Page 287 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Unit 14: Small Projects

them and promote them to get them to the level of co-owners of the project . Apart from Notes
technical capability building, this also requires the firms to invest in project management
capabilities. The likes of Project Management Institute (PMI) have developed exhaustive
framework for accessing and developing project management capabilities. But the unique
nature of the software industry requires a comprehensive project management training
programme that focuses on experiential learning through internal case studies and sessions
conducted by in-house experts. Since each firm is unique with respect to its organizational
climate and the types of projects they handle , best practices need to be tailored to become
effective in the organizational context with greater emphasis on practices that has worked
well in the organization.
Risk Planning

The need for appropriate risk planning and management, as technologies and business
environment continues to evolve, cannot be emphasized enough. If identified risks are
not reassessed and controlled , there is no insight to the problems within the project. These
problems could entail inadequate engineering resources or delayed third party components,
situations that can result in unpleasant surprises for the project managers.
CXOs looking for levers to pull the organization to the next levels of performance while
meeting higher customer expectations need look no further – the one labelled “Project
Management” is the one to try first.

14.4 Summary

 So, in summary, applying the best practices to even a small project can be done without
creating too much paperwork or overhead.
 The best practices are the things which countless project managers have done on thousands
of projects and are deemed to be the “best practice” because they tend to help you to
achieve the best results.
 Don’t think that because you’re managing a small project that you can ditch these best
practices because if you do, you will regret it later when your project gets in a mess.
 First off, it promotes teamwork, something that is crucial in the game industry, since
games are built, in most cases, by diverse teams of talented people.
 Learning to work alongside others towards the same goal is a valuable skill you must
learn if you want to make it in this industry.

 Along with teamwork, it also promotes good communication skills.
 Because you will be working with people who may speak a different language than you in
terms of development and discipline (not actual languages), you will need to learn how to
effectively communicate with them.

14.5 Keywords

Constraints: A constraint is a restriction on the degree of freedom you have in providing a
solution. Constraints are effectively global requirements, such as limited development resources
or a decision by senior management that restricts the way you develop a system.
PM: Project Manager
Scope: opportunity for exercising the faculties or abilities; capacity for action.

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