Publications and Presentations: Project Management Tools

Sample Software Development Work Breakdown Structure - Most project plans focus exclusively upon building the product. If the complex, time-consuming work of project management is omitted from the plan, is it any wonder that most projects fall so far behind schedule? This work breakdown structure in MS Project Gantt Chart format encompasses all phases of a project: initiating, planning, executing, closing and controlling. It includes activities and tasks for managing scope, budget, schedule, human resources, communication, procurement, risk, quality and integration. Although the WBS is based on a sequential development model, you can adapt it for iterative models by creating a separate initiate-plan-execute-close cycle within each iteration.

Scope Document - The success criteria for a project evolve over time. At the outset, the scope document records an initial agreement among the sponsor, the client and the project manager. You begin with the key goals of the project. You elaborate your goals first into qualitative critical success factors and then into quantitative critical success measures that can verify the results. You also state your constraints, assumptions, risks and exclusions - an early discussion about these factors can prevent major conflicts later on during the execution phase. A preliminary guess about your budget and deadlines will serve as a “reality check” for the requirements gathering process ahead. You should update, distribute and obtain approvals for your revised scope document whenever the requirements or circumstances change enough to have a significant impact upon the cost, schedule or quality of the product.

Requirements Document - Whether your methodology follows a structured waterfall sequence or a more informal, agile approach, you'll need to document what your client(s) want the product to do. This template spreadsheet helps you keep track of who submitted a requirement; who was responsible for any revisions; who approved the inclusion of the requirement; and whether or not the requirement has been implemented. It records use cases and test cases related to the requirements. To facilitate organization of the requirements, it suggests an outline format based upon components of the product.

Responsibility Allocation Matrix (early version) - To accomplish the goals of your project, you will often need help from people who don't report to you - and sometimes from people who aren't even officially on your project team. Successful collaboration depends upon everyone understanding what they need to do and when they need to do it. The Responsibility Allocation Matrix describes actions and deliverables. This version is created at a department level to establish the involvement of various groups early in the planning phase.

Responsibility Allocation Matrix (later version) - This version shows the involvement of individuals in accomplishing tasks on the Work Breakdown Structure.

Procurement Plan - Your project may create a perfect opportunity to buy that new server all the developers have been hankering for. Or perhaps you'll need to acquire a testing tool. This template helps you plan how you're going to spend your non-personnel budget on purchases, leases, and charge-backs. It lists dependent tasks so that whoever signs the checks can understand the impact of any delays on the work to be done.

Human Resources Plan - To assemble your team, you'll start with an idea of the skills your project will require during its various phases. You'll consider whether to work with in-house staff, consultants, or vendors. You'll find out who is available, and whether the candidates might need any special training. This document helps you analyze your project's staffing requirements, your resource pool, and your costs. It can be useful in identifying gaps and evaluating alternative strategies.

Communication Plan - The protocols and tools you select for communication on your project will play a major role in facilitating (or obstructing) productivity. With multicultural teams and remote participants, devising appropriate communication methods is an essential managerial task. This outline helps you and your team arrive at an optimal solution for conducting meetings, writing reports, and sharing information. It includes tools ranging from voice mail to instant messaging to blogs.

Risk Plan - Every project entails risks, and every participant and stakeholder worries about them. This document helps you and your team evaluate risks more rationally. You can assign a risk to be tracked by a particular person. You can classify risks by probability, impact and potential cost. As the project progresses, you can describe how each risk will be monitored and what actions will be taken to mitigate potential damages.

Quality Plan - Discussions of quality typically focus upon the product. Yet the quality of the project itself - your management practices, your engineering processes, your day-to-day standards and procedures - largely determines the success or failure of your endeavors. Achieving quality results in the product and on the project demands time and resources. This outline enables you to collaborate with your sponsor, your client and your team in defining quality objectives and including quality-related work in the schedule and budget. It helps you establish assessment criteria for quality assurance and quality control. Using this template, you can ensure that your team follows appropriate guidelines for such priorities as requirements gathering, change management, source code control, version control, testing, and documentation.