Project Planning

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Project Planning

• Eugene Lai
• Nottingham Trent University

2
Starting to Plan
Objectives / quality constraints
Cost and resource constraints
Time constraints
3
Elements of a Plan

• Work breakdown with
• clear deliverables

• Project Activities
• Dependencies
• Resource Estimates - persondays - Mb
• Activity Schedules
• Risk Analysis
• Quality Plan

4
Steps Involved

• Decide the tasks
• Understand dependencies
• Estimate tasks
• Schedule
• Assess risks
• Iterate

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Deciding the Tasks
Project
Design
Program Coding
Testing
Prog Prog Prog A B
C
Prog Prog Prog A B
C
Prog Prog Prog A
B C
A work breakdown structure Tasks defined
goals clear Particular skills /
resources Duration
Contingency
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Process Of Decomposition

• Guidelines
• Method of evaluating task completeness
• Tasks clearly defined
• Tasks should be assigned to very few people
• Time duration short enough to monitor
• Task cohesion (same type of work)
• Minimise task coupling (interdependency)

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Estimating is Important Why ?

• To determine feasibility
• Calculate when and at what cost a system can be
  delivered
• Deciding on staffing policies and how to carry
  out a project
• Inaccurate estimates can affect
• the ability to control and deliver the
• system on time and to budget
• all subsequent stages

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Methods for Estimating
Known factors
Estimate

• Standard methods e.g. Function Point COCOMO
• PERT weighted average (A4BC)/6
• Ratios high level (phases) low level (tasks)
• Standard Estimates
• Fixed / Multiplied by number of items
• Based on complexity / size
• Multiple Estimate compare and contrast
• Evolution of a local model

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Scheduling

• Gantt (bar) Chart
• What to be done
• Who will do it
• When it will be done

• Activity Network
• Inter-dependencies
• Estimated Effort

• Resource Matrix
• Skills/resources required
• Under/over utilisation
• Used to smooth team size

10
Gantt Chart
Tasks
Time
Week 1 Week 2 Week 3
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Network Analysis Diagrams

• Activity on
• the arrow

• Activity on
• the node

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Dependencies

• Four types
• FinishStart
• StartStart
• FinishFinish
• Partial Finishstart

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Network Analysis

• Steps
• Establish sequence
• Timetable for each job
• Analysing spare time
• Identifying most critical jobs

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Network Conventions
Start and Finish Events single start activity
and
completion activity

• Left to right Dependencies

No Dangling Events
No Looping
Avoid Redundancy
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Example Node
Earliest Start Time
estimated DURation

• SLacK
• (LST EST)

Latest Start Time