The Project Manager's Guide to Software Engineering's Best Practices by Mark Christensen

by Mark Christensen

Since the earliest days of the computer industry, managing a software project has been a complex and demanding activity. While the technical content of software products and the technical methods used to build them have changed over time, the fundamental issues that determine the success or failure of software projects have remain fairly constant. That is, the same fundamental management mistakes continue to be made. To cite a few examples; requirements are unclear at the beginning of projects and are not managed during the project, the product is not tested adequately, schedules are misestimated or not tracked in sufficient detail. The contents of this book, together with the underlying IEEE Standards, are dedicated to helping the reader in their The continuing quest to produce quality software products in a predictable manner. This book, containing all original material, is based on the proposition that the IEEE Software Engineering Standards capture many of the fundamental 'best practices' of software project management. It is written to assist the reader in applying those standards to their projects and company. To meet this goal, the authors discuss and elaborate the standards that bear on the three key management areas Software systems engineering, Processes for developing software products, Planning and control of software project activities.The body of the book is correspondingly organized into three parts. Software Systems Engineering, which argues that software development projects are most successful when developed using a systems level viewpoint. Process Management and Control, which describes the key activities needed to define, support, and manage a project's software development processes. Project Planning and Management completes the book, integrating the elements of cost and schedule estimation and control, risk management, and the role metrics play in performing those tasks.

Paperback

First published April 27, 2002

About the author

Mark Christensen, a native of Oregon, is a journalist and author of several books, both fiction and non-fiction. His published works include THE SWEEPS: Behind the Scenes of Network TV, BUILD THE PERFECT BEAST, and most recently THE SO-CAL SPEED SHOP, winner of the Dean Bachelor Award for Best Automobile Book of 2006. A former editor of Oregon Magazine, his freelance writing has appeared in numerous publications, among them Wired, Playboy, TV Guide, Rolling Stone and the LA Times Sunday Magazine. In 1994, The Oregonian named his novel, ALOHA, as the best written by a northwest writer that year. A father of two children, Mark lives with his wife in Laguna Beach, California.