Chapter 3: CMMI®-SW Level 2 Project Planning Support

Project Planning

Project planning lays the foundation that can determine the success or failure of a software project. It is crucial that appropriate attention be given to project planning to enable project managers to derive useful information for making decisions to achieve schedule and budget goals. The CMMI®-SW elevates risk management to a process area, with its own set of required goals and practices as they apply to software. In specifies that as specific project activities, risk management must be institutionalized through written organizational policies, plans, allocated resources, assigned responsibilities, training, configuration management of work products, quality audits, and management reviews. All Level 2 project management process areas are Project Planning, Project Monitoring and Control, and Supplier Agreement Management.

IEEE Std 12207.0, Standard for Information Technology – Software life cycle processes [13], describes seventeen processes spanning the entire life cycle of a software product or service. Even if an organization's processes were defined using other sources, the standard is useful in characterizing the essential characteristics of these software processes and should be considered prior to the implementation of process improvement activities. Referencing this standard and reviewing what is required for each of these primary process areas can provide additional guidance in support of the activities associated with project planning. It is important that IEEE 12207 be considered prior to the implementation of any process improvement activities associated with project planning.

CMMI®-SW Goals

The CMMI®-SW Level 2 is focused on establishing estimates, plan development, and plan commitment in support of project activities. The CMMI®-SW places emphasis on having a detailed project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). The planning, and maintenance, of project data items and their contents has also been added to the list of project management concerns. The CMMI®-SW specifically requires the execution the project according to estimations. Estimation focuses on size and complexity while effort and cost, and schedule are determined and established respectively based on this estimate. The CMMI®-SW also addresses the reconciliation (revision) of the software project management plan to reflect changes in available and estimated resources.

The SW-CMM® identifies risk management as a key practice in Software Project Planning, Software Project Tracking and Oversight, and Integrated Software Management. At Level 2, projects identified, assessed, documented, and tracked software risks. In practice, many current software projects fail to identify project-specific risk and mitigation and do not effectively manage risk throughout the project life cycle. The CMMI®-SW elevates risk management a process area, with its own set of required goals and practices as they apply to software. In specifies that as specific project activities, risk management must be institutionalized through written organizational policies, plans, allocated resources, assigned responsibilities, training, configuration management of work products, quality audits, and management reviews.

SG 1 Establish Estimates
Estimates of project planning parameters are established and maintained.

A detailed WBS must be included in, or referenced by, the software project management plan. IEEE Std 1058-1998, IEEE Standard for Software Project Management Plans [9] requires that all roles, responsibilities, authorities, schedule, budgets, resource requirements, risk factors, and work products for each supporting process be identified. IEEE Std 1058 suggests that all aspects of project organization be reported, as well as a description of all technical, managerial, and supporting processes. It also requires that a section of the software project management plan specify the cost and schedule as well as the methods, tools, and techniques used to estimate project cost, schedule, and resource requirements.

SG 2 Develop a Project Plan
A project plan is established and maintained as the basis for managing the project.

IEEE Standard 1058 provides a description of the elements critical to a software project management plan. This standard provides both the outline and suggested content for a project plan. Suggested document maintenance activities are also addressed. The CMMI® has a requirement to establish and maintain a plan that describes the performance of the project planning process. IEEE Standard 1058 provides support for this process area (PA) and can be used to support the development of a plan that provides the detailed description of this process.

SG 3 Obtain Commitment to the Plan
Commitments to the project plan are established and maintained.

Obtaining and managing all commitments to the software project management plan are detailed in Section 4.5.3.5 Reporting plan and Section 4.5.4; Risk management plan of IEEE Std 1058.

GG 2 Institutionalize a Managed Process
The process is institutionalized as a managed process.

IEEE Std 1058-1998 is an effective instrument for the implementation of Level 2 PAs. However, information regarding the measurement and metrics required in support of software project planning activities needs to be added and stated explicitly. It is also important to note that while the various Level 2 PAs are addressed by the major headings of IEEE 1058, the details required to support the CMMI® can be lost if each section is not carefully addressed while bearing the specific CMMI® project planning commitments, abilities, measurements, verification and activities in mind.

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