Software Project Management For Dummies [Paperback]

Teresa Luckey (Author), Joseph Phillips (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 9, 2006 | ISBN-10: 0471749346 | ISBN-13: 978-0471749349 | Edition: 1

• The increase in project outsourcing has forced traditional programmers to take on the role of project managers and quickly learn how to manage software projects
• The author discusses all of the essentials in widely accepted project management methodology, from managing programmers to assessing and eliminating risk
• The book covers the iterative development model, using Microsoft Project 2003, as well as a variety of methodologies including eXtreme, open source, SQA testing, software life cycle management, and more
• The companion Web site contains tools, case studies and other resources to help even novices get up and running

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Manage scope creep and keep your project on schedule

Get the scoop on managing time, cost, people, risk, quality, and integration

Congratulations — you're now in charge of managing software projects! Before you reach for the antacid, reach for this book. It's packed with advice to help you identify the project's purpose, build a team, handle qualitative analysis, estimate resources, communicate with everybody, manage the project from start to finish, and deliver just what your client ordered.

Discover how to

• Write a product description
• Balance time, cost, scope, and quality
• Prepare a risk response plan
• Track and communicate project performance
• Manage conflicts

About the Author

Teresa Luckey was born in Indianapolis, Indiana, the eighth of twelve children. She earned the degree of Bachelor of Science from the University of Southern Indiana, with a major in Education. She earned her teaching endorsements in Computer Education and Mathematics from the University of Indianapolis and thoroughly enjoyed teaching (and learning from) junior high students for several years. After deciding to expand her horizons beyond the teaching profession, she pursued her interests in information systems and project management while working at hospitals in Indianapolis, and then moved on to a consulting firm, where she now works as a manager implementing healthcare systems. Teresa earned her Master of Business Administration degree from Indiana Wesleyan University, where she served as co-class president with her husband, David. She is just shy of completing her Master of Science in New Media at Indiana University School of Informatics. One of these days—soon—she hopes to finish that degree so that she can maintain her reputation as a life-long learner.
Teresa earned her Project Management Professional Certification through the Project Management Institute in 2001 and continues to maintain her certification. She enjoys contributing to the field of project management, particularly with regard to healthcare software.

Joseph Phillips, PMP, Project+, is the Director of Education for Project Seminars. He has managed and consulted on projects for various industries, including technical, pharmaceutical, manufacturing, and architectural, among others.
Phillips has served as a project management consultant for organizations creating project offices, maturity models, and best-practice standardization.
As a leader in adult education, Phillips has taught organizations how to successfully implement project management methodologies, information technology project management, risk management, and other courses.
Phillips has taught courses at Columbia College, University of Chicago, Indiana University, and others. He is a Certified Technical Trainer and has taught over 10,000 professionals. Phillips has contributed as an author or editor to more than 30 books on technology, careers, and project management.
Phillips is a member of the Project Management Institute and is active in local project management chapters. He has spoken on project management, project management certifications, and project methodologies at numerous trade shows, PMI chapter meetings, and employee conferences. When not writing, teaching, or consulting, Phillips can be found behind a camera or on the working end of a fly rod. You can contact Phillips through www.projectseminars.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 390 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (October 9, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471749346
• ISBN-13: 978-0471749349
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #544,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy introduction to a difficult skillset..., October 14, 2006

By 

Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Software Project Management For Dummies (Paperback)

I am *not* a project manager, nor do I ever want to be one. However, the art of project management affects every project I work on to one degree or another. If you're a developer geek who doesn't want to wade through the minutiae of formal traditional methodology, this particular title makes it all go down a little easier... Software Project Management for Dummies by Teresa Luckey and Joseph Phillips.

Contents:
Part 1 - Starting Your Software Project: Examining the Big Picture of Software Management; Initiating a Software Project; Creating the Software Scope
Part 2 - Planning Your Software Project: Planning for Communications; Planning for Software Project Risks; Planning for Software Quality; Building the Project Team; Creating Project Time Estimates; Building Your Project Budget
Part 3 - Executing Your Software Project Plan: Working the Project Plan; Working with Project People; Procuring Goods and Services
Part 4 - Controlling Your Software Project: Managing Changes to the Software Project; Using Earned Value Management in Software Projects; Tracking Project Performance
Part 5 - Closing Your Software Project: Finalizing the Project Management Processes; Documenting Your Software Project
Part 6 - The Part of Tens: Ten Ways to Make Your Software Project Crash and Burn; Ten Ways to Make Any Software Project Better
Appendix: Formal Project Management Training and Certification; Index

Using the entertaining Dummies style of writing, Luckey and Phillips take the reader through the importance of software project management, as well as what steps are involved in taking the project from inception to completion. They approach the topic using what I refer to as the "traditional" approach to software development. Generally speaking, requirements are gathered, development is initiated, testing takes place, and the project is delivered. This is different than the "agile" methods where there are a series of iterations involving requirements, coding, testing, and release. Many of these same project management concepts apply to both, but you most often see this level of management and documentation in the former style. What's nice with this book is that an often dull (at least to me) subject is served up with a healthy dose of tongue-in-cheek humor and practicality. They actually treat the project manager as a real person facing some impossible conditions, which is pretty much normal from what I can tell...

While this book wouldn't help you pass any project management certification tests, it would be valuable to help keep your head above water if you've been thrown into the deep end of the project management pool...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not bad for beginners, February 20, 2009

By 

Maged Koshty - See all my reviews

This review is from: Software Project Management For Dummies (Paperback)

The book explains the PMI knowledge areas taking software project management as a reference. Unfortunately I didn't see much of software specific discussions in the book.
The book's structure was supposed to take you starting from project initiation through planning then executing and monitoring and controlling till the closing. Again, the authors couldn't stick to this plan as they had to jump to explain the closing of the cost KA during discussing the planning of it for no reason.
I felt very much that we have 2 authors for the book, each one explains a specific topic in his own words in different places in the book, to the extent that we see 2 headlines with the same title "Controlling project costs" in different chapters, almost repeating the same ideas.
The authors need to revise the structure of the book to make it a better.
And if they can add more software specific problems like density of bugs ..etc , would be perfect

1.0 out of 5 stars Almost zero software project specific PM stuff, December 29, 2011

By 

E. miller (Tulsa, OK USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Software Project Management For Dummies (Paperback)

Take the "Project Management For Dummies" book, add one or two pages about software project development techniques (Scrum, Agile, etc.) and presto, you have "Software Project Management for Dummies."
I picked this book up at the local library and within two hours I finished it. I have read many books on PM (and have the PMI PMP). This book brought nothing new to the table, and certainly nothing helpful in regards to project management of software development programs. Glad I got it from the library and did not buy it.