Software Project Manager's Handbook

DWAYNE PHILLIPS has worked as a software and systems engineer with the U.S. government since 1980. He has a PhD in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Louisiana State University. Phillips is the coauthor, with Roy O’Bryan, of It Sounded Good When We Started (published by Wiley-IEEE Computer Society) and author of Image Processing in C as well as several dozen articles for computer magazines.

• Preface. Part 1.1 What Makes a Good Software Manager?1.1 People Perspective.1.2 Business Perspective.1.3 Process Perspective.1.4 Key Thoughts in This Chapter.References.2 Four Basics That Work.2.1 People, Process, and Product.2.2 Visibility.2.3 Configuration Management.2.4 Standards.2.5 Key Thoughts in This Chapter.References.3 What Doesn’t Work and Why.3.1 When the 3Ps Are Out of Balance.3.2 When There’s Not Enough Visibility.3.3 When Configuration Management is Missing or Abused.3.4 When Standards are Dismissed.3.5 Key Thoughts in This Chapter.Reference.4 Managing a Project Day by Day.4.1 Balancing the 3Ps to Create a Good Environment.4.2 Visibility: Project Control in a Simple Equation.4.3 CM: Managing Baselines with Milestones.4.4 Looking to Standards for Help.4.5 Key Thoughts in This Chapter.References.Part 2.5 Requirements.5.1 Balancing the 3Ps: Requirements Analysis, Documentation, and Management.5.2 Visibility: Making Requirements Known.5.3 Using CM.5.4 Using Standards.5.5 Key Thoughts in this Chapter.References.6 Planning.6.1 Elements of a Good Plan.6.2 Balancing the 3Ps: Selecting the Process.6.3 Making the Project Visible: Planning Techniques.6.4 Making the Project Visible: Estimating Techniques.6.5 Configuration Management.6.6 Standards.6.7 Key Thoughts in this Chapter.References.7 Risk Management.7.1 A Task Overview.7.2 Balancing The 3Ps: Uncertainty and Choice.7.3 Making Risk Visible.7.4 Other Ways to Manage Risk.7.5 Configuration Management.7.6 Using Standards.7.7 Key Thoughts in this Chapter.References.Part 3.8 Design.8.1 The Challenge of the 3Ps.8.2 Visibility—Expressing the Design.8.3 Design in the Code.8.4 Design and Process.8.5 Designing with COTS.8.6 Configuration Management.8.7 Standards: Writing the SDD.8.8 Key Thoughts in this Chapter.References.9 Integration and Testing.9.1 Some I&T Myths.9.2 Managing the 3Ps: People.9.3 Managing the 3Ps: Process.9.4 Visibility: Testing Techniques and Details.9.5 Configuration Management.9.6 Standards: Documenting the Test Plan.9.7 Key Thoughts in this Chapter.References.10 Software Maintenance.10.1 What is Maintenance.10.2 Balancing the 3Ps: Managing the Maintainers.10.3 Balancing the 3Ps: Managing the Process.10.4 Balancing the 3Ps: Making the Most of the Product.10.5 Visibility: Understanding the Maintenance Stages.10.6 Configuration Management.10.7 Using Standards.10.8 Key Thoughts in this Chapter.References.Part 4.11 Cookbook.11.1 Essentials.11.2 Opt: A Waterfall Project.11.3 System Upgrade: An Evolutionary Project.11.4 CTRAN: A Spiral Project.11.5 Other Software Projects.11.6 Key Thoughts in this Chapter.References.Appendix A Documents for the OPT Project.A.1 OPT Executive Sponsor Memorandum.A.2 OPT Project Context Document.A.3 OPT Configuration Management Plan.A.4 OPT Concept of Operations.A.5 OPT Software Requirements Specification.A.6 OPT Software Project Management Plan.A.7 OPT Software Design Description.Appendix B Configuration Management.B.1 Will The Real CM Please Stand Up?B.2 The Main Ingredients.B.3 Baselines.B.4 CM Activities.B.5 CM People.B.6 CM Plan.B.7 A CM Sketch.B.8 Summary.References.Appendix C Structured Analysis and Design.C.1 Structured Analysis.C.2 Structured Design.References.Appendix D Annotated Bibliography.D.1 Process.D.2 Visibility.D.3 People.D.4 Journals.Index.About the Author.

"…clearly explains what it takes to be a good software project manager...a first-rate information source for novice project managers." (IEEE Software Magazine, November/December 2005) "...a useful book for the classroom or the workplace...I advise purchasing this book and applying the author's ideas." (Software Quality Professional, September 2005)"...a good reference for individuals just starting off as IT project managers...For those preparing for the CSQE exam, this book can be a good reference..." (Software Quality Professional, June-August 2005)"…helps guide software project managers and their team members in working towards common goals." (IEEE Computer Magazine, October 2004)