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Planning Guidelines in Software Engineering

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Planning guidelines are generally written statement that contains guidance to be referred before any development and establishing take place of a project. Planning guidelines are often used for purpose of uniformity, comfort, and safe development. These planning guidelines should be followed by any party for development. These are initial planning guidelines that are made on basis of experience of many other people. Planning guidelines creates a convenient living environment. These guidelines are therefore considered credible bases of estimates and build some amount of confidence in the stakeholders. 

Planning is an essential part of software engineering, and there are several guidelines that can be followed to ensure that the software development process is well-organized and efficient. Some of these guidelines include:

  1. Define clear and measurable objectives: Clearly define the goals and objectives of the software development project, and make sure that they are measurable and achievable.
  2. Understand the requirements: Gather and analyze the requirements for the software, and ensure that they are complete, consistent, and unambiguous.
  3. Create a project plan: Develop a detailed project plan that includes the schedule, resources, and deliverables for the software development project.
  4. Identify and manage risks: Identify and evaluate the risks that may impact the software development project, and develop a plan to mitigate or manage them.
  5. Define the software architecture: Define the overall structure and organization of the software, and ensure that it meets the requirements and is consistent with the project plan.
  6. Establish a development process: Establish a development process that includes methodologies, tools, and standards to be used throughout the software development project.
  7. Define the testing strategy: Define the testing strategy for the software development project, including the types of tests to be performed and the schedule for testing.
  8. Monitor and control progress: Monitor and control the progress of the software development project, and take corrective action as needed to keep the project on schedule and within budget.
  9. Communicate effectively: Ensure effective communication among all members of the development team and stakeholders.
  10. By following these guidelines, software engineers can ensure that the software development process is well-organized, efficient and that the project is delivered on time and within budget.
  11. It’s important to note that these guidelines are not exhaustive and it may vary based on the size, complexity and the nature of the project. Planning in software engineering is an ongoing process and it should be flexible enough to adapt to the changes that are likely to happen during the course of the project.
     

There are generally two planning guidelines that should be followed for development of a project. These guidelines are given below : 

  • Give Advice for default allocation of costs among all elements of first-level WBS. 
    Below a table is given. In this table, you will see default allocations for budgeted costs of all elements of first-level WBS. Values might change or vary across various projects, but allocation generally plays an essential role by providing a good benchmark for evaluating plan by completely understanding and knowing rationale for deviations from these guidelines. It is actually a cost allocation, not an effort allocation. 
     
First-Level WBS Element Default Budget
Management 10 %
Environment 10 %
Requirements 10 %
Design 15 %
Implementation 25 %
Assessment 25 %
Deployment 5 %
Total 100 %
  • Give Advice for allocation of effort and schedule across all phases of a life-cycle. 
    Below is a table is given. In this table, you will see allocation of effort and schedule. Value might change or vary across various projects, but allocation generally plays an essential role by providing an average expectation across a spectrum of domain of application. 
     
Domain Inception Elaboration Construction Transition
Effort 5 % 20 % 65 % 10 %
Schedule 10 % 30 % 50 % 10 %

All guidelines simply translate broad framework into fully explained principles of development. They play a major role in achieving high quality of development of a project. But sometimes, advice regarding project independent planning is also risky. It can be that these guidelines can be adopted blindly without any adaptation to circumstances of a specific project. Another risk can be interpretation in a wrong way.
 


Last Updated : 12 Feb, 2023
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