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The information systems (IS) community has always had a concern about quality. The pressure for delivering systems of high quality has never been greater. Time -tomarket of products is accelerating; customers want the product faster and better. Offshore programming and outsourcing agreements threaten to produce systems not only cheaper but better. Software solutions can arise that can make the existing state-of-the-art obsolete virtually overnight. The IS community is also going through rigorous self-analysis. The Software Engineering Institute’s (SEI) Capability Maturity Model (CMM) is raising questions about the way IS shops build and deliver quality system. Self-analysis is being forced from somewhere distant and is growing in popularity. The pressure is for IS organizations to seriously consider becoming ISO 9000 certified. As companies, in general, and computing, in particular, become more global in nature, the IS community will increasingly face pressure to comply with the ISO 9000 series. Project management plays an important role for becoming ISO 9000 certified. According to a study of ISO 9000 certified firms in Colorado, project management would have made their certification easier and more efficient. The Colorado firms cited teamwork and project management as the two most important lessons learned; the former is really project management, too. The firms also emphasized the need for training, greater appreciation of time required, and better project management. Arguably, the first and second items are project management-related, too. BASICS OF ISO 9000 The ISO 9000 series, developed by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), are standards that provide a framework for developing quality systems. Currently, five standards exist: Standard Subject 9000 Guidelines on using standards 9001 Design, manufacture, install, and service of systems 9002 Production and installation Standard Subject 9003 Final inspection and testing 9004 Quality management In 1991, the ISO developed ISO 9000-3 for software development. It identifies quality controls (QC) for developing, supplying, and maintaining software; focuses on conforming to requirements throughout the life cycle of software; calls for defining, documenting, and communicating policies and objectives on quality; and requires reviews, inspections, defined responsibilities, version control, and other QC-related disciplines being in place. These QC disciplines and others should be documented in a quality plan. Putting such QC disciplines in place is, however, not enough. The standards require the companies to be certified, too, via a registrar who audits for compliance with the standards. If it passes the review, the firm becomes ISO 9000 certified, subject to periodic recertifications. The ISO 9000 series is gaining recognition in the IS community. Firms like Sybase and Hewlett–Packard have already embraced ISO certification. PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND ISO 9000 A business endeavor must meet three criteria to be a project. It must have a fixed duration, require performing a sequence of tasks, and produce something once the tasks are complete. Becoming ISO certified satisfies all three criterions. Becoming certified typically takes up to one-and-a-half years: a series of tasks must occur (e.g., conducting pre-audits) and “deliverables” (e.g., quality control policy) and a final product (e.g., ISO 9000 certification) are produced. Being classified a project is an academic exercise. What is really important is that the ISO project c ompletes successfully. Project management is the way to obtain that result. Project management is the systematic application of concepts, techniques, and tools to plan, organize, control, and lead a project. Plan, organize, control, and lead are the four basic functions of project management. Planning is deciding in advance what the project will achieve, determining the steps to execute, and identifying when to start and stop. Organizing is orchestrating resources cost-effectively to execute the project plan. Controlling is assessing how well the project manager uses the plans and organization to meet project goals and objectives. Leading is influencing people to achieve the goals and objectives of the project. PLANNING Planning consists of seven basic elements: 1. Statement of work (SOW) 2. Work breakdown structure (WBS) 3. Estimating 4. Scheduling 5. Resource allocation 6. Budgeting 7. Risk control Statement of Work The SOW is a contract between the person performing the tasks and the internal or external customer of the product. From an ISO 9000 perspective, the customer is frequently an internal one (such as the manager of an IS department) and the people performing the tasks (e.g., ISO 9000 implementation team members). The SOW describes the project scope, major responsibilities, deliverables and final product description, constraints, and signatures. Below is an outline of an SOW with corresponding examples: I. Goal A. Obtain ISO 9000 certification of all IS development processes II. Objectives A. Complete ISO certification by August 28 B. Document 100 percent of the software development processes III. Product/Service Description and Deliverables A. Develop and publish quality manual B. Document all as-is and to-be processes prior to certification C. Train entire IS development staff on new processes IV. Constraints A. Training cannot exceed 40 hours per person B. Third party registration cannot exceed $50,000 V. Responsibilities A. Implementation team B. Executive steering committee Work Breakdown Structure The WBS is a top-down, hierarchical list of the deliverables and the steps to produce them. The purpose is to identify the major deliverables and the final product and list the tasks to build them. An effective WBS has a level of granularity that makes estimating and tracking of tasks meaningful, usually requiring less than two weeks of effort. The WBS is based upon the content in the SOW and the input from the people who perform the work. Once complete, the project manager does estimating, develops schedules, and allocates resources. Estimating With a good draft of the WBS, the project manager estimates the effort required to complete each of the lower level items in the work breakdown structure. Often, estimating is highly subjective, reflecting extreme optimism or pessimism. Rarely do estimates emerge realistic. To overcome the effects of extreme optimism or pessimism, a formula — called the three-point estimate technique — exists to compensate for the tendency towards exaggeration. For each low level item, the project manager looks at three variables: most optimistic, most pessimistic, and most likely. The most pessimistic is the time required to complete a task under the worst conditions. The most optimistic is the time under the best conditions. The most likely is the time under “typical” or “normal” conditions. Next, the variables are plugged into a formula: Expected Time = Most Pessimistic + 4(Most Likely) + Most Optimistic / 6 Example: 120 hours + 4(80 hours) + 60 / 6 = 83.33 hours After estimating, the project manager translates the figures into flow, or work, days to develop schedules. The time is typically divided into units of eight hours. Scheduling With the SOW, WBS, and estimates complete, the project manager can draft an integrated, or network, schedule for the project. The integrated schedule is based upon the logical relationship among lower level tasks in the WBS and the time estimates; the result is a calculated set of dates for each task. These dates are: early start date, early finish date, late start date, and late finish date. Early start date is the earliest time that a task can start and early finish is the earliest time to finish; late start is the latest that a task can finish and late start is the latest time to finish. These dates become significant because they determine not only the flexibility in starting and completing tasks but also the critical path. It is the path in the network diagram that is the longest and has the tasks that cannot slide. Sliding these tasks will jeopardize the project completion date. “Float” is the degree that a task can slide past its completion date; tasks on this path have the least float. Resource Allocation The initial draft of the network diagram is sufficient, but it is unusable until resources are applied against it. The project manager looks at the available resources and allocates to each task. This allocation is mainly manpower-based for an ISO 9000 project; the project manager assigns people according to their education, knowledge, and experience. The project manager may, in turn, adjust estimates, schedule logic, or dates to reflect the expertise level of those people assigned to a task. Budgeting Calculating costs is relatively easy upon completion of resource allocation. The project manager, using the project database, calculates the direct and overhead costs for each task and the grand total for the entire project. The project manager then has a realistic estimate of the entire cost for the project. Risk All projects, even ISO 9000 projects, are not without risks. As with other projects, these risks, or vulnerabilities, can lay waste to the best plans. The project manager who performs a risk assessment can determine where some of the vulnerabilities may occur and adjust the estimates, schedules, and resource allocations accordingly. Doing a risk assessment enables the project manager to effectively control the project. Some common risks facing an ISO 9000 project include: - Failing to agree upon what is an acceptable level of defects - Failing to follow a standardized audit process - Failing to receive ISO 9000 certification - Lacking “buy-in” from key project participants - Lacking senior management support or commitment - Not agreeing upon a measurement criteria - Not identifying a process owner - Using an ill-defined criterion for benchmarking ORGANIZING Having good plans in place are necessary but have little use if no infrastructure exists to support them. A project manager can put an infrastructure in place by instituting one or more of these elements: team organization, responsibility matrix, project manual, meetings, and software. Team Organization Assembling a group of people is not enough to form a project team. Structure is necessary so that the synergy of the group is meaningfully captured and directed. An effective way to capture that synergy is to organize the team into relationships that reflect clear reporting and authorities and reflect that arrangement. Project Manual Ideally, team members should have the necessary information to do their work. A project manual is an effective way to provide that information. The manual can be either in hard copy or electronic form. Here is an outline of a typical project manual: I. Introduction A. About this manual B. How to keep it current
II. Plan A. Statement of work B. Responsibilities C. Schedules III. Documentation standards A. Narrative documentation B. Flowcharting IV. Procedures and policy statements V. ISO 9000 guidelines VI. Internal documentation VII. Service support functions and responsibilities VIII. Documentation A. Reports B. Forms IX. Contact lists X. Self-assessment practices XI. Appendices Meetings In a project environment, the project manager conducts three basic meetings: checkpoint review, status review, and staff. The checkpoint review meeting is held after the occurrence of an important event, such as the completion of a major milestone in the schedule. The focus of this meeting is to learn what has and has not gone well and decide whether to proceed. The status review meeting is held regularly, i.e., weekly. Its purpose is to assess schedule status, cost, and quality. The staff meeting, to communicate and share information, is held regularly. Software The larger the project the more important is the role of software. Because the number of tasks and their interrelationships become more complex, the compilation and analysis of data require speed and reliability. Some popular, reliable project management packages include Microsoft Project and Primavera Project Planner. Using software requires, however, a caveat. The software does not manage a project — the project manager does. The software is only a tool, like the project manual or schedule, to attain desired results. CONTROLLING A plan lays the basis for good project management but does not guarantee success. A project manager must still ensure that the plan is being followed — that he is controlling the project. Controlling involves these four elements: 1. Status collection and assessment 2. Tracking and monitoring 3. Contingency planning 4. Replanning Status Collection and Assessment To determine how well a project is progressing requires collecting useful data about its overall performance. In other words, status collection. Collecting data is, however, not enough. The project manager must also assess performance vis a vis the plan. In other words, status assessment. Status collection and assessment work together to help the project manager track and monitor project performance. Because ISO 9000 projects last one to one-and-a-half years on average, a tendency exists to give status collection and assessment a lower priority than “doing the work.” Relegating status collection and assessment to such a level can lead to an illusion of optimism and, subsequently, to grave oversights that require a rush to successfully complete the project. It is best to set a regular time for collection and assessment to constantly review performance. Tracking and Monitoring To assess project performance, the project manager looks at the past and into the future. Looking at the past, or tracking, gives the project manager an understanding of where the project is currently and uncovers any problems or oversights. Looking into the future, or monitoring, gives the project manager an understanding of where the project will be in the future based on previous performance to date. Together, tracking and monitoring enable the project manager to “get a bearing” on the project and steer it in the right direction. Tracking and monitoring play a key role in certification, especially if time-to-market is essential. If tracking and monitoring reveal a negative condition, the project manager can quickly determine if and what action is necessary to improve project performance. Contingency Planning As mentioned earlier, the project manager performs a risk assessment. Not only is the risk assessment necessary for estimating and scheduling, it is also important to respond appropriately to circumstances not directly incorporated in the project plan. Contingency planning enables the project manager to respond to an expected circumstance that had a low likelihood of occurrence (e.g., failure to imple ment certain quality control processes). Replanning Occasionally, circumstances arise on a project that were not anticipated and renders the plan obsolete. Replanning then becomes necessary. But replanning is not free. It slows the momentum of the project, reduces production, increases costs, and adds anxiety to team members. It is important, therefore, that the project manager determine the impact of replanning before taking such a drastic action. LEADING Although listed as the fourth function of project management, it is by no means the least important. Arguably, it could be the most important for it is the only function that occurs simultaneously with the other functions. Leading a project requires: - Providing vision - Communicating - Maintaining direction - Motivating - Being supportive - Building a team atmosphere Providing Vision The project manager leads by giving team members a sense of purpose and direction. To some extent, the project manager does so by developing an SOW and a schedule. The project manager must also continuously “paint” that vision in the minds of the project participants. This is no small task for a project manager of an ISO 9000 project. Because of the length of the project and the nebulous nature of “certification,” people have a difficult time keeping the vision clearly in the forefront. The project manager must assume the responsibility for keeping that vision ever present in everyone’s mind. Communicating People on the project team must be continually kept abreast about their own work, in particular, and about the project, in general. The project manager plays the central role to keep communications ongoing. To some extent, the project manager does that by holding meetings, distributing the project manual, and publishing responsibility matrices. Communicating for ISO 9000 projects is not, however, as easy as it might seem. The number of participants can be large and their backgrounds diverse, especially as the size of the organization to be certified increases. The project manager must then be able to communicate the same messages to different audiences. Maintaining Direction Plans serve absolutely no function unless people follow them. The project manager leads by following up on whether the project occurs according to plan. However, the project manager also ensures that all activities focus on achieving the goals and objectives of the project. The project manager does that largely by holding status review meetings, collecting information about status, and taking necessary corrective actions. ISO 9000 projects can easily succumb to scope creep, that is, expanding the boundaries of what a project must accomplish. Because QC processes can span multiple functions and organizations, the scope is easily expanded. The project manager must constantly perform “stewardship” to ensure that the project does not go beyond its original intent. Motivating First and foremost, the project manager motivates people. Motivation is difficult because the project manager frequently lacks direct control over people. For example, if many team members work in a matrix environment, the project manager lacks control. In addition, the project manager often deals with individuals and groups with greater “rank” or authority. Motivation best occurs if all the key players participate in planning, organizing, and controlling the project. Being Supportive The project manager facilitates by removing obstacles that hinder achieving goals and objectives. These obstacles might be something as tangible as acquiring better software or as ambiguous as political interference in the performance of specific tasks. In other words, the project manager leads by establishing an atmosphere where people can perform at their best by building an infrastructure to execute the plan. Building a Team Atmosphere Finally, the project manager leads by ensuring that all the people work together. On an ISO 9000 project, the number of participants can be large, especially if an entire organization seeks certification. The project team, sponsor, and customer must work together to have a successful project. To a large extent, the project manager leads in this regard by ensuring all the major participants are involved in planning and controlling the project. POOR MILEAGE? ISO 9000 certification is becoming popular throughout the world, in general, and the IS community, in particular, is starting to give it the same attention as it did with the SEI CMM. Ironically, many IS organizations strive for quality in an unqualitative way. They pursue certification like a poorly tuned engine; very little mileage is gained per the amount of gas consumed. The IS organization may reach its destination but at a price that far exceeds the value of the results attained. Project management is the tune-up that many ISO 9000 projects need to improve the mileage.
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