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176 PART TWO MANAGING SOFTWARE PROJECTS

TABLE 7.2 COMPUTING THE TASK SET SELECTOR—AN EXAMPLE

Adaptation Criteria Grade Weight Entry Point Multiplier Product
Conc. NDev. Enhan. Maint. Reeng.
Size of project 2 1.2 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 2.4
Number of users 3 1.1 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 3.3
Business criticality 4 1.1 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 4.4
Longevity 3 0.9 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 2.7
Stability of requirements 2 1.2 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 2.4
Ease of communication 2 0.9 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 1.8
Maturity of technology 2 0.9 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 1.8
Performance constraints 3 0.8 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 2.4
Embedded/nonembedded 3 1.2 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 3.6
Project staffing 2 1.0 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 2.0
Interoperability 4 1.1 _____ 1 _____ _____ _____ 4.4
Reengineering factors 0 1.2 _____ 0 _____ _____ _____ 0.0

Task set selector (TSS) 2.8

7.3.4 Interpreting the TSS Value and Selecting the Task Set
Once the task set selector is computed, the following guidelines can be used to select
the appropriate task set for a project:
Task set selector value Degree of rigor
TSS < 1.2 casual
1.0 < TSS < 3.0 structured
If the task set selector TSS > 2.4 strict
value is in an overlap
area, it usually is OK to The overlap in TSS values from one recommended task set to another is purposeful
choose the less formal and is intended to illustrate that sharp boundaries are impossible to define when mak-
degree of rigor, unless ing task set selections. In the final analysis, the task set selector value, past experi-
project risk is high. ence, and common sense must all be factored into the choice of the task set for a
project.
Table 7.2 illustrates how TSS might be computed for a hypothetical project. The
project manager selects the grades shown in the Grade column. The project type is
new application development. Therefore, entry point multipliers are selected from the
NDev column. The entry in the Product column is computed using
Grade x Weight x NewDev entry point multiplier

The value of TSS (computed as the average of all entries in the product column) is
2.8. Using the criteria discussed previously, the manager has the option of using either
the structured or the strict task set. The final decision is made once all project factors
have been considered.