Mastering Software Project Management Best Practices, Tools and Techniques

by Chemuturi, Murali; Cagley, Thomas

• ISBN13: 9781604270341
• ISBN10: 1604270349
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-07-01
• Publisher: J. Ross Publishing

Summary

This unique reference covers the subject of software project management in its entirety, including

Author Biography

Murali Chemuturi is an information technology and software development subject matter expert, hands-on programmer, author, consultant and trainer. He has more than 23 years of information technology and software development experience and several years of academic experience teaching a variety of computer & IT courses. In 2001, he formed his own IT consulting, training and software development firm known as Chemuturi Consultants. Mr. Chemuturi's undergraduate degrees and diplomas are in Electrical and Industrial Engineering and he holds an MBA and a Post Graduate Diploma in Computer Methods & Programming. He is a published author in professional journals, a member of IEEE, a senior member of the Computer Society of India and a Fellow at the Indian Institute of Industrial Engineering. Tom Cagley has over 20 years experience in the software industry. He currently leads the David Consulting Group's IT Performance Improvement, Software Process Improvement and Software Measurement consulting practices. He is also the current president of the International Function Point Users Group and is a Certified Function Point Specialist. Tom is a frequent speaker at metrics, quality and project management conferences. Tom earned his BS from Louisiana State University and has done extensive postgraduate work at Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University and Kent State University.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Preface	p. xiii
About the Authors	p. xv
Web Added ValueÖ	p. xvii
Software Project Basics	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Types of Software Projects	p. 5
Classifications of Software Projects	p. 6
Based on Software Development Life Cycle	p. 7
Approach Driven	p. 9
Maintenance	p. 12
Web Application	p. 16
Agile Development	p. 17
Conclusion	p. 17
Approaches to Software Project Management	p. 19
Alignment of Software Engineering Methodology with Project Management Methodology	p. 19
The Ad Hoc Methods-Based Approach	p. 21
The Process-Driven Approach	p. 22
So, What is the Right Approach?	p. 23
The Ad Hoc Approach	p. 24
The Process-Driven Approach	p. 24
But Is a Process-Driven Approach the Right Choice?	p. 24
In a Process-Driven Approach: What Process and How Much?	p. 26
Software Project Acquisition	p. 31
From an External Client	p. 31
The Request for Proposal	p. 32
The Proposal	p. 34
Negotiation	p. 42
Contract Acceptance	p. 43
From an Internal Client	p. 44
The Feasibility Study	p. 45
Preparing the Proposal	p. 47
Finalizing the Proposal	p. 47
Reference	p. 48
Software Project Initiation	p. 49
Introduction	p. 49
Initiation Activities	p. 49
Project Management Office-Level Activities	p. 52
Identifying the Software Project Manager	p. 52
Preparing/Handing Over the Project Dossier to the Software Project Manager	p. 52
Coordinating Allocation of Project Resources	p. 53
Assisting the Software Project Manager in Obtaining Necessary Service Level Agreements from Departments in the Organization	p. 55
Assisting the Software Project Manager with the Project Kickoff Meeting	p. 55
Software Project Manager-Level Activities	p. 55
Ensuring that Project Specifications Are Complete	p. 57
Reviewing Estimates and Revisions/Updates of Estimates	p. 57
Identifying Necessary Resources and Raising Requests	p. 59
Preparing Project Plans	p. 62
Setting up the Development Environment	p. 63
Arranging for Project-Specific Skill Training	p. 63
Organizing the Project Team	p. 64
Training the Project Team on the Project Plans	p. 64
Conducting a Project Kickoff Meeting	p. 65
Arranging for a Phase-End Audit	p. 65
Common Pitfalls in Project Initiation	p. 66
Identifying the Wrong Software Project Manager	p. 66
Identifying Inappropriate Resources	p. 66
Incurring Delays in Software Project Initiation Activities	p. 67
References	p. 67
Software Project Planning	p. 69
Introduction	p. 69
Planning Defined	p. 71
Plans Prepared in Software Project Management	p. 73
The Project Management Plan	p. 77
Resources	p. 77
Skill Sets	p. 77
Computer Systems	p. 79
Project Management Method	p. 79
The Configuration Management Plan	p. 80
Naming Conventions	p. 83
Change Management	p. 84
The Quality Assurance Plan	p. 85
The Schedule Plan	p. 86
The Induction Training Plan	p. 86
The Risk Management Plan	p. 87
The Build Plan	p. 88
The Deployment Plan	p. 88
The User Training Plan	p. 89
The Handover Plan	p. 90
The Software Maintenance Plan	p. 90
The Documentation Plan	p. 90
Roles in Planning	p. 91
The Organization	p. 91
The Software Project Manager	p. 92
Pitfalls in Software Project Planning	p. 93
Best Practices in Software Project Planning	p. 95
References	p. 96
Software Project Execution	p. 97
Introduction	p. 97
Work Management	p. 98
Work Registers	p. 100
De-allocation	p. 102
Configuration Management	p. 104
Information Artifacts	p. 104
Code Artifacts	p. 106
Configuration Registers	p. 111
Configuration Management Tools	p. 115
Quality Management	p. 117
Verification Techniques	p. 119
Validation Techniques	p. 120
Product Testing	p. 121
Allocation of Quality Assurance Activities	p. 124
But How Much Quality Assurance?	p. 124
Testing Tools	p. 125
Morale Management	p. 126
Motivation	p. 126
Conflict	p. 130
Productivity Management	p. 131
Stakeholder Expectations Management	p. 133
Product Integration Management	p. 138
Pitfalls and Best Practices	p. 140
Software Project Execution Control	p. 143
Introduction	p. 143
Aspects of Control in Project Execution	p. 144
Scope Control	p. 145
Cost Control	p. 146
Schedule/Progress Control	p. 147
Quality Control	p. 148
Effort Control	p. 148
Productivity Monitoring	p. 148
Control Mechanisms	p. 149
Progress Assessment: Earned Value Analysis	p. 153
Change Management in Software Development Projects	p. 157
Introduction	p. 157
Origins of Change	p. 158
The Change Request Register	p. 160
Change Request Resolution	p. 162
Change Request Implementation Strategy	p. 163
The Value of Metrics Derived from a Change Request Register	p. 167
Scheduling	p. 171
Introduction	p. 171
The Initial Work Breakdown Structure	p. 172
A Work Breakdown Structure with Predecessors Defined	p. 172
A Work Breakdown Structure with Initial Dates	p. 176
A Work Breakdown Structure with Resource Allocation	p. 178
Scheduling in Practice	p. 181
Graphic Representation of a Schedule	p. 181
Software Project Closure	p. 183
Introduction	p. 183
Identifying Reusable Code Components	p. 185
Documenting the Best Practices	p. 186
Documenting the Lessons Learned	p. 187
Collecting/Deriving and Depositing the Final Project Metrics in the Organizational Knowledge Repository	p. 188
Conducting Knowledge-Sharing Meetings with Peer Software Project Managers	p. 188
Depositing Project Records with the Project Management Office	p. 189
Depositing Code Artifacts in the Code Repository	p. 190
Conducting the Project Postmortem	p. 190
Releasing the Software Project Manager	p. 191
Closing the Project	p. 192
The Role of the Organization in Project Closure	p. 192
The Project Management Office	p. 192
The Configuration Control Board	p. 193
The Systems Administration Department	p. 194
Reference	p. 194
Agile Project Management	p. 195
Introduction	p. 195
Project Management Roles	p. 195
Agile Project Management Characteristics	p. 196
Metaphor	p. 197
Teamwork and Collaboration	p. 197
Guiding Principles	p. 198
Open Information	p. 198
Use a Light Touch	p. 199
Monitoring and Adjustment	p. 199
The Nuts and Bolts of Agile Project Management	p. 200
Planning the Work	p. 200
Controlling the Work	p. 202
Process Improvement	p. 205
Reference	p. 206
Pitfalls and Best Practices in Software Project Management	p. 207
Introduction	p. 207
Organizational-Level Pitfalls and Best Practices	p. 208
Process-Driven Project Management	p. 208
An Ineffective Project Management Office or No Project Management Office	p. 208
Poor Project Initiation	p. 210
Poor Software Estimation	p. 211
Poor Project Planning	p. 211
The Wrong Service Level Agreements	p. 212
Poor Standards and Guidelines for Software Development	p. 213
Poor Project Oversight	p. 214
Inadequate Project Management Training	p. 214
Software Project Manager-Level Pitfalls and Best Practices	p. 215
Fair Treatment of Project Human Resources	p. 216
A Balanced Workload	p. 216
Equitable Rewards	p. 217
Poor Software Estimation	p. 217
Poor Project Planning	p. 217
Informal Issue Resolution	p. 217
Poor Change Management	p. 218
Poor Record Keeping	p. 218
Additional Best Practices for Software Project Management	p. 219
A Knowledge Repository	p. 219
Continuous Process Improvement	p. 219
Project Postmortems	p. 219
Training in the Soft Skills	p. 220
Information Sharing	p. 220
Management Support	p. 220
Some Closing Words	p. 221
Management of Software Development Projects	p. 223
Decision-Making for Software Project Managers	p. 237
People Management	p. 251
Productivity Concepts for Software Project Managers	p. 271
Issue Resolution in Software Project Management	p. 287
Measurement and Metrics in Software Development Organizations	p. 295
Measurement and Management of Customer Satisfaction	p. 315
An Introduction to PERT/CPM	p. 327
Abbreviations	p. 347
Templates for Software Project Managers	p. 351
Index	p. 373
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