Manage A Project Using Software Assessment Answer

Question 1

Which software development methodology appropriate for this project and why?(Ex: some software development methodologies widely used in IT industry are: Agile, Joint application design, waterfall, RAD, Prototyping etc.)

Answer:

In order to develop an online website, the project management team needs to follow the waterfall methodology. There are several reasons behind this commitment. The first and foremost reason is that online website development requires a sequential process which includes requirements collection, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance. With the help of the waterfall methodology, the project management team can control the overall process and implement the website with the required information and demand of the customers (Hiekata, 2016). On the other hand, another reason behind the use of waterfall methodology is that iPizza project team needs enforced discipline. Therefore, the waterfall methodology offers enforced discipline to management. With the help of this discipline, the project management team can control each and every aspect of the website development project and prepare the outcome as per the desired specifications. So, it is right to say that the waterfall methodology will prove a right option for the website development team because it will ensure the better integration of resources as well as manpower. 

Question 2

Explain which project management software can be used for development and why? (Ex: Some most popular project management software’s are: dotProject, MS Project, Fast-track schedule, Teamwork etc.)

Answer:

The iPizza project management team can use the MS project software to develop an online website for its working. The MS project software is a right tool for the management because it will ensure the proper preparation of project plan, resource alignment, progress evaluation, and budget management (Mahadevan, 2015). All these functions of MS Project software enhance its suitability for the iPizza project management team. Furthermore, it is said that the MS project software is the best system to utilize within the Waterfall methodology because it plans the whole project schedule as per systematic planning (Conforto, 2014). Therefore, it helps the project team in the management of projects to attain desired objectives. For example, the main motive of the project is to prepare an online website on time, within a specified budget, and to the expected quality. This can be only possible with the use of an advanced version of MS project software. Moreover, it can also say that the project management team can put control on the project because the MS project software gets resources and finances under control. Moreover, it also facilitated the project evolution tracking in terms of time, costs, and completion (Kerzner, 2017). So, it can be said that the MS project software has enough potential to develop an attractive and effective website.

Question 3 

Explain how you can monitor project using project management software which you had chosen in question number 2? Justify your answer.

Answer:

The project management team can monitor the project through effective use of project management software. The iPizza project team wants to get information about the project activities, cost, schedule, and aligned resources. All these information are successfully offered by the project management software to concerned team members. With the help of the MS project software, the project team can get significant information about the project activities. On the basis of evaluation of different project activities, it can avoid the uncertain tasks and plan the project in a right direction. On the other hand, it is the MS project software that provides the significant knowledge about project start-up and ending date. Therefore, the iPizza project team can significantly measure the expected timeline of each activity and plan their future actions accordingly. With the help of timeline awareness, the project management team can take significant efforts to avoid any interruption (DeLorme, 2015). Apart from this, the project management software also provides the effective knowledge of project predecessors which is not provided by any other project software methodology. With the help of the project predecessors, the team can understand the sequence of each project activity and perform them effectively to generate required outcomes. Therefore, it is right to say that project management software do not only a project planning tool but also a monitoring method for project team members. So, iPizza can generate the required outcomes with project management software.

Question 4

What does it mean by Source (Version) control? Explain which source control system you will use to manage the source code and version control of the software and how you deal with the conflicts if any arises? (Ex: Source control systems include but not limited to: CVS, MS Visual SourceSafe, and MVC etc.)

Answer:

Boschma (2017) defined the source or version control as a process of change management. These changes are related to documents, large websites, computer programs, and other collections of information. In order to demonstrate the management of source code and various control of the software, the project management team will follow the MS Visual SourceSafe method. It is the method that enables the project team to manage team members and individual working through demonstration of proper control. This software brings team coordination through making sure that a single individual remains responsible for a particular task and activity. This will clarify their roles and obligations and reduce the chances of conflicts between team members. On the other hand, MS Visual SourceSafe method demonstrates various tracking in an effective manner. It is because of this software archive and track old versions for bug fixing and other motives. Therefore, it is right to say that the MS Visual SourceSafe is a right option in front of iPizza management to manage the version control and source code of MS project software in an effective manner (Conforto, 2014). There is less possibility of raising conflicts between team members. But if the conflicts rise, they can successfully resolve by team members through promoting team collaboration and integrated working.

Question 5

How you can make sure that the source code you had entered into the source control system software (which you had chosen into question 4) is correct and current.

Answer:

The project management team can check the accuracy of the source code entered into the source control system software by different aspects. The first and foremost aspect to check its source code accuracy is version number. The version numbers are internal numbers maintained by VSS (Gousset, 2014). These are the numbers which cannot control by the project management team. Therefore, by observing the version number, the iPizza project team can get sure about the source code accuracy. Because if the source code number is a whole number of continuously increasing, it means that the source code is accurate and project management team is going in a right direction. On the other hand, the second and foremost aspect of evaluating source code accuracy is labeled. These are user-defined strings that can be applied to any version of a project or file. The observation and assessment of source code will give a glimpse of source code accuracy to management. If the label is within the 31 characters, the source code will consider accurate and vice-versa. Apart from this, the last and foremost aspect that can use by project management team to evaluate the accuracy of source code is date/time stamp (Kerzner, 2017). The date and time stamp informs the management team about when the source code is modified and checked. Therefore, the above-mentioned aspects are right methods to check the accuracy of source code entered into the source control system software.

Question 6

Explain source control procedures for this project. Write at least 2.

Answer:

The Visual SourceSafe source control software follows a process to control source and version of MS project software. Boschma (2017) said that the Visual SourceSafe network contains one centralized database on a server and clients running on one or more individual machines such as the project management team will store the source code in concerned database and do the editing and compiling for the code on one of the client equipment (Menon, 2017). The source control procedure followed by the Visual SourceSafe contains following stages: 
Checking Out Items
The first and foremost stage followed to source control is checking out items. It is a stage where check out command followed by the different users to check out one or more files. This command consists of versions menu and facilitates evaluation and checking of all files of a project (Gousset, 2014). Therefore, at this stage, the project files, documents, and other relevant material will review to complete the project with desired specifications and requirements.
Checking in a file
The second and foremost step is the use of check-in command to check one or more files of the project. This command permits multiple checkouts (Bechtel, 2016). This stage of the software code control process will facilitate effective control through evaluation of relevant information. 
Therefore, it is right to say that the source control procedure facilitated by Visual SourceSafe software is an effective option to review source code and manage the overall project performance. 

Question 7

What is collaborative environment? How you can create a collaborative environment for this project? Justify your answer.

Answer:

Antonini (2016) defined the collaborative environment as a platform where different users collaborate together to accomplish their mutual goals and project objective. The collaborative environment creation is necessary to accomplish the project objectives effective and maintain the website efficiency through proper integration of available resources. The collaborative environment will create for this project by different measures: 
Establish a common purpose and goal
The first and foremost effort perform towards the creation of collaborative environment is the development of a mutual goal and objective (Kraemer, 2016). Generally, it is said that a team remains responsible for working together toward a mutual aim. In the absence of goal and mutual objective, it becomes difficult for the team to complete their concerned objectives and give a significant contribution towards the accomplishment of project objective. Therefore, a mutual goal will determine to allow each team member to express commitment and get significant directions.
Clarification of Associated roles and responsibilities 
The awareness about the roles and responsibilities of each team member become the source of generating efficiency and flexibility within a project. The roles and responsibilities of team members will inform them so that they can move in a particular and right direction (DeLorme, 2015). This will perform through review team member’s roles frequently, and clarify responsibilities during project action planning. 
Therefore, it can be said that the collaborative environment will prove a right source for iPizza project management team to complete the project with desired specifications.

Question 8

Which collaborative software you will use for this project and why? (Ex: Collaborative software’s may include but not limited to: MS SharePoint, blogs, forums, wiki’s etc.)

Answer:

In order to create a collaborative environment, the MS SharePoint software will utilize by the project management team. MS SharePoint is considered as a full version of a portal-based platform for collaboratively managing, sharing, and creating web services and documents (Wang, 2016). There are different reasons behind the selection of MS SharePoint collaborative tool for this project. The first and foremost reason is that MS SharePoint is a combination of different collaborative teams which make it easy for the management team to integrate different members and control their actions. For example, blogs, wikis, and other tools enforce team member to come in front and share their knowledge and experience with others (Hornstein, 2015). On the other hand, the second reason behind the selection of MS SharePoint collaborative tool is that it is well in aggregating and organizing project data into the web-based portal with defined taxonomies that structure the overall information. Therefore, it is right to say that collaborative environment is very easy with the MS SharePoint tool. It is because this software is the best source to create an integrated platform which further brings collaboration among team members.

Question 9

Explain how you can monitor the collaborative environment you have created for this project is working accordingly and there is no conflict in the team as well as in the software.

Answer:

The collaborative environment measurement is necessary to maintain the success of the project in a right direction. In order to evaluate the collaborative environment, the iPizza project team will follow a large number of tools and techniques that facilitate proper understanding of collaboration within team members (Pinto, 2015). These tools and techniques are following: 
Collaboration Survey
The first and foremost tool utilize for measurement of a collaborative environment is collaboration survey. With the help of this measurement method, the project team can measure perceptions of collaboration (Antonini, 2016). Apart from this, the collaboration survey also has enough potential to give effective information about where employees perceive things are going and where additional attention is required. Therefore, the collaboration survey facilitates the best understanding of collaborative environment prevailing within the project.
Strategic Alliance Formative Assessment Rubric
Another important collaborative environment measurement tool follows here is strategic alliance formative assessment rubric. The main motive behind the use of this tool is the central capture principles of collaboration prevailing between project team members (JOSEPH, 2018). 
With the help of both measurement tools, the level of collaborative environment will measure success so that actions can take accordingly.

References

Antonini, A., Boella, G., Calafiore, A., Salaroglio, C., Sanasi, L., & Schifanella, C. (2016, February). First life, the neighborhood social network: A collaborative environment for citizens. In Proceedings of the 19th ACM conference on computer supported cooperative work and social computing companion (pp. 1-4). ACM.
Boschma, R. (2017). The Evolutionary Model In The World Of Object-Oriented Languages and Version Control Systems.
Bechtel, M. E., & Richards, B. H. (2016). U.S. Patent No. 9,258,375. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
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Menon, V. R., Sathyanathan, S. T., Abraham, K. T., Pahlajani, J. S., & Santhi, H. (2017). SOFTWARE CONFIGURATION MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES AND PRINCIPLES.
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