CHAPTER 4 Project Scheduling

CHAPTER 4

4.1 The Concept:

Software project scheduling is an activity that distributes estimated effort across the planned project duration by allocating the effort to specific software engineering tasks. Every project has a deadline to complete. So, software projects also have a deadline to meet. To complete a software project within a time frame, proper scheduling should be done. In other words, we can say that successful software projects are those that have been successfully placed a schedule. A software project scheduling involves plotting project activities against a time frame. So, the scheduling is about developing a road map structure or a network based on analysis of the tasks that must be performed to complete the projects. The schedule evolves over time. During early stages of project planning, a microscopic schedule is developed. This type of schedule identifies all major software-engineering activities and the product functions to which they are applied. As the project gets under way, each entry on the macroscopic schedule is refined into a detailed schedule. Here, specific software tasks are identified and scheduled. The scheduling objective is to define all project tasks, build a network that depicts their interdependencies, identity the tasks that are critical within the network, ant then track their progress to ensure that delay is recognized “ one Day at a time”. To accomplish this, the manager must have a schedule that has been defined at a degree of resolution that enables the manager to monitor progress and control the project.

4.2 Pert & Gantt Chart

Program evaluation and review technique (PERT) and critical path method are two project scheduling methods that are applied to software development. Both techniques are driven by information already developed in earlier project planning activities. Gantt charts are a project control technique that can be used for several purposes, including scheduling, budgeting and resources planning. A Gantt chart is a bar chart, with each bar is proportional to the length of time planned for the activity.

Inter task dependencies cannot be shown using these techniques. PERT charts show tasks inter dependencies directly. It is organized by events and activities or tasks. PERT controls time and cost during the project and also facilitate finding the right balance between completing a project on time and completing it within the budget. In my project a set of tasks was performed for the project development. The major identified Software Engineering Tasks at software project development are as follows:

1. System Analysis

2. System Design

3. Software Development

4. Software Testing

5. Software Installation

6. Software Documentation

7. System Evaluation

The timeline chart of the above task set (Time Frame: 3 months 15 days) has been prepared. The PERT Chart of the software development phase is also prepared and is depicted in figure 1. It is based on the different modules identified in the software.

Project Development Scheduling