Page 97 - DCAP305_PRINCIPLES_OF_SOFTWARE_ENGINEERING

Unit 5: Software Project Planning

Objectives Notes

After studying this unit, you will be able to:

• Define the process planning
• Describe the effort estimation
• Discuss the COCOMO model
• Discuss the COCOMO II

• Describe the development effort estimates
• Explain the project scheduling and staffing

• Discuss the software configuration management
• Define the quality plan
• Explain the risk management
• Define the project monitoring

Introduction

The purpose of the software project planning is to describe the processes, procedures, and
guidelines that should be followed by a software project manager in order to plan and execute
a productive and successful project. It is assumed that the reader is familiar with the SSC San
Diego organizational policy for Software Project Planning (SPP).
Software project planning is a Level 2 Capability Maturity Model (CMM) Key Process Area
(KPA). Satisfying this KPA is a major step toward achieving Level 2 (Repeatable). This KPA
requires a written process for planning a software project. It also requires the development of
a project Software Development Plan (SDP), which is the document which describes the plan
for the software project. The planning phase is one of the most crucial steps in any software
development project. The success of a software project is often determined in the planning phase.
Lack of adequate planning often results in a project’s failure to meet either cost, schedule, or
performance objectives or all three. The quality of your project plan will probably reflect the
quality of your project. Be thorough, concise and precise. It is never too early to plan.

This process applies to any software project at SSC San Diego and also to any activity of the
software development life cycle. Though this process is written from the viewpoint of a project
in the requirements activity, it can be easily modified for use by projects in any activity of the
software life cycle. Even software projects that are in life cycle maintenance can implement this
process for planning software builds or for implementing Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs).
Purpose: The objective of the process activity. If a sub process activity exists, the details are
described in that specific paragraph description.
Role and Responsibility: The responsibilities of individuals or groups for accomplishing a process
activity.
Entry Criteria: The elements and conditions necessary to be in place to begin a process activity.
Reading lower level activities assumes that the entry criteria for all higher level activities have
been satisfied.

Input: Data or material with which a process activity is performed.
Process Activity: Actions to transform an input, as influenced by controls, into a predetermined
output.

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