How to Write Software Project Plans
I N T R O D U C T I O N
How to Write Software Project Plans is a plain-english, simplified version of IEEE 1058 - Standard for Software Project Management Plans.
The project plan documents the planning work necessary to conduct, track and report on the progress of a project. It contains a full description of how the work will be performed.
The benefit of using this how to guide is the consistency of presentation, enabling management to assess the plans, for their merits or limitations, more readily. In particular this how to guide specifies the format and content for a project plan by defining the minimal set of elements that shall appear in all project plans (additional sections may be ap-pended as required).
The project plan includes the:
scope and objectives of the project deliverables the project will produce process which shall be employed to produce those deliverables time frame and milestones for the production of the deliverables organisation and staffing which will be established responsibilities of those involved work steps to be undertaken budget
S C O P E
How to Write Software Project Plans applies to the medium to large scale software development projects.
O B J E C T I V E S
How to Write Software Project Plans allows the project manager to:
consider all relevant aspects of the project,
ensuring they will be considered during the project planning stage produce project plans with consistent content and format clarify the objectives, deliverables and manner of execution of the projectContribution to IS Quality. The literature of software quality widely recognises that up to 70% of IT development projects fail (in terms of either not being completed, or completed but not used by the client due to it unsuitability). One of the major contributing factors to this alarming situation is that the project was not planned comprehensively enough.
While it is not possible to foresee every misfortunes that might possibly befall a project, there are nonetheless a well-defined set of actions and attributes which if employed in the planning stage can result in all foreseeable matters being addressed. This how to guide is an easy to use checklist, as defined by IEEE 1058, and template to achieve this end. It embodies the principle of failing to plan is planning to fail..
In the same way as a systematic and comprehensive Statement of User Requirements can capture a more complete set of requirements, a project plan as provided by this how to guide allows the project manager to make sure he/she has considered all relevant matters in the planning stage, allowing them to avoid, as far as possible, unpleasant surprizes later.
V I E W - S A M P L E S
Click here to see the contents list.
Click here to see a sample of the plan.
Note formatting may be affected in conversion from Word to HTML.
D O W N L O A D - F R E E - U S E F U L - S A M P L E S
Two brief (~10 pages each) how to guides can be downloaded for free. They are zip files containing rtf & pdf copies of the documents.
They are useful and relevant to any software development project and are intended to give prospective buyers of the full featured range of TCS how to guides an indication of their quality and usefulness.
Click here to download How to Perform Risk Management (.docx format).
Click here to download How to Perform Project Estimates (.docx format).
A B O U T T H E A U T H O R
How to Write Software Project Plans was written by David Tuffley, who combines a successful commercial career as a quality management consultant with academic involvement at the School of ICT, at Griffith University, Australia, where he lectures and is engaged in postgraduate research in IS Quality.
See Client list.
O R D E R Y O U R C O P Y N O W
This guide, proven over the past five years at large commercial and public sector sites, could save you thousands of dollars in consultancy fees. Or put it another way, you could not buy even an hour of a good consultant's time for the price of this valuable How To guide. Yet consultants routinely spend weeks or months implementing procedures similar to those contained in this guide.
Ordering your copy of this excellent How To guide for only US$24.95 is easy. Buy It
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Delivery Information. You will receive a download link by email soon after you place the order. The download contains the deliverables in MS Word (.docx) and PDF. The documents are your master copy.
How to Use the Documents. Save the master as a working document. Read the reference text that details what needs to be written, and to what level of detail. Then write what needs to be written, and delete the reference text, leaving the completed document. The structure is embodied in the template. Documents can be converted to HTML for intranet/internet delivery if desired, using your wordprocessor's inherent HTML conversion capabilities, or by using proprietary conversion software that builds contents hierarchies that greatly facilitates navigation. Contact TCS for more information.
O T H E R T C S P U B L I C A T I O N S
Client list Complete Library (all of the below + 19 extra) 
User Manuals Software Requirements Specifications Capture IS User Requirements Software Test Documentation Software Design Descriptions Configuration Management Plans Version & File Software Development Documentation Software Project Agreements Software Project Plans Software Quality Management Plans Software Project Review & Audits Software Project Terms of Reference Perform Software Project Metrics Initiate Software Projects Software project procurement & handling client supplied materials
R E T U R N T O T C S H O M E P A G E
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