T.3 IT Project Types




		T.3 IT Project Types

T.3 IT-Vorhabentypen

Contents
T.3.1 Characteristics with Corresponding Quantifications
T.3.1.1 Project Size Classification
T.3.1.2 Complexity Classification of Functions and Data
T.3.1.3 Quantification of the Maintenance Requirements
T.3.2 Administrative IT Projects
T.3.2.1 Small Administrative IT Projects
T.3.2.2 Medium Administrative IT Projects
T.3.2.3 Large Administrative IT Projects
T.3.3 Technical-Scientific IT Projects
T.3.3.1 Small/Medium Technical-Scientific IT Projects
T.3.3.2 Large Technical-Scientific IT Projects
T.3.4 Selection, Procurement, and Adjustment of Off-the-Shelf Products
T.3.5 Representation of the Project Types-Overview
T.3.6 Tailoring Forms
T.3.6.1 Using the Forms
T.3.6.2 Collection of Forms

Contents		T.3.1 Characteristics with Corresponding Quantifications T.3.1.1 Project Size Classification T.3.1.2 Complexity Classification of Functions and Data T.3.1.3 Quantification of the Maintenance Requirements T.3.2 Administrative IT Projects T.3.2.1 Small Administrative IT Projects T.3.2.2 Medium Administrative IT Projects T.3.2.3 Large Administrative IT Projects T.3.3 Technical-Scientific IT Projects T.3.3.1 Small/Medium Technical-Scientific IT Projects T.3.3.2 Large Technical-Scientific IT Projects T.3.4 Selection, Procurement, and Adjustment of Off-the-Shelf Products T.3.5 Representation of the Project Types-Overview T.3.6 Tailoring Forms T.3.6.1 Using the Forms T.3.6.2 Collection of Forms

The project types for which a standardized pre-tailoring exists at present will be described next. Characteristics described in the next section are used as the basis for the type definition.

General Assumptions

When selecting activities and products, the following assumptions are made for all project types:

No criticality classification exists in the planned project. i. e., all software parts are handled equally with respect to construction and assessment.

No database development is planned.

If these assumptions are not true in a planned project then additional activities and products must be selected by using the implementing conditions of the tailoring forms (section T.3.6 Tailoring Forms).

The implementing conditions must also be observed when for the characteristics

complexity of functions,
complexity of data, or
maintenance requirements

the characteristic value defined in the corresponding project type deviates from the characteristic value of a planned concrete project.

T.3.1 Characteristics with Corresponding Quantifications

In order to define project types, characteristics with corresponding quantifications are required. The characteristics "Project Size", "Complexity", and "Maintenance Requirements" are described in categories like "low/small", "medium", and "high/large".

T.3.1.1 Project Size Classification

IT projects are of different sizes. This must be considered during the selection of activities and products. The cost/effort for a project (in man years, project years) and the number of project members are used to define the project size.

The size of a project is classified according to the following schema:

Project
Size Cost/Effort
in Man Years Number of
Project Members
small <= 0,5 or <= 2
medium <= 5 or <= 5
large > 5 or > 5

Project Size	Cost/Effort in Man Years		Number of Project Members
small	<= 0,5	or	<= 2
medium	<= 5	or	<= 5
large	> 5	or	> 5

Table T.4: Project Size Classification

In cases where the project size is not defined according to the above shown schema, the larger project size has to be selected. E. g., in a project with 2 project members (results in class "small") and 3 project years (results in class "medium"), class "medium" has to be selected.

T.3.1.2 Complexity Classification of Functions and Data

Functions and data are described structured in the products User Requirements and Technical Requirements. The functions and data described in these documentations have to be classified with regard to its complexity, on the basis of the professional structuring. The evaluation of the complexity is realized by the statistical evaluation of appropriate indicators.

Since the classification of the complexity with justifiable mathematical methods can only be realized with the help of a software tool, a simplified method is suggested for the classification of complexity of functions and data. In that case, the structuring of functions and data mentioned in the above listed requirement documents will be used.

On system, segment, and SW unit level, the complexity is classified on the basis of the expected number of subfunctions and the number of the internal interfaces.

The classification of complexity on components and module level is realized on the basis of the code length.

The complexity of data that can be represented in a sequential or entity-relationship structure is classified by means of the number of entities and the number of internal relations (hierarchy levels).

The indicators for the three complexity classes are listed next.

Functions
Complexity Number of
Subfunctions Number of
Interfaces Number of
Program Lines
small < 10 and < 10 and < 100
medium < 30 and <30 and <300
large >=30 or >=30 or >=300

Functions Complexity	Number of Subfunctions		Number of Interfaces		Number of Program Lines
small	< 10	and	< 10	and	< 100
medium	< 30	and	<30	and	<300
large	>=30	or	>=30	or	>=300

Table T.5: Function Complexity Classification

Data
Complexity Number of
Entities Number of
Relations Number of
Data Fields
low < 10 and < 10 and < 20
medium < 40 and < 40 and < 100
large >= 40 or >= 40 or >= 100

Data Complexity	Number of Entities		Number of Relations		Number of Data Fields
low	< 10	and	< 10	and	< 20
medium	< 40	and	< 40	and	< 100
large	>= 40	or	>= 40	or	>= 100

Table T.6: Data Complexity Classification

T.3.1.3 Quantification of the Maintenance Requirements

Maintenance requirements are quantified as follows:

Degree of Requirement Impact on the Changeability
low only minimum changes are to be expected
medium adjustments (regularly) are expected, locally, though
high essential changes are very probable

Degree of Requirement	Impact on the Changeability
low	only minimum changes are to be expected
medium	adjustments (regularly) are expected, locally, though
high	essential changes are very probable

Table T.7: Maintenance Requirements Quantification

T.3.2 Administrative IT Projects

T.3.2.1 Small Administrative IT Projects (See Table)

Project Description
The project is mostly realized by one or two project members. Frequently, the software developer is the software user as well. The software often runs on a PC.

Project Size
Not more than 0.5 man years with 1 to 2 project members.

Complexity
The complexity of functions and data is low.

Maintenance Requirements
Low.

Examples for smaller administrative projects:
- statistic programs
- business graphs
- dBase applications with evaluations

T.3.2.2 Medium Administrative IT Projects (See Table)

Project Description
The project is realized by a small group of staff members. The application often runs in a PC network.

Project Size
The projected cost/effort is not more than 5 man years or the number of project members is not more than five.

Complexity
The complexity of functions and data is considered medium.

Maintenance Requirement
Medium

Example for medium-sized administrative projects:
- travel expenses accounts in the Foreign Office (3 jobs)
- EUROTELEFON in the Ministry for Economic Affairs (2-3 jobs)

T.3.2.3 Large Administrative IT Projects (See Table)

Project Description
A large project, realized by a larger number of staff members (more than five). Examples for systems like that are professional information systems (e. g. personnel administration, material administration, filing department).

Project Size
The projected cost/effort is larger than 5 man years or the project is realized by more than 5 staff members.

Complexity
The complexity of functions and data is considered medium.

Maintenance Requirements
medium

Examples for large administrative IT projects:
- Federal Office for Motor Traffic (motor vehicle data)
- Federal Office of Administration (central register for foreigners, about 200 monitors)
- IMIS environmental project
- Patent Information System of the German Patent Office (Deutsches Patentamt PATIS)

T.3.3 Technical-Scientific IT Projects

T.3.3.1 Small/Medium Technical-Scientific IT Projects (See Table)

Project Description
A small to medium size project concentrating on technical-scientific data processing. These might be, e. g., model and simulation processing, graphics, image processing, statistics, calculation of stability/strength, etc.. The project is realized by not more than 5 staff members.

Project Size
Not more than 5 man years or not more than 5 project members.

Complexity
The complexity of the functions is medium; the complexity of the data is low.

Maintenance Requirements
Low

Examples:
- tide simulation
- acquisition of measuring results

T.3.3.2 Large Technical-Scientific IT Projects (See Table)

Project Description
A large project, concentrating on technical-scientific data processing. These are, e. g., particularly large model and simulation processing, graphics, image processing, statistics, calculation of strength, etc.. The project is realized by no more than 5 staff members.

Project Size
The projected cost/effort is larger than 5 man years or the project is realized by more than 5 staff members.

Complexity
The complexity of the function is medium; the complexity of the data is low.

Maintenance Requirements
low

5 Examples:
- weather forecast
- air safety applications (radar data presentation)

T.3.4 Selection, Procurement, and Adjustment of Off-the-Shelf Products (See Table)

1	Project Description Only a few V-Model activities and products are required for this project type, since a large part of the functionality already exists because of the off-the-shelf product.
2	Project Size The effort is not more than 0.5 man years and not more than 2 staff members.
3	Complexity The complexity of both functions and of the data of updates or modifications is low.
4	Maintenance Requirements medium
5	Examples: office communication systems telecommunication systems

T.3.5 Representation of the Project Types-Overview

The following matrix offers an overview of the relationships of project types and characteristic values.

Cost/Effort
in Man Years Number
of Staff Complexity
of Functions Complexity
of Data Maintenance
Requirements
Administrative
IT Projects low <= 0,5 <= 2 low low low
medium <= 5 <= 5 medium medium medium
large > 5 > 5 medium medium medium
Techn./Scient.
IT Projects low <= 5 <= 5 medium low low
large > 5 > 5 medium low low
Eval./Procurm./Adjustment
of Off-the-Shelf Products <= 0,5 <= 2 low low medium

	Cost/Effort in Man Years	Number of Staff	Complexity of Functions	Complexity of Data	Maintenance Requirements
Administrative IT Projects	low	<= 0,5	<= 2	low	low	low
medium	<= 5	<= 5	medium	medium	medium
large	> 5	> 5	medium	medium	medium
Techn./Scient. IT Projects	low	<= 5	<= 5	medium	low	low
large	> 5	> 5	medium	low	low
Eval./Procurm./Adjustment of Off-the-Shelf Products	<= 0,5	<= 2	low	low	medium

Table T.8: Project Types and Characteristic Values