Managing Software Quality and Business Risk

How to manage quality up, and risk down. This invaluable guide to project planning and strategic decision making for software developers presents practical and realistic planning techniques to increase chances of a project delivering to time and budget. Offering clear explanations and real-world experiences, the key components of technical management are laid out as templates and checklists to assist managers with their project development. With thirty years of experience in software development, Martyn Ould provides:

* Proven strategies for a disciplined approach to project planning

* Steps to take in risks and uncertainties in the project

* Reliable methods for reducing risks to an acceptable level

* A quality planning process that is rooted in the technical requirements of the system

* Insight into monitoring and measuring project progress

* Real-world experience through case studies and examplesJedes Jahr verlieren Unternehmen Millionen durch Softwarefehler. Entwickler sind permanent auf Suche nach verbesserten Möglichkeiten der Qualitätssicherung und -kontrolle für ihre Produkte. Einer der erfolgversprechendsten neuen Ansätze fordert, daß - ebenso wie in anderen Industriezweigen - auch in der Software-Entwicklung Verfahren des Qualitäts- und Risikomanagments angewandt werden. Dieser handliche Führer macht Sie vertraut mit diesen Techniken und Methoden und zeigt Ihnen, wie Sie diese auf Ihre Projekte übertragen. (cat06/99) INTRODUCTION
BUILDING THE BOAT
ICEBERGS AHEAD! BUSINESS RISK
PLANNING FOR RISK MANAGEMENT
SOFTWARE QUALITY
RIVETS OR WELDING? PLANNING FOR QUALITY ACHIEVEMENT
IS IT WATERTIGHT? PLANNING FOR QUALITY CONTROL
STOPPING THE RUST: PLANNING FOR QUALITY PRESERVATION
PUSHING THE BOAT OUT: CREWING AND PROVISIONING
THE HAND ON THE TILLER AND THE CAPTAIN'S LOG
BLOCKS ON THE SLIPWAY
DIARY OF A VOYAGE
RESUME OF THE PLANNING PROCESS
GLOSSARY
INDEX "Managing Software Quality and Business Risk addresses itself to software project leaders, managers and technicians alike, pulling them temporarily away from their own discipline and encouraging them to view the gestalt of project planning. You get an overview of what each of these areas of expertise has to offer: a technician, for example, might learn the importance and practicality of risk planning first, followed by quality planning. (The software project team that does not calculate for the eventualities of many kinds of failure is re-enacting a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.) The unifying theme is studying and perfecting the planning process, and ensuring that your project plan has minimised associated risks and maximised quality.
The style is clear, and though the writing is studded with a fair amount of jargon, it clearly lays out management information and perspectives. On the practical side, the author takes you through several techniques and introduces insights from those skilled in coping with market forces or with service users, often underestimated, misunderstood or completely ignored by programmers. There are plenty of interesting, well-designed grey tone charts and diagrams that instantly bring to the fore the subject or strategy being developed, and examples are given throughout. This is a book that is best approached as a good, thought-provoking read rather than as a reference.--" -Wilf Hey , Amazon.co.uk Martyn Ould has spent thirty years in software development, mostly with UK software houses, Logica and Praxis, and was latterly with Deloitte Consulting. His role has ranged from developer and manager on projects to setting company software engineering policy. He became an independent consultant in 1998 and now consults for clients on the software engineering process, specialising in project audits and rescues, reviews of software development methods, and risk management. He contributes articles, reviews and papers to the computing press, and lectures to public, government, university and corporate audiences. Invaluable guide to project planning and strategic decision making for software developers. Managing Software Quality and Business Risk How to manage quality up, and risk down If you were investing in a costly software development project, which horse would you back - managerial technique or technical solution? In the software development arena, you will often get two opposing views to this question depending on whether you ask a manager or an engineer on the team. Equally motivated to ensure the success of a software development project, each will dig deep into their domain for solutions. Martyn Ould presents practical and realistic planning techniques to provide managers and senior members of software project teams with a pragmatic means of increasing the chances of a project delivering to time and budget. Inside you will find:
* proven strategies for a disciplined approach to project planning
* steps to take in assessing risks and uncertainties in the project
* reliable methods for reducing risks to an acceptable level
* a quality planning process that is rooted in the technical requirements of the system
* insight into monitoring and measuring project progress
* real world experience through case studies and examples
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