Project Management for Software Development

Course Overview

Software development projects are often complex, multifaceted, and evolving through a constant state of change. Guiding these projects successfully requires solid team management and effective project controls. This course provides the tools necessary to organise project objectives, create realistic plans, and build and manage an accomplished team through every phase of the SDLC. You gain the practical skills needed to meet today's demands for faster and cheaper development.

Throughout this course, you are immersed in an authentic experience to run a software development project. Course workshops incorporate interactive activities to provide you with actual project experience that forms a foundation for your next project. Activities include:

• Reaching a consensus on project goals and deliverables
• Assessing your project for strategic risk: anticipating problems before they occur
• Choosing the SDLC that best meets your needs
• Creating an effective project plan: accomplishing the goal with the team's buy-in
• Managing change: controlling the project day to day
• Extracting best practices for future projects

Audience

Project managers, team leaders, business analysts, those new to running a software development project, or anyone looking to refresh their knowledge of software project management techniques.

Skills Gained

You Will Learn How To

• Deliver successful software projects that support your organisation's strategic goals
• Match organisational needs to the most effective software development model
• Plan and manage projects at each stage of the software development life cycle (SDLC)
• Create project plans that address real-world management challenges
• Develop the skills for tracking and controlling software deliverables
• Build an effective and committed team and keep them motivated day to day

Course Outline

Conducting a Project Kick-Off Meeting

The business reasons for the project

• Where the project fits in the business
• How this fit influences your chances of success

The project customers

• Identifying stakeholders and their needs
• Developing strategies to effectively manage involvement

The project objectives

• What success looks like
• Making the team's success visible
• Managing the project to build customer confidence

Balancing Development Needs with Organisational Expectations

Selecting software development life cycle models

• Comparing SDLC models
• How to identify the right model
• V model
• Spiral
• Iterative
• Agile (including RAD, XP)

Designing a roadmap for your project

• Mapping your PM process to your project's SDLC
• Optimising time, cost, function and quality
• Considering industry standards: PMI and PRINCE2(TM)

Translating Stakeholder Needs into Actions

Structuring content for your software project plan

• Providing initial top-down estimates
• Identifying tasks and phases using a WBS
• Calculating realistic bottom-up estimates
• Sequencing tasks into a network diagram
• Constructing Gantt charts to assess resource needs

Getting the right resources

• Identifying resource needs using your plan
• Delegating work effectively

Reality check for your project plan

• Testing the plan before you begin
• Assessing the project using risk management
• Involving the team in planning
• Building confidence and selling the plan
• Selling the plan to relevant stakeholders

Running the Project: Day-to-Day Decisions for Success

Focusing on the project management process

• Putting theory into practice
• Early warning signs
• Building team commitment and managing communication
• Day-to-day tracking and management
• Measuring progress with milestones
• Defect detection and prevention

Characterising the software development process

• Pressures to expect at each stage
• The major stages and how they relate
• Key events in each stage
• Providing the critical deliverables

Building successful teams

• Getting technical teams to work collaboratively
• Ensuring participation
• Empowering team members
• Embracing the accountability factor
• Taking responsibility

Driving the Implementation: Recognising and Overcoming Challenges

Tracking and control

• Measuring software progress
• Linking progress to success

Implementing change control

• Principles of change
• The details of change

Controlling risk

• Analysing project risk
• Changing the risk profile
• Planning for contingency

Closing the Project: Learning From Experience

• Sharpening your project management skills
• Influencing the continuous improvement process of your organisation

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