 |
My Blog
|
|
Purchase My Book
Managing the Black Hole: The Executive's Guide to Software Project RiskSave 30% - $19.50 + $3.95 shipping (US only) - Click here to view ContentsFor International orders, please order locally through Amazon to save shipping costs. Interview by Tom Cagley - Program # 83Tom was kind enough to interview me about my book on his podcast, The Software Process and Measurement cast ("SPaMcast"). The program begins with an essay by Tom on software size measurement (about 10 minutes) and concludes by interviewing me about my book. To listen to the interview only, click the "play" icon above. This is a great way to get a feel for what the book is all about! To listen to the complete podcast, click here More and more businesses and government agencies are finding software and IT to be crucial to their success and efficiency. This increased reliance is surfacing many shortcomings in the way software projects are managed. Software is central to running any business effectively – it’s just as important to success as are marketing, sales, finance, and operations. This book provides an MBA level of understanding of the key dynamics of software projects and will position executives to improve outcomes. Managing the “Black Hole” is about management, not technology. Software projects are risky – failures are common. Less than 1/3 of all software projects (purchased or built) are fully successful (on-time, on-budget, with all intended features and functions). The average software project overruns its budget by around 50% and schedule by around 80%. The average project delivers less than 70% of planned features and functions. Software projects are extremely wasteful – in an average organization only 30-40% of total software cost results in “value-added” – best in class organizations (less than 15%) achieve twice as much value add – 100% more ‘bang for the buck’. This book examines the underlying root causes of failures – the “Seven Deadly Sins” and provides a non-technical introduction to a range of proven remedies – the “Five Redeeming Virtues”. The ideas in this book will enable any organization to join the elite few who have taken these lessons to heart. Leaving the solution to these problems solely in the hands of IT specialists has not proven a successful strategy – top management understanding and engagement are required to improve outcomes! Praise for Managing the Black Hole ... “Gary Gack’s Managing the “Black Hole”: The Executive’s Guide to Software Project Risk provides a substantive yet refreshingly succinct tour of software project risks and remedies. This book explains the most important software project issues without ‘geek-speak’, using examples and metaphor readily comprehensible to those without extensive technical backgrounds. Gary has captured just the right level of depth and detail for today’s busy executives, both inside and outside IT. Anyone dealing with risky software projects, whether ‘buying’ or ‘building’, will benefit from this book.” - Tony Salvaggio, CEO, Computer Aid, Inc. "Gary Gack is an expert in six-sigma, software project management, and software quality. His new book is a solid combination of facts and insights derived from all three subjects. The book makes an important contribution to the literature and is recommended for business executives, software managers, QA personnel, and software engineers.”
- Capers Jones, Author, President - Capers Jones & Associates LLC “Gary Gack is a world class practitioner and a great example of effectively walking his talk. Gary makes his wealth of knowledge and experience readily available to others through his writing. This book will appeal to junior programmers, C-level executives, and all levels in between. It is a must read for anyone interested in creating and sustaining high performance IT teams that produce consistently superior results.”
- Tom Scott CIO and Senior VP of Operations, Spiegel Brands “This book provides an excellent overview of the challenges senior IT and operational managers face when deploying and maintaining software solutions in the 21st century. Gary’s extensive experience with all phases of the software development process is evident in every page. His “Seven Deadly Sins of Software Development” will resonate with any executive who has been through a large systems deployment project. Gary provides practical guidance for avoiding these pitfalls and maximizing the chances of success for your next IT project.”
- Jerry Friedhoff, Chief Quality and Process Officer, Broadridge SPS - Fixed Income Table of Contents Foreword Introduction • Themes • Objectives of the Book • Intended Audiences • Software is Ubiquitous • Software and IT Spending • The Economic Significance of Software Part 1: What Goes Wrong (The Grim Realities) • Software: An Immature Industry • Software: Quality is Key • The Knowledge Gap • The “Knowing-Doing” Gap • Part 1 “Take-aways” Part 2: Why Projects and Organizations Fail (Seven Deadly Sins) • Introduction to Part 2 • Risk Management • Sizing and Estimating • Project Planning • Methods, Standards, and Tools • Product Quality • Measurement • Status Reporting • Part 2 “Take-aways” Part 3: What You Can Do About It (Five Redeeming Virtues) • Introduction to Part 3 • Rationalize Sizing and Estimating • Professionalize Planning and Tracking • Predict and Measure Defect Containment • Monitor Cost of Quality • Focus on Performance, not Compliance • In Conclusion … Glossary Bibliography |
|
News & Events My new book is now available - buy it here and save! Subscribe to my Newsletter Process-Fusion announces membership in the IS Risk Management Consortium Process-Fusion announces strategic collaboration with Hexawise eLearning: Software Development for Business Executives Thursday, August 26, 2010 - 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EASTERN TIME Use promotion code 4981f799 to save $20 when you register - For information and registration, click here ! You are invited to join our |
|
| © Copyright Process-Fusion.net - all rights reserved. Website by Feeser Computer Services |
||||||
groups
button to become a member