The jargon of Software Project Management

What is a project?

A project is a temporary endeavor undertaken to create a unique product, service, or result (PMBOK Guide, fifth edition, 2012). A set of activities undertaken within a defined time period to meet a specific set of goals/objectives within a budget. (Plan activity, bounded time period, associated budget)

A project generally exhibits most of the following properties:

1. Finite duration
2. Usually nontrivial
3. Non-repetitive
4. Requires resources
5. Multiple tasks

What is a task?

A task is a small piece of work and does not require project management skills. It exhibits the following characteristics.

1. Meant to accomplish a straight forward goal
2. The effort of no longer than a few person-hours
3. Involves only one or two people
4. Usually, repetition of a previously accomplished task

Project Scope:

1. It is what needs to be achieved and the work that must be done to deliver a project.
2. A list of specific goals, deliverables, tasks, deadlines, and costs.

Project Stakeholders

Project stakeholders are individuals and organizations involved in the project or whose interests may be positively or negatively affected due to project execution or project completion; they may also exert influence over the project and its results.

Key stakeholders:

1. Project manager: The individual responsible for managing the project.
2. Customer: The individual or organization that will use the project’s product or service.
3. Project team members: The group that is performing the work of the project.
4. Sponsor: The individual or group that provides the financial resources for the project.

Internal project stakeholders:

1. Project manager, project team, top management

External project stakeholders:

1. Project’s customers (if they are external to the organization), vendors

What are the characteristics of a project failure?

1. The development team doesn’t understand the customer’s needs.
2. Project scope is poorly defined
3. Changes poorly managed
4. Chosen technology changes
5. Business needs to change
6. Unrealistic deadlines
7. Inexperienced team
8. Poor project management

References:

• NPTEL Software Project Management by Rajib Mall, IIT Kharagpur.

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