Base Model
- Consider five size categories for all IT projects: Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large, and Extra Large. (ed. This is one or two more categories than prior art I have discovered so far – sml)
- "Size" means the complexity and risk as impact on the end-user community.
- The Size Category determines the release processes that must be followed. That is the sole purpose of this tool.
- Determine sizing score by considering a concrete set sizing criteria, or decompositions. (ed. Decomposition of Risk, PMBoK – sml)
- Still figuring out if these should be summed, averaged, or some other math.
Phases
- If you can break a project down into discrete phases of lesser impact, you can reduce the amount of required process and complexity.
- A "phase" is only a phase if it can result, on its own, in a discrete improvement to the product or service.
- You can reduce scope by eliminating non-dependent phases.
Decompositions
Human Resources
Take the quality that invokes the highest score.
Score |
Man Years |
Project Members |
Skills Gap/Consulting |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
<= 0.25 |
1 |
None |
2 |
0.25 - 0.5 |
2 |
< 10% Consulting or Attrition Risk* |
3 |
0.5 - 1 |
3 - 5 |
10-25% Consulting or Attrition Risk |
4 |
1-2 |
6-10 |
25-75% Consulting or Attrition Risk |
5 |
> 2 |
> 10 |
Approaching 100% Outsourced |
*Attrition Risk is risk of individual flight, pending budget reduction/downsize, or single points of failure.
Release Complexity
A release can contain more than one of these. Consider only parts of the service subject to change. Take the quality that grants the highest score.
Score |
Software Application |
Data |
Integration |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
minor patch or security release, no end-user function affected |
single schema |
self-contained, single end-user transaction |
2 |
major patch, "dot release" that effects end-user behavior |
single database, multiple schemas |
|
3 |
full application upgrade |
external link or feed relationship to other system of record |
|
4 |
operating-system upgrade as distributed release or affecting many underlying services |
multiple external links or feed relationships |
|
5 |
packaged release of operating system, multicomponent or multi-transactional system |
multiple production database servers changed |
|
ITIL Outline discovered by Pat on Wikipedia:
I found some tid bits on Wikipedia in the ITIL section that may or may not be helpful (high level)
Release categories include:
Major software releases and major hardware upgrades, normally containing large amounts of new functionality, some of which may make intervening fixes to problems redundant. A major upgrade or release usually supersedes all preceding minor upgrades, releases and emergency fixes.
- Minor software releases and hardware upgrades, normally containing small enhancements and fixes, some of which may have already been issued as emergency fixes. A minor upgrade or release usually supersedes all preceding emergency fixes.
- Emergency software and hardware fixes, normally containing the corrections to a small number of known problems.
Releases can be divided based on the release unit into:
Delta Release: a release of only that part of the software which has been changed. For example, security patches.
- Full Release: the entire software program is deployed---for example, a new version of an existing application.
- Packaged Release: a combination of many changes---for example, an operating system image which also contains specific applications.
End Notes
(ed. to become properly formatted end notes later. sml)
- Head First PMP
- GDPA IT Project Types http://www.informatik.uni-bremen.de/gdpa/part3/p3t2.htm
- Wikipedia Summary of Identifying and Managing Project Risk by Tom Kendrick http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identifying_and_Managing_Project_Risk