Table Of Content

ptg From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff Evaluating Project Decisions ptg From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff This page intentionally left blank ptg From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff Evaluating Project Decisions Case Studies in Software Engineering ptg Carol L. Hoover Mel Rosso-Llopart Gil Taran Upper Saddle River, NJ • Boston • Indianapolis • San Francisco New York • Toronto • Montreal • London • Munich • Paris • Madrid Capetown • Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore • Mexico City From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and the publisher was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed with initial capital letters or in all capitals. The authors and publisher have taken care in the preparation of this book, but make no expressed or implied warranty of any kind and assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. No liability is assumed for incidental or consequential damages in connection with or arising out of the use of the information or programs contained herein. The publisher offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases or special sales, which may include electronic versions and/or custom covers and content particular to your business, training goals, marketing focus, and branding interests. For more information, please contact: U.S. Corporate and Government Sales (800) 382-3419 [email protected] For sales outside the United States please contact: International Sales [email protected] ptg Visit us on the Web: informit.com/aw Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hoover, Carol L., 1955- Evaluating project decisions : case studies in software engineering / Carol L. Hoover, Mel Rosso-Llopart, Gil Taran. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-321-54456-8 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Software engineering. 2. Software engineering—Case studies. 3. Project management—Case studies. I. Rosso-Llopart, Mel, 1956- II. Taran, Gil, 1972- III. Title. QA76.758.H66 2010 005.1—dc22 2009030151 Copyright © 2010 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication is protected by copyright, and permission must be obtained from the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or likewise. For information regarding permissions, write to: Pearson Education, Inc. Rights and Contracts Department 501 Boylston Street, Suite 900 Boston, MA 02116 Fax: (617) 671-3447 ISBN-13: 978-0-321-54456-8 ISBN-10: 0-321-54456-0 Text printed in the United States on recycled paper at Courier in Stoughton, Massachusetts. First printing, October 2009 From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff To my dad, who shared his interest in science with me. —Carol L. Hoover To my mom and my brother, who thought I wouldn’t read let alone write a book. —Mel Rosso-Llopart To my beloved three girls and my family across the ocean, for their everlasting support. ptg —Gil Taran From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff This page intentionally left blank ptg From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff Contents Preface .......................................................... xi Acknowledgments .............................................xxi About the Authors ............................................ xxiii Chapter 1 Managing Decisions ............................... 1 1.1 Chapter Objectives .................................. 1 1.2 Context ............................................. 1 1.3 Decision Model for Software Engineering ............ 5 ptg Case Study: Software Test Rerun Problem ........... 7 Case Study: California Bridge Problem ............ 10 Case Study: Unfamiliar Legacy Code Problem ..... 12 Case Study: Data-Processing Problem ............. 14 1.4 Summary .......................................... 18 Chapter 2 Managing Requirements .......................... 19 2.1 Chapter Objectives ................................. 19 2.2 Context ............................................ 19 2.3 Case Studies ....................................... 39 Case Study: The New Account Project at HBC ...... 39 Case Study: On Time, Within Budget, but Wrong .... 54 2.4 Summary .......................................... 65 Chapter 3 Managing Estimates ............................... 67 3.1 Chapter Objectives ................................. 67 3.2 Context ............................................ 67 3.3 Case Studies ...................................... 77 Case Study: Estimation as a Tool .................. 78 Case Study: When a Team Runs a Race ............. 84 3.4 Summary ......................................... 92 Chapter 4 Managing Plans ................................... 93 4.1 Chapter Objectives ................................. 93 4.2 Context ............................................ 93 vii From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff viii Contents 4.3 Case Studies ...................................... 108 Case Study: To Replan or Not to Replan? ......... 109 Case Study: Managing Plans Is in the Details ..... 125 4.4 Summary ......................................... 137 Chapter 5 Managing Product ................................ 139 5.1 Chapter Objectives ................................ 139 5.2 Context ........................................... 139 5.3 Case Studies ...................................... 146 Case Study: New Technology—Is It Always the Best? ....................................... 147 Case Study: Why Is This Product Wrong? .......... 159 5.4 Summary ......................................... 165 ptg Chapter 6 Managing Process ................................ 167 6.1 Chapter Objectives ................................ 167 6.2 Context ........................................... 167 6.3 Case Studies ...................................... 174 Case Study: Bank on the Verge .................... 175 Case Study: Damn the Process, Full Speed Ahead ... 189 6.4 Summary ......................................... 193 Chapter 7 Managing Risk ................................... 195 7.1 Chapter Objectives ................................ 195 7.2 Context ........................................... 195 7.3 Case Studies ...................................... 201 Case Study: SEWeb and Russoft Technologies ..... 201 Case Study: Falcon Edutainment and the RiskSim Project ................................ 223 7.4 Summary ......................................... 231 Chapter 8 Managing People Interactions .................... 233 8.1 Chapter Objectives ................................ 233 8.2 Context ........................................... 233 8.3 Case Studies ...................................... 242 Case Study: To Be or Not to Be: A Sense of Urgency at TestBridge ......................... 243 Case Study: A Friend or Foe at Hanover-Tech ..... 258 8.4 Summary ......................................... 264 From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff Contents ix Chapter 9 Managing Stakeholder Expectations .............. 267 9.1 Chapter Objectives ................................ 267 9.2 Context ........................................... 267 9.3 Case Studies ...................................... 275 Case Study: TCP Enhancements at Gigaplex Systems ........................................ 275 Case Study: Tough Sell at Henkel Labs ............ 292 9.3 Summary ......................................... 304 Chapter 10 Managing Global Development .................. 305 10.1 Chapter Objectives ................................ 305 10.2 Context ........................................... 305 10.3 Case Studies ...................................... 311 Case Study: Globally Distributed Team: ptg FibreNet Project ............................... 311 Case Study: Managing Global Software Development at FibOptia ....................... 330 10.4 Summary ......................................... 341 References ..................................................... 343 Index .......................................................... 355 From the Library of Lee Bogdanoff