CS3007A Software Project Management

Problem Sheet 2

Lecturer: Dr Robert Macredie

E-mail: Robert.Macredie@brunel.ac.uk,

Introduction

In the second session we talked about the profile of a software project. We looked at ways in which we could develop models of projects and questioned the importance and relevance of such models. From here, we looked at the types of activity which take place within the main phases of a project. This problem sheet encourages you to reflect on these issues. I want you to develop your understanding of how models of software projects can be useful (and problematic) and to start to think of the kinds of things that people involved in projects actually do within the phases of the project. In some of the phases (such as design and development) there is great scope for you to look back on and integrate material you have seen in other modules (such as CS1016S and CS2077A Ð or their earlier versions if you have been on placement).

Learning Outcomes

The learning outcomes for the problem sheet are as follows:

(i)     you should be able to explain appropriate models 
        of software projects

(ii)    you should be able to critically discuss problems in 
        making using of these models  

(iii)   you should be able to explain the component activities 
        which take place at each stage of a software project.

Questions

(i)     Develop your own general model of a software project, 
        concentrating on the high-level split of activities within 
        the project.  You should restrict yourself to five or six 
        main phases at the most.  

(ii)    How does your model compare to the process model by 
        Yeates and Cadle (p 58)?  How does it compare to other 
        models you might find?  Use these comparisons to 
        develop criticisms of your model, the process model of 
        Yeates and Cadle and any others that you find.

(iii)   What do your criticisms developed in (ii) suggest to you 
        about models of software projects and their usefulness 
        to software project management? What advice would 
        you give an new software project manager who wanted 
        to use such a model?

(iv)    Taking any model of a software project (your own from (i), 
        Yeates and Cadle's, or any other), what activities tend to 
        go on in each phase? What are the outputs of each phase?

I would encourage you to work in groups of around five for this and subsequent exercises.

Robert Macredie

9 October 1998