designed the infrastructure so that all of the following components were on the same platform: servers, workstations, operating systems, Web browsers, e-mail, and databases. The new system should be compatible with all of these systems.

· The application will use the commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) products, so the focus of the project is to integrate this product with the existing systems.

· The application will use a change and configuration management system.

· The application uses other existing applications, such as e-mail, customer support software, the inventory management system, backup, and storage management systems. As a consultant, you should plan a smooth integration with all of these applications.

· The new application should have a reliable backup and restore system.

· The new application should use the existing infrastructure of routers and switches, Web servers, load balancers, and intrusion detection system (IDSs).

· The development team should select 1 software development integration framework model.

· The project should use the standard software development life cycle phase adopted by the office of the CIO. These phases and deliverables include the following:

· Identify and verify the scope.

· Select the appropriate software development model.

· Conduct stakeholders' analysis.

· Gather, analyze, review, and get approval for requirements.

· Develop a configuration and change management plan to track and document the possible changes.

· Identify project risks.

· Design the system and security architecture.

· Start the development of the application.

· Conduct unit, system, integration, and regression tests.

· Start training the end users.

· Document all steps.

· Conduct pilot tests using selected users.

· Conduct user acceptance tests.

· Conduct operation readiness checks.

· Deploy the system.

Sample Operational Requirements

· The system should be running 24/7 (all of the time).

· The system should have the required service level agreement (SLA) with all of the other systems and support groups.

· The system should perform based on the specifications identified in the technical requirement section.

Sample Security Requirements

· Because the system collects personal identifiable information (PII), such as employees' phone numbers and social security numbers, it should be secured by using various security technologies (certificate and encryption).

· Proper access control mechanisms should be developed to restrict users from accessing sensitive information.

· The new application will use a central authentication system that supports the use of a single sign-on (one user name and password).

· The system will be integrated with the existing anti-virus system for periodic updates and checks.

Assignment

The goal of the Individual Projects in this course is to create a Software Project Management Plan, which will be submitted at the end of the final unit. This will be the Key Assignment for this class. The Software Project Management Plan consists of several key components that you will create in each of the individual projects. Each individual project will contribute to the Key Assignment, which is the final plan document. The first project (Week 1's Individual Project) consists of the following 3 parts:

1. Create a document shell for your Software Project Management Plan.

2. Select the project management methodology to be used for the project that was outlined in the project background scenario above, and include this information in your Software Project Management Plan. Include identification of the IEEE and ISO standards that should be part of the software development process.

3. Conduct stakeholder analysis to identify key project stakeholders, their power and interest, and how you plan to manage them.

The deliverables for this assignment are as follows:

· Software Project Management Plan shell

· New content

See the details below for each deliverable. Software Project Management Plan Shell

· Use Word

· Title Page

· Course number and name

· Project name

· Student name

· Date

· Table of Contents (TOC)

· Use autogenerated TOC

· Separate page

· Maximum of 3 levels deep

· Be sure to update the fields of the TOC so it is up-to-date before submitting your project.

· Section Headings (create each heading on a new page with TBD as content except for sections listed under New Content below)

· Project Outline (Week 1)

· Project Management Methodology (Week 1)

· Stakeholders' Analysis (Week 1)

· Scope and Requirements Analysis (Week 2)

· Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) (Week 3)

· Project Schedule (Week 3)

· Resource Plan (Week 3)

· Control and Monitor Project Progress (Week 4)

· Risk Management Plan (Week 4)

· Team Management Plan (Week 5)

New Content (this is to be added to Software Project Management Plan document)

· Project Outline

· Brief description of the project

· You can use some text from project's background information

· Project goals

· Software Project Management Methodology

· This is a description of the software project management methodology based on the software development process model chosen for the project. Some of the methodologies/models include incremental-build, evolutionary, agile, scrum, spiral, and waterfall. For further reading on the various models, use the following link: http://infolific.com/technology/methodologies/

· Justify the methodology choice.

· This should clearly identify why the selected methodology is appropriate for the project.

· Project Stakeholders' Analysis

· Identify key stakeholders.

· Categorize them as high, medium, and low by their power and interest.

· Provide justification for your decisions. Name the document "yourname_CS640_IP1.doc."

WEEK 2

Task Type: Individual Project   Deliverable Length: 3–5 pages of new material    Points Possible: 100   Due Date: 6/1/2013

Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

Project Background:

Project scope management entails ensuring that the project includes all of the work required throughout the project life cycle from planning to deployment (Project Management Institute, 2004). The detailed functional, operational, technical, and security requirements have been identified in the Week 1 Project Background section.

Assignment:

Good project planning starts with an understanding of the requirements. For this project, you will continue to build your Software Project Management Plan by adding content for the Scope and Requirements Analysis section. Refer to the project background material for additional information.

The deliverables for this assignment are as follows:

· Update the Software Project Management Plan title page with a new date and project name.

· Update the previously completed sections based on instructor feedback.

· Scope

· Briefly summarize each of the major functional, technical, operational, and security deliverables.

· Identify what will not be included in the project. This section should identify any areas that might be confused by the stakeholders as deliverables.

· Describe how scope changes will be managed in the project.

· Requirements

· This section will extend the summary provided in the project scope.

· Sufficient detail should be included to allow work to proceed on engineering the design.

· Functions, performance, quality, service levels, and any other important requirements should be included in this section.

· Be sure to update your table of contents before submission.

· Name the document "yourname_CS640_IP2.doc."

Reference

Project Management Institute. (2004). Project management body of knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org

WEEK 3

Task Type: Individual Project   Deliverable Length: 3–5 pages of new material    Points Possible: 100   Due Date: 6/8/2013

Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

Project Background This week, you will complete the following 3 major components of the project:

· Develop the work breakdown structure (WBS).

· Sequence those tasks, and create the project schedule.

· Estimate resources (cost and manpower) to perform tasks identified.

According to the Project Management Institute (2004), the work breakdown is the process of subdividing project deliverables and project work into smaller, more manageable components. Once the scope and requirements have been identified, you should start breaking those requirements into manageable chunks to help you identify the detailed tasks required.

Assignment Details

The next step for your Software Project Management Plan is to do the following:

· Create a work breakdown structure (WBS).

· Develop a schedule.

· Identify the resources required to complete the project.

For this project, continue to build your Software Project Management Plan by adding content for the Work Breakdown Structure, Project Schedule, and Resource Plan sections. Refer to the project background material for additional information.

Assignment Deliverable

· Update the Software Project Management Plan's title page with a new date and project name.

· Update the previously completed sections based on instructor feedback.

· Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

· Use the phase deliverables from the Functional Requirements section (Week 1 assignment) as a starting point. The phase deliverables are as follows:

· Scope verification

· Requirements analysis

· Design

· Development

· Testing

· Training

· Integration

· Pilot

· Documentation

· Deployment

· Using the framework above, define at least 50–75 tasks for the project, and place them under the appropriate phase deliverable.

· Project Schedule

· Using information from the WBS, sequence the tasks that you have identified. Use a project scheduling tool to develop a project schedule. Use a Gantt chart to show your work.

· Briefly summarize the methods used for time estimation. Common techniques for time estimation are the following:

· Expert judgment

· Analogous estimation

· Parametric estimation

· Three-point estimation

· Reserve analysis

· Previous completed projects

· Refer to your course materials for more information on project schedules, time estimation, and resource plans.

· Briefly summarize the methods used for schedule sequencing.

· Resource Plan

· Identify the resources required for the project.

· Briefly summarize the skill sets required for each category of human resources and estimate the cost of the position or contractor.

· List any other resources—such as equipment, software, facilities, and so forth—along with the estimated cost of the resources.

· Be sure to update the table of contents before submission.

· Name the document "yourname_CS640_IP3.doc."

· Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

Reference

Project Management Institute. (2004). Project management body of knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org

WEEK4

Points Possible: 150   Due Date: 6/13/2013

Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

Key Assignment Draft

Project monitoring and controlling is the process required to track, review, and regulate the progress and performance of the project, identify any areas in which changes to the plan are required; and initiate the corresponding changes (Project Management Institute, 2004).

With the implementation of this highly visible project, the stakeholders will want to know the status of the project. As the project manager, you will need to use tools and techniques to manage changes to the scope to avoid cost overrun and schedule delays.

Assignment Details

After the project is underway, the role of the project manager changes to that of control. A good plan for this phase of the project will be critical to the project's success. There will also be problems that occur during the project, and it is important to try to identify the most likely areas of the project where problems might occur and to develop a strategy for dealing with those problems.

For this project, continue to build your Software Project Management Plan by adding content for the Control and Monitor Project Progress and Risk Management Plan sections.

The deliverables for this assignment are as follows:

· Update the Software Project Management Plan's title page with a new date and project name.

· Submit the updated project management plan as your Key Assignment draft for review and feedback from the instructor. Update the previously completed sections based on instructor feedback.

· Control and Monitor Project Progress

· Describe how the project status will be collected, analyzed, and distributed to the project stakeholders.

· Identify specific metrics that will be measured.

· Summarize how the metrics will be used to identify problems with the project and what actions will be taken.

· Define at least 2 specific examples that demonstrate your response to the issues that were identified by your project control plan.

· Risk Management Plan

· Perform a risk probability and impact analysis.

· Identify at least 2 areas of the project that you consider to be of high risk.

· Describe why these are high-risk areas and their potential effect on the project.

· For each example, create a risk mitigation strategy.

· Be sure to update your table of contents before submission.

· Name the document "yourname_CS640_IP4.doc."

Reference

Project Management Institute. (2004). Project management body of knowledge. Retrieved from http://www.pmi.org

Task Type: Individual Project   Deliverable Length: 3–5 pages of new content; Final Key Assignment, 15–25 pages    Points Possible: 250   Due Date: 6/20/2013

Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

Key Assignment

Cerpa and Verner (2009) state that many IT projects fail because of lack of communication, leadership skills, and senior management buy-in to the project objectives.

Major projects with many stakeholders require a way to provide project owners and sponsors with periodic updates on progress and communication on risks and issues. Project managers must utilize effective tools and techniques for gathering information and distributing it to the project team members and management.

The project manager is also responsible for how the project team works together. The project manager must build trust between team members and customers, resolve possible project-related conflict, and build team motivation. To address all of these challenges, the project manager should have high emotional intelligence (EQ).

Assignment Details

The final step in developing the Software Project Development Plan is to formalize the approach that you will use to ensure that the project team works well together. Collaboration requires good tools and effective management. For this project, finalize your Software Project Management Plan by adding content for the Team Management Plan section. Also, make any necessary changes required to other parts of the plan before final submission.

The deliverables for this assignment are as follows:

· Update the Software Project Management Plan's title page with a new date and project name.

· Team Management Plan

· Describe your team management plan. Address how you will motivate the team and how you will deal with conflict resolution.

· Identify the tools and processes that you will use for team collaboration.

· Discuss how you will hold meetings and what tools will be required.

· Describe where project documents and source code will be stored and the tools required for access.

· Include any other collaboration issues you feel are important to the project.

· Completed Software Project Management Plan

· Review the entire plan, and make any final changes based on feedback and new ideas you have developed throughout the course.

· The plan will be examined for professionalism, completeness, and overall structure for grading.

· Be sure to update your table of contents before submission.

· Name the document "yourname_CS640_IP5.doc."

Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

Reference

Cerpa, N., and Verner, J. (2009). Why did your project fail? Communications of the ACM, 52(12), 130–134.