Content

What is project scheduling & tracking ? Which steps can be recognized in project scheduling? Work Breakdown Structure Techniques: CPM, Gantt Charts Examples Final remarks Book chapter 24

What is project scheduling&tracking?

Scheduling: The partitioning of the total work of a project in tasks, which deliver defined products. The planning of those tasks in calendar time. The allocation of resources to these tasks. Tracking: Following of the progress of the tasks in the course of a project. Adapting the schedule according the latest developments. How software projects fall behind schedule? When a project is 80% finished, 80% of the work still has to be done.
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Why software is delivered late?

Unrealistic deadline established outside the team Changing customer requirements not reflected in schedule changes Underestimating the resources required to complete the project Risks that were not considered when project began Technical difficulties that have not been predicted in advance Human difficulties that have not been predicted in advance Miscommunication among project staff resulting in delays Failure by project management to recognize project falling behind schedule and failure to take corrective action people, process, technology
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Perspectives
the end-date for the software release is set externally the software organization is constrained to distribute effort in the prescribed time frame. the rough chronological bounds have been discussed by the developers and customers the end-date is best set by the developer after carefully considering how to best use the resources needed to meet the customer's needs. negotiation process

Basic principles for scheduling

Compartimentalization decomposition of both the product and the process the work is divided in tasks (work-breakdown structure) each delivers (possible in combination with other tasks) a part of the product. Interdependency minimize the dependency between tasks which products of other tasks are needed to start a task sequential and parallel tasks Time allocation for each task How much work is needed in e.g. person-days Determine whether this will be part-time of full-time Assign a start and completion date (not assigned yet to a person).

continued
Matching total time with available resources Are the needed resources (persons, tools, hardware) available? (not assigned yet to a person). Defining responsibilities Every task should be the responsibility of a person. Defining outcomes of tasks Each task should have a defined outcome. (SMART) More than 1 of these work products may be grouped into a deliverable.

Defining milestones the milestones of the project: a moment in time on which a (group of) deliverables should be finished.
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Effort distribution
Use the data on the organizations historical experience with similar projects When such data is not available, publicly available factors can be used for guidance. The 40-20-40 rule (a rule of thumb): 40% front-end analysis and design 20% coding 40% back-end testing Generally accepted guidelines are: 02-03 % planning 10-25 % requirements analysis 20-25 % design 15-20 % coding 30-40 % testing and debugging
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Critics of 40-20-40 % rule

Some Software Engineering Managers believe that more than 40% of overall effort should be expended during Analysis and Design. Some proponents of Agile Development Method argue that Less time should be expended on Frontend of Project Phase and that a team should move quickly to Construction Phase (Build phase).

Parts and steps

Project task: A task is executable and delivers a well defined work product (SMART); Work-breakdown structure: Division of the total trajectory into tasks; Deliverable Intermediate or final product delivered by a task or a number of tasks; Milestone: Date on which a deliverable should be ready; Network of dependencies of project tasks: sequential parallel
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continued
Determine which tasks are critical in the network: they determine the run time of a project; Determine what the size of the tasks are; Determine which resources are needed to execute each task; Building up of a project schedule:: dividing the tasks over time and allocating resources to tasks; Tracking of the progress of the project on basis of its schedule.

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Parts and steps

Project task: A task is executable and delivers a well defined work product (SMART); Work-breakdown structure: Division of the total trajectory into tasks; Deliverable Intermediate or final product delivered by a task or a number of tasks; Milestone: Date on which a deliverable should be ready; Network of dependencies of project tasks: sequential parallel
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Steering project
Steering Committee

Project Sponsor Project Steering Committee Project Manager(s)

Steer on goals

Steer on goals, milestones and deliverables

Steer on Milestones, deliverables and tasks

Attention in this course

Functional/Process Groups
(User Focal Points)

Technical Project Leader

Steer on Tasks and resources

User Group 1

User Group 2

..

Analysts User Group n

Designers

programmers

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Work-Breakdown Structure
A detailed breakdown of the product into manageable work elements.

A method for breaking down work within a project into logical steps: Product WBS: Work is broken down by system, subsystem, modules & the structure of the software product. Activity WBS: Work is broken down by activities of the project members such as management, requirements analysis, design & programming.

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Product WBS

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Activity WBS

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Work-breakdown structure
Example Main phases of an information system based on software packets on the market.

Phase 1 Develop Blueprint

Phase 2 Design Information system

Phase 3 Realize Information system

Phase 4 Implement Information system

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Steps in phase 1
Development blueprint
Deliverables phase 1
Blueprint
Principle -choice Fitanalysis

1.1. Preparation & Projectdefinition

1.2. Develop processmodel current situation

1.3. Analysis current situation

1.4. Develop blueprint

1.5 Fit-analysis shortlist Packets

1.6 make principle choice

1.7. Make plan next phases

Plan phase 2

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Steps in phase 2
Design Information System
Input Phase 2
Blueprint

Deliverables Phase 2

Iterative
Preparation 2.1.
Develop simulation case

Final choice Execution

Principle -choice
Fitanalysis Plan phase 2

2.2.
Make simulation environment

2.3.
Prototype stepthrough

2.4.
Endreport

2.5.
Design interfaces + conversion

Process model future sit.

Finalreport

Solutions for gaps

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Relation deliverables-milestones

Project Goals Deliverable 1 Task 1 ....... ....... Task n Deliverable n Milestone 1 Constraints ...... Milestone n

Timing, resourcing and dependencies

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Relation between people and effort

Putnam-Nordon-Rayleigh (PNR) curve putting more people on a project does not decrease time linearly people need time for communication 4 zones in the curve for a certain defined project:

1) it can not be completed within a certain time 2) overstaffed: completed fast, but inefficient 3) linear range: efficient staffing, man-power trade-off with time is good possible 4) understaffed: becomes also inefficient
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PNR Formulas
The number of delivered lines of code L is related to effort and development time by the equation:

L = P E 1/3 t 4/3 E is development effort in person-months P is a productivity parameter that reflects various factors (typically 2,000-12,000) t is the project duration in calendar months
Rearranged to solve for development effort: E = L3/(P 3t 4)
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Setting up of a schedule
Define deliverables and milestones; Identify tasks which belong to deliverables; Identify relations between deliverables and activities; Determine the type and size of the resources needed for a task; Allocate people to activities; Create activity networks and bar charts (Gantt Charts).

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Example
Task T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10 T11 T12 Run time in workdays 8 15 15 10 19 5 20 25 15 15 7 10 T2, T4 (M2) T1, T2 (M3) T1 (M1) T4 (M5) T3, T6 (M4) T5, T7 (M7) T9 (M6) T11 (M8)
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Dependencies (milestone)

T1 (M1)

Activity network
15 days

14/7/99
8 days

Insight in parallel and sequential tasks + dependencies

4/8/99
15 days

M1
25/7/99

T3

T1 4/7/99
5 days

M4 M3

T9
25/8/99

Start

15 days

T6
20 days

M6
7 days

T2
25/7/99

T7
10 days

T11
11/8/99 5/9/99

M2 T4
10 days

T5
18/7/99

M7
15 days

M8
10 days

M5

25 days

T10

T12

T8

End
19/9/99 24

Critical path
15 days

14/7/99
8 days

M1
25/7/99

T3

4/8/99

15 days

T1 4/7/99
5 days

M4 M3

T9
25/8/99

Start

15 days

T6
20 days

M6
7 days

T2
25/7/99

T7
10 days

T11
11/8/99 5/9/99

M2 T4
10 days

T5
18/7/99

M7
15 days

M8
10 days

M5

25 days

T10

T12

T8
= Critical

Path
19/9/99

End
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Bar chart (Gantt chart)

4/7 Start 11/7 18/7
T4 T1 T2 M1 T7

25/7

1/8

8/8

15/8

22/8

29/8

5/9

12/9

19/9

26/9

T3
M5 M3 M2 T6 T8

T5
M4 M7

T9 T10
M6 T11 M8 T12

End 26

Extra time
4/7 Start 11/7 18/7
T4

25/7

1/8

8/8

15/8

22/8

29/8

5/9

12/9

19/9

26/9

T1
T2 M1 T7

T3
M5 M3 M2 T6 T8

T5
M4 M7

T9 T10
M6 T11 M8 T12

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Allocation of persons to tasks and time

Task T1 Software Engineer Jan
Frank
4/7 11/7 18/7 25/7 1/8 8/8 15/8 22/8 29/8 5/9 12/9 19/9 26/9

T2
T3 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 T9 T10

Carolien
Jan Frank Isabel Carolien Jim Frank Jan Carolien
Jim Carolien Jan

T4
T8 T11 T12 T1 T3 T9
T2 T6

T10

T7 T5

T11
T12

Frank
Frank

Isabel

Resources can influence the critial path, e.g. Frank with T8-T11
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Another example

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Gantt chart

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