book

Righting Software

by Juval Lowy

December 2019

Intermediate to advanced

480 pages

12h 41m

English

Addison-Wesley Professional

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How This Book Is OrganizedSome Assumptions About the ReaderWhat You Need to Use This BookConventions Used in This BookAdditional Online ResourcesAcknowledgments
What Is The Method?What The Method Is Not

Avoid Functional DecompositionVolatility-Based DecompositionIdentifying Volatility
Use Cases and RequirementsLayered ApproachTypical LayersClassification GuidelinesSubsystems and ServicesOpen and Closed Architectures
Requirements and ChangesComposable DesignThere Is No FeatureHandling Change
System OverviewThe Anti-Design EffortBusiness AlignmentThe ArchitectureDesign ValidationWhat’s Next?
Why Project Design?
Defining SuccessProject Initial StaffingEducated DecisionsServices and DevelopersEffort EstimationsCritical Path AnalysisScheduling ActivitiesProject CostEarned Value PlanningRoles and Responsibilities
The Network DiagramFloatsFloats-Based Scheduling
Accelerating Software ProjectsSchedule CompressionTime–Cost CurveAvoiding Classic MistakesProject Cost ElementsNetwork Compression
Choosing OptionsTime–Risk CurveRisk ModelingCompression and RiskRisk DecompressionRisk Metrics
The MissionFinding the Normal SolutionNetwork CompressionEfficiency AnalysisTime–Cost CurvePlanning and RiskSDP Review
God ActivitiesRisk Crossover PointFinding the Decompression TargetGeometric RiskExecution ComplexityVery Large ProjectsSmall ProjectsDesign by Layers
EstimationsDependencies and Project NetworkThe Normal SolutionCompressed SolutionDesign by LayersSubcritical SolutionComparing the OptionsPlanning and RiskPreparing for the SDP Review
When to Design a ProjectGeneral GuidelinesDesign of Project DesignIn PerspectiveThe Hand-OffIn PracticeDebriefing Project DesignAbout Quality
Activity Life Cycle and StatusProject StatusTracking Progress and EffortProjectionsProjections and Corrective ActionsMore on Projections
Is This a Good Design?Modularity and CostServices and ContractsFactoring ContractsContract Design MetricsThe Contract Design Challenge
The Prime DirectiveDirectivesSystem Design GuidelinesProject Design GuidelinesProject Tracking GuidelinesService Contract Design Guidelines

Content preview from Righting Software

8. Network and Float

The project network acts as a logical representation of the project for planning purposes. The technique for analyzing the network is called the critical path method, although it has as much to do with the noncritical activities as it does with the critical ones. Critical path analysis is admirably suited for complex projects, ranging from physical construction to software systems, and it has a decades-long proven track record of success. By performing this analysis, you find the project duration and determine where and when to assign your resources.

Because the project network is so instrumental to project design, this chapter expands on a few of the concepts that were introduced in Chapter 7, in the project design overview. ...