UNIT 3 Array in C#

Software Project
A software project involves all steps to create a software product, including requirement gathering, design, coding, testing, deployment, and maintenance. It follows a planned process within a set time to deliver the final product.

Need for Software Project Management
Software is intangible and usually custom-built for clients. Technologies change fast, making development risky and challenging. Proper project management is needed to handle these risks and ensure the project succeeds.

Triple Constraints of Software Projects

The image (mentioned above) shows the triple constraints of software project management:

·         Scope (features or functionality),

·         Time (project schedule), and

·         Cost (budget).

All three constraints are interconnected. If any one of them is changed (for example, if the budget is reduced), it can negatively affect the other two (such as quality or deadline).

To ensure the success of a software project, the project manager must:

·         Understand and fulfill user requirements,

·         Keep the project within the client's budget, and

·         Complete it within the given timeline.

Hence, software project management plays a critical role in planning, organizing, monitoring, and controlling all aspects of a project to meet its goals efficiently.

 

Introduction to Project Development Techniques

Project development techniques are methods that help a team plan and manage all parts of a project from start to finish. In software development, these methods guide the team through important steps like understanding what the client wants, designing the system, writing the code, testing the software, and finally delivering it. These techniques help make sure the project is completed on time, within budget, and meets the client’s needs.

Projects can be complicated because many people work together, client needs may change, and technology can evolve quickly. Without clear planning and management, projects can get delayed, go over budget, or fail. That’s why using proper development techniques is important—they help organize the work, divide tasks clearly, use resources wisely, and finish the project as planned.

1. PERT

Program Evaluation and Review Technique (PERT) is a method used to represent the activities of a project in the correct order and timing. It is a scheduling tool that helps plan, organize, and coordinate tasks within a project. PERT provides a framework for project management by offering a clear plan or blueprint of the entire project.

In PERT, a PERT Chart is created to show the schedule of all tasks in the project. The levels of tasks shown in the PERT Chart are similar to those in the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).

Advantages of PERT

1.      Provides an estimate of the total project completion time.

2.      Helps identify activities that have slack or float time (can be delayed without affecting the project).

3.      Determines the start and finish times for each activity.

4.      Assists project managers in finding critical path activities that affect project duration.

5.      Organizes complex project data into a clear and easy-to-understand diagram.

Disadvantages of PERT

1.      PERT can be complex and difficult to implement.

2.      Maintaining and updating the PERT chart can be expensive and complicated.

3.      The assumed beta distribution for activity times may not always match actual data, leading to inaccurate estimates.

4.      PERT may underestimate the total project time because other paths could become critical if their activities are delayed.

 In PERT, for each activity, three time estimate can be obtained:

1. Optimistic Time Estimate (Topt):

• Time under favourable condition.

2. Most likely Time Estimate:

• Time under normal condition.

3. Pessimistic Time Estimate (Tpess):

• Time under unfavourable condition.

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PERT Mathematics:

• Beta probability distribution works behind PERT.

• Expected Completion Time:

$$E = \frac{Topt + 4 \times Tlikely + Tpess}{6}$$

$$\text{Variance} = \left( \frac{T_{pess} - T_{opt}}{6} \right)^2$$

Critical Path Method (CPM)

The Critical Path Method (CPM) is a network-based project management technique used to plan, schedule, and control complex projects. It identifies the longest sequence of dependent tasks (called the critical path) and helps determine the minimum time needed to complete the entire project.

It works by estimating the standard time required to complete each activity and helps manage both time and cost effectively. CPM also shows which tasks can be done in parallel and which ones must follow a specific order.

 

Advantages of CPM

1. It helps to find out which tasks can be done at the same time.
2. It allows the project manager to know which tasks are most important and affect the deadline.
3. It gives a clear and organized plan to achieve project goals.
4. It shows the relationship between different tasks, which helps in proper scheduling.
5. It represents the tasks and their connections using a network diagram.
6. It provides a simple and organized way to document the whole project.
7. It helps in finding out how much delay is allowed for each task without affecting the project.
8. It gives a clear way to communicate the project’s plan, progress, time, and cost.
9. It is widely used in industries like construction, engineering, and software development.

Disadvantages of CPM

1. It does not help in planning when and where workers should be assigned.
2. It is difficult to correctly estimate how much time each task will take.
3. It is not always easy to find the actual critical path in large projects.
4. For big projects, the network diagram can become very complex and hard to understand.
5. It does not help in managing resources like tools or machines.
6. The critical path must be calculated accurately, or the whole schedule can be affected.

S.No.	PERT	CPM
1.	PERT is that technique of project management which is used to manage uncertain (i.e., time is not known) activities of any project.	CPM is that technique of project management which is used to manage only certain (i.e., time is known) activities of any project.
2.	It is event oriented technique which means that network is constructed on the basis of event.	It is activity oriented technique which means that network is constructed on the basis of activities.
3.	It is a probability model.	It is a deterministic model.
4.	It majorly focuses on time as meeting time target or estimation of percent completion is more important.	It majorly focuses on Time-cost trade off as minimizing cost is more important.
5.	It is appropriate for high precision time estimation.	It is appropriate for reasonable time estimation.
6.	It has Non-repetitive nature of job.	It has repetitive nature of job.
8.	It doesn’t use any dummy activities.	It uses dummy activities for representing sequence of activities.
9.	It is suitable for projects which required research and development.	It is suitable for construction projects.