Example Of What Is A Software Project Essay

- Introduction
A software project is a terminology that has regularly been used in the field of computer science. However, this term has often been used in the wrong context. This paper seeks to define and elaborate in detail what a software project is. First of all, it is important to understand that a software project is the process of planning, implementing, monitoring, and quality control of three important dimensions namely –features, time, and resources (Royce, 1998). All these three dimensionalities are effectively combined to produce a workable deliverable which is called software. In order to best understand this definition of software, it is important to unpack the three dimensionalities that are involved in the successful completion and assembly of software.
- Body
The first dimensionality that is worth looking at is features. For any software project, project managers have the responsibility of coming up with desirable features that makes their software better compared to the software that is already in existence (Wysocki, 2006). In today’s technological world some of the features that software projects are inclined towards include desirable speed in the use of software, easier usage and access of software, and the amount of data that is involved in the installation of particular software. Therefore, a software project is not only aimed at producing a successful deliverable, but is also geared towards producing a deliverable that is marketable, unique, and more efficient compared to what the market has to offer.
The second important dimensionality that is worth discussing is time. In any task or project time plays a vital role. The time frame in which a project is completed determines how useful a finished software deliverable is going to be useful. For instance, if the completion of a software project takes a long time to complete, large amounts of resources are likely to be used in the process. This is because individuals and other factors that are being involved in the project will be necessary for the entirety of the project. This would mean that the amount of wages paid to people working on the project would be higher. It is worth noting that software projects are done within spaces. Workshops in which software projects are conducted may in some cases be rented. This would mean that explicit costs such as rent would be higher if software projects have a long time frame. Therefore, the success of software projects is highly dependent on the amount of time that is spent on these projects. This effectively dough tails into the third dimensionality, which is resources.
Resources are an integral part of any project. Software project require the use resources in terms of capital, human resources, and social capital. Capital in most cases is measured in terms of money. Money is essential in the purchase of components and materials that are used in the assembly of software. Human resources on the other hand refer to the manpower that is used in the completion of software projects. Human resources are measured in terms of labor and wages that are paid to the people that are involved in the software project. Social capital refers to the connections and networks that software project managers are able to develop. Social capital is important because project managers are able to obtain funding, and project ideas from other people by expanding their social capital (Futrell, 2002).
- Conclusion
In conclusion, a software project is a process of planning, implementing, monitoring, and quality controlling of three important dimensionalities. These dimensionalities include time, features, and resources. Any successful software project has to effectively combine the three dimensionalities-features, time, and resources, to be in a position to produce a desirable software deliverable. In addition, it is important to understand that social capital is important for software project managers as they seek to expand their funding and ideas regarding their areas of concentration.
References
Futrell, R. T. (2002). Quality software project management. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Royce, W. (1998). Software project management: a unified framework. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley.
Wysocki, R. K. (2006). Effective software project management. Indianapolis, IN: Wiley Publishers.