Winning with software an executive strategy

253 Pages·1.355 MB·English

by  Humphrey, Watts S

Winning
with
Software
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Winning
with
Software
An Executive Strategy
Watts S. Humphrey
Boston • San Francisco • New York • Toronto • Montreal
London • Munich • Paris • Madrid
Capetown • Sydney • Tokyo • Singapore • Mexico City
CarnegieMellon
Software Engineering Institute
The SEI Series in Software Engineering
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CMMI; CMM Integration; Personal Software Process; PSP; Team Software Process; and TSP
are service marks of Carnegie Mellon University.
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SOFTWARE ENGINEERING INSTITUTE IS FURNISHED ON AN "AS IS" BASIS.
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Humphrey, Watts S., 1927–
Winning with software : an executive strategy / Watts S. Humphrey.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-201-77639-1
1. Computers. 2. Electronic data processing. 3. Business—Data processing. I. Title.
QA76.H7943 2002
005.3—dc21
2001053787
Copyright © 2002 Pearson Education, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,
or transmitted, in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording,
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ISBN 0201776391
Text printed in the United States on recyled paper at Offset Paperback Manufacturers in Laflin, Pennsylvania.
5th Printing November 2005
For my family.
My work has been rewarding,
but nothing beats coming home.
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Contents
Preface xi
Chapter 1 Every Business Is a Software Business 1
The Principles of Software Management 2
Why Every Business Is a Software Business 4
We’re in the Hardware Business 5
Maintain Control of Product Uniqueness 7
Quality Is More Important Than Schedule 8
In Software, What Must Happen Often
Does Not 10
A Quality Commitment 11
Summary and Conclusions 13
References 14
Chapter 2 Why Projects Fail 15
The Crash Project That Almost Crashed 15
The Causes of Project Failure 17
The Executive Role in Project Failure 24
Summary and Conclusions 26
Reference 27
vii
viii CONTENTS
Chapter 3 Rational Management 29
Facing Facts 29
Cutting Cycle Time 30
You’re Ruining the Business 32
Getting the Facts 33
The Flight-Test Deadline 36
The Essence of Rational Management 37
Summary and Conclusions 39
Chapter 4 Why Quality Pays 41
Poor-Quality Software Can Be
Life-Threatening 41
Quality Work Saves Time and Money 43
Defect-Removal Strategies 45
Quality Work Is More Predictable 47
If You Don’t Manage Software Quality,
Nobody Else Will 47
Summary and Conclusions 50
References 50
Chapter 5 Leadership Goals 51
Faster, Better, Cheaper 51
Fixing Software in an Organization 53
Establishing the Goal 53
Accelerate the Work, Not Just the
Schedule 54
Improving Quality 57
Cutting Costs 58
Improving Task Time 60
Defining Responsibilities 62
Summary and Conclusions 63
References 64
CONTENTS ix
Chapter 6 Changing Engineering Behavior 65
What, Not How 66
Disciplined Software Practices 67
Convincing Others 69
The PSP Course 70
Coming Full Circle 74
Summary and Conclusions 75
References 76
Chapter 7 Building Motivated Teams 77
The EBS BrokerNet Team 77
Developing the TSP 78
How to Build Motivated Teams 79
The Teradyne Team 80
The Final Result 83
How Do You Motivate Teams? 84
Building Committed Teams 84
The EBS Results 86
A Trusting Environment 87
The Consequences of Impossible Dates 87
Maintaining Team Commitment 88
Summary and Conclusions 89
Reference 90
Chapter 8 The Benefits of Teamwork 91
Better Predictability 91
Shorter Cycle Time 92
Reduced Development Costs 94
Improved Product Quality 95
Reduced Employee Turnover 97
TSP Introduction Costs 98
Return on Investment 99