Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results

Book description

"This book does a good job of describing the methods employed at Sprintpcs.com ... over 250 people practicing Feature Driven Development and reporting their progress to me at the monthly operations review."
--Scott B. Relf, Chief Marketing Officer, Sprint PCS

"A tremendous contribution to the literature in the field. This should be required reading for all development teams going forward."
--John F. Yuzdepski, VP & GM, Openwave Systems

A breakthrough approach to managing agile software development, Agile methods might just be the alternative to outsourcing. However, agile development must scale in scope and discipline to be acceptable in the boardrooms of the Fortune 1000. In Agile Management for Software Engineering, David J. Anderson shows managers how to apply management science to gain the full business benefits of agility through application of the focused approach taught by Eli Goldratt in his Theory of Constraints.

Whether you're using XP, Scrum, FDD, or another agile approach, you'll learn how to develop management discipline for all phases of the engineering process, implement realistic financial and production metrics, and focus on building software that delivers maximum customer value and outstanding business results.Coverage includes:

  • Making the business case for agile methods: practical tools and disciplines

  • How to choose an agile method for your next project

  • Breakthrough application of Critical Chain Project Management and constraint-driven control of the flow of value

  • Defines the four new roles for the agile manager in software projects-- and competitive IT organizations

Whether you're a development manager, project manager, team leader, or senior IT executive, this book will help you achieve all four of your most urgent challenges: lower cost, faster delivery, improved quality, and focused alignment with the business.

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Contents
  4. Praise for Agile Management for Software Engineering
  5. The Coad Series
  6. About Prentice Hall Professional Technical Reference
  7. Foreword
  8. Introduction
  9. Acknowledgements
  10. Section 1. Agile Management
    1. Chapter 1. Theories for Agile Management
    2. Chapter 2. Management Accounting for Systems
    3. Chapter 3. TOC in Software Production
    4. Chapter 4. Dealing with Uncertainty
    5. Chapter 5. Software Production Metrics
    6. Chapter 6. Agile Project Management
    7. Chapter 7. Agile Project Planning
    8. Chapter 8. The Agile Manager's New Work
    9. Chapter 9. Agile Development Management
    10. Chapter 10. Software Resource Planning
    11. Chapter 11. An Agile Maturity Model
    12. Chapter 12. Setting the Governing Rules
    13. Chapter 13. Staffing Decisions
    14. Chapter 14. Operations Review
    15. Chapter 15. Agile Management in the IT Department
    16. Chapter 16. Agile Product Management
    17. Chapter 17. Financial Metrics for Software Services
    18. Chapter 18. The Business Benefit of Agile Methods
  11. Section 2. A Survey of Methods
    1. Chapter 19. Production Metrics for Traditional Methods
    2. Chapter 20. Financial Metrics in Traditional Methods
    3. Chapter 21. Production Metrics in FDD
    4. Chapter 22. Project Management with FDD
    5. Chapter 23. FDD Process Elements Explained
    6. Chapter 24. Financial Metrics in FDD
    7. Chapter 25. Production Metrics in Extreme Programming
    8. Chapter 26. XP Process Elements Explained
    9. Chapter 27. Financial Metrics in XP
    10. Chapter 28. Production Metrics in Scrum
    11. Chapter 29. Scrum Process Elements Explained
    12. Chapter 30. RAD Process Elements Explained
  12. Section 3. Comparison of Methods
    1. Chapter 31. Devil's Advocacy
    2. Chapter 32. States of Control and Reducing Variation
    3. Chapter 33. Comparison of Production Metrics
    4. Chapter 34. Applicability of Agile Methods
  13. Bibliography
  14. Index

Product information

  • Title: Agile Management for Software Engineering: Applying the Theory of Constraints for Business Results
  • Author(s): David J. Anderson, Eli Schragenheim
  • Release date: September 2003
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 0131424602