Introduction
To develop a successful project, both the project management team and the software development team need to work together. The project management team follows some principles and project management lifecycle process. Similarly, the development team also follows the software development patterns & principles, SDLC process, methodology, and framework to implement the project. The development team usually knows the SDLC process. However, it is also recommended to know the project management lifecycle process.
Topics
- Project Management Principles
- The Triple Constraint Theory in Project Management
- Importance of Project Management Lifecycle Process
- Project Management Lifecycle Phases
- Importance of SDLC Process
- SDLC Phases
- Importance of a Software Development Methodology
- Choosing Different SDLC Models
- SCRUM Framework in Agile Methodology
Prerequisites
I'm guessing that you are a professional and already are familiar with the project management and software development lifecycle process. Therefore, you already know how to do analysis and development; anyway, I'll guide you on what to do step-by-step.
Do you love to learn? Here are some questions for you!
- You're a developer, then why do you need knowledge about the project management lifecycle process and which components of a project plan are most important for your development?
- Are you familiar with the project management documentation, like, project charter/project initiation document, Gantt chart, and work breakdown structure etc.?
- Practically do you use the requirement analysis document, software architecture document, and software design document?
- Which SDLC methodology and framework do you use based on your project requirements?
Project Management
Project Management Principles
- Project Goals Principle
- Performance Baseline Principle
- Project Risk Principle
- Project Lifecycle Principle
- Team Role & Responsibilities Principle
- Communication Principle
I'll explain only principles 2 and 4. Principle 4 defines the project management lifecycle process and phases. Principle 2 is needed during project planning, which is one of the project management lifecycle phases.
Project Management Plan
You know that the project plan has few components, for example, project goals, schedules, budget, quality, and resource plan (project manager, stakeholders). According to the performance baseline principle, you need to set up the quality measurement. The concept of the quality introduces the "Triple Constraint Theory".
The Triple Constraint Theory in Project Management
The triple constraint theory is so popular that it still in the project management more than 80 years since the 1940s. The triple constraint represents the project’s scope, time, and cost.
For example, suppose that I need an application to upload and display the images. The project scope defines the features, functionalities, etc. So, I need an image upload page to store it into the relational database. Secondly, I want an image gallery to view the images. The approximate total project cost can be $15,555. The project duration can be 3 weeks. Now the constraint effect depends on where you mainly focus on your project.
- Pointing on time: If you want a faster delivery, then you may need more resources that can increase your cost and/or you may need to shrink the project features.
- Pointing on cost: If you want a cheaper budget, then you may shrink the time and/or the project features which may influence the product quality.
- Pointing on scope: If you want more features, then you may need more time and/or you may need more resources for the additional features which may increase the cost.
Note, PMBOK considers six constraints: time, cost, scope, quality, resource, and risk.
Importance of Project Management Lifecycle Process
Project Management Lifecycle Phases
Project Initiation
In this phase, project management team/project manager can use either Project Charter (according to PMBOK Guide) or Project Initiation Document (according to Prince2) which defines the project goal, identifies the stakeholders, explains the project purpose & benefits, and analyzes the project’s scope & risks. Finally, they need approval from the stakeholders.
Planning
In this phase, the project manager defines the performance baselines, creates the project schedule with time frame, allocates the resources for the team, defines the communication plan, and defines how the project will be executed, monitored, and controlled. The project manager can use the project schedule to create the Gantt chart and Work Breakdown Structure for the project. The Gantt chart mainly focuses on WHEN the tasks will be done, and Work Breakdown Structure focuses on WHAT will be done.
Execution
In this phase, project tasks are handover to the development team and they start to implement the tasks according to the software development lifecycle (SDLC) process.
Monitoring and Control
In this phase, the project manager includes comparing/review the actual completed task against the actual plan and updates the progress status report.
Project Closure
In this phase, the project tasks are finished. So, the project manager takes approval and delivers the project to the client. Finally, it archives all the project documents and source codes for future use/reference.
Software Development
Importance of SDLC Process
sameer alomariPosted Apr 24, 2023, 11:00 PM
Dear Habibur, it is an excellent article, can you please add and example (login page for example ) as you go to understand better the difference between different terms such as SRS , BRD , SAD , HLD .. and so on please