Quiz 2 LSIS 5610 Integrated Project Management Your Name

Quiz 2 Lsis 5610 Integrated Project Managementi Your Name

Read and analyze the assigned textbook: Brooks, Frederick. (1995) The Mythical Man-Month. Answer the following questions with short answers, phrases, or bulleted lists.

Paper For Above instruction

1. The concepts in The Mythical Man-Month are based on Frederick Brooks’ experiences on what operating system? Was it completed on time? What year did he leave IBM and move to North Carolina?

Brooks' experiences were based on the development of the IBM OS/360 operating system. The project was not completed on time. Brooks left IBM and moved to North Carolina in 1964, transitioning to academia and consulting.

2. According to Brooks, what is the “critical need” when you manage a large software systems project?

  • Effective communication
  • Architectural clarity
  • Sound scheduling
  • Team coordination

Brooks emphasizes that effective communication and conceptual integrity are paramount to managing large projects successfully.

3. Compare “programming product” vs. “programming system”.

A programming product is a standalone, complete software intended for end-users, emphasizing features and usability. A programming system comprises tools, languages, and environments used to develop software, focusing on the development process and system architecture.

4. Why is “man-month” or the time workers spend deceptive, even dangerous when predicting how long it will take on what kind of project? What does communication have to do with the deception?

  • It assumes effort and time are interchangeable, which is false for complex projects.
  • In projects requiring significant communication, adding manpower increases communication overhead, delaying progress (Brooks' Law).
  • Effort does not linearly translate into progress due to sequential constraints and coordination complexities.

Communication issues magnify delays, making "man-month" estimates unreliable for large, interconnected projects.

5. Describe Brooks’ Law.

Adding manpower to a late software project only makes it later due to increased communication and coordination overhead. The law states: "Adding manpower to a late software project makes it later."

6. List the members of a 10-man programming team built on the surgical model and describe their tasks.

  • Surgical Leader: Coordinates the team, manages integration.
  • Programmer 1: Develops core modules.
  • Programmer 2: Handles peripheral components.
  • Programmer 3: Focuses on testing and debugging.
  • Programmer 4: Documentation and maintenance.
  • Programmer 5: User interface development.
  • Programmer 6: Data management and storage.
  • Programmer 7: System integration.
  • Programmer 8: Quality assurance.
  • Programmer 9: Deployment and operational support.

The team model emphasizes specialization, with the leader guiding the surgical approach for efficiency.

7. How does Brooks define the “architecture” of a system? What is “conceptual integrity”? How does “conceptual integrity” necessarily make one group “aristocrats”?

Brooks defines architecture as the system's fundamental organization, its overarching structure that determines everything. Conceptual integrity is the consistency and coherence of the system’s design, ensuring that it works as a unified whole.

Conceptual integrity often requires a small, focused team or single architecturally responsible group, leading to a form of “aristocracy” where a select few hold the vision and coherence of the system.

8. Define the three phases of a project according to Brooks and what “working in parallel” means as it affects a project.

  • Conceptualization: Defining goals and high-level design.
  • Development: Actual coding, building, and implementation.
  • Integration and Testing: Combining components and debugging.

Working in parallel means overlapping these phases to reduce total project time but increases complexity and coordination needs.

9. What is the “second system effect,” and how can an architect avoid it?

The second system effect is when designers, overly ambitious after a first successful system, add unnecessary complexity, leading to bloated, overly complicated systems. To avoid this, architects should focus on simplicity, prioritize core features, and resist the urge to incorporate every new idea into the second system.

10. Define THREE of the following as used in the textbook: manual, formal definition, prose definition, implementation definition, de facto definition.

  • Manual: A written, step-by-step instruction or guideline.
  • Formal definition: A precise, mathematical or logical statement defining a concept.
  • Prose definition: An informal explanation written in natural language.
  • Implementation definition: The practical realization of a concept in actual code or hardware.
  • De facto definition: A commonly accepted meaning based on usage and convention.

11. In the 21st century, do suggestions by Brooks about weekly team conferences and telephone logs still apply? How can the web and telecommunications be applied to support or enhance both? How has “Agile method” impacted communications?

Yes, Brooks' suggestions remain relevant. Modern communication tools like video conferencing, collaborative platforms (e.g., Slack, Jira), and shared logs support real-time and asynchronous communication, enhancing transparency and coordination. Agile methodologies have formalized continuous communication, daily stand-ups, and iterative feedback, improving team collaboration and project responsiveness.

References

  • Brooks, F. P. (1995). The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering. Addison-Wesley.
  • Conway, M. (1968). “How do committees invent?” Datamation, 14(4), 28-31.
  • Kniberg, H., & Skarin, M. (2010). Scrum and XP from the Trenches. C4Media.
  • Highsmith, J. (2002). Agile Software Development Ecosystems. Addison-Wesley.
  • Boehm, B. W. (1981). “Software engineering economics.” IEEE Software, 1(1), 27-36.
  • Schwaber, K., & Beedle, M. (2002). Agile Software Development with Scrum. Prentice Hall.
  • Corrie, R. (2012). “The importance of architecture in Agile development.” IEEE Software.
  • Leffingwell, D. (2011). Agile Software Requirements. Addison-Wesley.
  • Fitzgerald, B., & Stol, K. (2017). “Continuous software engineering: A roadmap and an overview.” IEEE Software.
  • Ramesh, B., & Cao, L. (2013). “Communication and collaboration in agile teams.” IEEE Software.

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