Managing the Software Enterprise - Assignment Example

?Managing the Software Enterprise Question Explain in your own words what configuration management is and why it is needed. How can configuration management be used to help estimate project cost and duration?     Configuration management is the process of recognition, change control, controlled storage, and status reporting of chosen intermediate job products, components of the product, and products themselves for the period of life of a system. Configuration management (CM) becomes an essential activity because it helps to achieve updating and recording information that encompasses an enterprise's software and hardware. Such information normally consists of the updates and replacement with new versions that have been done to the installed packages of software as well as the network addresses and locations of hardware devices. Certain kinds of special configuration management software are also available to do the task in a more effective manner. When a system require software or hardware upgrade, a computer technician can accesses the program of the configuration management and database to see what is presently installed. The technician can then create a more informed decision regarding the upgrade needed. The major benefit of application of a configuration management is that the whole collection of systems can be evaluated to ensure any modification made to one system do not negatively affect any of the other systems. Configuration management is used to help estimate project cost and duration. It provides cost estimating support for the period of the planning and design stages of projects for optimization of the design and studies of value engineering, risk assessment life-cycle and cost analyses. Question 2 is based on a case study of an ERP system that, unlike the ‘Cisco’ case study looked at in the previous TMAs, failed. a. This part of the question relates to the management of resources. (10 marks) Vicro communications is a global provider of products and services that enable industries to communicate through digital and print technologies. As a prominent dealer of document formatted information, data based marketing and print outsourcing, they manufactures and delivers business communication products, Vicro designs, services and solutions to consumers. This case study consists mainly of three resource areas that include technical, human and financial or timescale components. The company undertake over 100 distribution and manufacturing services. About 14,000 employees, spreading over serving 47 countries work for them. It gives a leading edge in IT systems and provides modern solutions that allow firms to adapt to the dynamics of change. “Vicro is a large company with approximately 2.45 billion in 1999 and 2.26 billion dollars in 2000 revenue” (Tingey, et al. 2003). The relation between BPR and ERP Vicro provides project management, consulting, distribution of high volume and reengineering, customized connections to its customers. It also delivers personalized, simple to read documents planned to help a positive idea on an organization’s clients. The company has become a market leader in organizing critical business communications. It facilitates products and services that contain statement, government noticing, cards, plan member communication, policy holder and database marketing. The main technologies used by the company include mainframe systems to store centralized production data and provide the core functions of the business and client server technologies for growth as well as handling routine daily tasks. These processes mainly include email, web access, file transfer etc. b. This question relates to risk management. (10 marks) i. Risks can be ranked, according to which these must be tackled first when resources are scarce. Generally, risks with high severity and high likelihood of frequent occurrence must be tackled first, and risks with low severity and low frequency need to be accorded lower priority. In this case study, the main risk is organizational risks, which can occur under certain unfavourable circumstances and can endanger the business. These circumstances may emerge from changes in the market in the financial context, the law and the relations with customers. Vicro Communications has made no efforts to study existing systems and processes to see if they are fluid. Specifically, they have failed to get opinions and feedback from consumer about the systems and procedure path experts. From this case study, it also transpires that a lot of people at Vicro were uncomfortable with BPR and HPT. These people told others what they thought was going astray with the implementation and planning. The management has never listened to them or inquired for their opinions. Every firm has experts with business processes and legacy systems, which have to be understood on an enterprise level if change is to be geared to a successful culmination. Vicro relies on technology, and, therefore fluidity is a main obstacle and possibly the main reason for the failure of HPT. Business procedures are not streamlined and made efficient at this point so automating them with software will only entail bad procedures. ii. Evaluate the risk management strategies that might have been followed in the ‘BPR’ case study and whether these would have addressed the risks you identified in part i. In the BPR case study provide reactive risk strategy. Reactive risk strategy is the most usually used and older strategy for arranging risks in software projects. The main use of this strategy is that allow risk occur then cope with it. Here no preventive care is taken regarding the risks before; risks are managed only when they happens .In these strategy remedial steps are in use only when software project moves into a problem. Vicro communication solves all the risk once it had been occurred. The BPR effort did not produce significant performance improvements and HPT did not live up to vendor promises. The board and the CEO and seemed to embrace BPR as they had to do to stay competitive sooner than as a holistic technique to move the organization. c. Drawing on what you have read so far for this module and on your previous answers about the ‘Cisco’ and ‘BPR’ case studies, write a comparative analysis of the two case studies, focusing on the key factors determining the success of one and the failure of the other. (10 marks) In the Vicro Communication’s case, study of relevant data that the software investment decision is the main contributory element to the failure of the effort. Vendor promises were not kept and Vicro was stuck holding the bag. In short, the reengineering efforts failed miserably even after investing hundreds of millions of dollars in software completion. Consequently, the performance could not be improved and the software was required to be phased out. Many of the employees tried to communicate to the management regarding problems in working with the system. However, the management never listened to them for nor ascertained their feedback or suggestions. Question 3. 1. Set the exogenous requests and the user change multiplier to zero, and run two simulations of the model of Lehman’s Second law. They should differ only in the team size. Provide screenshots of the two simulations and explain why the two parameters were set to zero. (Hint: The Lehman’s Second Law model is about an ongoing maintenance project.)  Lehman’s second laws and the related quantitative models aim to summarize empirical generalizations regarding E-type program evolution. The structure of a simulation model, based on the laws, needs the prospect of functional relations. Since empirical information is becomes limited under normal circumstances, the traditional quantitative approaches, for example, system dynamics involves assumptions regarding such relations. There are mainly two type of simulations used in Lehman’s Second Law. They should differ only in the size of the team. On the other hand, qualitative reasoning, and mainly qualitative simulation techniques, envisage models that involve a lesser number of assumptions. The concept of the model in its qualitatively different behaviour offers a significant and powerful method for modelling and symbolizing models of software development at a level of abstraction, appropriate to the wholeness of the empirical data. 2. Referring to the screenshots provided in part a, state whether the two simulations demonstrate Brooks’ Law and explain why. You don’t need to provide any calculations as part of your explanation.     Two simulations can be illustrated in Brooks’ Law. Brooks’ Law adding staff to a late software project creates it later. This is mainly because Brooks law builds up law in the course of the observation of numerous projects and subsequently derives the generalization. The explanation of the Brooks law was quite convincing and reasonable. However, it turns out to be a debilitating report to any software project manager who has to face a late project. A simulation of a procedure is the execution over time of a Brooke model of that procedure. The simulations describe some software development procedures and that would help to obtain a more critical and deeper insight into those procedures. Each model includes numerous parameters representing the items of well being and interest in the process of software development. For example: the number of requirements, the number of developers, the rate of productivity, etc. Each of these parameters will have a numerical value at every point in time. The Brooks’ Law has been revised into a useful guiding value in order to benefit software development. 3. Explain the observed behaviour of the five work-related parameters. You don’t need to provide any calculations as part of your explanation.  Brooks’ Law has been broadly addressed to in the past. Lamb and Gordon studied Brooks’ Law and recommended that the best method to recover from a slipping plan is to add more populace than is anticipated to be essential as well as to add them with the point of view of early dynamics. The effect of Brooks’ Law is mainly originated by an increased harmonization and training overhead. More harmonization overhead implies that more jobs have to be done. The burden of extra training on experienced staff leads to a reduced quantity of productive and dynamic output and performance. The result of Brooks’ Law can become worse when the management adopts erroneous actions like waiting too long to state the problems and attempting to resolve i. 4. Explain why the Brooks’ Law model is more suitable for analysing Brooks’ Law, by listing two important differences between that model and Lehman’s Second Law model.     Brooks' law is a principle in development of software, which denotes that "adding manpower to a late software project creates it later.” The particular behaviours described by the Brooks’ Law archetype consist of the following: • Geometrically rising communication overhead that ? decreases productivity of the development, and ? Decreases the time available for every person to do development • A decrease in experienced personnel obtainable for development (by using them for guidance and training of new staff). It evaluates proposals on the basis of technological merit. The highest ranked dealer is invited to deal with the proposal, terms, contract and fees. Two important differences between that model and Lehman’s Second Law model Brooks' law 1) Brooks' law is a principle in development of the software which denotes that "adding manpower to a late software project creates it later. 2) It is entropy of a software scheme that enlarges with time unless particular plan is undertaken to maintain or decrease it. Lehman’s Second Law mode 1) This model was built up by the course team to demonstrate Lehman’s Second Law of Software development, which may be uttered as follows: as a scheme evolves, its difficulty raises, unless job is done to maintain or decrease the complexity. 2) It is a functional ability of most software schemes that should be repeatedly increased in order to uphold user satisfaction over the lifetime of the system. Question 4: Complete as many instances as possible in the following crossword. Across 1. Link components together to create an executable system- System Building 5. ?Taking a copy of a configuration item from a repository- Checking in 6. ?Dysfunctional estimation approach- Parkinson 7. ?Change control level which should be applied to items released to users- Formal Change Control 9. ?Author of ‘The Mythical Man-Month’ – Fred Brooks 10. ?Estimation based on the most similar past project(s)- By analogy 11. ?Single version of the complete software being maintained- Gold Copy System 13. ?Strategy by which impact of a risk is assumed by others- Proactive Strategy 14. ?Level name in CMMI where process improvement is main focus- Optimising 15. ?In ISO 9126: non fulfilment of specified requirements- Nonconformity Down 2.  Total project cost increasing faster than project size- Diseconomies of Scale   3.   Staff-related risk factor- Project Risk 4.    (Impact) x (likelihood) - Risk 8.   Estimation through formulas parameterised from past projects- Analogy   12.   One of the three software types in COCOMO 81- Semi detached Question 5: What are the three most important concepts (or techniques, tools, approaches, insights) that you have learned from M882 and how are you planning to apply them in your daily work? The following are the three main concepts discussed in the M882. Configuration Management: Configuration Management is a method for ascertaining and sustaining reliability of performance of the product and practical and substantial features with its requirements, plan and operational data throughout its life. Configuration management is important during all stages of software acquirement and development for all types of software. CM is the application of managing changes analytically so that a system upholds its reliability over time. It implements the strategies, procedures, system and tools that are necessary to administer, assess anticipated changes, follow the form of changes as well as preserve a record of system and hold documents as the system modifies. The plans and strategy provide technological and organizational direction to the expansion and execution of actions, utilities, benefits, tools, procedure, and resources necessary to effectively raise and maintain a multifaceted system. Different users need to have different types of changes in the software they use. Configuration management involves arranging the computer system in such a way that satisfies the requirements of all users. The main configuration required in almost all the computer system is in updating from an older version to the latest one. Configuration Management Plan involves procedures and standards applied in an organization. System building is an important process in configuration management. The project managers need to make certain that proper versions of the files and processes are applied and performed with right specifications. The M882 section has helped me to gain valuable insights into the various aspects of configuration management and helps to ensure that all incremental changes and patches are coordinated to different build lines and build systems. It has also helped for continuing the health of the software repositories, guaranteeing that the software can be profitably formed and is working all the time. The case study of incompatibility between compiler versions has helped to learn that before configuration all the files and tools need to be recorded safely for future reference. Risk Management: Risk is common in every type of business. In software related industry, the occurrence of risk and its effects is a serious problem. It creates huge problems to software employers in the form of losses such as risk to the products, people, money, agreements, share of market, risk to the status of people, organizations etc. Main types of risks that occur in the software industry include organizational risk, project risk and technical risk. Development of software is a risky process and even riskier is the maintenance of the software once it is developed. Any changes in the requirements of the software and the personnel involvement in making the decision is a risk related activity. It is the responsibility of the project managers to manage the risk and solve all these risk related factors. Managing risk involves development of two strategies, which are reactive and proactive strategy. Reactive strategy can be created only when there is a risk underlying in the processes whereas, proactive strategy is implemented before the risk actually occurs, that is it can be done by planning and anticipating the intensity and level of risk. However, proactive strategy includes risk reduction, avoidance, retention and transfer. Risk Management is a complex process as it involves first anticipating the seriousness of risk, prioritizing the consequences each risk will create and then taking actions to reduce each risk. The risk that needs to handle immediately are attended to and overcome at the first stage itself. Most software industries today apply different tactics to reduce risks. Risk baseline is such a measure adopted to identify the risk. I have learned that continuous risk management should become a routine procedure and should faultlessly fit into the daily work. Identifying and analyzing the intensity of risk has helped to perform the daily work effortlessly. It has helped to adopt a risk baseline in the daily processes of work in order to avoid the losses. Quality Culture: Quality is an important concept in every business. For a software industry, quality of the products, information and services require the most attention. If an industry has maintained better quality in the services they provide to the users, they are awarded quality standards such as ISO 9000, CMMi, SPICE etc. This will add to the reputation and public image of the business. Quality culture is centred on the performance of employees working in the software industry. It concerns their activities, relationship with the customers and their other contributions that have led to the success of the industry. Quality culture will be developed only when the managers and the employees are committed towards the organization. It is also possible only when right employees with good knowledge and skill are recruited in industries. They should also be aware of the occurrence of risks in the process and activities carried out by them and also need to find measures to tackle it immediately. A better insight into the quality culture has promoted me to apply a software quality assurance plan to ensure quality in all the standards and plans of the software industry. This approach has helped me to efficiently progress the quality of delivered procedure, thereby make sure high level of customer satisfaction and low level of repairs. It has also guided to set up an effective quality management system for proper implementation of planning and controlling in the industry. Reference List Tingey, K.B. et al. (2003). The Relation between BPR and ERP Systems: A Failed Project. Annals of Cases on Information Technology. Print. [Accessed on 11 September 2012]. Read More