Software Project Management
(CSE4016 )
BY
Lt(Dr)Vivek Parashar
Assistant. Professor, SCSE
vivekparashar@[Link]
1
MODULE-II
Managing People and Organizing Teams
Content
• Managing people and organizing teams: Understanding Behavior –
Organizational Behaviour, Selecting the Right Person for The Job, working in
teams, Decision making, Team structures, Virtual teams
Understanding Behavior in Software Project Management
[Link] from a Project Management Perspective:
1. In software project management, behavior refers to how individuals, teams,
and stakeholders interact, communicate, and respond within the project
context.
2. Understanding behavior involves recognizing patterns, motivations, and
dynamics that influence project outcomes.
Behavior from a Project Management
Perspective
• In software project management, behavior refers to how individuals, teams, and
stakeholders interact, communicate, and respond within the project context.
• Understanding behavior involves recognizing patterns, motivations, and dynamics
that influence project outcomes.
Key Aspects of Behavior in Software Projects:
1. Stakeholder Behavior:
• Analyzing how stakeholders (clients, team members, users) behave during
requirements gathering, feedback sessions, and decision-making.
• Managing expectations, resolving conflicts, and maintaining positive
relationships.
2. Team Behavior:
• Observing team dynamics, collaboration, and communication.
• Addressing conflicts, promoting trust, and fostering a productive work
environment.
3. Individual Behavior:
• Understanding individual work styles, motivation, and adaptability.
• Recognizing how behavior impacts task completion, creativity, and problem-
solving.
4. Behavioral Challenges in Software Projects:
• Resistance to Change:
• People may resist adopting new processes, tools, or methodologies.
• Effective change management is essential.
Communication Barriers:
• Misunderstandings, lack of clarity, and poor communication hinder project
progress.
• Active listening, clear documentation, and regular updates are critical.
Motivation and Engagement:
• Keeping team members motivated throughout the project lifecycle.
• Aligning individual goals with project objectives.
5. Behavioral Strategies for Project Success:
Leadership and Emotional Intelligence:
• Project managers should exhibit empathy, self-awareness, and adaptability.
• Understand team members’ emotions and needs.
Conflict Resolution:
• Address conflicts promptly and constructively.
• Encourage open dialogue and seek win-win solutions.
Positive Reinforcement:
• Recognize and reward desired behaviors.
• Celebrate achievements and milestones.
6. Behavioral Metrics and Monitoring:
Team Morale:
• Regularly assess team morale and address any dips.
• High morale leads to better productivity.
Collaboration Effectiveness:
• Measure how well team members collaborate.
• Identify areas for improvement.
Understanding behavior in software project management involves recognizing and
managing human interactions to create a positive, productive project environment.
Organizational Behavior
• Organizational behavior in SPM refers to the study of how individuals and
groups behave within an organization. It encompasses understanding human
interactions, motivations, and dynamics to enhance organizational effectiveness
1. Understanding Organizational Behavior:
• Definition: OB examines how people interact, communicate, and respond within
an organizational context.
• Focus Areas:
• Individual Behavior: Analyzing individual work styles, motivation, and
adaptability.
• Team Behavior: Observing team dynamics, collaboration, and communication.
• Stakeholder Behavior: Understanding how stakeholders (employees, clients,
users) behave during project activities.
Key Aspects of Organizational Behavior:
• Leadership and Management:
• Effective project managers exhibit leadership qualities, emotional intelligence,
and adaptability.
• They understand team members’ emotions and needs.
• Conflict Management:
• Conflict is inevitable in project teams.
• Properly managed conflict can enhance group results.
• Project leaders should address conflicts constructively.
• Communication Skills:
• Clear communication is essential for project success.
• Active listening, documentation, and regular updates foster effective
communication.
• Motivation and Engagement:
• Keeping team members motivated throughout the project lifecycle.
• Aligning individual goals with project objectives.
• Role of Managers in Organizational Behavior:
• Interpersonal Roles:
• Figurehead: Ceremonial duties (e.g., attending events, greeting dignitaries).
• Leader: Guiding employees, providing motivation and encouragement.
• Liaison: Cultivating external contacts for useful information.
• Informational Roles:
• Monitor: Scanning the environment for information.
• Disseminator: Passing down privileged information to subordinates.
• Spokesperson: Representing the organization before external stakeholders.
• Decisional Roles:
• Entrepreneurial: Seeking innovation and growth.
• Resource Allocator: Allocating resources effectively.
• Negotiator: Handling negotiations and conflicts.
• Applying Organizational Behavior in Software Projects:
• Team Building: Encourage effective group working and decision-making.
• Leadership: Provide purposeful leadership when needed.
• Motivation Techniques: Understand what motivates team members.
• Conflict Resolution: Address conflicts promptly and constructively.
• Communication Strategies: Foster open dialogue and transparency.
Selecting the Right Person for The Job
• Selecting the Right Person for the Job is a critical aspect of software project management
(SPM). It involves identifying and hiring individuals who possess the necessary skills,
qualifications, and traits to contribute effectively to the project.
Selecting the Right Person for the Job
1. Job Analysis and Job Description:
• Before selecting candidates, project managers must conduct a thorough job analysis.
• Job Analysis:
• Involves understanding the tasks, responsibilities, and qualifications required for a
specific role.
• Identifies essential skills, knowledge, and behavioral traits.
• Job Description:
• A written document that outlines the job’s purpose, responsibilities, qualifications, and
reporting structure.
• Helps attract suitable candidates.
2. Recruitment Process:
• Advertisement:
• Post the job opening on relevant platforms (company website, job portals, social media).
• Clearly state the job requirements.
• Resume Screening:
• Analyze received resumes to shortlist potential candidates.
• Look for relevant experience, education, and skills.
• Interviews:
• Conduct interviews to assess candidates’ suitability.
• Behavioral interviewing is effective:
• Ask for specific examples of skills and traits required for the position.
• For instance, ask about problem-solving abilities, teamwork, or adaptability.
3. Example Scenario:
• Position: Software Developer (Front-end)
• Job Description:
• Develop responsive web applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.
• Collaborate with UX designers and back-end developers.
• Optimize application performance.
• Behavioral Interview Question:
• “Tell me about a time when you had to work closely with a designer and a back-end
developer to deliver a feature. How did you handle any conflicts or differences in
opinions?”
• Desired Response:
• The candidate shares a specific example where they collaborated effectively,
communicated well, and resolved any conflicts.
4. Selection Criteria:
• Eligibility vs. Suitability:
• Eligible Candidates: Meet the basic qualifications (e.g., education, experience).
• Suitable Candidates: Can perform the job effectively (skills, teamwork, problem-solving).
• Assessment Tools:
• Technical tests, behavioral interviews, and personality assessments help evaluate
suitability.
5. Importance:
• Selecting the right person ensures:
• Efficient project execution.
• Reduced turnover and training costs.
• Positive team dynamics.
Working in Teams
• Working in teams refers to collaborative efforts by individuals within a project team to
achieve common goals related to software development.
• Effective teamwork ensures efficient project execution, creativity, and successful
outcomes.
Key Aspects of Working in Teams:
Collaboration:
• Team members work together, sharing ideas, knowledge, and skills.
• Collaboration leads to better problem-solving and innovative solutions.
Communication:
• Clear communication is crucial for project success.
• Regular team meetings, status updates, and open channels facilitate information flow.
Shared Responsibility:
• Team members share the workload, reducing individual stress.
Example Scenario:
• Project: Developing a mobile app for a fitness company.
Team Composition:
• Developers (front-end and back-end), UI/UX designers, testers, and a project manager.
Collaboration:
• Developers collaborate with designers to implement UI features.
• Testers provide feedback to developers.
• The project manager ensures alignment with project goals.
Communication:
• Daily stand-up meetings to discuss progress and challenges.
• Slack channels for real-time communication.
• Documentation shared on a central platform (e.g., Confluence).
Benefits of Effective Teamwork:
Diverse Perspectives:
• Teams bring together individuals with different backgrounds and viewpoints.
• Diverse perspectives lead to better decision-making.
Shared Learning:
• Team members learn from each other’s expertise.
• Skill-sharing enhances individual growth.
Increased Efficiency:
• Tasks are distributed, reducing bottlenecks.
• Collective effort accelerates project completion.
Decision Making
• Decision-making in software project management is a critical process that
significantly impacts project success
• Decisions can be categorized as being,
• Structured: simple, routine decisions where rules can be applied in a fair way.
• Unstructured: more complex and often requiring a degree of creativity.
Some mental obstacles to good decision-making:
• Faulty heuristics: it can be useful but there are dangers.
• They are based on information and stereotypes.
• Escalation of commitment
• Information overloaded
• Group Decision Making:
When a project team is made up of different specialists, it brings together various
viewpoints and skills. Decisions made by the team are more likely to be accepted
than decisions imposed by others. Research shows that groups are better at solving
complex problems when the members have complementary skills and expertise.
Meetings allow members to communicate freely and share ideas.
However, groups are less effective at dealing with poorly structured problems that
need creative solutions. Brainstorming can help, but research shows that people
often come up with more ideas on their own than in a group. If the goal is to
involve end users in developing a computer system, approaches like prototyping
and Joint Application Development (JAD) can be useful.
• Obstacles to good group decision-making:
• It is time-consuming It can stir up conflicts within the group Decisions can be
unduly influenced by dominant personalities and can be less than might be
expected. People will modify their personal judgments to conform to group
norms, common attitudes developed by a group over time. People in groups
sometimes make decisions that carry more risk than when they make the
decision on their own. This is known as the risky shift.
• Measures to Reduce the Disadvantages of Group Decision Making:
• One method of making group decision-making more efficient and effective is by
training members to follow a set procedure. The Delphi technique endeavors to
collate the judgments of a number of experts without actually bringing them face to
face.
• Given a problem, the following procedure is carried out:
The cooperation of a number of experts is enlisted
• The problem is presented to the experts
• The experts record their recommendations
• These recommendations are collated and reproduced
• The collected responses are re-circulated
• The experts comment on the ideas of others and modify their recommendations if
so moved.