Project management software is a term covering many types of software, including scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration software, communication, quality management and documentation or administration systems, which are used to deal with the complexity of large projects.Scheduling
One of the most common tasks is to schedule a series of events, and the complexity of this task can vary considerably depending on how the tool is used. Some common challenges include:

Events which depend on one another in different ways or dependencies
Scheduling people to work on, and resources required by, the various tasks commonly termed resource scheduling
Dealing with uncertainties in the estimates of the duration of each task
Arranging tasks to meet various deadlines
Juggling multiple projects simultaneously to meet a variety of requirements

[edit] Calculating critical path
In many complex schedules, there will be a critical path, or series of events that depend on each other, and whose durations directly determine the length of the whole project (see also critical chain). Some software applications (for example, Dependency Structure Matrix solutions) can highlight these tasks, which are often a good candidate for any optimization effort.


[edit] Providing information
Project planning software needs to provide a lot of information to various people, to justify the time spent using it. Typical requirements might include:

Tasks lists for people, and allocation schedules for resources
Overview information on how long tasks will take to complete
Early warning of any risks to the project
Information on workload, for planning holidays
Evidence
Historical information on how projects have progressed, and in particular, how actual and planned performance are related

Answered by raj u , an ibibo Master, at 1:55 PM on September 12, 2008

types of projects in software are

1.Umbrella project

2.software development projects
3.documentation projects for Open Source Software
4.community group organizations in support of Open Source Software.

Non-Hostable Projects


The following project types cannot be hosted on SourceForge.net:

Distributi ons: software and Operating System distributions will generally not be accepted for hosting on SourceForge.net. These project types duplicate content that is available elsewhere and use massive amounts of resources. We will host them if an alternate host can be found for the project content (SourceForge.net services can be used for bug tracking, mailing lists, web site, etc.; File releases should be hosted elsewhere).

Closed Source: SourceForge.net only hosts Open Source software projects. For closed-source projects, consider using SourceForge On Demand or SourceForge Enterprise Edition.

Personal Websites: There are other free or low cost hosting providers who cater to the needs of personal websites, please do a web search to find one that meets your needs.

Content Generators: Projects that create only content and not documentation or source code are generally not hostable. If the content is particularly unique and not available for use in the Open Source community under a license that meets the spirit of the Open Source Definition, we will consider its hosting on a case-by-case basis.

Answered by jaivir , an ibibo Master, at 5:29 PM on September 11, 2008

Today's software applications need to be both useful and usable, supporting simple and efficient completion of tasks by the intended user audience. Part 1 of this two-part series on user-centered design defined the essential activities of useful and usable software. Here in part 2, Lynn Percival and Jack Scanlon describe the applicability of these core activities across a range of development project types -- selection and possible customization of a vendor application, evolution and rewrite of an existing application, and creation of a new application.



User-cente red design (UCD) is a widely accepted methodology for designing usable applications, for producing software that truly meets the needs of its users. This article is the second of two articles that describe design activities we have found most useful in various types of projects: selecting a vendor application, evolution of an existing application, rewrite of an existing application, and development of a new application. In the first article, we described the core set of design and evaluation activities. If you are unfamiliar with those activities, you will want to begin with that article. Here we will look at which activities are most useful in different project types.

Answered by Sharad Singh , an ibibo Master, at 7:12 PM on September 10, 2008

Such is the diversity of our client base that we have been involved in numerous different software projects ranging from designing and developing for SME requirements to PLC and public sector software projects.

With that experience to hand, we take the time to read between the lines of your operations, your plans, your issues and create and present appropriate recommendations that we explain and justify with real-world examples, based on experience.

Some of the different software projects we have worked on include:-

* land analysis software
* construction planning software
* real time sales software
* mobile sales software
* network status monitoring software
* electrical bid software
* electrical calculation software
* field support software
* staffing software
* conference room scheduling software
* workflow document management software
* dispatch trucking software
* advanced planning software
* plumbing estimating software
* employee schedule software
* medical claims software
* recruiting software
* help desk software
* * child care management software
chiropractic software
* land survey software
* payroll service software
* daycare management software
* six sigma project tracking software
* vehicle maintenance software
* plumbing bid software
* staff scheduling software
* land development software
* electrical billing software
* electrical estimating software
* plumbing billing software
* pharmacy dispensing software
* application monitoring software
* support tracking software
* customer support management software
* support ticket software
* electrical contractor software
* waste management software
* landscape software
* landscape design software
* resource scheduling software
* process mapping software
* gps tracking software
* human resource software
* plumbing software
* interior design software
* healthcare solutions software
* medical office management software
* inventory tracking software
* asset and inventory tracking software
* healthcare management software
* facility scheduling software
* timeclock software
* inventory control software
* medical manager software
* motion control software
* sales support software
* field service software
* human resource management software
* business map software
* help desk tracking software
* desktop support software
* appointment scheduling software
* medical management software
* helpdesk support software
* online customer support software
* id card software
* * training management software
inventory management software
* process automation software
* payroll software
* computer inventory software
* job scheduling software
* time billing software
* help desk software solution
* employee scheduling software
* customer support software
* ipod software
* * help desk support software
property management software
* electronic document management software
* builder software
* construction estimating software
* telemarketing software
* document management software
* sales tracking software
* inventory software
* blackberry software
* warehouse management software
* customer support systems
* palm software
* litigation support software
* recruiting software
* customer service software
* project management software
* call center software
* medical practice software
* process management software
* estimating software
* gps software
* asset tracking software
* room scheduling software
* time management software
* business planning software
* co

Answered by Shobhit , an ibibo Master, at 6:11 PM on September 10, 2008

well, Project management software is a term covering many types of software, including scheduling, cost control and budget management, resource allocation, collaboration software, communication, quality management and documentation or administration systems, which are used to deal with the complexity of large projects.
Let us now look at the attributes or characteristics that are common to each of the nine basic types of project listed above.

1. Administrative: Administrative projects involve intellectual workers. The scope may change as the project proceeds.

2. Construction: Construction is a contract business where the scope is laid out in detail before the project starts and the level of risk is relatively small for the size of investment. The workers are almost entirely craft or blue collar. In most cases time pressures are moderate and cost is a very important variable. The processes of construction are typically well known and the foremen very experienced.

3. Computer Software Development: Software projects are notorious for having the scope change radically during the project. Often they are pushing the state of the art which introduces high risk. Programmers are famous for individualistic behavior.

4. Design of Plans: The design of any kind of plan is an intellectual endeavor. By the nature of the exploratory nature of design the scope may not be well defined at the beginning because the client may not have yet decided just what they want. Quality is of a higher priority than either time or cost.

5. Equipment or System Installation: Scope is well defined and speed is essential. Risk should be low if the project was well planned.

6. Event: This is a one of a kind project where scope may change during the project and uncertainty is high. Time is critical to meet a specific date. It is probably a complex project.

7. Maintenance of Process Industries: Turnarounds and outages are short perhaps nine week projects in which down time can cost as much as a million dollars per day and speed is critical. Uncertainty is high because the scope is not fully known until the plant is disassembled. A large number of different craft workers are involved. They often work three shifts per day and plans are detailed in hours.

8. New Product Development: Developing a new product is a risky business. By definition you are pushing the state of the art. Time to market is much more important than cost of the project. Quality is also critical and the scope may change up or down during the project.

9. Research: Research projects are usually long term where quality takes precedence over time. It is an intellectual process where scope may not be defined at all in the beginning.
source site: http://www.maxwideman.com/gues ts/typology/characteristics.ht m

Answered by Nidhi Singh , an ibibo Master, at 6:02 PM on September 10, 2008

Types of Projects:

Electronic Claims & X12 837 Claims
General Accounting
Billing
Patient Data
Construction and Engineering
Medical Treatment Plans
Census Data
Call Centers and Logs for calls/jobs
Maintenance logs
Statistics
HCFA, UB92 and other medical claim forms
Human Resources
Payroll
Payroll integration with ADP and other payroll systems
OLAP with Oracle, SQL and other databases
ADO, DAO, OLE , Automation and connectivity
Cost Accounting

Source: http://www.mds-computer-servic es.com/types_of_projects.htm

Answered by alok , an ibibo Master, at 5:41 PM on September 10, 2008

well,This is an attempt to classify different types of IT projects that happen on the Street.

1) Projects that are demanded by stakeholders: perhaps to support a new business or for regulatory/auditing purposes, etc).

Basically the business is hot for these projects. They demand them to be highest priority. These projects are necessarily agile and driven by stakeholders. Delivery is so tight and fast that stakeholders may even go straight to developers to discuss their needs. A BA may or may not be involved.

The pros:

* Gives the users exactly what they want, no more and no less
* Business feels IT is responsive to their needs

The cons:

* Business babble <-> Techno babble translation process (without a BA) may have some glitches, but feedback is fast and there is far less opportunity to go astray and deliver unneeded functionality
* Sometimes IT may run into a business user who dictates the technological solution rather than just give requirements. And who might also quickly and violently change requirements. In this case, it might be very hard for IT to push-back. One strategy that is being implemented in just such a case is to have the business user deliver his requests in batches. Anything making a certain cutoff time will be implemented and anything afterwards will make it in the next day. Another strategy is for IT to "cost" the list of remaining work items [i.e., Item 1 will take 3 hours, Item 2 will take 4 hours, etc] and have the Business User prioritize them himself. He'll know exactly what he's getting and when. He might even slow his requests down :)


2) Strategic Projects driven by IT

The way IT implements strategic solutions is long and cumbersome, falling back on a waterfall, BRUF (Big Requirements Up Front) approach. Stakeholders don't see value and in the interim, come back with more tactical projects that drive project plans and resources off-course. This type of project needs strong motivation and vision in IT. The initiative for this is most likely spawned by IT and sold to the business as a 'game-changer'. The threat here comes from being derailed by stakeholder demands for other projects (either because some other requirements arise or because they haven't seen any value come from the time/money spent so far).

The BRUF/Waterfall method is especially a threat to these IT driven strategic projects because of IT's tendency to want to do it right the first time. Months may go by without the stakeholders seeing a single screen and giving their feedback on the direction of the project. Without something tangible to go back to the business with to elicit real feedback, the development team may dream up something that is completely orthogonal or irrelevant to what is actually needed by end-users.

And when the system is actually delivered (most likely many, many months later), enthusiasm has waned and the system is so off-base from what was sold to the stakeholders that it is deemed un-usable or obsolete.

The biggest impediment to these types of projects is lack of stakeholder participation. Steps to combat this are:
1) Decrease time between 'selling the system to stakeholders' and delivery of a working system (even if its initial feature-set is limited)

2) Iterative Development and prototyping and involving stakeholders at each and every stage.

Answered by Debashis , an ibibo Master, at 3:01 PM on September 10, 2008

Software Project Management is a sub-discipline of Project management in which software projects are planned, monitored and controlled.


Project Planning
The purpose of Project Planning is to identify the scope of the project, estimate the work involved, and create a project schedule. Project planning begins with requirements that define the software to be developed. The project plan is then developed to describe the tasks that will lead to completion.


Project Monitoring and Control
The purpose of Project Monitoring and Control is to keep the team and management up to date on the project's progress. If the project deviates from the plan, then the project manager can take action to correct the problem. Project monitoring and control involves status meetings to gather status from the team. When changes need to be made, Change control is used to keep the products up to date.


Software requirements
Requirements analysis is a term used to describe all the tasks that go into the instigation, scoping and definition of a new or altered computer system. Requirements analysis is an important part of the software engineering process; whereby business analysts or software developer identify the needs or requirements of a client; having identified these requirements they are then in a position to design a solution.


Risk Management
Risk Management is the process of measuring, or assessing risk and then developing strategies to manage the risk. In general, the strategies employed include transferring the risk to another party, avoiding the risk, reducing the negative effect of the risk, and accepting some or all of the consequences of a particular risk. Traditional risk management, which is discussed here, focuses on risks stemming from physical or legal causes (e.g. natural disasters or fires, accidents, death, and lawsuits).


Software Process
A software development process is concerned primarily with the production aspect of software development, as opposed to the technical aspect. These processes exist primarily for supporting the management of software development, and are generally skewed toward addressing business concerns.


Problems in Software Projects
The problems in software projects come from three different viewpoints: project managers, developers and customers. The problems project managers face include: poor roles definition, lack of estimating and planning skills, lack of decision making skills. Project managers do need to face the schedule, budget and quality constraints. The problems developers face include: lack of knowledge in the application area, lack of knowledge about developing standards, lack of up to date documentations, deadline pressure, changes of application requirements. The problems customers face include: monetary constraints, receiving products past the due date.

http://www.answers.co m/topic/software-project-manag ement

Answered by Nishu's , an ibibo Master, at 2:58 PM on September 10, 2008

There are basically two types of software projects:

stable : This kind of software is based on some known sound idea.
living : This is a stab at an elusive idea or more likely a vague need.

A stable project is one whose entire idea is clear and comple and whose code has essentially reached that idea. Only reason that would require any change would be either fixing implementation bugs or documentation, recompilation or other such related thing. Virtue for such a project is to be able to stay still.

One source that mentions stable software perhaps in a way I mean it here is TAOUP. The operating system belonging to this class might ideally be desirable, but is hardly possible. As such, it's better being considered living than stable. That is a goal that can be filled. Software components, tools and libraries should probably aim for this goal if for nothing else then to avoid volatility.

A living project is a prototype that is undergoing constant change. The author(s) started with something they wanted to try and they keep on changing the project as they see what direction they would like to see in the development. Virtue for such a project is to evolve until it either reaches stable state or becomes obsolete. Many projects probably stall before reaching either and that is quite acceptable. Just as bug fixes to the stable project's implementation.

These projects tend to like "release early, release often" policies. The faster the progress happens, the better. Idleness is being incomplete. It is perhaps inevitable.

Most software projects are probably like this. Quite especially all packaging and software distribution projects fit this model well. Too much atomic updates are more of a hurdle because of the work in shuffling new software into place and not in the actual change. In a real situation, it's probably best to try and find some kind of balance. Many projects split experimental and "stable" versions.

For more visit :

http://www.student.oulu.f i/~harriha/en/comp/types_of_so ftware.html

Answered by Ashish Yadav , an ibibo Wizard, at 2:45 PM on September 10, 2008