CIPI and the PAS project
Did CIPI choose the right methodology for the PAS project? If yes, why? If not, which methodology would you recommend?
CIPI chose the development methodology named Stradis for the PAS project. According to this methodology, the process of development was divided into the following stages: initial study, detailed study, the study of draft requirements, physical design outline, requirements statement, design of the system, coding and testing, followed by installation (Brown et al., 2012). It is likely that CIPI chose the wrong methodology for the project because, after four stages, there existed a number of challenges and troubles caused to a large extent by methodology changes. For example, during the physical design stage, it turned out that the project’s cost increased by 2 times compared to the initial estimates. Furthermore, there were significant challenges in the draft requirements study: a lot of systems had to be changed, and therefore many requirements were unclear or changed too quickly. By the middle of the PAS project, many processes were behind schedule, and the process of managing the project became very complex.
For the PAS project, Agile/Scrum methodology or Feature-driven Development methodology might have been more appropriate. In Agile methodology, the system is developed by iterations: the team chooses specific functionality to be implemented during an iteration, reevaluates priorities and needs after each iteration, and collects user feedback. In a Feature-driven development methodology, the project team develops the project’s model, builds a list of features, and implements the plan-design-build cycle by feature.
What are some of the tools and techniques used in this project?
CIPI used the Stradis methodology and prepared the relevant documentation using the techniques recommended by this methodology. As for tools, there were several instruments used at different project stages. During the project planning phase, Watkins used PERT and Gantt chart modules that were part of a tool named Project Manager’s Workbench. The analyst used the CASE tool for storing data, managing data repository, populating data stores, flows, and entity/relationship data models (Brown et al., 2012). Furthermore, CIPI launched a Document Control System – an imaging system for organizing, indexing, and storing documents; the system also provided capabilities for collaborating and tracking document changes.
References
Brown, C.V., DeHayes, D.W., Hoffer, J.A., Martin, E.W. & Perkins, W.C. (2012). Managing
Information Technology, 7th edition, Pearson/Prentice-Hall, ISBN-10: 0132146320, ISBN-13: 9780132146326.
