Standard for information technology project - MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Standard for information technology project. Answer: Introduction The definition of a context when it comes to project documentation means the circumstances that form the setting for a project idea in terms which it can be understood. Expounding further the term minimal context simply implies that any project documentation done specifically in our case to IT Related topics should be easily understood and it should revolve around the project. To achieve minimal context any project documentation done should be brief and concise and It should revolve and or strictly adhere to the project basis. IT projects are diverse in nature;however, all projects need documentation. The first step of course would be choosing a project which sparks interest,and which can be completed within the time allocated and within the budget if it exists(Rumbaugh, J., Booch, G. (1999)). After choosing a project and choosing to document it, it is important to consider the following; Project vision statement; this will set the direction of the project by setting the accomplishment the project will make. The project charter; the project charter basically defines the scope of the entire project in a summarized format and provides the much-needed justification for deciding to undertake the project in the first place. Requirements Specification; This will include the functional and non-functional requirements of the project Project Management plan: this involves the process of doing the actual planning where the person undertaking the project defines the expected outcomes while also defining a course of action to achieve these outcomes. A project management plan should be updated constantly to ensure change in conditions is recorded. Release Plan: This is a schedule that should be maintained for the entire duration of the project (Jacobson Booch G 1999). This particularly specifies the timing of specific module completions of the project while also estimating an actual point of release of the final product while also marking the completion of the project for instance in a software development project (Bot, 2018), After identifying and documenting the above key aspects of the project,its important to note that IT project documentation basically includes four stages; The process documentation The project documentation The system documentation The user documentation The process documentation These four stages are important to follow for example when developing a software. The process documentation basically entails the analysis, tools and design used while developing the software. If lets say one is developing a social media application he or she may include such details as the language of coding used, the operating system platform used among other things which relate directly to the process of development (Kronseder GmbH, 2018). The process documentation encompasses a lot of the key things outlined as key features in project documentation. For one the process documentation will require the software development team or individual to develop a requirements template. A release plan will also be recorded to ensure that the entire project has a timeline. In addition to this the process documentation includes the tools one will use while developing their project. Tools may include sketch diagrams, information from remotes servers which is based on the project and development platforms such as SQL. The project documentation The project documentation stage documents the actual work being done in this case while developing an application and or software. The project documentation includes the time taken to develop various models of a software and the resources used while developing the software. The stage also includes the people involved in different ways in the project development while also indicating the completion time and date. AS outlined in the key features to consider, a project management plan will have to be documented. This basically includes the bulk and heart of the project documentation, as far as its a management plan, expected costs and measures to achieve outcomes can be outlined. The management plan also includes such important details such as hierarchy in the project development which helps in allocating responsibility and ensuring specialization in various modules of project development. To sensitize on the importance of the project, a project charter should be outlined in this stage. The project charter answers the question of why the project is being undertaken in the first place, and it can be very fundamental to lets say investors. It summarized project format also makes it an easy read to anyone seeking to understand what the project is about without having to come through the entire bulk of the project documentation. Another key point is that the project documentation should not exclude a project vision statement or paragraph to act as a guiding light to the team involved not to mention act as a direction. The project vision statement is also good for evaluation purposes to ascertain at the end of the project whether the vision has been met. In finality the project documentation stage also needs to document progress and track it accordingly. In the case of software development, the project stage needs to document every timeline and completion of time of each module of the software. The project documentation also helps in facilitating team documentation in the instance where software is being developed by teams. The system documentation The system documentation documents the developed system before its tested by the user, the system is evaluated and described in terms of capability, key features and specification and usefulness and documented. This documentation is meant to be a guiding explanation to the users to help the understand the importance of such a project. The system documentation must have a glossary to describe certain vocabularies associated with the project. This phase helps explain everything about a project and of course documentation of key terms is important. The system documentation must also include the architecture. This is to basically outline a projects architecture and basic design. After the system documentation its important to produce a user guide or user manual which is used in the final stage. The system documentation should have a library of documents that all describe the systematic nature if the project. In the case of software development thus stage should bring about the architecture and design document which basically describes the organization of the code. This helps programmers who might purchase the system to be able to effectively identify changes they need to effect and understand the code to a level where they can make modifications and enhancements. The system documentation should also have a test case model or a prototype model where the product i.e. a software is tested just to ensure workability as described in the system documentation. This is to ensure that the project has produced working results even before the software is passed on to the users for testing. The User Documentation Finally, we have the user documentation. The user documentation is documentation done after a user has tested an IT product such as a developed software or application and has given their feedback. A developer or IT individual who has undertaken a project such as software development will document the users comments on his or her project to ensure they improve the product based on the users demands or they add certain features also based on the user demands. Such documentation is very important to someone who wants to implement a project that will be acceptable to most users. In this stage a user guide should be produced, a user guide basically explains how to use the software in basic steps for any user purely wishing to use the system in its basic entirety. However, the user guide should also include a more detailed approach to allow even the more pro- active users to understand the softwares key features and work around them. A user guide basically should be accompanied by a user manual which now instructs on installation and or uninstallation and provides quick problem-solving techniques and how to solve them to allow continuity(Tech, 2018). The user documentation should also include the target audience the project was delivered to, this will assist in identifying the target market in case the project is being developed for commercial purposes. There should also be a release plan after all issues have been logged in this stage. The user documentation also finally leads to production of another user manual and an administrator manual which provides such details such as installation media and process (Rumbaugh, J., Booch, G. (1999)). An IT project such as software development may seem complex at first to document due to the numerous processes and events involved but once its broken down into manageable phases it becomes organized and presentable to any audience. The most important things to note is that IT project documentation should be minimal to context, meaning it should be project specific and easy to understand, and it should also follow the key stages for project development. References Bot, D., Bot, D. (2018). What IT Project Documentation Do I Really Need? - TU Innovates. TU Innovates. Retrieved 19 January 2018, from https://www.tuinnovates.com/2014/09/10/what-it-project-documentation-do-i-really-need/ Jacobson, I., Booch, G., Rumbaugh, J., Rumbaugh, J., Booch, G. (1999).The unified software development process (Vol. 1). Reading: Addison-wesley. Kronseder, K., GmbH, R. (2018). How to document a Software Development Project. Smartics.eu. Retrieved 17 January 2018, from https://www.smartics.eu/confluence/display/PDAC1/How+to+document+a+Software+Development+Project Tech, V. (2018). Project Documentation Guidelines | Standard for information technology project management | Virginia Tech. Itplanning.org.vt.edu. Retrieved 19 January 2018, from https://www.itplanning.org.vt.edu/pm/documentation.html