10 Keys to Successful Software ProjectsAn Executive Guide(ppt)
10 Keys to Successful Software Projects An Executive Guide

© 2000-2001 Construx Software Builders, Inc. All Rights Reserved. www.construx.com

The First Project: Example of Failure
The First Project: Giga-Corp’s Graph-It Project*
Bid:
$400K
5 months
100% of required functionality
Result:
$1.5M
14 months
25% of required functionality
Effective Cost Overrun: 1400%
Effective Schedule Overrun: 1000%
Background
State of the Art vs. State of the Practice
“The gap between the best software engineering practice and the average practice is very wide–perhaps wider than in any other engineering discipline.”
– Fred Brooks

What are the General Keys to Success?
Q: What are the most exciting/promising software engineering ideas or techniques on the horizon? A: I don’t think that the most promising ideas are on the horizon. They are already here and have been here for years but are not being used properly. — David L. Parnas
What is Parnas Talking About?
Project planning and management practices
Automated estimation tools (1973)
Evolutionary delivery (1988)
Measurement (1977)
Productivity environments (1984)
Risk management planning (1981)
Requirements engineering practices
Change board (1979)
Throwaway user interface prototyping (1975)
JAD sessions (1985)
Requirements scrubbing (1989)

Productivity Varies Significantly
10:1 variations in productivity between different companies working in the same industries
Productivity is a learned characteristic and can be changed
Typical Project Outcomes
Most Common Sources of Cancellations and Overruns
1. Ill-defined or changing requirements
2. Poor project planning/management
3. Uncontrolled quality problems
4. Unrealistic expectations/inaccurate estimates
5. Naive adoption of new technology
Project Success

Success = Planning * Execution


Planning
Key #1 Clear Vision
Clear Vision
Project teams work toward the goals you set for them
Too many goals = no goals
Good vision statement describes what to leave out—prioritizes
Product vision affects achievement of business goals
Example:
What kind of Rapid Development do you want?
Speed oriented
Schedule-risk oriented
Visibility oriented
Without clear vision you can end up with a project outcome completely counter to your goals
Speed-Oriented Practices-- Better Best Case ...
…Worse Worst Case
Sometimes it’s Justified ...
… Sometimes it’s Not
Risk-Reduction is Sometimes a Better Alternative
Key #2 Stable, Complete, Written Requirements
Requirements
Requirements change is the most common software project risk
Comprehensive, 100% stable requirements are usually not possible, but...
Most requirements changes arise from requirements that were incompletely defined in the first place, not “changing markets” or other similar reasons
Techniques for Defining Stable Requirements
Requirements workshop
User interface prototyping
User interview
Use cases
User manual as spec
Usability studies
Incremental delivery
Requirements reviews/inspections

Key #3 Detailed User Interface Prototypes
User Interface Prototypes
Addresses the most common project risk–changing requirements
Involves users with a “hot” medium
Correlated with lower costs, shorter schedules, and higher user satisfaction
Significant skill required to develop prototypes successfully
Key #4 Effective Project Management
Project Management
Poor planning/management is the second most common project risk
Project planning/management is a high leverage area
Some people don’t appreciate the leverage of project management—they’ve never seen good project management!
Project Manager Responsibilities
Where do most project managers come from?
What are they trained to do?
Good software management require significant software-specific expertise
Scope estimation
Cost, effort & schedule computation
Lifecycle selection
QA planning

Key #5 Accurate Estimates
Need for Accurate Estimates
Unrealistic/unjustified expectations are a major cause of project problems
State of the art is dramatically better than the state of the practice
For example, the average project overruns its planned schedule by more than 100% (and many projects are much worse)
Typical Estimation Accuracy and Improved Estimation
Improved Estimation
Effect of Estimation Accuracy
Accurate Estimation
Estimation is a specialized technical skill
Treat estimation as a mini-project
Plan to re-estimate periodically
Execution
Key #6 Two-Phase Budgeting
Estimate Refinement
Two-Phase Estimation and Budgeting
Benefits
Delays commitment until time when a commitment can be meaningful
Forces activities that should occur upstream actually to occur upstream
Requirements, technical planning, quality planning, etc.
Helps set realistic expectations for all project stakeholders
Improves coordination with non-software groups
Improves execution by putting plans on more informed basis
Key #7 A Focus on Quality
Defect Costs Increase the Longer Defects Stay in Process
Fix More Defects Earlier!
Why Focus on Quality?
For most projects, unplanned defect correction work is the largest cost driver (40-80% of total)
Can focus on quality for sake of economics (as above)
Can focus on quality for sake of quality (not needed nearly as often)
Quality must be planned into the project; it can’t just be tacked onto the end
Fixing Upstream Defects Upstream is High Leverage
Key #8 Technology Expertise
Technology Expertise
Many projects suffer because of poor adoption of new technology
“New technology” = high risk
Expertise in technology matters; software engineering technique matters much more
Key #9 Active Risk Management
Software is Risky Business
KPMG Study:
55% of runaway projects did no risk management
38% did some, but half of those didn’t use their risk findings after the project was underway
7% didn’t know whether they did risk management
Total: About 80% of runaway projects did no meaningful risk management
Role of Risk Management
About as many projects fail as are delivered on time
More than 50% of projects show their problems during initial development
About 25% show their problems during initial planning
Active risk management keeps small problems from turning into big, project-killing problems

Relationship to Business Risk Taking
Perception is that high energy companies take risks
Reality is that most companies are beset by risks from all sides—they aren’t choosing which risks they take
Key to success: Manage non-strategic risks so that you can take strategic risks

Example of Managing Risks
Key #10 Remember, Software Is Created By Humans
Human Factors
Take care of your people
Staffing
Training
Motivation/morale
Work environment

The Second Project: Example of Success
The Second Project: ATAMS Project
Best Estimate:
$10 million
2 years
100% of required functionality
Result:
$2 million
1 year
“10 times as many functions as originally specified”
Key to Success: “Techniques that were shown years ago to produce better software faster yet are still rarely used.”
Key Elements of ATAMS Success
Intact development team
Active user involvement; UI prototyping
Reuse of components wherever possible
Extensive design reviews, code reviews, defect tracking
“Native” risk management
Active management to keep project team on track
The Point
Ineffective organizations often fail, even on low-risk projects
Effective organizations often succeed, even on high-risk projects
The fancy stuff is not what makes the difference--proven practices
Success = Planning * Execution
It depends on how carefully projects are planned and how deliberately they are executed--and that’s just about the whole story!
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10 Keys to Successful Software ProjectsAn Executive Guide(ppt)