Software Project Management: The Manager\u27s View

As businesses become more dependent on information technology for their operations, IS managers are under increasing pressure to deliver quality applications software on time and within budget. Thus, in addition to their technical skills, they must master the necessary management skills to lead and control software development projects. The purpose of this tutorial is to present the fundamental concepts of modern project management and show how these concepts can be applied to software development projects. The tutorial presents a broad overview of current software project management practices that evolved over the years from a variety of complex projects. The subject is presented from the manager\u27s rather than from the developer\u27s perspective. The focus is on large and complex projects because these projects are the most challenging and in need of an effective project management discipline

Effective Project Management for Software Development

The development of information systems, and software in particular, can benefit enormously from sound project management. Information systems are generally complex and their development takes place in a dynamic environment where business conditions and technologies change rapidly. In addition, users are often unsure of their needs and often changing requirements midway through the project. As a result, the whole software industry is plagued by cost overruns, late deliveries, poor reliability, and user dissatisfaction (Abel-Hamid and Madnick, 1991)

Integrating Project Management and Change Management in an IS Curriculum

Because many new information systems (IS) projects involve business process reengineering, project managers need the necessary skills to manage development projects and organizational change. These concepts are inter-related. The MIS 2000 curriculum calls for them to be taught as a single course. The purpose of this paper is review the fundamental principles of project management and change management and show how these concepts can be integrated and taught in this IS course. The paper first presents a broad overview of current project management and change management trends and practices and then provides guidance for developing an integrated IS project and change management course