Book description
The increase in project outsourcing has forced traditional programmers to take on the role of project managers and quickly learn how to manage software projects
The author discusses all of the essentials in widely accepted project management methodology, from managing programmers to assessing and eliminating risk
The book covers the iterative development model, using Microsoft Project 2003, as well as a variety of methodologies including eXtreme, open source, SQA testing, software life cycle management, and more
The companion Web site contains tools, case studies and other resources to help even novices get up and running
Table of contents
- Copyright
- About the Authors
- Dedication
- Authors' Acknowledgments
- Introduction
-
I. Starting Your Software Project
- In this part . . .
-
1. Examining the Big Picture of Project Management
- Defining Software Projects
- Defining Software Project Management
- Comparing Projects and Operations
- Examining Project Constraints
- Understanding Universal Constraints (Time, Cost, and Scope)
- Controlling Scope Creep
- Making Sense of Project Success (Or Failure)
- Starting and Finishing Software Projects
- Understanding What Makes Software Project Management So Special
- 2. Initiating a Software Project
- 3. Creating the Software Scope
-
II. Planning Your Software Project
- In this part . . .
-
4. Planning for Communications
- The Importance of Communicating Effectively
- Care and Feeding of Nerds
- Avoiding Communication Breakdowns
- Calculating the Communication Channels
- Building an Effective Communication Management Plan
- Defining Who Needs What Information
- Defining When Communication Is Needed
- Defining Communication Modalities
-
5. Planning for Software Project Risks
- Identifying Pure and Business Risks
- Determining Stakeholder Risk Tolerance
- Mitigating Risks Early On
- Managing Risks in Your Organization
- Relying on Quantitative Analysis
- Creating a Contingency Reserve
- Using Software Models for Risk Management
- Preparing a Risk Response Plan
- Examining Risk Responses and Impacts
- 6. Planning for Software Quality
- 7. Building the Project Team
-
8. Creating Project Time Estimates
- Organizing Information Before You Build a Timeline
- Understanding the Importance of a Project Network Diagram
- Preparing to Create Your PND
- Using Historical Information to Complete Inexact Activity Time Estimates
- Identifying Activity Duration Influencers
- Making the Project Duration Estimate
- Estimating D0's and Don'ts
- Using PERT for the Most Accurate Estimates
- Knowing What to Say if the Boss Wants an Estimate Now
- Understanding the Way PND Paths Interact
- Creating the Project Schedule
-
9. Building Your Project Budget
- Creating Cost Estimates
- Creating an Accurate Estimate
- Considering Project Profitability
- Planning for Contingencies
- Controlling Project Costs
- Having More Project than Cash
- Recognizing Budgetary Problems Before You Get to the Root Cause Analysis Stage
- Dealing with a Budget Problem that Your Bosses Know about (But Haven't Addressed)
-
III. Executing Your Software Project Plan
- In this part . . .
-
10. Working the Project Plan
- Authorizing the Project Work
- Ensuring Quality in Execution
- Understanding the Interoperability of the Quality Management Plan
- Following Quality Assurance
- Following the Quality Policy
- Managing Software Project Risks
- Monitoring and Controlling Risks
- Managing Secondary and Residual Risks
- Documenting Risk Management Effectiveness
- 11. Working with Project People
- 12. Procuring Goods and Services
-
IV. Controlling Your Software Project
- In this part . . .
- 13. Managing Changes to the Software Project
-
14. Using Earned Value Management in Software Projects
- Defining Earned Value Management
- Discovering the Earned Value Management Formulas
- Playing with Values
- 15. Tracking Project Performance
-
V. Closing Your Software Project
- In this part . . .
- 16. Finalizing the Project Management Processes
- 17. Documenting Your Software Project
-
VI. The Part of Tens
- In this part . . .
- 18. Ten Ways to Make Your Software Project Crash and Burn
-
19. Ten Ways to Make Any Software Project Better
- Asking the Right Questions
- Being a Good Communicator
- Showing Your Leadership Skills
- Creating the Right Project Plan
- Finding the Correct Sponsor
- Recognizing Failure Before It Arrives
- Planning, Planning, and a Little More Planning
- Documenting Your Project Even if You Don't Want To
- Hosting a Successful Project Meeting
- Establishing Project Rules Before the Project Begins
- Communicating Good and Bad News
- Formal Project Management Training and Certification
Product information
- Title: Software Project Management For Dummies®
- Author(s):
- Release date: October 2006
- Publisher(s): Wiley
- ISBN: 9780471749349
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