SOFTWARE PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

Done By,
M. Gobika sri
24PIT004
WHAT IS RESOURCE
ALLOCATION

Resource allocation means

assigning the right people, tools, or
money to each task in a project. It
helps make sure that everything
needed is available at the right time.
Sometimes, the plan needs to be
changed to fit the available
resources, which can also change
the project timeline and cost.
W E L E A R N H O W T O M A T C H T H E A C T I V I T Y P L A N ( W H A T N E E D S T O B E D O N E A N D W H E N )
W I T H T H E A V A I L A B L E R E S O U R C E S ( L I K E P E O P L E , E Q U I P M E N T , O R M O N E Y ) . I F T H E R E
A R E N O T E N O U G H R E S O U R C E S , W E M A Y N E E D T O C H A N G E O R A D J U S T T H E P L A N .
A F T E R D O I N G R E S O U R C E A L L O C A T I O N , W E M A Y H A V E T O C H A N G E :
P R O J E C T O R S T A G E E N D D A T E S
A C T I V I T Y T I M E R A N G E S ( W H E N T H E Y C A N H A P P E N )
A T T H E E N D , R E S O U R C E A L L O C A T I O N G I V E S U S T H R E E I M P O R T A N T S C H E D U L E S :
A C T I V I T Y S C H E D U L E – W H E N E A C H T A S K W I L L S T A R T A N D E N D .
R E S O U R C E S C H E D U L E – W H A T R E S O U R C E S A R E N E E D E D A N D W H E N .
C O S T S C H E D U L E – H O W M U C H M O N E Y W I L L B E S P E N T O V E R T I M E .
 NATURAL RESOURCES
A resource is anything needed to complete a project, like people, equipment, or
money. Some resources are needed throughout the project (like a project manager),
while others are only needed for specific tasks.

 seven categories of resources in a project:

Labour - People who work on the project, like developers, testers, analysts, and
managers.
Equipment - Tools and machines used, such as computers, printers, desks, and chairs.
Materials - Items that get used up, like paper, disks, or any consumable supplies.
Space - Physical places needed, like office rooms or workstations for the team.
Services - External help or utilities, like internet, telecom, or cloud services.
Time - The time available to complete tasks — more time can sometimes reduce the
need for other resources.
Money - The budget to pay for all other resources; it gets used as the project
progresses.

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 Identifying Resource Requirements

The first step in making a resource allocation plan is to list all the
resources needed and how much of each is required. This is
usually done by looking at each task and identifying what it
needs. Some resources, like the project manager or office space,
may not be tied to a single task but are still important for the
overall project.

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 Scheduling Resources

 After all the required resources have been identified, they need to be scheduled effectively.
 The earliest start dates, the latest start dates will need to be taken into account to schedule resources
efficiently.
 Resources should be balanced throughout the project.
The final result of resource allocation will normally be a number of schedules. These schedules will provide the
basis for the day-to-day control and management of the project.
 Activity schedule
– Indicating planned start and completion dates for each activity
 Resource schedule
– Showing the dates on which each resource will be required and the level of that requirement
 Cost schedule
– Showing planned cumulative expenditure incurred by the use of resources over time

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RESOURCE HISTOGRAM

• Resource histogram is specifically a

bar chart that is used for the purposes
of displaying the specific amounts of
time that a particular resource is
scheduled to be worked on over a
predetermined and specific time
period.
•
The resource histogram helps us
identify where the demand for a
resource exceeds the supply.
•
If we use a tool such as MS Project,
the tool will generate the resource
histograms for us.

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CREATING CRITICAL PATHS

Scheduling delays due to unavailable resources can create new critical paths.
· If a task loses its float (extra time), it becomes critical and can't be delayed
without affecting the project.
· Amanda's project had this issue when she adjusted her plan to use
analyst/designers more efficiently.
· Delaying module C’s specification made it and the following tasks critical.
· In large projects, resource-linked critical paths can become complex and
must be carefully managed

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SCHEDULING RESOURCES

• After all the required resources have been identified, they need to be
scheduled effectively.

• The earliest start dates, the latest start dates will need to be taken
into account to schedule resources efficiently.

• Resources should be balanced throughout the project.

• The final result of resource allocation will normally be a number of

schedules. These schedules will provide the basis for the day-to-day
control and management of the project.

• Activity schedule
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– Indicating planned start and completion dates for each activity
COUNTING THE COST

• Counting the cost means comparing different options in a

project to see what is more cost-effective.

• You can finish faster with more people, but that costs more
money.

• Or use fewer people to save money, but the project might take
longer and miss deadlines.

• So, you must balance time, cost, and risk to choose the best plan.

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BEING SPECIFIC

• Availability – Is he/she available when required

• Criticality – Allocation of experienced personnel to activities on the

critical path. (i.e. You would want to put your more experienced,
‘safer’, staff on the critical activities).

• Risk – Allocating the most experienced staff to the highest-risk

activities is likely to have the greatest effect in reducing overall
project uncertainties.

• Training – Allocate junior staff to appropriate non-critical activities

where there will be sufficient slack for them to train and develop
skills.
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• Team building – The selection of individuals must also take account
 Cost Schedules

• Calculating cost is straightforward where the organization has

standard cost figures for staff and other resources. Where this is not
the case, the project manager will have to calculate the costs.
• After having allocated the resources to activities and having defined
a schedule it is possible to derive the cost schedule for the project on
a weekly or monthly basis.
• In general, costs are categorized as –
– Staff costs
– Overheads
– Usage charges

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 The Scheduling Sequence

• First, we create an activity plan to show what tasks need to be done.

• Based on the activity plan, we do a risk assessment to find possible
problems.
• Then, we allocate resources (like staff and tools) and make a schedule.
• From this, we prepare the cost schedule (budget).

In real life, changes often happen:

• Adjusting resources may require changes in the activity plan.
• Changes in the plan may affect the risk assessment.
• If the cost is too high, we may need to revise the plan or resource use
again.

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Balancing Concerns

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PROJECT
EVALUTION

• A high level
assessment of the
project

• To see whether it is
worthwhile to proceed
with the project

• To see whether the

project will fit in the
strategic planning of
the whole organization
Project Evaluation - Why
 Want to decide whether a project can proceed before it is too late
 Want to decide which of the several alternative projects has a better
success rate, a higher turnover, a higher ...
 Is it desirable to carry out the development and operation of the
software system?

Project Evaluation - Who

 Senior management
 Project manager/coordinator
 Team leader

Project Evaluation - When

Usually at the beginning of the project
e.g. Step 0 of Step Wise Framework
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Strategic Management
Definition:
Strategic management involves planning, monitoring, analyzing, and
assessing all that is needed for a software project to meet its goals.

Key Components:
• Goal Setting – Define vision, mission, and long-term objectives.
• Environment Analysis – Understand internal (team skills, tools)
and external (market, clients) factors.
• Strategy Formulation – Create plans for resource use, timelines,
and risk handling.
• Strategy Implementation – Apply the plan with tools, teams, and
schedules.
• Evaluation and Control – Monitor progress, compare with goals,
and make changes as needed.

Importance:
• Aligns project with business goals.
• Helps in better decision-making.
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• Improves project success rate and efficiency.
THANK YOU