A
Conceptual
Framework
for
web
Development
Projects
Based
on
Project
Management
and
Agile
Development
Principles
Martin
Tomanek,
Radim
Cermak
and
Zdenek
Smutny
Faculty
of
Informatics
and
Statistics,
University
of
Economics,
Prague,
Czech
Republic
[email protected]
[email protected] [email protected]
Abstract:Companiesimplementdifferentframeworksandbestpracticeswiththeobjectivetoimprovetheproject managementsuccessrateandimprovethebusinessadaptabilitytothechangingbusinessenvironment.Project managementframework(PRINCE2)andagiledevelopmentframework(Scrum)provedinmanycasesthattheycanmeet theseobjectives.However,bothframeworksarebasedondifferentprinciplesandtheuseofbothframeworkstogether shouldbecarefullyconsidered.Alargeamountofmoneyandefforthasbeeninvestedbycompaniesintoestablishingtheir projectmanagementenvironmentandprocessesthatfollowtheclassicalphasedapproachwhererequirementsare definedupfrontandfixed.Butcompanieswanttoreactmorequicklytonewglobalchallengesandtothechanging businessenvironment.Thesebusinessrequirementsthenresultinthefailureofmanyrunningprojects.Thereforethereis aneedtoenhancethecurrentprojectmanagementenvironmentsothatitismoreagileandadoptivetochanges.The objectiveofthispaperistocreateaconceptualframeworkthataggregatesprinciplesandprocessesfrombothframeworks (PRINCE2andScrum)withemphasisontheiruseinwebdevelopmentprojects.Thispaperwilldiscusstheadvantagesand disadvantagesofusingthetwoabovementionedframeworks.Differentgroupsofreaderscanbenefitfromtheresultsof thispaper.Itwillhelpcorporatemanagementtodecidehowacompanyshouldsetupitsownspecificframeworkfor managingagileproductdevelopmentprojects.Projectmanagerswillhaveabetterunderstandingofagiledevelopment principlesandhowitfitsintheclassicprojectmanagementframework.Lastbutnotleast,itwillhelpproductdevelopers toworkinmoreagilewaysandsurviveinthecontrolledandcomplexprojectenvironment.
Keywords:projectmanagement,agiledevelopment,web,PRINCE2,Scrum
1. Introduction
and
methodology
In1970thewaterfalldevelopmentmodelwasintroducedbyWinstonW.Royce.Thismodelhassincebeen usedtomanageITprojects.Thismodelfollowsaphasedapproach,inwhichtherequirementsaredefined upfront,thenthesolutionisdesigned,coded,testedandreleasedtoproduction.Inmanycasesthisapproach failedbutofcourseinmanycasesitwassuccessful.Theprojectmanagementmethodswerealignedwiththis phasedapproach.Forprojectmanagersitwaseasiertomanageindividualphasesaccordingtoaplan.Project managementframeworkslikePMBOKorPRINCE2wereintroducedandmanyprojectmanagerstrainedand certified.
Currentbusinessenvironmentdemandsshortertimetomarketandgreaterflexibilityoftheeverchanging businessrequirements.(Kalinaetal.,2013;BaslandDoucek,2012)Someleadersinthesoftwaredevelopment fieldrealizedthatrobustandheavyͲweightprocessframeworkssimplydonotworkasexpected.They introducedtheagilemanifesto(Becketal.,2001)whichisfollowedbymanysoftwaredevelopers.Asaresult introducingtheagilemanifesto,severalagiledevelopmentframeworkswereintroducedwithdifferentscope andfocus(Scrum,ExtremeProgramming,FDDandothers).
Thechaosreportfromlastyear(TheStandishGroup,2013)measuringprojectsuccessrateindicatesthat39% ofprojectsweredeliveredsuccessfully,18%completelyfailedand43%werechallenged.Theprojectsuccess ratewasslightlyimprovedcomparedtoyear2004butthepercentageoffailedprojectsstillremainsalmost thesame.
AshifttoagilemethodscanincreasethesuccessrateandmitigatesomeissuesthataretypicalforheavyͲ weightmethods.Goodexamplescanbefoundinthecasestudies(Balada,2013;Raithatha,2007),whereagile methodsweresuccessfullyusedinlargecomplexsoftwaredevelopmentprojects.Ontheotherhand,inthe caseoflongͲtermprojects,thereareproblemsatthelevelofagileteamsmanagedbyaprojectmanagerthat haveanimpactonthedecisionͲmakingprocess(McAvoy,Butler,2009).Atthelevelofprojectmanagementin largecompanies(withcomplexITlandscape),wecanfindotherissuesinthecoͲexistenceofagilemethodsand
In: 10th European Conference on Management Leadership and Governance (ECMLG), Zagreb, Republic of Croatia, 13-14 November 2014.
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
planͲdrivendevelopmentinmanyorganizations(WaardenburgandVliet,2013).Ineveryway,thecurrent challengeiscooperationbetweenthesedifferentapproaches,whichareappliedmainlyinlargeorganizations.
Thispaperwillanalysethetwomostpopularandwidelyusedframeworksforprojectmanagementandagile development.ThefirstoneisPRINCE2anditstandsfor“ProjectsINControlledEnvironments”version2(Office ofGovernmentCommerce,2009).IthasbeendevelopedbytheUKgovernmentagencyOfficeofGovernment Commerce(OGC)andismostlyusedbyEuropeancountries.Thesecondframeworkinthescopeofthispaper isScrumanditrepresentstheagileproductdevelopmentframework.Scrumwasdevelopedbytwoauthors andisdescribedintheScrumGuide(SchwaberandSutherland,2013).Thisframeworkisoneofthemost frequentlyusedagiledevelopmentframeworksintheworld.
Theobjectiveofthispaperistoproposeanewframeworkthatwillaggregateprocessesandprinciplesfrom thetwoabovementionedframeworksintoanewconceptualframework.Advantagesanddisadvantagesofthis frameworkwillbediscussedaswell.Thiscontributionisconceivedasdesignresearch,theresultofwhichisan artefact.Inourcase,itisaconceptualmodelthatwillhavetobevalidatedbycomparativecasestudy(itis inductiveapproachtothevalidationofoutput),see–(Yin,2008,pp3Ͳ5).Thiscasestudyiscurrentlyplanned, butwewouldlikestirredupdiscussiononthistopic.Inadditiontothebasicmodelwewanttomainlydiscuss differentviewsontheusefulnessofsuchanapproach.Inthiscase,wefocusonthedevelopmentofweb applicationsandforthispurposewepresentatheoreticalcomparisoninthefinalpartofthepaper.
2.
PRINCE2
PRINCE2isaprojectmanagementframeworkthatcanbeusedformanaginganykindofprojectsregardlessof projectscale,type,organization,geographyorculture.Thisbroadapplicabilityiscausedbytheseven underlyingguidingprinciplesthatcreatethecoreofthisframework.Theprinciplesare:theprojecthasa continuedbusinessjustification,projectrolesandresponsibilitiesaredefined,theprojectismanagedby stages,theprojectismanagedbyexception,thefocusisonthedeliveryofaqualityproduct,theprojectteam learnsfromexperienceandtheprojectmanagementframeworkistailoredtosuititsspecificproject environmentandcharacteristics.AdditionallythePRINCE2frameworkconsistsofseventhemesandseven processes.Themesrepresentareasthattheprojectmanagershouldcontinuouslyconsiderduringtheproject lifecycle.Thethemesare:businesscase,organization,quality,plans,risk,changeandprogress.
PRINCE2isaprocessͲorientedframework.Itcontainssevenprocessesthatguideprojectstakeholdersto direct,manageanddelivertheprojectsuccessfully.Theprocessesprovideaguidelinetowhoshoulddowhat, whenandwhy.TheprocessdiagramisdepictedinFigure1PRINCE2ProcessDiagram.Thefirstprocesscalled “Startingupaproject”hastheobjectivetomakesurethatthebusinesscaseisdraftedandtheproject managerisappointed,see(Juricek,2014).Afterthisprocessiscompletedthentheprojectboardshould decidetoinitiatetheproject.Projectboard’sdecisionsarepartoftheprocesscalled“Directingaproject”. Whentheprojectisauthorisedtocontinuethentheprojectmanagerpreparesdifferentstrategiesfor managingrisks,quality,configurationandcommunication.Theprojectmanageralsoupdatesthebusinesscase andpreparestheprojectplan.Theseactivitiesareexecutedintheprocesscalled“Initiatingaproject”.The projectmanagerinthenextprocesscalled“Controllingastage”assignsworktodeliveryunits,monitors progressandsolvesissuesrelatedtotheassignedwork.Finallythereistheprocesscalled“Managingproduct delivery”inwhichdeliveryteamsaccept,executeanddeliverwork.Thefollowingprocess,“Managingastage boundary”,isanotherprocessdesignedmainlyfortheprojectboard,inwhichtheprojectboardreceives informationaboutcurrentprogressoftheproject.Thelastprocess,“Closingaproject”,hastheobjectiveto verifythatthefinalproductmeetstherequirementsandtohandtheproductovertotheproductowner.
Thelastareaimportantforthispaperisrolesandresponsibilities.Theprojectboardhasoverallresponsibility fortheprojectsuccess.Theprojectboardconsistsofexecutive,senioruserandseniorsupplier.Theproject managerisprimarilyresponsibleforensuringthattheprojectcreatestherequiredproductsoroutcomes.The teammanagerisresponsiblefortheproductdeliveryinrequiredquality,timescaleandcosts.
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
Figure1:PRINCE2processdiagram.Source:(OfficeofGovernmentCommerce,2009)
3.
Scrum
Scrumisanagileproductdevelopmentframeworkthatismainlyusedforiterativeandincrementalsoftware development.ScrumasaframeworkislightͲweightcomparedtoPRINCE2.ThecoreofScrumframeworkis thatcustomerrequirementscanbechangedduringdevelopmentandtheproductshouldbedeveloped iteratively.Iterationsarecalledsprintsandeverysprintstartswithasprintplanningmeetingwherethe customerreviewsandprioritizesrequirements.Thenthedevelopmentteamworkstogethertodevelop productfeaturesanddeliverashippableproductbytheendofeachsprint.Thisshippableincrementor productispresentedinthesprintreviewmeetingwherethecustomercanseetheproductandthinkabout furtherdevelopment.ThemostfrequentmeetingsaredailystandͲupmeetingswheredevelopmentteam membersdiscusswhattheyhavedonesincethelastmeeting,whattheywilldointhecomingdaysand whethertheyfaceanyimpediments.
Scrumdefinesthreeroles.TheProductOwnerrepresentscustomersandisresponsiblefordefiningand prioritizingproductrequirementsandrecordsthemintheproductbacklog.TheDevelopmentTeamis responsiblefordeliveringthepotentiallyshippableproductbytheendofeachsprint.TheScrumMaster facilitatesScrummeetingsandensuresthedevelopmentteamcanworkasefficientlyaspossible.
4.
Conceptual
framework
Theconceptualframeworkintroducedbythispaperconsistsofthealignmentofprinciplesandprocesses.
Inthepreviouschaptertheprinciplesofbothframeworkswerediscussed.Nowthispaperwillfocusonthe alignmentofprojectmanagementprinciplestotheagiledevelopmentapproach.AllthesevenPRINCE2 principleswillbediscussedintermsofhowtheyareaffectedbytheagiledevelopmentapproachdefinedby Scrum.
Asbothframeworksareprocessorienteditallowsustocreateaprocessmodelthatintegratesboth frameworks.Thisprocessmodelshowsthemajorintegrationpointsandtheprocessflow.Theintegrated processmodelcanbefoundbelow.
4.1 Alignmentofprojectmanagementprincipleswithagiledevelopmentapproach
Continuedbusinessjustification
Theprojectisinitiatedandrunwiththeobjectivetodelivertheprojectoutcomes.Theseoutcomesshould bringbenefitstobusiness.Ifthereisnovalueintheoutcomesforbusinessthentheprojecthasnojustification forbeingcontinued.Thereforethereshouldbeaclearstatementdefiningthebusinessjustification.The justificationisdescribedandapprovedinthebusinesscase.Thisjustificationshouldbeverifiedbytheproduct
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
ownerandthebusinesscaseupdated,ideallyaftereachsprint.Thisfrequentreviewissupportedbyevery incrementthathelpstoidentifyprojectswithnobusinessjustification.
Figure2:ProcessmodelintegratingPRINCE2andScrumframework.Source:Authors.
Learnfromexperience
Bothframeworkscontainmechanismsforlearningfromexperience.Scrumrecommendsrunningsprint retrospectiveeventswherethewholeScrumteamcanreviewtheexistingprocessandplanhowtoimproveit. PRINCE2recommendsusingalessonslogwheretheprojectlessonscanberecordedandusedlaterinthe projectorbyotherprojects.Thislessonslogcanbeusedalsobythedevelopmentteam.Intheclosingphase oftheprojecttheprojectmanagershouldensurethatthelessonsreportisgeneratedandcanbesharedby otherprojectsorteamsusingScrum.
Definedrolesandresponsibilities
Bothframeworksdefinerolesandtheirresponsibilities.ThemostimportantprojectroledefinedbyPRINCE2is theprojectmanagerwhoisresponsibleforprojectdelivery.Theprojectboardconsistingofexecutive,senior supplierandsenioruserisaccountableforprojectoutcomesandbenefits.Thelastmajorroleistheteam leaderwhoisresponsiblefordeliveringtheacceptedworkpackages.ScrumdefinesthescrumteamasaselfͲ organizingteamconsistingofdevelopmentteam,productownerandscrummaster.Tworolesfromeach
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
frameworkaresimilarandcanbeexecutedbyonepersoninsmallprojects.Thefirstsimilarpairofrolesisthe productownerandthesenioruser.Bothrolesrepresentcustomerviewontheprojectandtheproduct.The secondsimilarpairofrolesistheteamleaderandthescrummaster.Iftheteamleaderisanexperienced scrummasterthenthiscanbeagoodcombinationoftworolesintooneperson.
Managebystages
Theprojectissplitintostagesthathelptheprojectmanagertoreviewthecurrentprogressandinitiate necessaryactionswhenrequired.Themanagingbystagesprinciplealsoprovidesopportunitiesfortheproject boardtoreviewtheprojectstatusandprovidedecisionsthatareoutsidetheprojectmanagerresponsibility. PRINCE2stagescanbeeasilyalignedandsynchronizedwithsprintsdefinedbyScrum.Sprintshouldtakea monthatmaximumandthestagescanbeplannedaccordingly.Synchronizationofstagesandsprintshelpsto createvaluablehighlight reportswith upͲtoͲdateinformationfortheprojectboardand otherproject stakeholders.
Managebyexception
Theprojectmanagermanagestheprojectandtriestokeeptheprojectwithinitsbudget,delivertheprojecton timeandinrequiredquality.Fortheseaspectstheprojectmanagerhasdefinedboundarieswithinwhichheor shecanact.Iftheselimitsarebrokenthenprojectboardinvolvementisrequired.ScrumissplitbetweentimeͲ limitedsprintsthatmitigatetheriskoftheprojectbeinglateoroverspending.Theproductanditsincrements arereviewedonaregularbasisandthishelpstoimprovethequalityandtoidentifyandfixerrorsearlierinthe developmentphase.Frequentdeliveryofincrementshelpstoplanandforecasttheneededbudgetbecause thedevelopmentcostofeachsprintissimilarandpredictable.
Focusonproducts
BothPRINCE2andScrumframeworksaimtodeliverqualityproducts.PRINCE2tendstodescribetheproduct indetailincludingrequirementsandacceptancecriteriapriortoproductdevelopment.Scrumisfocusedmore ontheevolutionofrequirementsandcontinuousdefinitionandprioritization.Ifwecombinethesetwo approachesthenwecanrecommenddefiningthehighͲlevelcriticalrequirementsduringtheinitiatingphase andrecordtheminthebusinesscase.ThesehighͲlevelrequirementsshouldbeconsideredduringthe discussionaboutbusinessjustificationandusedasthebasisforafeasibilitystudy.Afterthebusinesscaseis approvedandtheprojectinitiatedthentheserequirementsshouldbeanalysedandworkedoutingreater detail.Additionalemergingrequirementscanbeaddedtotheproductbacklogatanytime.Thenduringthe sprintplanningthemostvalueͲaddingorthemostriskyrequirementsareselectedtobedevelopedfirstand areincludedinthesprint.
Tailortosuittheprojectenvironment
TailoringofheavyͲweightPRINCE2frameworkisrequiredbyPRINCE2bydefault.Scrumastheproduct developmentframeworkisagoodcomplementtothepureprojectmanagementframework.Scrumcanfillin themissingdetailsinthePRINCE2process“managingaproductdelivery”.Aftercombiningthesetwo frameworksthenewframeworkcanbecreatedthatfocusesonprojectmanagementofagileproduct development.
4.2 Integratedprocessmodel
TheScrumdevelopmentprocessfitsintothePRINCE2processframework.Scrumasthedevelopment frameworkcanreplacethemanagingdeliveryprocessdefinedbyPRINCE2.InthiswayPRINCE2wrapsthe deliveryprocessoftheprojectproducts.ThebenefitofScrumisthatitcontainsguidanceonhowtodevelop theproductinanefficientwayandadapttothechangingenvironment.
Theprojectmanagerstartstheprojectasanyotherprojectbyputtingtogethertherequirementsand expectedcosts.Iftheproductownerexistsinthecurrentlineorganizationthentheprojectmanagershould cooperatewithhimorhertovalidateandclarifytherequirements.Theprojectmanageralsodesignsand appointstheprojectmanagementteam.Expectedprojectbenefitsaresummarizedinthebusinesscaseand
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
togetherwithestimatedcostspresentedtotheprojectboard.Theprojectboardcanthendecideiftheproject shouldbeinitiatedandauthorizeprojectexecution.
Whentheprojectcanbestarted,theprojectmanagerplansthefollowingstepsingreaterdetail.Theproject managerplansthestagesandrelatedsprints.Theproductownerinthemeantimeshouldmovetheinitial requirementsfromthebusinesscaseandtransferthemintotheproductbacklog.Thescrummastershouldbe appointedandtogetherwiththeprojectmanagershouldfacilitatethefirstsprintandtohavethefirstsprint planningevent.
Theproductownerwiththedevelopmentteamdiscussestheproductbackloganddecideswhatrequirements canbedeliveredinthenextsprint.Allselectedrequirementsaretransferredtothesprintbacklogand describedinmoredetailbythedevelopmentteam.Whenthesprintbacklogiscreated,theteamstarts designing,developingandtestingtheproductincrement.Theymeeteverydayandduring15minutesthey discusswhathasbeendone,whatwillbeaccomplishedsoonandwhethertheyfaceanyimpediments.These dailystandͲupmeetingsshouldbefacilitatedbythescrummasterandiftheproductownerisavailablethen theproductownershouldattendthesedailysprintsaswell.
Whenthedeliverypartofscrumisover,thedevelopmentteamdemonstratestheproductincrementtothe productownerinthesprintreviewmeeting.Theproductownercandecideiftheproductincrementshouldbe releasedtoproductionorfurtherdeveloped.Afterthesprintreviewmeeting,theproductownercanexplore theproductincrement,createnewrequirements,updatetheexistingonesandprioritizealloftheminthe productbacklog.
Theprojectmanagerafterthesprintreviewmeetingshouldupdatethehighlightreportwhereheorshe summarizestheprogressoftheproject.Thisreportisthenpresentedtotheprojectboardtoinformthemof theprojectstatus.ScrumalsodefinesamorefrequentreportcalledtheburnͲdownchartthatcontainsthe summaryofcompletedtasksandestimatedtimeforcompletingalltheremainingrequirements.Thischart helpstheprojectmanagertohaveabetteroperationaloverviewofrequirementstobedeliveredinthesprint.
5.
The
use
of
conceptual
framework
in
the
field
of
web
development
WebdevelopmentisconstantlyontherisealongwiththeuseofinternetͲbasedtechnologieswhichare positivelyacceptedbysociety.Themostofcontemporaryecosystemsofoperatingsystems(ondifferent devices)implicitlysupportsthewebbrowsingoptionandthereforetheuseofwebapplications.Severalyears ago,theareaofwebdevelopmentencompassedmainlysmallͲscaleprojects,butcurrentlythereisagrowing demandforthedevelopmentofspecificwebapplicationsoftheextentofmediumandlargeprojects(ora largernumberofsmallerprojects)builtonvariouswebtechnologies.Thisiscausedbytheeffortsofprimarily commercialsubjectstoreflecttheiractivitiesintheenvironmentofservicesontheinternet(e.g.banks, insurancecompanies,retailcompanies),butalsobyagradualtransitionfromplatformͲdependentsolutionsto themoreuniversalwebͲbasedapplications(e.g.GPSnavigation).Thistransitionentails(onthesideofweb solutionitself)someadvantagesaswellasdisadvantages:
Advantagesofwebapplications:available24hoursaday,7daysaweek;zeroinstall(onlywebbrowser needed);theycanreachanybodyanywhereintheworld;centraliseddataissecureandeasytobackup; quickandeasyupdates(alwaysupͲtoͲdate);lowspec.mobiles,computersortabletscanbeused;
Disadvantagesofwebapplications:slower(runoverwebbrowser);internetisnotalwaysavailable; greatercomplexitymeanslongerdevelopment(mixofmanytechnologiesasHTML5,CSS3,PHP,JS); variousstandardssupportedinvariousbrowsers;securityrisks.
Theenvironmentofservicesontheinternetfluctuatesalot;thisiswhythedevelopmentoftheseapplications hastobeadaptedtotheagileapproach.Ontheotherhand,mediumorlargeprojects(inscope)createdby variouslylargeteams(accordingtothe–current–financialpossibilitiesoftheclient)carrywiththemtheneed foreffectivemanagementofthewholeproject(orpartialsmallerprojects).Theconceptualframework presented here links the elements of PRINCE2 and Scrum methodologies and provides the required superstructureofthedevelopmentapproachintheformofprojectmanagementandcontrolatahigherlevel (projectmanagerandboard). Italsoallowstheintegrationofthis conceptual frameworkinto larger organizationalstructuresinlargecompanies,offeringbettermanagementofindividualmodules(partsor brancheswithdifferentvariants)oftheproject,includingthepossibilityofeffectivemanagementofotherwise
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
separatedevelopments.Thisconcernsprimarilytheimprovementofplanningandcontrolmechanismsata higherlevelofprojectmanagement.ThisisimportantfromthepointofviewthattheseprojectscanbelongͲ term,sothesoftwareissubjecttocontinuousdevelopment(paidforitsuseandnotforafinalversionhanded overtotheclient).Forthesereasons,companiesengagedinbusinessviainternetmakelongͲtermportfoliosof differentsizedprojectsthatareactivelydevelopedaccordingtotheneedsandpossibilitiesoftheclients.
Thefollowingtablecomparesthetwomainapproachestosoftwaredevelopmentandcomparestheirmain featureswiththeselfͲdesignedconceptualframework,inwhichanextensionofagiledevelopmentwasadded intheformofmorerobustprojectmanagement.Thisallowsparticularlyamoreefficientmanagementof mediumandlargeprojects, oralargerportfolioofsmallerprojects.Theadvantageoftwolevelsof management(agileatthedevelopmentlevelcomparedtothemorerigidcontrolatahigherlevelofthe project)liesintheabilityforrapidchange,butalsoinfollowingthepredetermineddirection,sothatthe projectisabletomeetthebusinessobjectivesdefinedatthebeginningoftheproject(includingitssuccessful completion).InTable1,wehighlightinboldtypetheimportantchangesascomparedwithnetagile development.
Table1:Differencesbetweentraditionaldevelopment,agiledevelopmentandagiledevelopmentwithproject management:Source:Authors,basedon(Stoicaetal.,2013)
Traditionaldevelopment (e.g.RationalUnified Process) Agiledevelopment (e.g.Scrum) Agiledevelopmentwith projectmanagement (ScrumandPRINCE2) Managementstyle Commandandcontrol Leadershipandcollaboration Leadership,collaboration,and
control Knowledge
management Explicit Tacit Tacit(explicitifrequired)
Communication Formal Informal
Informal(developmentteam), formal(projectboard),mixed
(projectteam) Developmentmodel Lifecyclemodel(waterfall,
spiralormodifiedmodels) EvolutionaryͲdeliverymodel EvolutionaryͲdeliverymodel
Organizational structure Mechanic(bureaucratic, highformalization), targetinglarge organization
Organic(flexibleand participative,encourages
socialcooperation), targetingsmallandmedium
organizations
Organic,targetingespecially smallandmedium organizations.Butthanksto therobustnessofPRINCE2,it
canbeusedalsobylarge organizations. Qualitycontrol
Difficultplanningandstrict control.Difficultandlate
testing
Permanentcontrolof requirements,designand
solutions.Permanent testing.
Permanentcontrolof requirements,designand solutions.Permanenttesting
andbugfixing. Userrequirements
Detailedanddefined before coding/implementation
Interactiveinput
Interactiveinput(highͲlevel requirementscanbedefined
upfront)
Costofrestart High Low MediumͲLow
Development
direction Fixed Easilychangeable
Easilychangeableindefined limits
Testing Aftercodingiscompleted Everyiteration Everyiteration
Clientinvolvement Low High High
Additionalabilities requiredfrom
developers
Nothinginparticular
Interpersonalabilitiesand basicknowledgeofthe
business
Interpersonalabilitiesand basicknowledgeofthe
business Appropriatescaleof
theproject Largescale Lowandmediumscale
Mediumandlargescale(low alsopossible) Requirements Verystable,knownin
advance
Emergent,withrapid changes
Emergent,withrapidchanges. HighͲlevelrequirements
knowninadvance Architecture Designforcurrentand
predictablerequirements
Designforcurrent requirements
Designforcurrent requirements,blueprintfor
highͲlevelrequirements
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
Traditionaldevelopment (e.g.RationalUnified Process) Agiledevelopment (e.g.Scrum) Agiledevelopmentwith projectmanagement (ScrumandPRINCE2) onemodule Size Largeteamsandprojects Smallteamsandprojects Smallteamsandsmall,
mediumorlargeprojects
Primaryobjectives Highsafety Quickvalue Quickvalueandhighsafetyof
projectasawhole Thetableclearlyshowsthatthecombinationofagiledevelopmentandmorerigidmanagementiseasily applicableinparticulartothedevelopmentofmediumandlargewebprojects,wheretheuseoftheproposed frameworkbringsmanyadvantages.Inthefieldofwebapplicationdevelopmentsmallscaleprojectsarestill prevalent;thoseincludecommoncorporatepresentations,smalleͲshopsorprofessionalportals.These projectstooneedhighqualitymanagementwithdefinedobjectivesandcontrolduringthedevelopmentofthe application.Therefore,theproposedconceptualframeworkissuitableforthistypeofprojects(includinga broaderportfolioofsmallprojects).However,itisimportanttokeepinmindcertaindistinctivecharacteristics ofsmallerprojects,whichmustbereflectedinthewaythechosenmanagementstyleisused/applied.
ThedevelopmentofsmallwebapplicationscomparedtolargerͲscaleprojectsisdifferentintheextentofthe complexityoftheproposedapplications,thesizeoftheteamandthereforethenumberofrolesthatcanbe identifiedintheproject.Itistypicalforsmallerprojectstomergecertainrolesinoneperson.InatypicalsmallͲ scaleproject,thereareinfactonlytwomainroles:TeamLeader(combiningtheroleofScrumMasterand constitutestheessenceoftheteam,whichisverysmallorconsistsofexternalmembers,whoarehired,if necessary)andProductOwner,whorepresentsthecustomer.Thelowerlevelofprojectcomplexityis reflectedinthenumberofsprints.Theminimumnumberisthreesprints:thefirstisfocusedoncomponent layoutanddesign,thesecondoncreatingkeyfunctionalityofwebapplicationsandthethirdonthecontrolof thebetaversionofthewebsite(aversionthatisfinishedintermsoffunctionalityanddesign,butthereisa possibilityofminordeficiencies).Thisminimalistapproachtothenumberofsprintshasanotherconsequence, whichisareducedcapacityforchangesinfunctionality(duetothesmalleramountofsprints)andthatis connectedwith higherrequirements on the description of user requirements. Forthese reasons,we recommendahighernumberofsmallersprints(e.g.weekly),ifitisallowedbythetimetableforthesupplyof thefinalversionofthewebapplication(projectslongerthanonemonth).Theneedtodescribeuser requirementsisalsoimportantintermsofthebudgetfortheproject,whichismostlyfixed,basedonthe initialprojectspecification.Inthelightofthosespecificitiesitseemsappropriatetoapplyourproposed frameworkalsotodevelopingwebapplicationsinsmallerscale.
5.1 Advantagesanddisadvantagesofthenewconceptualframework
Thefollowingpotentialadvantagesanddisadvantagesofthenewframeworkshouldbeconsideredwhen applyingtheresultsofthispaperinordertoimprovethewebdevelopmentprojectsuccessrate.
Advantagesofthisframeworkforwebdevelopmentprojects:
ItsupportstheintegrationofScrumintothemorecomplexorganizationalstructures. Itsupportsthemanagementofmediumtolargeprojectsoraportfolioofsmallprojects. ItsupportsthemanagementofdifferentdevelopmentteamsusingScrum(ScrumͲofͲScrum)
Itprovidestwomanagementlayers.Thefirstoneisfocusedondevelopmentefficiencyandthesecondis focusedonkeepingtheprojectwithinbudget,qualitystandardandontime.
Disadvantagesofthisframeworkforwebdevelopmentprojects:
WebdevelopmentprojectscanbesosmallandshortͲlivedthatnoformalframeworkisneededandno portfoliomanagementisapplied.
Thecustomerandthedevelopmentteammustbecommittedtotheprojectotherwisethebenefitsofthe frameworkwillnotbefullyrealized.
Whentheuserrequirementsarestableandcanbedefinedupfrontthenthisframeworkislesseffective thanthetraditionalapproach.
MartinTomanek,RadimCermakandZdenekSmutny
6.
Conclusion
Theintroductorysectionofthepaperpresentedtheimportanceofthecurrentlyappliedapproachesto softwaredevelopmentwiththeassistanceofagileapproachaswellasgoodprojectmanagementwith emphasisonensuringasuccessfulcompletionoftheproject.Wealsobrieflyoutlinedthebasicprinciplesof thetwomethodologies –thefirstfocusedonagiledevelopment (Scrum)andthesecondonproject management(PRINCE2)–whichwehaddecidedtousetodesignourownconceptualframeworklinking (unifying)thesetwomethodologies.Theresultingconceptualframeworkprovidesanewqualitativevalue, connectingthestrengthsofbothmethodologiesinordertoensureeffectivedevelopmentandalsostrict compliancewithprojectgoals.Finally,we discussthepossibilities andapplicability of theconceptual frameworkfordevelopingwebapplicationsincludingcomparisonwiththetraditionalandthepurelyagileway ofdevelopment.Oneofthemainbenefitsofthisconceptualframeworkisthatitcanhelpthecustomersto seethemorefrequentproductincrementsanddeterminewhethertheprojectstillhasbusinessjustification. Morefrequentcustomerinvolvementcanhelpthedevelopmentteamtounderstandtherequirementsin greaterdetail.
Inordertofullyexaminetheconceptualframeworkandtosupporthighervaluecreationthefollowingprocess artefactsneedtobedescribedinmoredetail.Theindividualprocessesshouldbedescribedespeciallyinterms ofprocessobjectives,description,inputs,outputsandRACI(responsible,accountable,consultedandinformed roles).Therolesfrombothframeworksshouldbealsoalignedandtheirresponsibilitiesclearlydefinedto supporttheprocessexecution.Lastbutnotleast,theprocesstemplatesshouldbecreatedtoguidethe processpractitionerstoeasilyfollowtheintegratedprocessmodel.Theresearchlimitationofthispaperis exclusionofpeopleskillsandmotivation.Onlyprinciplesandprocessmodelswereconsideredbutthepeople factoristhemostcrucialinanysoftwaredevelopmentprojects.Scrumsupportsthecollaborativecultureand PRINCE2ismostlyusedasthecommandandcontrolapproach.Thesetwodifferentapproachesmaydecrease therealbenefitsofthisnewframeworkandthereforethecombinationofthementionedtwoframeworks shouldbecarefullyunderstoodandconsidered.
Acknowledgements
ThispaperwaspreparedthankstotheIGAgrantVSEIGSF4/5/2013.
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