Conference Presentations

Leveraging Software Resources

The Critical Chain approach to project management is being applied on more and more software development projects to achieve significant benefits in quality of life, lead time, and productivity. Rob Newbold provides an overview of the Critical Chain approach as it applies to software development. Where is time and energy typically wasted? How can we focus attention on those areas where improvement will do the most good? Learn the specific leverage points typically addressed through Critical Chain Project Management in order to achieve real, lasting results.

Rob Newbold, ProChain Solutions, Inc.
Third-Party Testing and Its Effects on Software Engineering

Adherence to process guidelines has been shown to be beneficial for large organizations. However, ninety-nine percent of all U.S. IT organizations and independent software vendors are small businesses with less than 500 employees. Bill Councill discusses how to use a third-party testing organization such as Underwriters Laboratories to more effectively assure software quality in companies of this size.

Bill Councill, Mannatech, Inc.
Managing Software Project Schedules with Efficiency

Software on-time delivery statistics show schedule slippage is a common phenomenon within the software industry. Ziya Ma discusses the results of an industry survey conducted during 1998 and 1999 to obtain current, valid, and useful scheduling data. Learn how to use this information--including common approaches to on-time delivery used in modern industry--to tackle project delays in a timely manner.

Ziya Ma, Motorola
Tips from the Training Tsarina

This presentation explores ways to plan and execute technical training to ensure the best possible use of resources to meet your organization's objectives. Learn how to avoid the most common problems and shortfalls, including budget woes, business relevance, and lack of commitment. Discover the most effective ways to breathe life into your organization's training program.

Anntoinette Gurvin, General Dynamics Information Systems
Evaluating, Selecting, and Measuring Subcontractors

During the past decade, it has become more commonplace to subcontract major portions of large software and systems engineering projects. Due to a lack of a well-defined set of tools or guidelines, this process has generally been ad hoc and inconsistent. Jim Nielsen describes Motorola's efforts to develop a comprehensive set of tools, processes, and measures to use in evaluating and selecting subcontractors and in predicting subcontractor performance and product quality.

Jim Nielsen, Motorola
Usability and Risk Management in a Multi-Developer Context

Driving usability improvement in an organization with more than 100 different software suppliers presents specific Quality Assurance challenges. This presentation describes the steps taken by one organization to meet this challenge. Learn how this approach resulted in a one hundred percent increase in customer satisfaction, a reduction in customer-reported usability problems, and order-of-magnitude reductions in testing time and cost.

Marilyn Valentino, EPRI
Relentless Application Development

Discover ways to develop and operate a team that can rapidly produce a tested, documented, and deployed application in less than three months! This presentation identifies important people, processes, and technologies that must be in place to ensure application success. Gain insight into what fails most often on rapid development, and learn what structures must be in place to succeed.

Linda McInnis, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Critical Components of Asset Management

Examine how Information Technology (IT) asset management methodologies can reduce your organization's IT budget between five and thirty-five percent. Kathy Shoop discusses the critical components to deploy, the challenges of implementing such a program, and the limitations of asset management tools such as spreadsheets and in-house development efforts. Discover the best practices for implementing an asset management initiative in your organization that will result in immediate cost savings.

Kathy Shoop, Janus Technologies, Inc.
Estimation for the Savvy Project Manager

The most critical estimate in the life of a project is the first estimate at project planning or initiation. This presentation explores the significance of the initial project estimate and suggests ways to approach developing this critical estimate. Learn how a savvy project manager can use this estimate to encourage creative collaboration rather than strife among project stakeholders.

Douglas Muir, Software Productivity Centre Inc.
What to Do When the Right Person Doesn't Come Along

Finding just the right technical person remains a challenge. Waiting for just the right person to come along, or hiring someone with inadequate skills, can often result in late or high-defect projects. A project will most likely fail if you have not hired the appropriate staff. Learn when to wait when hiring for a position, and when to change what people will do.

Johanna Rothman, Rothman Consulting Group, Inc.

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