Extreme Programming (XP) is a software development approach for small teams on risk-prone projects with unstable requirements. 
It was created by Kent Beck who described the approach in his book 'Extreme Programming Explained'. Testing ('extreme testing') is a core aspect of Extreme Programming. Programmers are expected to write unit and functional test code first - before the application is developed. Test code is under source control along with the rest of the code. Customers are expected to be an integral part of the project team and to help develope scenarios for acceptance/black box testing. Acceptance tests are preferably automated, and are modified and rerun for each of the frequent development iterations. QA and test personnel are also required to be an integral part of the project team. Detailed requirements documentation is not used, and frequent re-scheduling, re-estimating, and re-prioritizing is expected.

- Possibly. For small projects, the time needed to learn and implement them may not be worth it. For larger projects, or on-going long-term projects they can be valuable. 

- A common type of automated tool is the 'record/playback' type. For example, a tester could click through all combinations of menu choices, dialog box choices, buttons, etc. in an application GUI and have them 'recorded' and the results logged by a tool. The 'recording' is typically in the form of text based on a scripting language that is interpretable by the testing tool. If new buttons are added, or some underlying code in the application is changed, etc. the application can then be retested by just 'playing back' the 'recorded' actions, and comparing the logging results to check effects of the changes. The problem with such tools is that if there are continual changes to the system being tested, the 'recordings' may have to be changed so much that it becomes very time-consuming to continuously update the scripts. Additionally, interpretation of results (screens, data, logs, etc.) can be a difficult task. Note that there are record/playback tools for text-based interfaces also, and for all types of platforms.

- Other automated tools can include:
code analyzers - monitor code complexity, adherence to standards, etc.
coverage analyzers - these tools check which parts of the code have been exercised by a test, and may be oriented to code statement coverage, condition coverage, path coverage, etc.
memory analyzers - such as bounds-checkers and leak detectors.
load/performance test tools - for testing client/server and web applications under various load levels.
web test tools - to check that links are valid, HTML code usage is correct, client-side and server-side programs work, a web site's interactions are secure.
other tools - for test case management, documentation management, bug reporting, and configuration management.

Black-box and white-box are test design methods. Black-box test design treats the system as a “black-box”, so it doesn't explicitly use knowledge of the internal structure. Black-box test design is usually described as focusing on testing functional requirements. Synonyms for black-box include: behavioral, functional, opaque-box, and closed-box. White-box test design allows one to peek inside the “box”, and it focuses specifically on using internal knowledge of the software to guide the selection of test data. Synonyms for white-box include: structural, glass-box and clear-box. 

While black-box and white-box are terms that are still in popular use, many people prefer the terms 'behavioral' and 'structural'. Behavioral test design is slightly different from black-box test design because the use of internal knowledge isn't strictly forbidden, but it's still discouraged. In practice, it hasn't proven useful to use a single test design method. One has to use a mixture of different methods so that they aren't hindered by the limitations of a particular one. Some call this 'gray-box' or 'translucent-box' test design, but others wish we'd stop talking about boxes altogether.

It is important to understand that these methods are used during the test design phase, and their influence is hard to see in the tests once they're implemented. Note that any level of testing (unit testing, system testing, etc. can use any test design methods. Unit testing is usually associated with structural test design, but this is because testers usually don't have well-defined requirements at the unit level to validate.

QA is more a preventive thing, ensuring quality in the company and therefore the product rather than just testing the product for software bugs.

TESTING means 'quality control.' QUALITY CONTROL measures the quality of a product QUALITY ASSURANCE measures the quality of processes used to create a quality product.

Defining WBS:
 Work breakdown structure means breaking down of a work into individual components on the basis of priorities and coherent sequences so that each slice of work can be handled by different individual at different instant of time.

• It helps to easily identify the priorities of task.
• WBS contains no overlapping activities. 
• When activities are identified they are added to the branch if related else added as new task.
• It helps to present project structure.

Example of Work Breakdown Structure

Reasons for creating WBS:

• Assists with accurate project organization
• Helps with assigning responisiblites
• Shows the control points and project milestoens
• Allows for more accurate estimation of cost, risk and time. 
• Helps explain the project scope to stakeholders

A WBS diagram expressed the project scope in simple graphic terms. The diagream starats with a single box or other graphic at the top to represent the entire project. The project is then divided into main, or disparate compoinets, with related ctivities listed under them. Generally, the upper components are the deliverable and the lower level elements are the activities that create the deliverables. One common view is a Gantt Chart. 

Quality Assurance is based on finding the flaws on the products and reporting to right people so that they can fix it. QA includes management of the quality of raw materials, assemblies, products and components, services related to production, and management, production and inspection processes.


Quality Assurance or Quality Assurance Tester is a way of preventing mistakes or defects in manufactured products and avoiding problems when delivered to customer.

QA ensures:

• ensures quality in work
• acitivites are effective
• software or products meet the requirements

Principle of QA

There are two major principle of QA:

1. Fit for purpose: Products should be suitable for intended products
2. Right first time:  Mistakes should be eliminated

Example:

There are different versions of I-phones, making sure, each version is better than earlier version and making sure, any  new application works according to requirements,  etc are some of the works of QA. 

• Cross-browser testing
• Customer product acceptance Testing
•  Beta Testing etc

Black box testing - not based on any knowledge of internal design or code. Tests are based on requirements and functionality. 

White box testing - based on knowledge of the internal logic of an application's code. Tests are based on coverage of code statements, branches, paths, conditions.

unit testing - the most 'micro' scale of testing; to test particular functions or code modules. Typically done by the programmer and not by testers, as it requires detailed knowledge of the internal program design and code. Not always easily done unless the application has a well-designed architecture with tight code; may require developing test driver modules or test harnesses. 

incremental integration testing - continuous testing of an application as new functionality is added; requires that various aspects of an application's functionality be independent enough to work separately before all parts of the program are completed, or that test drivers be developed as needed; done by programmers or by testers. 

integration testing - testing of combined parts of an application to determine if they function together correctly. The 'parts' can be code modules, individual applications, client and server applications on a network, etc. This type of testing is especially relevant to client/server and distributed systems. functional testing - black-box type testing geared to functional requirements of an application; this type of testing should be done by testers. This doesn't mean that the programmers shouldn't check that their code works before releasing it (which of course applies to any stage of testing.) system testing - black-box type testing that is based on overall requirements specifications; covers all combined parts of a system. 

end-to-end testing - similar to system testing; the 'macro' end of the test scale; involves testing of a complete application environment in a situation that mimics real-world use, such as interacting with a database, using network communications, or interacting with other hardware, applications, or systems if appropriate.
sanity testing or smoke testing - typically an initial testing effort to determine if a new software version is performing well enough to accept it for a major testing effort. For example, if the new software is crashing systems every 5 minutes, bogging down systems to a crawl, or corrupting databases, the software may not be in a 'sane' enough condition to warrant further testing in its current state.
regression testing - re-testing after fixes or modifications of the software or its environment. It can be difficult to determine how much re-testing is needed, especially near the end of the development cycle. Automated testing tools can be especially useful for this type of testing.
acceptance testing - final testing based on specifications of the end-user or customer, or based on use by end-users/customers over some limited period of time. 

load testing - testing an application under heavy loads, such as testing of a web site under a range of loads to determine at what point the system's response time degrades or fails.
stress testing - term often used interchangeably with 'load' and 'performance' testing. Also used to describe such tests as system functional testing while under unusually heavy loads, heavy repetition of certain actions or inputs, input of large numerical values, large complex queries to a database system, etc. performance testing - term often used interchangeably with 'stress' and 'load' testing. Ideally 'performance' testing (and any other 'type' of testing) is defined in requirements documentation or QA or Test Plans.

usability testing - testing for 'user-friendliness'. Clearly this is subjective, and will depend on the targeted end-user or customer. User interviews, surveys, video recording of user sessions, and other techniques can be used. Programmers and testers are usually not appropriate as usability testers. 

install/uninstall testing - testing of full, partial, or upgrade install/uninstall processes. recovery testing - testing how well a system recovers from crashes, hardware failures, or other catastrophic problems. 

failover testing - typically used interchangeably with 'recovery testing'

security testing - testing how well the system protects against unauthorized internal or external access, willful damage, etc; may require sophisticated testing techniques.
compatability testing - testing how well software performs in a particular hardware/software/operating system/network/etc. environment. 

exploratory testing - often taken to mean a creative, informal software test that is not based on formal test plans or test cases; testers may be learning the software as they test it. ad-hoc testing - similar to exploratory testing, but often taken to mean that the testers have significant understanding of the software before testing it. 

context-driven testing - testing driven by an understanding of the environment, culture, and intended use of software. For example, the testing approach for life-critical medical equipment software would be completely different than that for a low-cost computer game. 

user acceptance testing - determining if software is satisfactory to an end-user or customer. comparison testing - comparing software weaknesses and strengths to competing products. alpha testing - testing of an application when development is nearing completion; minor design changes may still be made as a result of such testing. Typically done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers. 

beta testing - testing when development and testing are essentially completed and final bugs and problems need to be found before final release. Typically done by end-users or others, not by programmers or testers. mutation testing - a method for determining if a set of test data or test cases is useful, by deliberately introducing various code changes ('bugs') and retesting with the original test data/cases to determine if the 'bugs' are detected. Proper implementation requires large computational resources.

Solving problems is a high-visibility process; preventing problems is low-visibility.
This is illustrated by an old parable:
In ancient China there was a family of healers, one of whom was known throughout the land and employed as a physician to a great lord. The physician was asked which of his family was the most skillful healer. He replied, "I tend to the sick and dying with drastic and dramatic treatments, and on occasion someone is cured and my name gets out among the lords." "My elder brother cures sickness when it just begins to take root, and his skills are known among the local peasants and neighbors." "My eldest brother is able to sense the spirit of sickness and eradicate it before it takes form. His name is unknown outside our home."

1. Miscommunication or no communication -

 as to specifics of what an application should or shouldn't do (the application's requirements).

2. Software complexity - 

the complexity of current software applications can be difficult to comprehend for anyone without experience in modern-day software development. Multi-tiered applications, client-server and distributed applications, data communications, enormous relational databases, and sheer size of applications have all contributed to the exponential growth in software/system complexity. programming errors - programmers, like anyone else, can make mistakes.

3. Changing requirements (whether documented or undocumented) - 

the end-user may not understand the effects of changes, or may understand and request them anyway - redesign, rescheduling of engineers, effects on other projects, work already completed that may have to be redone or thrown out, hardware requirements that may be affected, etc. If there are many minor changes or any major changes, known and unknown dependencies among parts of the project are likely to interact and cause problems, and the complexity of coordinating changes may result in errors. Enthusiasm of engineering staff may be affected. In some fast-changing business environments, continuously modified requirements may be a fact of life. In this case, management must understand the resulting risks, and QA and test engineers must adapt and plan for continuous extensive testing to keep the inevitable bugs from running out of control.

4. Poorly documented code - 

it's tough to maintain and modify code that is badly written or poorly documented; the result is bugs. In many organizations management provides no incentive for programmers to document their code or write clear, understandable, maintainable code. In fact, it's usually the opposite: they get points mostly for quickly turning out code, and there's job security if nobody else can understand it ('if it was hard to write, it should be hard to read').

5. software development tools - 

visual tools, class libraries, compilers, scripting tools, etc. often introduce their own bugs or are poorly documented, resulting in added bugs.

A lot depends on the size of the organization and the risks involved. For large organizations with high-risk (in terms of lives or property) projects, serious management buy-in is required and a formalized QA process is necessary.

Where the risk is lower, management and organizational buy-in and QA implementation may be a slower, step-at-a-time process. QA processes should be balanced with productivity so as to keep bureaucracy from getting out of hand.
For small groups or projects, a more ad-hoc process may be appropriate, depending on the type of customers and projects. A lot will depend on team leads or managers, feedback to developers, and ensuring adequate communications among customers, managers, developers, and testers.
 

The most value for effort will often be in
(a) requirements management processes, with a goal of clear, complete, testable requirement specifications embodied in requirements or design documentation, or in 'agile'-type environments extensive continuous coordination with end-users, 

(b) design inspections and code inspections, and 

(c) post-mortems/retrospectives.

Long term scheduler determines which programs are admitted to the system for processing. It controls the degree of multiprogramming. Once admitted, a job becomes a process.

Medium term scheduling is part of the swapping function. This relates to processes that are in a blocked or suspended state. They are swapped out of real-memory until they are ready to execute. The swapping-in decision is based on memory-management criteria.

Short term scheduler, also know as a dispatcher executes most frequently, and makes the finest-grained decision of which process should execute next. This scheduler is invoked whenever an event occurs. It may lead to interruption of one process by preemption.

EDF scheduler = Earliest Deadline First scheduling. Rate monotonic scheduling, comparatively, assigns priorities based on the period of each task. 

 

However, it only works if CPU utilisation is not too high. EDFis more difficult to implement, however it always works so long as the tasks are actually possible to schedule.

1. A Θ( n ) algorithm is O( n )
2. A Θ( n ) algorithm is O( n² )
3. A Θ( n² ) algorithm is O( n³ )
4. A Θ( n ) algorithm is O( 1 )
5. A O( 1 ) algorithm is Θ( 1 )
6. A O( n ) algorithm is Θ( 1 )

Solution

1. We know that this is true as our original program was Θ( n ). We can achieve O( n ) without altering our program at all.
2. As n² is worse than n, this is true.
3. As n³ is worse than n², this is true.
4. As 1 is not worse than n, this is false. If a program takes n instructions asymptotically (a linear number of instructions), we can't make it worse and have it take only 1 instruction asymptotically (a constant number of instructions).
5. This is true as the two complexities are the same.
6. This may or may not be true depending on the algorithm. In the general case it's false. If an algorithm is Θ( 1 ), then it certainly is O( n ). But if it's O( n ) then it may not be Θ( 1 ). For example, a Θ( n ) algorithm is O( n ) but not Θ( 1 ).

NO, It can not solve all the problems.

For example, Turing Machine can not solve Halting problem.

Is it safe to use Facebook? How to securely use Social Web?

Despite the actual statistics about the popularity of Social Web, security is always a burning question. Anyone can get into hot water when asked, which social web is most popular, whether it is Facebook, or Twitter or Instagram or other. But whatever it is, when it comes to end users, there is always a mind-shattering question “Is it safe to use Facebook? Or how can I secure my Web World?” In this article, I would like to share you about most common ways people can exploit your web world and tweaks you can do to prevent yourself from being socially engineered.

What are the common security threats?

·      Suspicious Emails and notifications: If you get email asking for your username or password, never respond them. Facebook or any other website will never ask you to send your username or password or answer to your security questions. Spammers and scammers sometimes create phony emails that look like they’re from Facebook. These emails can be very convincing. You might get something like, warnings that something will happen to your account if you don't update it or take another immediate action, Claims or offers that sound too good to be true (ex: You've won the Facebook Lottery!) etc.

·      Adware: Some program claims that they can give you special feature on your Facebook like, who viewed your timeline or adding theme to timeline. When you click on those links, it asks you to download small extensions. Once done, it will populate your timelines with ads and banners and makes your timeline load slowly.

o   Remedy: To get rid of them remove the suspicious extensions from the browser you use. For example in, if you are using Safari, you click on “Safari” -> “Preferences” ->”Extensions” and remove unwanted extensions.

·      Malware: Malware is software system that is designed to break a PC or a network. If you've got Malware on your PC, it might be wont to get around Facebook's security controls and take over your account. This software system will collect data from your account, send standing updates or messages that appear as if they are from you, or cowl your account with ads that crash your pc.

o   Remedy:

§  Change your Password.

§  Scan your computer for Malware.

§  Upgrade your browser to latest version.

§  Remove unwanted browser add-ons.

·      Keylogging through Keyloggers: Keylogger is a type of computer virus that tracks key strokes. Keyloggers can be installed remotely on a computer system by a cracker to record all the activity that is going on the victim's computer. Keylogging gets easier if the hacker has physical access to the victim's computer.

o   Remedy: Install a good antivirus and update it frequently. Do not click on suspicious links and avoid downloading illegal software. Also, avoid installing free toolbars and other such spam software. Always scan third-person's flash and pen drives before using them on your computer.

·      Phishing: Phishing is one of the easiest ways to trick users into giving out their login credentials. All a hacker does is setup a webpage similar in design to that of the Facebook homepage, attach a server sided script to track the username and password entered and store it in a log. Sending people emails stating that someone tagged a photo of them on Facebook in the same format as Facebook and giving a link below to the Phishing website further reduces the chances of it being detected as a fake. Sometimes, spam Facebook apps, like those promising to tell who viewed your Facebook profile, automatically post links to Phishing websites. A new trend amongst phishers is creating Facebook look-a-like widgets for stealing user's login credentials.

o   Remedy: If you think your friend's account was phished, tell them to change their password and run anti-virus software on their computer. At all costs, avoid clicking on suspicious links. Moreover, always check the URL in the address bar before signing in. Avoid logging in through various "Facebook widgets" offered by websites and blogs. Instead, use Facebook's homepage to sign in.

How to keep your account safe?

·      Confirm your mobile number: Most of the social web allows securing your account using mobile numbers. You can get notifications whenever some unknown person tries to access your account. Code Generator methods of Facebook are one of the great ways to protect your Facebook account.

·      Pick a strong password:  Do not use any dictionary words. Any meaningful words can be hacked through some attacking methods. Use a combination of at least six numbers, letters, and punctuation marks.

·      Make sure your email account(s) are secure: Do not use same password for your email and Facebook or any other social web. If you have same password, stop reading this right here and go ahead and change your password.

·      Log out of Facebook: Log out of Facebook or other sites when you use a computer you share with other people. Do not save your password in your browser when it prompts for saving it.

·      Run anti-virus software on your computer: Keep your anti-virus and Operating System updated. Operating system keeps integrating security patches in every new version. Make sure you have latest copy.

·      Think before you click or download anything.

What to do after your account is hacked?

What can be done after your account is hacked? Don’t Panic. Web security flows is a known but controlled issues.

·      Change your Password: If your password was not changed, change your password immediately. If your password is change, reset your password.

·      Report compromised account: If your Facebook account is compromised, it means your Facebook account was not hacked. Follow the instructions and you can regain the access to your account.

·      Do damage Control: After you regain access to your account checks your inbox, settings, apps etc. Inform your friends your account was hacked and if any message sent was not by you. Remove suspicious applications.

·      Change your email password: If your email address is hacked, hacker or spammer can easily gain access to your all the accounts associated with that email address. Make sure, your email account is safe.

Compiled By

Suresh Kumar Mukhiya

[Web Developer, Web Security Analyst, SEO Expert]

itsmeskm99@gmail.com

There are four properties of database. They are as follows:

Atomicity

Atomicity refers to the ability of the database to guarantee that either all of the tasks of a transaction are performed or none of them are. Database modifications must follow an all or nothing rule. Each transaction is said to be atomic if when one part of the transaction fails, the entire transaction fails.

Consistency

The consistency property ensures that the database remains in a consistent state before the start of the transaction and after the transaction is over (whether successful or not). For example, in a storefront there is an inconsistent view of what is truly available for purchase if inventory is allowed to fall below 0, making it impossible to provide more than an intent to complete a transaction at checkout time. An example in a double-entry accounting system illustrates the concept of a true transaction. Every debit requires an associated credit. Both of these happen or neither happen.
A distributed data system is either strongly consistent or has some form of weak consistency. Once again, using the storefront example, a database needs to provide consistency and isolation, so that when one customer is reducing an item in stock and in parallel is increasing the basket by one, this is isolated from another customer who will have to wait while the data store catches up. At the other end of the spectrum is BASE (Basically Available Soft-state Eventual consistency).
Weak consistency is sometimes referred to as eventual consistency, the database eventually reaches a consistent state. Weak consistency systems are usually ones where data is replicated; the latest version is sitting somewhere in the cluster, older versions are still out there. Eventually all nodes will see the latest version.

Isolation

Isolation refers to the requirement that other operations cannot access or see the data in an intermediate state during a transaction. This constraint is required to maintain the performance as well as the consistency between transactions in a database. Thus, each transaction is unaware of another transactions executing concurrently in the system.

Durability

Durability refers to the guarantee that once the user has been notified of success, the transaction will persist, and not be undone. This means it will survive system failure, and that the database system has checked the integrity constraints and won't need to abort the transaction. Many databases implement durability by writing all transactions into a transaction log that can be played back to recreate the system state right before a failure. A transaction can only be deemed committed after it is safely in the log.
Durability does not imply a permanent state of the database. Another transaction may overwrite any changes made by the current transaction without hindering durability.

1. Use prepared statements and parameterized queries. These are SQL statements that are sent to and parsed by the database server separately from any parameters. This way it is impossible for an attacker to inject malicious SQL.

   $stmt = $pdo->prepare('SELECT * FROM employees WHERE name = :name');
   
   $stmt->execute(array('name' => $name));
   
   foreach ($stmt as $row) {
       // do something with $row
   }

2. You could do something basic like this:

   $safe_variable = mysql_real_escape_string($_POST["user-input"]); mysql_query("INSERT INTO table (column) VALUES ('" . $safe_variable . "')"); This won't solve every problem, but it's a very good stepping stone.
3.  

Consider the following information on a decision process used within an organisation to grant salesperson commissions: 

1. If fewer than 400 units are sold, the salesperson’s commission is 1% of total sales. 
2. If between 400 and 499 units are sold, the salesperson’s commission is 2% of total sales. 
3. If 500 or more units are sold and the salesperson has been with the company for more than one year, the salesperson’s commission is 4% of total sales. 
4. If 500 or more units are sold and the salesperson has been in the company for one year or less, his or her commission is 3% of total sales. 

In addition to the above commission scheme, an additional commission of 0.5% of total sales is added if more than 80% of the sales have been collected by the salesperson. Draw an extended decision table representing the above information. Compress the table and convert it to a decision tree.

Solution:

For this particular use case, let us assume three decision variables: 

1. Number of unit sold (Less then 400, Between 400 and 499, and More then 499), 
2. Length of employment (Less than one, More than one year), and 
3. Sales percentage (More than 80%, Less than 80%) 

Based on these three decision variables and information provided in the question (points 1, 2, 3 and 4) we can construct decision table: 

Decision Table:

Based on above decision table, we can construct decision tree as follows:

Decision Tree:

We can convert strong to upper case using strtoupper() function and convert string to lowercase using strtolower() PHP function.

For Example, 
<?php 
$string = "This is test string.";
$new_string = strtoupper($string);

echo $new_string;
//output would be THIS IS TEST STRING
 
?>

A project manager is the one who manages the overall project of any organization.  There are a few critical skills that make project managers successful –
Subject Matter Knowledge

• Effective project managers understand the inner workings of their organizations and know enough about their products/services to hold intelligent conversations with (1) customers, (2) stakeholders, (3) suppliers, and (4) functional leaders within the organization.
• The best project managers are excellent listeners, and view exchanges with the above groups as learning opportunities.
• Project managers that are new to an organization set aside learning time each week to better understand and interact with the four groups noted above.  This learning investment is paid back many times over in the form of good decisions, effective meetings, and successful project delivery (and fewer headaches!)

Project Management Tools

• Effective project managers understand how, when, and why to deploy project management disciplines at different points in a project.  Examples of these tools include project definition, planning, scheduling, vendor management, risk assessment, budgeting, change management, and project control.

Interpersonal and Leadership Skills

• Successful project managers know how to motivate people who do not work for them, and keep teams working effectively together.
• Quite simply, effective project managers tend to be as “likeable” as they are assertive.

Organization

• Project managers create structure from chaos by using specific tools such as charters, risk assessments, Gantt charts, decision matrices, and many other tools throughout the project.

Time Management

• Steven Covey’s quote, “The enemy of the best is the good,” applies especially well to project managers.  They understand that there are countless good things to be involved in, but there are a vital few best things that must come first each day.  Successful project managers are very good at saying, “I’m sorry but I can’t support that right now.”

• Successful project managers also respect their teammates’ time.  Project managers run efficient meetings, which results in good attendance by all parties over the long run.

Communication

• Project managers communicate clearly, concisely, and frequently.  They know, for example, when a simple email will suffice, or when a “working document” like a project charter will better serve their purpose.

Political Savvy

• There are times when interpersonal skills are not enough to garner the support needed from the organization on one or more project tasks.  In these cases, project managers use senior leadership support to get things done.  Project managers are very good at scheduling update forums with senior leadership and functional leaders, to ensure that all business functions are making the project a priority.

Comfortable Running a Meeting

• As a project manager you will spend a lot of time orchestrating meetings.  As a result, you must be comfortable running meetings with wide variety of audiences.  Here are three tips for success:  (1) stop thinking about how you are coming off in the meeting, and think about the project’s success instead, (2) organize ahead – state meeting objectives at the start of the meeting and do your best to keep the meeting on track to achieve those objectives, (3) know when to lean on others for answers – as a project manager you will likely not be the subject matter expert in the room, and no one should expect you to be.

What is a project?

A project is a unique endeavor that has specific goals, beginning and endings, and a fixed budget. Budget includes time, money and resources.

What do you mean by project management?

It is the process of determining how to run the project so as to meet the client’s requirement on time and within budget. It answers the following questions:

·      What problems are you going to solve?

·      How will you solve the problems?

·      What is the plan?

·      How will you execute the plan? And When?

·      How will you know the project has been done successfully?

What is a Project Manger? What are the skills required by project manager?

A project manger is a person who is responsible for correct and onetime delivery of project.  A project manger must have following skills:

·      Business skills

·      Financial skills

·      Technical skills

·      Leadership

Steps in Project managements

Following are the major steps in Project managements

1.     Initiating

a.     Writing problem statement

b.     Project goal

                                               i.     Business objectives

                                              ii.     Technical objectives

                                            iii.     Financial objectives

                                            iv.     Quality objectives

                                              v.     Performance objectives

c.      Choosing strategies

d.     Gathering requirements

                                               i.     Prototyping

                                              ii.     Reusing the existing ideas

                                            iii.     Use cases

                                            iv.     Business process modeling

                                              v.     Interview

                                            vi.     Questionnaire

e.     Understanding the deliverables and milestones

f.      Identifying the risks and assumptions

g.     Understanding the scope of the project

h.     Identifying the stakeholders

i.       Obtaining the approval

j.       Writing project charter / storyboard

2.     Planning

a.     WBS

b.     Building Schedule

                                               i.     Prioritize the work

c.      Identifying resources

                                               i.     Human resources

                                              ii.     Budget resources

                                            iii.     Material resources

d.     Building budget

Budget should be neither too high nor too low but an appropriate amount that should cover the investment, employee cost and appropriate amount of profit for the company.

                                               i.     Planning team

                                              ii.     Expert

                                            iii.     Team members

                                            iv.     Previous projects

                                              v.     Parametric models

e.     Risk management Plane

f.      Communication Plan

g.     Quality management plan

h.     Change management plan

3.     Executing

a.     Procurement

                                               i.     Team ready

                                              ii.     Resource ready

b.     Managing team

                                               i.     Communicate roles and responsibilities of each member

                                              ii.     Give specific goals

                                            iii.     Provide support and help in case of obstacles

                                            iv.     Respecting the team members

                                              v.     Providing the feedback quickly

                                            vi.     Telling the truth, why the work is important

c.      Gathering data

d.     Evaluating progress

e.     Reporting progress

f.      Running meetings

4.     Monitoring and Controlling

5.     Closing

a.     Customer Acceptance

b.     Documentation acceptance

c.      Closing the contract

Approaches of Project Managements

There are two major approaches of project management. They are as follows:

1.     Traditional Method: When project requirements are clear and well understood then we can use traditional method. Waterfall method is one of the examples for traditional method.

2.     Agile Method: Agile methods are used when the client’s requirements are not obvious. We can use iterative methods. Iteration methods and spiral methods are examples of agile project management methods.

Project Management Tools

There are different types of tools that can be used in Project Management. Some of them are as follows:

·      Scheduling Software

o   MS- Excel

o   Microsoft Project

o   @Task

·      Documentation Software

o   MS-Word

o   Google Docs

·      Presentation Software

o   PowerPoint

o   Keynote

·      Collaboration Software

o   Basecamp

o   SharePoint