Attempt all the questions.
Section-A
Question1) What do you understand by process tailoring? Why it is needed in any organization? Explain the areas in which any organization focuses, while tailoring the process building blocks. Describe some building blocks also.
Question2) Describe why the process of project planning is iterative and why a plan should be continually reviewed during software project?
Question3) What are the chief roles and responsibilities in software project planning?
Question4) Explain in brief about responsibilities of project manager and Team Leader.
Section-B
Case Study
Midas Touch System Inc. is a software company. Midas Touch has large pool of computer professionals who are the major asset of the organization. Midas Touch undertakes software projects in various countries. Each software project is different in scope and nature. Most of the projects are “onsite” project involving Midas Touch personnel going to the customer’s site for software development and implementation.
For each projects, a project team is formed. A project leader heads the project team. Depending on nature of the project , the team members are selected. The selection of team member is dependent on the specific skill requirement of the project being matched with the skill set available within the organization. At the end of the project , this team is disbanded and members go back to a “bench” . They remain on the bench till further project requiring specific skill set is available again.
Midas Touch marketing team is constantly working on getting projects for implementation. At times, Midas Touch finds that all their professionals are out on projects and there is no one on the bench. At this time when a new project is finalized, there is a shortage of personnel. Midas Touch finds it difficult to start work on project by finalizing project team. It means that there is a delay in the initial start-up phase of the project. This situation can lead to customer dissatisfaction and would affect further business. Naturally, Midas Touch quickly employs computer professionals to work on new assignments. The newly employed personnel are then rushed to the customer’s site.
Project leaders find it difficult to meet quality and time deadlines for their projects with the “raw hands” . Project leaders always prefer to have team members who have gone through induction and training program of Midas Touch and it so happens that, in a month Midas Touch was busy recruiting computer programmers while two months down the road, a project is completed and the entire team of 20 professionals returned back and was on the “bench” for two months till another project was finalized.
Midas Touch, ideally will like to have their “bench” empty as far as possible. At the same time, they will not like customer’s projects to be delayed for want of computer professionals.
Midas touch will actually like to forecast manpower needs and map available resources to identify need to recruit and train computer professionals. In order to do this, Midas Touch will like to have an information system that would provide actionable information. Action information would typically be in terms of skill set available, schedules by which individuals will be available for redeployment, expected project requirements and gap between requirement and availability of skills.
Question5) Case Questions:
a) Explain at macro level, the information system that you will recommend for Midas Touch.
b) Describe the selection process of Project members in Midas Touch.