Software Engineering Resources
	Software Project Management Although many of us (in our darker moments) take Dilbert's view of "management," it remains a very necessary activity when computer-based systems and products are built. Software project management involves the planning, monitoring, and control of the people, process, and events that occur as software evolves from preliminary concept to operational implementation. This page considers the following topic categories: Project Management Resources - General Software Project Management Concepts Software Project Management Tutorials/Articles/Papers People and Project Characteristics Project Management Tools Books Project Management Resources - General Project Management Institute (PMI) A useful source of information on generic project management. Project Management Control Tower A commercial site that provides a useful project repository and reading room that contains worthwhile papers and other PM resources. Software Program Manager's Network (SPMN) This site "identifies proven industry and government software best practices and conveys them to managers of large-scale software-intensive acquisition programs." Software Dioxide A extremely useful site containing a broad array of software engineering information for managers and practitioners. Includes many papers, news briefs and other information. Method 123 Resources Project management guidebook, risk management tool, useful articles, and other resources. Generic Project Management Links A good collection of project management links are not specific to software projects but still provide useful guidance. Software Project Management Resources - 1 Project management related resources, links, news and tools. Software Project Management Resources - 2 John Musser has compiled many useful links to a wide array of PM topics. Software Project Management Resources - 3 Links to many useful SPM sites catgorized by topic area. Software Project Management Resources - 4 CETUS links offers one of the Web's most extensive SPM resources. Recommended. IT Toolkit.com Presents many 'mini-articles' that provide step-by-step guidance in alll areas of project management. Membership is free. Bright Hub Project Management Presents useful generic information for project managers with an occasional article is dediciated to software project management issues. Software Project Management Concepts Antipatterns Anti-pattern is either... A pattern that tells how to go from a problem to a bad solution, or A pattern that tells how to go from a bad solution to a good solution. A useful discussion with many on-line pointers is presented here. Object-Oriented Project Management Handbook The TOC of this handbook (Handbook is available for purchase) provides a good outline of those things that must be considered to manage project using OO technologies. The Cathederal and the Bazaar - A Project Management Metaphor An interesting discussion of project management options characterized as "cathedral-like development (as an analogy with how Middle Age cathedrals were built), and bazaar-like development, which is based on informal communication between the coders." Software Project Management Tutorials/Articles/Papers Project Manager Today e-zine Resources, articles, and news for the project manager. 16 Factors for Improving Software Project Success A slide presentation. Software Project Management Papers - 1 A collection of useful papers on software project management. Software Project Management Papers - 2 Rob Thomsett is one or the more provocative and entertaining writers in the SPM domain. Many of his papers are presented here. Software Project Management Papers - 3 A collection of articles from Software Development magazine. Distributed Software Project Teams Study A Study of Communication and Cooperation in Distributed Software Project Teams can be downloaded from this site. Managing Collaborations Presents a set of guidelines for increasing the probability that a collaborative software project will be successful. People and Project Characteristics 100 Rules for Project Managers Developed for NASA PMs by applicable to most. Recommended. Balanced Project Teams Tips for creating a project team that jells and produces a successful project outcome. Do's and Don't's for Project Success Insight from Steve McConnell. Recommended. Project Characteristics Common characteristics of major types of projects. Project Management Tools MS Project Web Site Useful information and resources for those who use Microsoft's Project software. This is not the Microsoft site. Project Management Tools Directory Pointers to a wide array of SPM tools. Directory of PM Tools Pointers to dozens of Windows-based SPM tools. Books The Project Management Institute (Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, PMI, 2000) covers all important aspects of project management. Murch (Project Management: Best Practices for IT Professionals, Prentice-Hall, 2000) teaches basic skills and provides detailed guidance for all phases of an IT project. Lewis (Project Managers Desk Reference, McGraw-Hill, 1999) presents a 16-step process for planning, monitoring and controlled any type of project. In the tradition of many of his ealier books, McConnell (Professional Software Development, Addison-Wesley, 2004) offer pragmatic advice for achieving "shorter schedules, higher quality products, and more successful projects." An excellent four volume series written by Weinberg (Quality Software Management, Dorset House, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996) introduces basic systems thinking and management concepts, explains how to use measurements effectively, and addresses “congruent action,” the ability to establish “fit” between the manager’s needs, the needs of technical staff, and the needs of the business. It will provide both new and experienced managers with useful information. Futrell and his colleagues (Quality Software Project Management, Prentice-Hall, 2002) present a voluminous treatment of project management. Phillips (IT Project Management: On Track from Start to Finish, McGraw-Hill/Osborne, 2002), Charvat (Project Management Nation, Wiley, 2002), Schwalbe (Information Technology Project Management, second edition, Course Technology, 2001) and Holtsnider and Jaffe (IT Manager’s Handbook, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 2000) are representative of the many books that have been written on software project management. Brown and his colleagues (AntiPatterns in Project Management, Wiley, 2000) discuss what not to do during the management of a software project. Brooks (The Mythical Man-Month, Anniversary Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1995) has updated his classic book to provide new insight into software project and management issues. McConnell (Software Project Survival Guide, Microsoft Press, 1997) presents excellent pragmatic guidance for those who must manage software projects. Lewis (Fundamentals of Project Management, second edition, AMACOM, 2002) discusses project management core competencies. Purba and Shah (How to Manage a Successful Software Project, second edition, Wiley, 2000) present a number of case studies that indicate why some projects succeed and others fail. Bennatan (On Time Within Budget, third edition, Wiley, 2000) presents useful tips and guidelines for software project managers. It can be argued that the most important aspect of software project management is people management. Cockburn (Agile Software Development, Addison-Wesley, 2002) presents one of the best discussions of software people written to date. DeMarco and Lister (Peopleware, second edition, Dorset House, 1998) have written the definitive book on software people and software projects. In addition, the following books on this subject have been published in recent years and are worth examining: Beaudouin-Lafon, M., Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Wiley-Liss, 1999. Carmel, E., Global Software Teams: Collaborating Across Borders and Time Zones, Prentice Hall, 1999. Constantine, L., Peopleware Papers: Notes on the Human Side of Software, Prentice-Hall, 2001. Humphrey, W.S., Managing Technical People: Innovation, Teamwork, and the Software Process, Addison-Wesley, 1997. Jones, P.H., Handbook of Team Design: A Practitioner's Guide to Team Systems Development, McGraw-Hill, 1997. Karolak, D.S., Global Software Development: Managing Virtual Teams and Environments, IEEE Computer Society, 1998. Ensworth (The Accidental Project Manager, Wiley, 2001) provides much useful guidance to those who must survive “the transition from techie to project manager.” Another excellent book by Weinberg (On Becoming a Technical Leader, Dorset House, 1986) is must reading for every project manager and every team leader. It will give you insight and guidance that will enable you to do your job more effectively. Even though they do not relate specifically to the software world and sometimes suffer from over-simplification and broad generalization, best-selling “management” books by Bossidy (Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, Crown Publishing, 2002), Drucker (Management Challenges for the 21st Century, Harper Business, 1999), Buckingham and Coffman (First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently, Simon and Schuster, 1999) and Christensen (The Innovator's Dilemma, Harvard Business School Press, 1997) emphasize “new rules” defined by a rapidly changing economy, Older titles such as Who Moved My Cheese?, The One-Minute Manager and In Search of Excellence continue to provide valuable insights that can help you to manage people and projects more effectively.