CPSC6179 – Software Project Planning and Management
Instructor Dr. Edward L. Bosworth Center for Commerce and Technology, Room 443 Office Phone: (706) 507 – 8183 E-Mail: [email protected] Homepage: http://csc.columbusstate.edu/bosworth/ Office Hours – Spring 2012 Monday 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM 2.5 hours Tuesday 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM 4.0 hours Wednesday 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM 4.0 hours Thursday 9:30 AM – 12:00 M 2.5 hours Friday I am not in the office on Friday
Class Meetings: This is an on–line course, with no fixed meeting time. It will be taught through WebCT/Cougarview.
Course Prerequisites Admission to the computer science graduate program. An ability to write code in some high–level programming language would be very useful.
Textbooks Software Project Management in Practice Pankaj Jalote Pearson: Addison–Wesley, 2002 ISBN 978 – 0 – 201 – 73721 – 9 The Mythical Man–Month Frederick P. Brooks, Jr. Pearson: Addison–Wesley, 1995 ISBN 978 – 0 – 201 – 83595 – 3. (Any earlier edition of the book would probably be acceptable).
Course Description CPSC 6179. Software Project Planning and Management (3-0-3) Centers on the concept of a software engineering process and includes discussion of life-cycle models for software development. Addresses issues associated with the successful management of software development including planning, scheduling, tracking, cost and size, estimating, risk management, configuration, management quality, and engineering and process improvement. Includes the SEI software process Capability Maturity Model (CMM) and other process standards.
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Course Objectives (Learning Outcomes) At the end of the course the student will be able to: 1. Discuss the software development life cycle and identify its major phases. 2. Identify the major milestones in planning and managing a software project. 3. Use the CPM (Critical Path Method) and PERT Charts to estimate the duration and staffing levels of a software development project. 4. Discuss and evaluate a number of methods for effort estimation and scheduling. 5. Understand the roles of quality planning and risk management. 6. Understand the importance of configuration management, and describe the application of source control for the project’s code and documents. 7. Discuss methods of process improvement and how to improve them.
Student Responsibilities 1. Participate in the class regularly. 2. Complete all reading assignments and all homework assignments. 3. Actively participate in all discussions held on WebCT. In general, this means responding to each post by the instructor, reading the responses by each of the other students, and responding to at least one of those responses. 4 Ask the instructor questions, using the e–mail facility in WebCT.
Instructor Responsibilities 1. Write lectures on the course material and post these on his web site. 2. Assign appropriate homework that illustrates the concepts of the course, and grade and return the homework in a timely manner with adequate explanation. 3. Give tests over the material, and grade the tests in a timely manner. 4. Post timely discussion topics for student participation. 5. Maintain frequent student contact using the WebCT e-mail tool. 6. Provide a website that supports the course. 7. Provide timely replies to student questions and concerns as communicated through e-mail. Note that the WebCT e-mail is preferable. Exams There will be only one exam, the final exam for the course. It will be posted as an assignment on WebCT/Cougarview, as that tool allows for greater flexibility in design of a test. The exam should be returned through WebCT. The final exam will be posted during the week of Monday, April 30.
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Homework Policy All homework will be assigned via the WebCT assignment tool and posted on my web site. All assignments are to be returned using the WebCT assignment drop box. Students are cautioned not to confuse homework assignments with topics assigned for discussion. Collaboration on homework is discouraged and copying results is not allowed. Collaboration on discussion topics is encouraged. Software Development Project As mentioned above and more explicitly on the web site for this course, a big part of this course will involve participation in an actual software development project. The main goal of this participation is for the student to gain experience as a team member of an actual software development project. Students in this course will take the role of software development managers and work with other students doing the actual coding. I am working with another instructor to set up this opportunity. As of 1/6/2012, this looks promising. I shall write more on this when it is finalized.
The Research Project All students are expected to do a literature research project on a subject related to advanced topics in management of the software development process. The students are expected to produce a paper of at least three pages in length (single spaced) that conforms to expected standards for grammar, logical organization, and citation of references. The schedule for the paper: Monday, January 30: Short informal proposal due. Monday, April 30: Final copy of the paper due.
On–Line Discussions (See Student Responsibility 3) During this course, the instructor intends that we all read The Mythical Man–Month and discuss it. Many of the discussions will focus on chapters and topics in this book.
Methods for Evaluating Students The evaluation methods will include homework, a literature research paper, on–line discussions, and a final exam. The relative grading is shown below. Homework 30% On-Line Discussions 20% Research Paper 20% Final Exam 30% If the collaboration on software development materializes, participation in that will count as half of the homework grade: 15% project and 15% standard homework.
Assignment of Letter Grades The method of assigning letter grades based on overall course averages is fairly standard. The basic method is described as follows: GRADE POINTS A 90 – 100 C 65 – 79 B 80 – 89 F Below 65
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CPSC6179: Topics for the Course
1. Managing software projects a) Processes and Project Management b) Overview of the CMM model
2. The Project Planning Infrastructure a) The Process Database b) Assessing Project Assets
3. Project Planning a) Tools for tracking “bug reports” b) Requirements Change Management
4. Effort Estimation and Scheduling a) Basic Concepts b) Different Methods for Effort Estimation c) Scheduling d) How to React to an Overly Optimistic Schedule
5. Quality Planning a) Basic Concepts b) Managing Quality c) Preventing Defects
6. Risk Management a) Basic Concepts b) Risk Assessment c) Risk Control
7. Measurement and Planning a) Basic Concepts b) Metrics and Measurement c) Project Tracking
8. The Project Management Plan a) Team Management b) Customer Communication and Management c) Managing Communication with Company Officials
9. Configuration Management a) Basic Concepts b) The Configuration Management Process c) Insights from the SEI CMM
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Other Course Policies
Attendance Policy All students are expected to participate regularly in all discussion groups. For the purposes of an on–line course this participation is viewed as attendance. All students in a face–to–face class must attend regularly; students in an on–line class are expected to respond to each discussion post within the week that it is posted, and to submit all assigned homework by the due date listed.
ADA Accommodation Notice If you have a documented disability as described by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (P.L. 933-112 Section 504) and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) that may require you to need assistance attaining accessibility to instructional content to meet course requirements, we recommend that you contact the Center for Academic Support i n Tucker Hall, room 100 or at (706)568-2330, as soon as possible. It is then your responsibility to contact and meet with the instructor. It is also your responsibility to present the instructor with a letter from the Center for Academic Support. Without this letter detailing the required accommodations, the instructor cannot help you. The Center for Academic Support can assist you and the instructor in formulating a reasonable accommodation plan and provide support in developing appropriate accommodations for your disability. Course requirements will not be waived but accommodations may be made to assist you to meet the requirements. Technical support may also be available to meet your specific need. For more information on services and support available, refer to http://disability.columbusstate.edu/.
Dropping The Course We hope that you will complete the course and profit from it. If it is necessary for you to withdraw from the course during the semester, you must follow all official CSU procedures for withdrawing. It is not sufficient to notify the instructor; you must use the ISIS system and withdraw officially. I would appreciate it if you were first to consult with me before starting the procedure for withdrawing from the course. In some cases, we can agree on an arrangement that will allow you to complete the course with minor adjustments.
Academic dishonesty Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to, activities such as cheating and plagiarism. It is a basis for disciplinary action. Collaboration is not permitted on assignments or exams/quizzes in this course. Any work turned in for individual credit must be entirely the work of the student submitting the work. The only exception to this is a discussion group; collaboration is expected in a discussion.
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No cheating in any form will be tolerated. The penalty for the first occurrence of academic dishonesty is a zero grade on the assignment or exam/quiz; the penalty for the second occurrence is a failing grade for the course.
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