Project
The fundamental nature of a project is that it is a “temporary
endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result
Project management
Project management is the process of the application of knowledge,
skills, tools, and techniques to project activities to meet project
requirements.” That is, project management is an interrelated group of
processes that enables the project team to achieve a successful project. These
processes manage inputs to and produce outputs from specific activities; the
progression from input to output is the nucleus of project management and
requires integration and iteration.
problems in Software Projects
Software projects are similar to traditional projects in the sense that the same
types of problems affect them both. However, the difference in managing these
problems lies in the approach that you take
to the specific issue. For example, a
technology-related problem for a software project might be the low degree of
reuse of the software components created. However, for a car-manufacturing firm,
there is no
chance of reusing a component such as a front axle
People-related problems
Process-related problems
Product-related problems
People-related problems
Low motivation: As the project manager
it is your responsibility to ensure an
optimal level of motivation within the team. Lengthy projects, complex
activitiesand scarce resources often decrease the motivation level in
a
software development team. However, you need to
lead in such a way that the
team is constantly motivated to
do a good job
Problem employees: Some members
of any team always create a problem. Problem
employees raise the chances of conflicts and differences of opinions within
the development team. They lower the efficiency and productivity of other
team members and
make it difficult to meet the objectives of the software
project within the specified time. You need to
ensure that employees are not
allowed to create a problem for the rest
of the team
Lack of stakeholder interest: For a software project to
be a success, each
stakeholder needs to
take an active interest in the progress of the project. Al1
stakeholders, including the customer, the management, and the software
development team, need to commit to the success of the project. For example,
if the software development team
is not committed to the project, then their
contribution may not be
to the optimum level
Process- related Problems
Unrealistic schedule: Assigning unrealistic deadlines for a software project is
a primary reason why software projects are delayed. Often, the marketing or
the management
team commit a delivery date to the customer in the hope
of
getting the project contract. However, these dates are not decided in
consultation with the development team. The rationale for assigning the
deadlines
is unfounded. You need to
ensure that the deadlines match the
ability of the software team
to deliver the software product.
.
·
Insufficient identification: Unidentified, partially identified, and unplanned
risks pose a threat to the success of
a software project. You need to intensively
identify risks and evolve a risk management plan such that the project is
completed successfully, on time
unsuitable life cycle model selection: Different software projects require
different SDLC models. For example, a project to create banking .software is
different from software for a satellite where the concept needs to
be
researched. For the former example, the Waterfall model is more applicable.
For the latter example, the Spiral model is more suitable. Selecting the correct
life cycle model is critical to the success of
a software project.
Product-related Problems
Product scope changed toward the end of the project life cycle: The project
time, effort, and
cost estimates for a software project can go
up dramatically
when the customer changes the scope 9f the product toward the end
of the
project. In such situations, you should verify the criticality of the scope
change. However, if the change
request is not critical, you should retain the
original scope with a proper explanation to the customer. If the change
request
is critical, you should explain the situation to the customer. Usually, a
customer gives more time and funds to
a software project if proper
justification is provided. In some cases, the scope change may also
be because
of a change
in government policy. It may become mandatory for you to
include such change
requests.
·
Research-oriented software development: Many software projects digress
from the original scope because of the nature of the software product or
technology used. When a totally new kind of software is developed
or
a new technology is used, the software development team
can lose focus of the
objectives by getting into a research-oriented approach.
It becomes your
responsibility as the project manager
to maintain the focus on the objective
