“There are many books available on software risks and software failures. There are very few books that provide step-by-step information on getting troubled software projects back on track. This book provides detailed guidelines for software project recovery. Some of the steps the author recommends may be unpleasant, but all are important.” —Capers Jones, chief scientist emeritus at Software Productivity Research LLC “This is a well-conceived, well-written, interesting book about an important topic. The author is right in saying that no one else has covered this particular facet of project failure.” —Robert L. Glass, publisher of the Software Practitioner A 10-STEP PROCESS TO IDENTIFY SEVERELY TROUBLED PROJECTS AND AVOID COSTLY FAILURE It’s a software development nightmare: a project that’s rapidly spiraling out of control...or already a disaster. Conventional project management techniques won’t save these projects: there are no standard rescue processes to follow. You need something radically different: Catastrophe Disentanglement. Drawing on in-depth data from hundreds of development organizations, E.M. Bennatan presents a proven, 10-step program for rescuing any project that’s worth saving. You’ll find specific guidance for addressing massive budget overruns, schedule slippage, poor quality—or all three at once. Using practical examples drawn from decades of hands-on experience as a software development leader and consultant, Bennatan shows how to Evaluate where your project really stands Align your project’s developers, managers, and customers Defi ne the minimum acceptable project goals that are achievable Replan your project to successfully deliver the new minimum goals Identify risks in your revised project and create effective contingency plans Install an “early warning system” to keep your rescued project from slipping back toward catastrophe Catastrophe Disentanglement is an effective, comprehensive approach to software project rescue. Whenever projects are in trouble—whether you are a senior manager, project manager, team member, or software customer—this book could save your career. Preface xi Chapter 1 An Introduction to Catastrophe Disentanglement 1 Chapter 2 When Is a Project a Catastrophe? 15 Chapter 3 Step 1–Stop 43 Chapter 4 Step 2–Assign an Evaluator 57 Chapter 5 Step 3–Evaluate the Project 73 Chapter 6 Step 4–Evaluate the Team 95 Chapter 7 Step 5–Define Minimum Goals 113 Chapter 8 Step 6–Can Minimum Goals Be Achieved? 133 Chapter 9 Step 7–Rebuild the Team 147 Chapter 10 Step 8–Risk Analysis 169 Chapter 11 Step 9–Revise the Plan 189 Chapter 12 Step 10–Create an Early Warning System 209 Chapter 13 Epilogue: Putting the Final Pieces in Place 233 References 245 Glossary 255 About the Author 257 Index 259 © Copyright Pearson Education. All rights reserved.

Includes appications of both information technology and production-operations management with a focus on information systems to demonstrate the real environment that exists for IS projects.

This Seventh Edition of Donald Reifer's popular, bestselling tutorial summarizes what software project managers need to know to be successful on the job. The text provides pointers and approaches to deal with the issues, challenges, and experiences that shape their thoughts and performance. To accomplish its goals, the volume explores recent advances in dissimilar fields such as management theory, acquisition management, globalization, knowledge management, licensing, motivation theory, process improvement, organization dynamics, subcontract management, and technology transfer. Software Management provides software managers at all levels of the organization with the information they need to know to develop their software engineering management strategies for now and the future. The book provides insight into management tools and techniques that work in practice. It also provides sufficient instructional materials to serve as a text for a course in software management. This new edition achieves a balance between theory and practical experience. Reifer systematically addresses the skills, knowledge, and abilities that software managers, at any level of experience, need to have to practice their profession effectively. This book contains original articles by leaders in the software management field written specifically for this tutorial, as well as a collection of applicable reprints. About forty percent of the material in this edition has been produced specifically for the tutorial. Contents: * Introduction * Life Cycle Models * Process Improvement * Project Management * Planning Fundamentals * Software Estimating * Organizing for Success * Staffing Essentials * Direction Advice * Visibility and Control * Software Risk Management * Metrics and Measurement * Acquisition Management * Emerging Management Topics "The challenges faced by software project managers are the gap between what the customers can envision and the reality on the ground and how to deal with the risks associated with this gap in delivering a product that meets requirements on time and schedule at the target costs. This tutorial hits the mark by providing project managers, practitioners, and educators with source materials on how project managers can effectively deal with this risk." -Dr. Kenneth E. Nidiffer, Systems & Software Consortium, Inc. "The volume has evolved into a solid set of foundation works for anyone trying to practice software management in a world that is increasingly dependent on software release quality, timeliness, and productivity." -Walker Royce, Vice President, IBM Software Services-Rational