Managing Software Quality and Business Risk [Paperback]

Martyn A. Ould (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 047199782X | ISBN-13: 978-0471997825 | Publication Date: November 30, 1999 | Edition: 1

How to manage quality up, and risk down. This invaluable guide to project planning and strategic decision making for software developers presents practical and realistic planning techniques to increase chances of a project delivering to time and budget. Offering clear explanations and real-world experiences, the key components of technical management are laid out as templates and checklists to assist managers with their project development. With thirty years of experience in software development, Martyn Ould provides:

* Proven strategies for a disciplined approach to project planning

* Steps to take in risks and uncertainties in the project

* Reliable methods for reducing risks to an acceptable level

* A quality planning process that is rooted in the technical requirements of the system

* Insight into monitoring and measuring project progress

* Real-world experience through case studies and examples

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Managing Software Quality and Business Risk addresses itself to software project leaders, managers and technicians alike, pulling them temporarily away from their own discipline and encouraging them to view the gestalt of project planning. You get an overview of what each of these areas of expertise has to offer: a technician, for example, might learn the importance and practicality of risk planning first, followed by quality planning. (The software project team that does not calculate for the eventualities of many kinds of failure is re-enacting a tragedy of Shakespearean proportions.) The unifying theme is studying and perfecting the planning process, and ensuring that your project plan has minimised associated risks and maximised quality.
The style is clear, and though the writing is studded with a fair amount of jargon, it clearly lays out management information and perspectives. On the practical side, the author takes you through several techniques and introduces insights from those skilled in coping with market forces or with service users, often underestimated, misunderstood or completely ignored by programmers. There are plenty of interesting, well-designed grey tone charts and diagrams that instantly bring to the fore the subject or strategy being developed, and examples are given throughout. This is a book that is best approached as a good, thought-provoking read rather than as a reference.--" -Wilf Hey , Amazon.co.uk

From the Back Cover

Invaluable guide to project planning and strategic decision making for software developers. Managing Software Quality and Business Risk How to manage quality up, and risk down If you were investing in a costly software development project, which horse would you back - managerial technique or technical solution? In the software development arena, you will often get two opposing views to this question depending on whether you ask a manager or an engineer on the team. Equally motivated to ensure the success of a software development project, each will dig deep into their domain for solutions. Martyn Ould presents practical and realistic planning techniques to provide managers and senior members of software project teams with a pragmatic means of increasing the chances of a project delivering to time and budget. Inside you will find:
* proven strategies for a disciplined approach to project planning
* steps to take in assessing risks and uncertainties in the project
* reliable methods for reducing risks to an acceptable level
* a quality planning process that is rooted in the technical requirements of the system
* insight into monitoring and measuring project progress
* real world experience through case studies and examples
Visit our Website at http://www.wiley.com/compbooks/

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Product Details

• Paperback: 392 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (November 30, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 047199782X
• ISBN-13: 978-0471997825
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,438,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Top-notch advice on planning a successful software project, May 25, 2000

By 

Mr George T May - See all my reviews

This review is from: Managing Software Quality and Business Risk (Paperback)

In `Managing Software Quality and Business Risk' Martyn Ould travels further down the road on which he set out in his excellent 1990 book, `Strategies for Software Engineering'. His basic premise then, and here, is that successful and achievable plans for software development must be based on both the assessment of risk and the achievement of quality - and the activities that flow from addressing these two concerns. The author has advice for us both as managers and engineers in this very readable book. His arguments are based on sound principles and amplified with excellent real-life anecdotes and experiences that bear out his ideas. He puts you in the driving seat and stands quietly behind you, giving you clear, well-considered, and, above all, practical advice on how to plan your software project. If you enjoyed his first book, this one is definitely for you. If you haven't yet read him, then do so now! Slightly disappointingly, the book does not set out to help you run your project. We could well do with such sensible advice here as well. How about another book, Martyn?

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Convergence of two critical success factors, June 18, 2004

By 

Mike Tarrani "www.tarrani.com" (Deltona, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Managing Software Quality and Business Risk (Paperback)

This book is an update to the author's earlier work in the convergence of risk management and quality as keys to successful software development and delivery.

What makes this book worthwhile to software engineering managers, applications delivery teams, project managers and proposal teams is the seamless way Ould connects the dots between two critical functions - risk and quality. The material on risk identification, analysis and management reflect best practices. Moreover, it serves as a primer on risk management, which is clear, logically sequenced and contains no gaps or omissions. I especially like the way he thoroughly covers various process models related to software development lifecycles (including the V-model, DSDM, evolutionary and incremental delivery). The risk planning approach he proposes can be easily aligned to any of these models based on the chapter on Risk Planning.

Ould approaches quality as both a verification and validation activity, as well as a control function. This approach is suitable for project-oriented teams and organizations, and ties nicely into the risk approach set forth in the beginning of this book.

I like the resource management material that has been refined and carried over from his earlier book. The work breakdown structures are invaluable aids, and his advice on monitoring and controlling resources is realistic and workable.

A good deal of this book is slanted towards organizations that provide contracted services and development. This makes it ideal for scoping projects and building project plans from a provider perspective. However, this can be also used to great advantage by organizations who are seeking contracted development and issuing RFPs because they will gain a clear understanding of what to demand from a provider. It is also useful to internal development organizations since the risk and quality management principles so clearly described in this book are critical success factors in that environment as well.