The Three Attributes of Software Project Management

If you are reading this, either you are already managing a project or will be in those shoes shortly.
This is not a post on the multiple ways to become a good project manager, as I believe there is no definite recipe to become a succesful project manager.
I'm no Management Guru, but my experience coupled with multiple discussions with my fellow project managers and other experienced managers at different levels has brought me to the conclusion that there are three important attributes in managing a project. If you succesfully manage these three attributes, you are almost there; yes almost there because there is no perfect recipe.

Let's start the otther way round, what was the wrong step which failed that project of yours . I'm sure none of us can point to one reason. When I was working with Shrikanth(name changed), a senior project manager I asked him the same question. His answer was plain 'aah the client manager wanted all the functionality under earth for peanuts '. ok, this can be one of the reasons but how many of us really have that sweet person to face everyday on the other end of the phone. The person at the other end is paying for the software we are supposed to develop, he has all the reasons to be bossy.

Kavita is a QA manager,  my former colleague, she attributes failures to too many change requests from business to accommodate additional features. This, when happens at the QA or UAT phase is a real pain. Manager needs to convince his/her team to accommodate the changes. If his/her organization strictly adheres to processes, there are atleast 3 documents before the developer can proceed with the change. In a hierarchical organization, the change request from the business flows to the onsite manager on a fine Monday morning , say PST. Onsite manager does his/her analysis, sets up a meeting with the business users on Monday noon. The meeting gets pushed to Tuesday PST due to unavailability of the business users for discussion. On Tuesday noon , the meeting concludes that these changes are mandatory and critical for business. The onsite manager calls for an emergency meeting at midnight Tuesday IST to convey shrewdly that these changes are to be implemented ASAP and he needs the estimates by Wednesday morning PST. Offshore managers agree to send ball park estimates.
Offshore team has had a long day on Tuesday IST due to incorrect deployment errors of a previous release, they step in on Wednesday at 12 noon. Manager breaks the news of the changes and asks Team Lead to give him ball park estimates and also instructs the team that these changes will be taken up only after a discussion on the need for the change. Estimations are sent by EOD IST to onsite manager, who is pleased to see these estimations. There will be atleast two calls with all the top managers of offshore and this onsite manager to negotiate on the estimations. There will be discussions on the reasons to incorporate the changes and the emergency of the hour.In all these negotiations the term "ball park" of the estimations is lost is thin air .By the time the conclusion that "the change has to be incorporated" reaches the person who has to actually make the change its Thursday noon IST. Now, according to the estimations given by Lead it takes 16 hours , now its the offshore Manager's turn to get tasks done.  Manager convinces the team to start work on Thursday noon and deliver it by Friday EOD IST. Where are the estimations ?
So, the first and foremost reason for a project's success or failure is CHANGE/(S) . If you master the art of managing changes you have won one third of the battle.
Keep reading this space for effective ways to manage Changes and about the other two attributes...

-- Courtesy - PM Focus Group Meetings @ ValueMomentum


 

Life will not be the same ...

In this life time we meet hundreds and thousands of people, some faces in the crowd we just glance , some stay with us for life , some just play hide and seek and others appear in your life for a brief period and abruptly disappear.
We don't pay much heed to those whom we deal with everyday, but we focus on those disappeared ones. They had been an important part of our lives, once they were 'everyday person' for you and you had started taking them for granted. It is only after they are no more in sight you feel their absence and realise their importance. Life does go on but, will it be the same ?
You remember everything about them as if it was yesterday and also remember the last time you met , but they had to leave because their purpose in your life was only to teach you something. They finished their job and you remained clinging to the thoughts. Difficult as it may sound, but 'let go' and feel the freedom. Remember the 'lesson learnt' and thank the almighty for sending them in your life and yes life will not be the same, it will be better than yesterday. Now, you are more learned and wiser than yesterday.

Friend

When Iam down and depressed I talk to you
When Iam alone and scared I talk to you
When I feel Iam going nowhere I talk to you
For, I know you are always there to hear

My friend, you are there to support
in all the highs and lows of life
You are there when I need you
in all the phases of my life

When I succeed I see you beside me
patting me for my success
When I achieve a deal
I see you buying me a meal
For you are more happy than me

I donot know if I can ever repay
all your small gestures
which teach me the meaning of friendship everyday
and the art of giving happiness

MVC Architecture in DotNet

MVC Architecture
Its easier to understand when we draw analogies.I draw an analogy of MVC architecture with 3-tier architecture.In 3-tier architecture we have a UI layer,Biz.Logic layer and Data Access Layer.
Here the UI layer corresponds to the "View" layer. The part of Business logic layer that involves fetching data from database and performing manipulations on it from "Business Perspective" form the "Model" layer and
the remaining part of Business logic layer that does the manipulations(if required) on the methods fetched form "Model" layer and also manipulations required in the "View" layer form the "Controller" layer.
The "View" layer is a set of UI controls including the client script thats is .aspx file.
The "Model" layer is a dll that needs to be called in the Controller layer. Since this is a dll all the error handling is done in the form of "Throw exceptions" and these are caught in the "Controller" layer transalting them into user-understandable statements.
Since the Model layer is developed as a dll, it is highly "reusable", can be called from a webpage,service,windows applications etc.
The "Controller" layer is the link between "View" and "Model" layers. This layer is essentially the "server side code" that is .aspx.cs files.

Writing to Excel from SSIS Script Task

To add reference of Microsoft.Office.Interop.Excel.dll in Script Task,Visual Studio 2005 doesnot provide a COM tab to browse and get the dll.
Workaround : Place the Interop dll in Microsoft .Net folder(Usually C:\WINDOWS\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727), it will appear in the .Net tab in Add reference of Script Task. Also, register this dll using Regasm command. 12.0 version of this dll is compatible with VS2005.

Unite for a cause

Its terror everywhere
people running helter skelter
to save their lives
and hide somewhere

I wonder what runs,
in the minds of those
who take the lives ,
of many like us

All the bloodshed
and the ghory scenes
dont seem to detter
the people responsible for these

Can a Buddha or a Gandhibe born again?
to show the right pathto those who seek
Will these ghastly activities ever halt someday?
Will people ever realise that the only cast is humanity.

Its terror everywhere
humans scared of each other
roots of society shaking
instead of being together...

These tremors should cease
People should unite for a cause
Fight against thy responsible for these
Make our country a heaven of properity and peace

Death

Death is so scary,
though we are aware of it
the thought makes us so weary,
more because it creeps so silently.

We keep living all our lives
fretting and fuming over petty things,
and finally realise that
all this was for nothing worthy.

When we realise people we know
will no longer be with us any more
when we realise that life we value so much
is lost in seconds, everything seems so gloomy.

When we realise that like the tree,
shedding its old leaf
people sometimes just cease to live,
leaving everyone in grief.

Its so depressing to know the facts
and still keep living
As if hoping for something
that will change the ultimate ending.