What is software project management?
Software project management is the art of planning, organizing and managing the available resources for a new project. Skilled software managers use the resources at their disposal to deliver their best product. They utilize the resources actively to develop products.
Software project management has many variations. The managers apply their skills, knowledge and the experience which they have gained over the years to plan and complete project. It is also a fair learning process for managers.
How to go about it:
There is no set procedure or protocol for carrying out the process. However, following a systematic plan helps to achieve things smoothly.
- The very first step for any project is planning. During the planning the project definition, the resources and its management and its execution are determined. Lack of proper planning has led to a lot of projects ending up in failure. The clear understanding of the objective of the project helps in proper determining of the plan.
- It is essential to analyze the plan’s risks and categorize them in the high, medium or low-risk category. Once the threats are understood, it is easy to keep a backup plan in hand and take precautions in the planning stage.
- It is also essential to monitor the tasks that have been completed and the tasks underway. Monitoring helps to analyze the current situations and even make changes based on the ongoing work situation
- It is also essential to execute the whole project in the given budget.
- Sometimes shareholders may request some changes to be made in the project. Hence, the manager’s work is to evaluate these requests and navigate them without negatively impacting the project.
- When faced with unforeseen trouble, it is the manager’s job to handle such situations with panicking. The issues should also be resolved promptly with the least damage to the project in case of urgency.
- A communication gap can lead to a lot of problems throughout a project. The team members may have certain expectations which might lead to delay in the project. It is essential to establish honest communication between the team members, the managers and the shareholders.
Software companies need to develop an end product that is new and stands out in the competitive market. Due to high competition, the companies are actively working towards making innovative products. Proper software project management is necessary to develop a product which has good quality.