LM12 (TEXT & PP) - 10 STARRED

We should communicate to the team what we have collected and evaluated about the project status. Why? 

To keep team members on task and aware of potential risk items and pitfalls.

We should communicate to the team what we have _______ and _______ about the project status.

collected, evaluated

Do not “overload” people with project status information, it needs to be balanced. How?

1. Pick 3-4 areas for a regular, constant list.

2. Select data that conveys an appropriate level of project status convenient + understandable to all team members.

3. Make team aware of risks status regardless of category (keep high-risk items for non-management).

4. Data can be presented using many different methods.

The method of data presentation depends on:

•The type of information being presented.

•The best way of conveying the important ideas.

Employing a _________, _______ approach would allow data to be summarized and provide that single impression.

visual, graphical

Tabular formats are a convenient way for ________ and monitoring important events. They can present a lot of data at a __________.

tracking, quick glance

The bar chart helps to give a__________ view of the status of project activities over time.

global

A bar chart provides a natural way to represent the:

activity schedule and functional completeness

How are control charts especially helpful?

They convey productivity and defect related data and highlight trends and bounds.

Pie charts can be used to show the _________ of data.This can include the ___________ of problems by differing security levels.

proportionality; categorization

Define Histogram: 

A graphical depiction of frequency counts of data values via a bar chart.

In this method the data can easily be compared to a normalized figure or an average.

Pareto Diagram

When picking three or four measurements to share with team members. What four would be a good starter set?

•Schedule status

•Functional completeness status

•Quality status

•Budget status

When determining how information should be portrayed, what should be considered?

The project + goal to be achieved from sharing data.

One should use a _________ to share data if the goal is to make a single impression because it is very difficult to convey a large amount of data in words.

graphical form

Who should information reach?

All intended recipients. Thus it should be posted, electronically or otherwise, where all intended recipients can easily access and view it.

Each type of information that is monitored needs to be viewed and analyzed from a ________ and ___________ perspective.

presentation, communication

Besides offering a pictorial representation of information, the software project managers may need to:

Provide a textual summary of the key message for recipients.

What types of formats are good for time-related status?

tabular formats, bar charts

Which format is well suited for monitoring and tracking a list of major events for the management team members and desktop review?

tabular formats

For project __________ representation, utilizing a tabular form may be appropriate for this type of detailed monitoring and reporting on a regular daily, weekly, or semi-monthly basis.

schedule

T/F: Mere electronic posting of schedule status is not the same as communicating.

TRUE; if all activities are moving along smoothly, then the message should give that news; if any item needs special attention, the message should highlight that point.

The additional summary message from the software project managers to the other key personnel accomplishes two important goals:

1. The software project managers formulate a quick overall assessment themselves.

2. Recipients of the message better understand the managers’ interpretation.

In addition to providing summaries along with reports, what should managers do?

Solicit comments from recipients. Acknowledging receipt of the status data should be expected, even if no comment is attached.

For communicating time-related information to a broader audience, a detailed tabular form may not be suitable because:

it sometimes requires careful reading of the details.

For communicating time-related information to a broader audience, what format should be used?

Bar charts

Define bar chart.

A chart in which data values are represented with graphical bars.

How often is a bar-chart updated?

weekly

How is the bar chart format helpful?

• Gives a global view of the project status.

• Is a natural way to depict the activity schedule and functional completeness.

• Can show a variety of activities.

Besides showing current vs planned information, what else can control charts monitor?

Normalized information:

• Data within limits = project is progressing according to plan.

• Data outside limits = effort needs to be spent on checking out the cause of the outlier.

A _______ is often employed to show the proportion of different categories.

Pie chart

Define Pie Chart

A graphical depiction of the proportions of different categories of data values.

A __________ is another way to show proportional information by categories.

Histogram

Define Pareto Diagram

A histogram modified to show a frequency count of data values in either ascending or descending order.

T/F: A Pareto Diagram is named after the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto.

TRUE

What are some newer data representations?

Kiviat Diagram, Tree Map

T/F: The Kiviat diagram provides a visual comparison of multiple attributes

TRUE

Define Tree Map

A method in which to display hierarchial, tree-structured data in nested rectangles. The size of the rectangles provides a comparison of the attribute value of interest.

T/F: Constant, regular representation and communication of software project status will not only serve the project monitoring phase well, but will prepare the team for any needed adjustments.

TRUE

T/F: The importance of presenting and communicating the information gathered from software projects cannot be emphasized.

FALSE

The specific form of data representation and communication chosen will depend on the:

Type of project, the intent of the data representation, and the audience.

Benefit of Tabular Forms

To convey a lot of project detail.

Benefit of Pie Charts

To show relative and proportional information.

Benefit of Histograms

To show relative comparisons.

Benefit of Kiviat Diagrams

To show multiple attributes.

Benefit of Tree Maps

To show hierarchially organized data.

Typically, information should be presented on a regular basis such as:

bi-weekly, weekly, or even daily.

The type of information presented to the team and the frequency of the reporting should be determined by the manager on a:

project-by-project basis.

Detailed status reports like tabular formats may be best presented in ________________ format. Why?

electronic; it is available for the team members to browse on their own time.

T/F: It is often effective to present the data in a way that distinguishes the outliers or potential problems from what is expected or the norm. 

TRUE.