Page 96 - DCAP304_DCAP515_SOFTWARE_PROJECT_MANAGEMENT

Software Project Management

Notes 4.4 Individual Projects

An individual project is an economically indivisible series of works fulfilling a precise technical
function and with clearly identifiable aims. An individual project may include one or more
sub-projects.

Example: The funding of individual R&D projects oriented to the market represents by
far the core activity of the EUREKA network. Challenged now by the Eurostars programme for
Small and Medium sized entreprises also ran by EUREKA, it remains the main European funding
tool for large companies and research Institutes willing to do business through technology.
EUREKA ongoing projects in figures.

Project Participants

Large companies 476
SMEs 1174

Research Institutes 491
Universities 459

Government/National Administration 40
Total number of organisations involved in EUREKA projects 2640

Budget

Number of running projects 722
Total budget for these projects € 1.3 billion
Average budget per project € 1.8 million

4.5 Technical Assessment

Assessment (analysis and normative evaluation) of a particular technical device, system, or
procedure with regard to a defined set of criteria, goals and objectives.
The terms assessment and evaluation are often used interchangeably, and one glossary of
evaluation (NSF 97-153) defines assessment as “often used as a synonym for evaluation.” Diane
Ebert-May offers that assessment is “data collection with a purpose,” and often addresses the
“what questions about teaching and learning—what do students know and what can they do?”
Assessment provides evidence that things are working or not (e.g. Do students actually learn
better?). Evaluation may be defined as “the systematic investigation of the merit or worth of an
object” (NSF 93-152) and is often used in the context of “what value has been added through this
project, and how do you know?” Project evaluation is often used to demonstrate accountability
(e.g. have the project goals been met?).

Assessment of education and outreach programs may be done for many reasons, on many scales
and the results may be utilized by different interested groups-including top-to-bottom project
reviews, evaluation of the effectiveness of specific materials or methods, indicators of student
learning, long-term impacts of a project, confirmation that the goals of a project have been met.

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