17MCA554 Software Project Management syllabus for MCA

Introduction to software project management

Introduction, Why is Software Project Management important? What is a Project?, Contract Management, Activities Covered by Software Project Management, Plans, Methods and Methodologies, Some ways of categorizing software projects, Stakeholders, Setting Objectives, Business Case, Project Success and Failure, What is Management? Management Control, Traditional versus Modern Project Management Practices

Project evaluation & finance

Evaluation of Individual Projects, Cost Benefit Evaluation Techniques, Risk Evaluation, Programme Management, Managing allocation of Resources within Programmes, Financial Accounting –An overview – Accounting concepts, Principles & Standards, Ledger posting, Trial balance, Profit and Loss account Balance sheet

Activity planning

Objectives of Activity Planning, When to Plan, Project Schedules, Sequencing and Scheduling Activities, Network Planning Models, Forward Pass – Backward Pass , Identifying critical path, Activity Float, Shortening Project Duration, Activity on Arrow Networks

Risk Management, Nature of Risk, Categories of Risk, A framework for dealing with Risk, Risk Identification, Risk analysis and prioritization, risk planning and risk monitoring

Monitoring and control

Creating the Framework, Collecting the Data, Review, Project Termination Review, Visualizing Progress, Cost Monitoring, Earned Value Analysis, Prioritizing Monitoring, Getting Project Back To Target, Change Control, Software Configuration Management

MANAGING PEOPLE AND WORKING IN TEAMS

Introduction, Understanding Behavior, Organizational Behavior: A Background, Selecting the Right Person for the Job, Instruction in the Best Methods, Motivation, The Oldham –Hackman Job Characteristics Model, Stress –Health and Safety Working In Teams, Becoming a Team, Decision Making, Leadership

Course Outcomes (CO):

At the end of this course, the students will be able to

CO1: Understand the practices and methods for successful software project management

CO2: Identify techniques for requirements, policies and decision making for effective resource management

CO3: Apply the evaluation techniques for estimating cost, benefits, schedule and risk

CO4: Devise a framework for software project management plan for activities, risk, monitoring and control

CO5: Devise a framework to manage people

Question Paper Pattern:

• The question paper will have ten questions.
• Each full question consists of 16 marks.
• There will be 2 full questions (with a maximum of four sub questions) from each module.
• Each full question will have sub questions covering all the topics under a module.
• The students will have to answer 5 full questions, selecting one full question from each module.

Text Books:

1. Bob Hughes, Mike Cotterell, Rajib Mall, “Software Project Management”, Fifth Edition, Tata McGraw Hill, 2011.

2.“Accounting for Management” JawaharLal, 5th Edition, Wheeler Publications, Delhi

Reference Books:

1.JackMarchewka,” Information Technology-Project Management”, Wiley Student Version, 4th Edition, 2013.

2.James P Lewis,”Project Planning, Scheduling & Control”, McGraw Hill, 5th Edition, 2011.

3.PankajJalote,” Software Project Management in Practise”, Pearson Education, 2002