The W5HH Principle in Software Project Management

By / June 2, 2021

Boehm suggests an approach that addresses project objectives, milestones and schedules, responsibilities, management and technical approaches, and required resources. He calls it the W5HH principle after a series of questions that define key project characteristics and the resultant project plan.

W5HH principle: A series of questions that lead to a definition of Project Scope.

  1. Why is the software being built?
  2. What will be done?
    • What are the activities that needed to be done?
  3. When will it be done? Different deadlines.
  4. Who is responsible for a function? Who will do what, which part will be done internally, and which part externally?
  5. Where are they organizationally located? Where is the vendor located?
  6. How will the job be done technically and managerially?
  7. How much of each resource is needed? Workforce, hardware, etc.
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1 W5HH principle in details (optional reading)
2 References:
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W5HH principle in details (optional reading)
  • Why is the system being developed? All stakeholders should assess the validity of business reasons for the software work. Does the business purpose justify the expenditure of people, time, and money?
  • What will be done? The task set required for the project is defined.
  • When will it be done? The team establishes a project schedule by identifying when project tasks are to be conducted and when milestones are reached.
  • Who is responsible for a function? The role and responsibility of each member of the software team are defined.
  • Where are they located organizationally? Not all roles and responsibilities reside within software practitioners. The customer, users, and other stakeholders also have responsibilities.
  • How will the job be done technically and managerially? Once the product scope is established, management and technical strategy for the project must be defined.
  • How much of each resource is needed? The answer to this question is derived by developing estimates based on the answers to earlier questions.

References:

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

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