Effective Software Project Management

The Monitoring and Controlling Phase of an Extreme SDPM Strategy for the Flexible Model

Figure 35-4 illustrates the Monitoring and Controlling Phase of an Extreme SDPM strategy for the Flexible model.

Figure 35-4. The Monitoring Phase of an Extreme SDPM strategy for the Flexible model

In these types of projects, real progress is hard to measure. As stated earlier in the chapter, many deliverables will have been started but few will be complete, at least early in the project life cycle. The important parts of monitoring and controlling are imbedded in the Reevaluate Phase. Here the discussion with the sponsors and other stakeholders focuses on answering a few pertinent management-related questions, as indicated in the subsections that follow.

What Are the Results to Date Versus Your Original Goal?

The original goal was a statement made with little or no information as to its feasibility. Now that you have one or more cycles completed, is the original goal still your current goal? In many cases, the learning and discovery that have taken place will give good reason to reconsider the goal. Perhaps you have learned something that extends (or retracts) some of the scope in the original goal statement. With these revisions, management has to decide whether or not the project still makes sense and should be continued, killed, or redirected.

Has the Project Priority Changed?

The business ...