Development Planning
What
A Development Plan
How
The dish
The Development Plan
Ingredients
- All artefacts produced in the Preproject Phase so far
- Experiences and metrics from previously performed projects
Process
From the documentation produced and experience gained during the Preproject Phase, compile a table containing the activities that should be performed during the Launch Phase. Create a table with three columns. Name the first column 'Name', the second 'Estimated cost' and the third 'Prerequisites'.
Based on the description of the objects-to-analyse, examine previous projects to obtain experience about the time needed to analyse and describe an object alike; include any other costs required (prototype development, meetings with the customer or user representatives, purchase of components, external testing or verification, etc). Eventually, do this work in cooperation with a more experienced colleague or the project management. While taking this journey in the past, also note what prerequisites (meeting rooms, projectors, tools, testing facilities, etc) were necessary to analyse the object, and note those found in the 'Prerequisites' column.
When all objects-to-analyse, which have predecessors, have estimates and possibly prerequisites filled, it it time to look at the few left open. Apparently, some objects have never in the company's history been seen before, and, therefore, some extra effort is needed to get a relative estimate.
To estimate on objects that have no previous predecessor in the company's history, you typically examine the object description thoroughly and decompose the object into smaller pieces describing each piece in more details. Redo this work until the object has been decomposed into satisfactorily small pieces that can be estimated with the necessary precision.
If the analysis involves a larger project that could not be analysed within a few weeks, spilt the analysis into timeboxes just like the development is timeboxed. Then decide the length of the timeboxes. Typically, a timebox period should be in the time frame of two to four weeks.
Each timebox should contain a deployment of the analysis results attained so far. It is important to deliver results to the customer frequently both to ensure that the customer realises that the developer is in progress and most importantly to get feedback from the customer.
If the estimates are within one to three weeks, there is normally no need to set up a more sophisticated development plan in a project management tool. In fact, it might even be a waste of time.
If the estimates suggest a longer Launch Phase, create a project in the project management tool with the activities scheduled relative to project start.
Why
The Development Plan expresses the developer's expectations to the realisation of the project.
The plan is necessary for several reasons, including estimation of costs, resource planning and project progress follow-up.
The first use of the Development Plan is an estimation of the costs to realise the project.
Then, when the customer accepts the quote, the development can begin provided that all necessary resources are available. Resources are typically staff, but may also include other types of resources such as development equipment, test facilities, prototype production facilities, etc.
During development, the Development Plan is the basis for the project management.
Example
| Name | Estimated costs | Prerequisites |
|---|---|---|
| Class Analysis | 10 | |
| Use Case Analysis | 15 | Customer meeting |
| Interface Analysis | 5 | |
| Function Analysis | 8 | |
| System Dynamics Analysis | 10 | |
| Requirement Analysis | 15 | |
| General Architecture Design | 15 | |
| Technical Platform | 10 | All departments meet |
| Development Plan | 4 | |
| Quotation | 3 | |
| Contract | 3 | Customer meeting |
| Sum | 98 |
Resources
Staff:
Al is the SW developer.
Ben is assigned to do the hardware development.
Charlie is the project leader.
Other:
Estimated number of hours on project per week: 30
Plan:
