SOFTWARE ENGINEERING LAB 1603870

Practical 1
Aim: - Study and usage of OpenProj or similar software to draft a project plan.

Introduction: - Project managers can use OpenProj, a free task tracking application, when creating
effective plans. OpenProj delivers functionality that rivals the capabilities of commercial software. This
can save thousands of dollars in startup costs. Of course, saving a lot of money can be foolish if the
required tasks can't be done. This is not the case with OpenProj. Luckily the OpenProj application gives
managers a full set of tools that are typically used to track projects. Useful aids such as critical path
analysis, resource tracking and task comments are all present in OpenProj. The tool is ideal for simple
project management but is capable of larger efforts as well.

For the purposes of the example project plan, the following assumptions are made: -

 The OpenProj software has already been installed and correctly configured on a workstation
with an attached printer
 The goal is to launch a new marketing effort in 6 months, called "Anganwadi"
 There are three full-time staff resources, including the manager
 Budget is not a consideration - Schedule is the primary consideration
 The target implementation date is 6 months away but is not an absolute fixed date

Step 1: Create the project plan shell:

The first step is to use OpenProj to identify the basic parameters. The manager starts the OpenProj
application and presses the "Create Project" button. The file is named, ("Anganwadi"), and a starting
date is given. You can forward schedule which is the default. This allows you to enter the required tasks
and OpenProj will calculate a completion date. If required, you can schedule a finish date and have
OpenProj work backwards for you. This alternate method works best if there is a hard drop-dead date,
such as a launch date. The project manager can also add initial project notes. These might refer to
locations of phase initiation documentation or other optional information.
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Step 2: Identify the project resources

Use the resources view to enter the particulars of all of the project team. The names and roles of the
team members can be specified. If required, you can enter hourly rates, overtime and availability
information for each team member. For this example, three 100% resources will be entered.
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Step 3: Identify the high-level tasks

For this example, the project is similar to an earlier effort that was completed successfully. That work
required tasks for initiation, research, contracting, development and launch. The project manager enters
these tasks into the Gantt view of OpenProj. The duration estimates are based on the values previously
seen for similar tasks. There is no ordering of tasks or dependencies. The raw Gantt list is below. Notice
that the task "Application Development" is shown with a red duration bar while all other tasks have blue
bars. This task is identified as the project critical path. It is the longest running task in the project. Since
all tasks default to the start date of the project, the analysis of the critical path is quite premature at this
time. The project manager must now modify dependencies.

Step 4: Identify the task dependencies

For critical path analysis During a effort, some tasks can't start until others have been completed. This is
true for the "Test launch" task. There is nothing to test until the development is completed. As well, the
"News Shower" launch is dependent on every other task. The project manager, in discussions with team
members or sponsors as appropriate, determines the task dependencies. The modified Gantt view now
shows a realistic schedule. Notice that there is now a critical path, shown as a red bar that is comprised
of two tasks. The other tasks are completed in parallel and don't affect the critical path. At this point, no
resources have been assigned to the tasks. No tasks have been split into components.

Step 5: Assign project resources to tasks

Each of the tasks can have one or more resources assigned. The column "Resource Names" on the Gantt
View allows direct data entry of this information. Enter the name of a resource in the field. The default
action is to have each named resource work 100% of their time on the task. The field also supports the
direct entry of multiple resources. Enter the resource names separated by a semi-colon.
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Step 6: Task elaboration

An important feature of project management applications is the ability to allow the manager to split
tasks into smaller sub-tasks. This can allow better accuracy in schedule estimating. It also allows team
members to be specified in a just-in-time fashion for their assignments. The example project has some
opportunities for task elaboration.

Step 7: Evaluate the project plan with all of the tasks entered, and sub-tasks specified, the plan has
really evolved. It now shows a lot of information which can be useful in project reporting. The first item
is the critical path. This of the highest importance to the project manager and the organization. Reports
showing the tasks can be presented to company executives. An analysis of workloads can be done. Task
reports can be printed. In time, as completion percentages are entered for tasks, the project manager
can run status reports showing progress and schedule tracking.