SOFTWARE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

UNIT - V:

Software requirements gathering – steps to be followed – skills sets required challenges.

Estimation: Three phases of estimation. Design and Development phases – reusability,
Technology choices, Standards, Portability user interface – testability – diagnosis ability –
Maintainability – Install ability-The Effect of Internet on Project Management

Software requirements gathering

Requirements Gathering - Introduction, Processes, Benefits and Tools

In the world of software development, the success of a project relies heavily on a crucial yet
often overlooked phase: Requirement Gathering. This initial stage acts as the foundation for
the entire development life cycle, steering the course of the software and ultimately
determining its success. Let's explore why requirement gathering is so important, what its key
components are, and how it profoundly influences the overall development process.

What is Requirements Gathering?

Requirements gathering is a crucial phase in the software development life cycle (SDLC) and
project management. It involves collecting, documenting, and managing the requirements that
define the features and functionalities of a system or application. The success of a project
often depends on the accuracy and completeness of the gathered requirements in software.

Main Requirements Gathering Sub processes:

Stakeholder Identification:

 Objective: Identify all stakeholders who will be affected by the system, directly or
indirectly.

 Process: Conduct interviews, surveys, or workshops to determine the key individuals or

groups involved.

Stakeholder Analysis:

 Objective: Understand the needs, expectations, and influence of each stakeholder.

 Process: Analyze stakeholder inputs to prioritize requirements and manage conflicting

interests.
Problem Definition:

 Objective: Clearly define the problems or opportunities that the software system aims to
address.

 Process: Engage stakeholders in discussions to uncover and articulate the core problems
or opportunities.

Requirements Extraction:

 Objective: Gather detailed requirements by interacting with stakeholders.

 Process: Employ techniques such as interviews, surveys, observations, or brainstorming

sessions to extract requirements.

Requirements Documentation:

 Objective: Document gathered requirements in a structured format.

 Process: Create requirements documents, use cases, user stories, or prototypes to capture
and communicate requirements effectively.

Validation and Verification:

 Objective: Ensure that gathered requirements are accurate, complete, and consistent.

 Process: Conduct reviews, walkthroughs, or use validation tools to verify that the
requirements meet the defined criteria.

Processes of Requirements Gathering in Software Development:

There are 6 steps crucial for requirement gathering processes

Processes of Requirements Gathering in Software Development

Step 1- Assigning roles:

 The first step is to identify and engage with all relevant stakeholders. Stakeholders can
include end-users, clients, project managers, subject matter experts, and anyone else who
has a vested interest in the software project. Understanding their perspectives is essential
for capturing diverse requirements.

Step 2- Define Project Scope:

 Clearly define the scope of the project by outlining its objectives, boundaries, and
limitations. This step helps in establishing a common understanding of what the software
is expected to achieve and what functionalities it should include.

Step 3- Conduct Stakeholder Interviews:

 Schedule interviews with key stakeholders to gather information about their needs,
preferences, and expectations. Through open-ended questions and discussions, aim to
uncover both explicit and implicit requirements. These interviews provide valuable
insights that contribute to a more holistic understanding of the project.

Step 4- Document Requirements:

 Systematically document the gathered requirements. This documentation can take various
forms, such as user stories, use cases, or formal specifications. Clearly articulate
functional requirements (what the system should do) and non-functional requirements
(qualities the system should have, such as performance or security).

Step 5- Verify and Validate Requirements:

 Once the requirements are documented, it's crucial to verify and validate them.
Verification ensures that the requirements align with the stakeholders' intentions, while
validation ensures that the documented requirements will meet the project's goals. This
step often involves feedback loops and discussions with stakeholders to refine and clarify
requirements.

Step 6- Prioritize Requirements:

 Prioritize the requirements based on their importance to the project goals and constraints.
This step helps in creating a roadmap for development, guiding the team on which
features to prioritize. Prioritization is essential, especially when resources and time are
limited.
Requirement Gathering Techniques:

Effective requirement gathering is essential for the success of a software development project.
Various techniques are employed to collect, analyze, and document requirements.

Requirements Gathering Techniques

Here are some commonly used requirement gathering techniques:

1. Interviews:

 Conducting one-on-one or group interviews with stakeholders, including end-users,

clients, and subject matter experts. This allows for direct interaction to gather detailed
information about their needs, expectations, and concerns.

2. Surveys and Questionnaires:

 Distributing surveys and questionnaires to a broad audience to collect information on

a larger scale. This technique is useful for gathering feedback from a diverse set of
stakeholders and can be particularly effective in large projects.

3. Workshops:

 Organizing facilitated group sessions or workshops where stakeholders come together

to discuss and define requirements. Workshops encourage collaboration, idea
generation, and the resolution of conflicting viewpoints in a structured environment.

4. Observation:
  Directly observing end-users in their work environment to understand their
workflows, pain points, and preferences. Observational techniques help in uncovering
implicit requirements that users might not explicitly state.

5. Prototyping:

 Creating mockups or prototypes of the software to provide stakeholders with a

tangible representation of the proposed system. Prototyping allows for early
visualization and feedback, helping to refine requirements based on stakeholders'
reactions.

6. Use Cases and Scenarios:

 Developing use cases and scenarios to describe how the system will be used in
different situations. This technique helps in understanding the interactions between
users and the system, making it easier to identify and document functional
requirements.

7. Document Analysis:

 Reviewing existing documentation, such as business process manuals, reports, and

forms, to extract relevant information. This technique provides insights into the
current processes and helps identify areas for improvement.

Why Requirement Gathering is important?

Requirement gathering holds immense importance in software development for several

critical reasons:

1. Clarity of Project Objectives:

 Requirement gathering sets the stage by defining and clarifying the objectives of the
software project. It ensures that all stakeholders, including clients, users, and
development teams, have a shared understanding of what needs to be achieved.

2. Customer Satisfaction:

 Understanding and meeting customer needs is paramount for customer satisfaction.

Requirement gathering allows developers to comprehend the expectations of end-
users and clients, leading to the creation of a product that aligns with their desires and
requirements.

3. Scope Definition:
  Clearly defined requirements help in establishing the scope of the project. This
delineation is crucial for managing expectations, avoiding scope creep (uncontrolled
changes to project scope), and ensuring that the project stays on track.

4. Reduced Misunderstandings:

 Ambiguities and misunderstandings are common sources of project failures.

Requirement gathering facilitates clear communication between stakeholders,
reducing the risk of misinterpretations and ensuring that everyone involved is on the
same page.

5. Risk Mitigation:

 Identifying and addressing potential issues at the requirements stage helps mitigate
risks early in the development process. This proactive approach minimizes the
chances of costly errors, rework, and delays later in the project life cycle.

Benefits of Requirements Gathering:

The benefits of effective requirements gathering in software development include:

 Cost Reduction: One of the primary benefits of effective requirements gathering is cost
reduction. When requirements are well-defined and thoroughly understood at the
beginning of a project, it minimizes the likelihood of costly changes and rework later in
the development process.

 Customer Satisfaction: Clear and accurate requirements gathering directly contributes to

customer satisfaction. When the end product aligns closely with the expectations and
needs of the stakeholders, it enhances user experience and meets customer demands. This
satisfaction is not only vital for the success of the current project but also contributes to
positive relationships between the development team and clients, fostering trust and
potential future collaborations.

 Improved Communication: Requirements gathering serves as a communication bridge

between various stakeholders involved in a project, including developers, clients, users,
and project managers. Miscommunication is a common source of project failures and
delays. By clearly documenting and understanding requirements, the development team
ensures that everyone involved has a shared vision of the project objectives,
functionalities, and constraints.

 Efficient Resource Utilization: Thorough requirements gathering enables the efficient

allocation and utilization of resources. Resources, including time, manpower, and
technology, are finite and valuable. When requirements are well-defined, project teams
 can allocate resources more accurately, avoiding unnecessary expenditures or
overcommitting resources to certain aspects of the project.

 Enhanced Quality: Well-documented requirements serve as the foundation for quality

assurance throughout the development process. When the project team has a clear
understanding of what needs to be achieved, they can establish quality standards and
criteria from the outset. This clarity enables the implementation of effective testing
strategies, ensuring that each aspect of the system is thoroughly evaluated against the
specified requirements.

 Risk Management: Requirements gathering is a crucial component of effective risk

management. By identifying potential risks early in the project, stakeholders can
proactively address ambiguities, conflicting requirements, and other challenges that could
pose a threat to the project's success.

 Accurate Planning: Accurate project planning is dependent on a clear understanding of

project requirements. When requirements are well-documented, project managers can
create realistic schedules, milestones, and deliverables. This accurate planning is crucial
for setting expectations, managing stakeholder timelines, and ensuring that the project
progresses according to the established timeline.

Common Obstacles in Software Requirements Gathering:

Common obstacles in software requirements gathering include:

 Unclear Objectives: Lack of clear project objectives can hinder requirements gathering.
When stakeholders are unsure about what they want to achieve, it becomes challenging to
define and prioritize requirements effectively. This can lead to confusion, scope creep,
and difficulties in meeting project goals.

 Ambiguous Requirements: Ambiguities in requirements, such as vague language or

conflicting statements, can create misunderstandings among stakeholders and the
development team. Ambiguous requirements may result in deliverables that do not meet
expectations and may require extensive rework.

 Poor Stakeholder Involvement: Insufficient involvement or engagement of key

stakeholders can impede the requirements gathering process. When essential stakeholders
are not actively participating or providing input, there is a risk of missing critical
requirements or making decisions that do not align with the needs of the end-users.

 Changing Requirements: Requirements that undergo frequent changes during the

development process, often referred to as "scope creep," can lead to project delays,
 increased costs, and challenges in maintaining project focus. It is essential to manage and
control changes to prevent unnecessary disruptions.

 Communication Barriers: Communication challenges, such as language barriers,

misinterpretations, or inadequate channels for information exchange, can hinder effective
requirements gathering. It is crucial to establish clear communication channels and ensure
that all stakeholders have a shared understanding of the terminology used in the project.

 Overreliance on Documentation: Depending solely on documentation without active

collaboration and communication can lead to misunderstandings. Written requirements
may not capture the complete context or evolving needs, making it essential to
complement documentation with interactive processes like workshops and interviews.

 Lack of User Involvement: Users are often the ultimate beneficiaries of the system, and
their input is critical. Lack of user involvement or representation can result in systems that
do not effectively meet their needs. It is important to actively involve end-users in the
requirements gathering process to ensure the system's usability and acceptance.

How Requirements Gathering helps for Agile in Software Development:

Agile development emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and continuous improvement. The

requirements gathering process in Agile is iterative and adaptive, allowing for changes and
adjustments throughout the development lifecycle. Here's a detailed explanation of the
requirements gathering process in Agile:

 User Stories: In Agile, requirements are often expressed as user stories. A user story is a
concise, informal description of a feature told from the end-user's perspective. It typically
follows the format: "As a [type of user], I want [an action] so that [benefit/value]." User
stories focus on the user and their goals, helping to capture the essence of the required
functionality.

 Backlog Refinement: The product backlog is a prioritized list of features, enhancements,

and fixes. Backlog refinement sessions, often known as backlog grooming, occur
regularly to review, clarify, and prioritize the items in the backlog. This process ensures
that the most valuable and highest-priority items are at the top of the list and ready for
development in upcoming sprints.

 Iterative Development: Agile development is iterative, with work organized into time-
boxed cycles called sprints. During each sprint, a cross-functional team works on a set of
prioritized user stories. The requirements for each user story are refined and clarified as
the team progresses, allowing for flexibility and adaptability to changing priorities or
emerging insights.
 Continuous Stakeholder Collaboration: Agile encourages ongoing collaboration with
stakeholders, including product owners, end-users, and business representatives. Regular
meetings, such as sprint reviews and sprint planning, provide opportunities for
stakeholders to provide feedback on completed work, discuss changes to priorities, and
refine requirements for upcoming sprints.

 Prototyping and Visual Aids: Agile teams often use prototyping and visual aids to
enhance requirements understanding. Prototypes, wireframes, and other visual
representations help stakeholders visualize the proposed features and provide early
feedback. This iterative approach ensures that the final product closely aligns with
stakeholder expectations.

 Daily Stand-ups: Daily stand-up meetings, or daily scrums, are a key Agile practice.
These brief, focused meetings provide team members with the opportunity to share
progress, discuss impediments, and ensure that everyone is aligned on the project's goals.
While not specifically for requirements gathering, daily stand-ups facilitate ongoing
communication, allowing the team to quickly address any emerging requirements or
changes.

 Acceptance Criteria: Each user story in Agile is accompanied by acceptance criteria.

Acceptance criteria define the conditions that must be met for a user story to be
considered complete. They serve as a shared understanding between the development
team and stakeholders regarding the expectations for the functionality being delivered.
Clear acceptance criteria help prevent misunderstandings and ensure that the developed
features meet the desired outcomes.

 Retrospectives: Agile teams regularly conduct retrospectives at the end of each sprint to
reflect on what went well, what could be improved, and what changes might enhance the
development process. This feedback loop includes discussions about the effectiveness of
the requirements gathering process, allowing the team to adapt and refine their approach
for future sprints.

Challenges and Considerations in Agile Requirements Gathering:

 Changing Priorities: Agile embraces changes in requirements, but frequent changes can
pose challenges. It's crucial to strike a balance between flexibility and stability, ensuring
that changes are well-understood, prioritized, and communicated effectively to the
development team.

 Balancing Detail and Flexibility: Agile requires enough detail to guide development, but
also the flexibility to adapt as requirements evolve. Striking the right balance ensures that
 the team can respond to changes while maintaining a clear understanding of the project's
direction.

 Effective Communication: Agile heavily relies on communication and collaboration.

Ensuring that all team members, including stakeholders, have open channels for
communication is essential to prevent misunderstandings and align everyone with the
project's goals.

 Overemphasis on Documentation: While Agile values working software over

comprehensive documentation, it's important to strike a balance. Minimal but effective
documentation, such as user stories and acceptance criteria, should be maintained to
ensure a shared understanding among team members and stakeholders.

 Ensuring Continuous Feedback: Agile places a strong emphasis on continuous

feedback, but ensuring active stakeholder involvement can be challenging. Efforts should
be made to encourage regular feedback through sprint reviews, demos, and other
collaborative sessions to avoid potential misunderstandings and to keep the development
aligned with stakeholder expectations.

By embracing these Agile practices and considering the associated challenges, teams can
effectively gather and adapt requirements throughout the development process, delivering
value to stakeholders in a dynamic and responsive manner.

Tools for Requirements Gathering in Software Development:

Requirements gathering tools play a crucial role in streamlining the process of collecting,
documenting, and managing project requirements. These tools are designed to enhance
collaboration, improve communication, and facilitate the organization of complex
information. Here are several types of requirements gathering tools and their roles:

 Collaboration Tools: Collaboration tools, such as project management platforms (e.g.,

Jira, Trello, Asana), facilitate teamwork and communication among project stakeholders.
These platforms often include features like task assignment, progress tracking, and
discussion forums, enabling teams to collaboratively gather, discuss, and manage
requirements in real-time.

 Document Management Tools: Document management tools (e.g., Confluence,

SharePoint) help organize and store project documentation. These tools provide a
centralized repository for requirements, ensuring easy access, version control, and
collaboration. Document management tools are particularly valuable for maintaining a
structured record of evolving project requirements.
  Survey and Form Builders: Tools like Google Forms, Typeform, or SurveyMonkey
enable the creation of online surveys and forms. These are useful for gathering structured
data from a large audience, such as feedback, preferences, or specific information
required for project requirements. The collected data can be easily analyzed and
integrated into the requirements gathering process.

 Prototyping Tools: Prototyping tools (e.g., Sketch, Balsamiq, Figma) allow the creation
of visual or interactive prototypes. These tools are valuable for translating requirements
into tangible representations that stakeholders can interact with, providing a clearer
understanding of the proposed features and functionalities.

 Mind Mapping Tools: Mind mapping tools (e.g., MindMeister, XMind) help visualize
and organize complex ideas and relationships. During requirements gathering, these tools
can be used to create visual representations of interconnected requirements, helping
stakeholders and the project team understand the relationships between different features
and functionalities.

 Version Control Systems: Version control systems (e.g., Git, SVN) are essential for
managing changes to project documentation. These tools track revisions, allowing teams
to review, revert, or merge changes seamlessly. This is particularly valuable in dynamic
projects where requirements may undergo frequent updates or refinements.

 Requirements Management Software: Specialized requirements management tools

(e.g., IBM Engineering Requirements Management DOORS, Jama Connect) are designed
specifically for capturing, tracking, and managing requirements throughout the project
lifecycle. These tools often offer features such as traceability, impact analysis, and
integration with other project management tools.

 Visual Collaboration Tools: Visual collaboration tools (e.g., Miro, Lucidchart) facilitate
collaborative diagramming and visual representation of ideas. These tools can be used for
creating flowcharts, diagrams, or visual models that help communicate complex
requirements in a more intuitive and accessible way.

Estimation: Three phases of estimation

In software project management, estimation typically involves three main phases: estimating
project size, estimating effort and time, and estimating cost. These phases build upon each other,
starting with an initial assessment of the project's scope and then moving towards a more detailed
breakdown of resources and expenses.

1. Estimating Project Size:

 This phase focuses on determining the overall scope and complexity of the project.
 This can involve techniques like Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), where the project is broken
down into smaller, manageable components.

 Common methods include functional size analysis and object-oriented size estimation.

2. Estimating Effort and Time:

 This phase involves estimating the amount of time and resources needed to complete each task or
component.

 Three-point estimation: is a common method, which uses optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely
estimates for each task.

 Bottom-up estimation: involves breaking down the project into its smallest tasks and estimating
each one individually.

 Top-down estimation: starts with an overall project estimate and breaks it down into smaller
components.

 Analogous estimation: compares the current project to similar past projects.

3. Estimating Cost:

 This phase focuses on translating estimated effort and time into financial terms.

 It considers factors like resource costs, software licensing fees, and other project expenses.

 Parametric estimation: can be used to estimate project cost based on past data.

 Cost-benefit analysis: can be used to evaluate the potential return on investment for the project.

Design and Development phases

The design and development phase in software project management is a crucial stage where
requirements are transformed into a detailed blueprint, and the software is then built according to
those specifications. This phase involves activities like system design, coding, and development,
ensuring the final product meets the defined requirements and quality standards.
 Key Aspects of the Design and Development Phase:

 Requirement Analysis and Specification:

This phase begins with a thorough analysis of user needs and requirements, translating them
into detailed, clear specifications.

 System Design:

Software engineers develop the overall structure and architecture of the system, including
database design, user interface design, and module integration.

 Coding and Development:

Developers write the actual code based on the design specifications, building and testing the
software incrementally.

 Testing and Quality Assurance:

Rigorous testing is conducted throughout the development process to ensure functionality,

performance, and reliability.

 Documentation:

The development team creates comprehensive documentation, including the Software Design
Document (SDD), which serves as a roadmap for future development and maintenance.

Importance of the Design and Development Phase:

 Foundation for Success:

 This phase lays the groundwork for a successful software product, ensuring that the final
solution is well-structured, efficient, and meets user needs.

 Reduced Development Time:

A well-defined design and development process can significantly reduce development time and
costs by minimizing rework and errors.

 Improved Quality:

Thorough design and development practices lead to higher quality software with fewer bugs
and improved user experience.

 Maintainability:

A well-designed software system is easier to maintain and update, allowing for future
enhancements and bug fixes.

6 Effects of the Internet of Things on Project Management

The internet of things and project management

The IoT is essentially the global network of devices that can communicate with
one another and end users through the internet. As recently as two decades ago, this
network was made up of computers almost exclusively. But in the last decade, the IoT
has exploded through the proliferation of everything from smartphones, to microwaves
and refrigerators, and even toasters, all sharing data with each other and the world around
them. That's almost three devices per person, and each of those devices will be measuring
data and facilitating communication. Many major technology firms are developing their
own IoT platforms, such as Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud.
But preparing for the IoT isn't just a concern for megacorporations. Project managers and
small business leaders also need to be ready for a connected workplace. The IoT
intersects with project management on everything from team collaboration to data
collection. You can expect real-time status reporting via IoT to usher in a new era of
dynamic planning and revolutionized project execution. Data collection will happen
seamlessly and constantly, allowing leaders to make more informed decisions. Inventory
and resources will be easily monitored at all times. Devices can automatically sense and
respond to what is happening around them or in their network, reducing the need for
human intervention, lowering operating costs, increasing response times, and minimizing
errors. Moreover, customers can expect to receive better and faster service. In terms
of project management technology, the IoT will fundamentally alter the speed of project
execution. Organizations that capitalize on the IoT will complete pro jects faster than
those that don't, and organizations that fail to adapt to the IoT revolution will be left
hopelessly behind. At least six things will change, which will require project managers to
adapt both technically and systematically. That's almost three devices per person, and
each of those devices will be measuring data and facilitating communication. Many major
technology firms are developing their own IoT platforms, such as Amazon Web
Services, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud. But preparing for the IoT isn't just a
concern for megacorporations. Project managers and small business leaders also need to
be ready for a connected workplace. The IoT intersects with project management on
everything from team collaboration to data collection. You can expect real-time status
reporting via IoT to usher in a new era of dynamic planning and revolutionized project
execution. Data collection will happen seamlessly and constantly, allowing leaders to
make more informed decisions. Inventory and resources will be easily monitored at all
times. Devices can automatically sense and respond to what is happening around them or
in their network, reducing the need for human intervention, lowering operating costs,
increasing response times, and minimizing errors. Moreover, customers can expect to
receive better and faster service. In terms of project management technology, the IoT will
fundamentally alter the speed of project execution. Organizations that capitalize on the
IoT will complete projects faster than those that don't, and organizations that fail to adapt
to the IoT revolution will be left hopelessly behind. At least six things will change, which
will require project managers to adapt both technically and systematically.
1. IoT enables hyperspeed reporting

IoT substantially reduces the cost of communication. The hyperconnected devices and
constant flow of data that automate systems will speed things up considerably. No more
idle times are required in between activities. No more silos from support systems such a s
databases, storage, and IT operations. IMPACT Say you're an IT project manager, and
you need to run a status report on all of your organization's desktop and laptop computers
and tablets and mobile devices. In the past, this process might take weeks. Bu t with the
IoT, a project manager could run a report on the quantity and condition of all of those
pieces in an instant.

2. IoT allows complete monitoring and process control

IoT allows project managers, management, and stakeholders to monitor and control
activities in real time. The overall snapshot of a comprehensive system is monitored on a
single screen, which allows overseers to immediately attend to any
interruptions. IMPACT Using equipment as an example, sensors will be used for
monitoring and predicting maintenance needs throughout a project's lifetime. The scope
of devices, activities, and conditions that need to be tested will increase exponentially as
projects become more complex. Ease of use and environments suddenly become critical.

3. IoT creates an explosion of valuable project data

In the past, archiving historical data was a time- and labor-intensive process. With the
IoT, historical data will become available immediately, which is extremely helpful for
current and future projects. Everything from budgeting to individual meetings with team
members will be recorded in great detail, providing a solid foundation for future
decisions. IMPACT Project management tools will need to be more responsive and
scalable to accommodate this data explosion. Organizations need to make sure that their
project management software package is capable of growing to accommodate this
incoming flood of data. They also need to know when it's time to upgrade—for example,
if your team is capping out on your storage allowance each month.

4. IoT allows super-deep data analytics

With the IoT comes advanced data analytics, and advanced data analytics require
advanced interpretations and management. IMPACT Project managers must upgrade
their skills related to data handling, which could mean increasing spend and resources
toward data management, hiring experienced data analysts, and accounting for data
analysis when creating the project timeline. In other words, the more familiar project
managers are with the importance of advanced data analysis, the better the chances for
project success.
5. IoT ushers in stricter ethical and legal implications

Today's internet-connected devices send data to each other extremely fast. We're not
dealing with dial-up modems anymore. One error could create a domino effect that could
topple an entire project or, in extreme cases, an entire career before you can say
"Enron." IMPACT Businesses of all sizes need to impose stricter ethical and legal
implications on any slight mistake or oversight. Project managers and team members
should be aware of this early on so that the project can be completed with minimal ethical
and legal risks.

6. IoT raises expectations for all stakeholders

Once companies adopt IoT, the marketplace will be transformed into a level playing field.
Only the strongest and the fittest will survive. No longer can organiza tions hide behind
old excuses such as, "We don't have access to that data" or, "We need a few weeks to get
that report back." IMPACT Project managers need to lead the charge when it comes to
raising standards in the IoT era. As a project manager, your job is to be aware of the most
useful technology available and enable your team to use it.