About the Book
Zero in on key project-initiation tasks—and build a solid foundation for successful software development. In this concise guide, critically-acclaimed author Karl E. Wiegers fills a void in project management literature by focusing on the activities that are essential—but often overlooked—for launching any project. Drawing on his extensive experience, Karl shares lessons learned, proven practices, and tools for getting your project off to the right start—and steering it to ultimate success.
Lay a foundation for project success—discover how to:
Effectively charter a project
Define meaningful criteria for project success and product releases
Negotiate achievable commitments for project teams and stakeholders
Identify and document potential barriers to success—and manage project risks
Apply the Wideband Delphi method for more accurate estimation
Measure project performance and avoid common metrics traps
Systematically apply lessons learned to future projects
Companion Web site includes:
Worksheets from inside the book
Project document templates
Resources for project initiation and process improvement
Table of Contents:
Praise for Practical Project Initiation: A Handbook with Tools
Preface
Project Management Fundamentals
Chapter 1: A Project Management PrimerThis chapter was originally published in Software Development, 1998, 6(6): 78-80. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Chapter 2: Project Management Good PracticesThis chapter was originally published as "21 Project Management Success Tips" in Reifer, Donald J. (ed.), Software Management, Sixth Edition, Los Alamitos, Calif.: IEEE Computer Society Press, 2002. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of IEEE.
Chapter 3: Just Too Much to DoThis chapter was originally published in Software Development, 2000, 8(9): 65-68. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Preparing for Success
Chapter 4: Success Criteria Breed SuccessThis article was originally published in The Rational Edge, February 2002. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission from IBM.
Chapter 5: Are We There Yet?This chapter was originally published in Software Development, 2005, 13(6): 26-29. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Chapter 6: Know Your Enemy: Introduction to Risk ManagementThis chapter was originally published in Software Development, 1998, 6(10): 38-42. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Chapter 7: Chartering a Course for Success
Chapter 8: Lessons Learned from Tool AdoptionThis article was originally published in Software Development, 1999, 7(10): 12-14. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Living with Reality
Chapter 9: Negotiating Achievable CommitmentsThis article was originally published in The Rational Edge, January 2002. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission from IBM.
Chapter 10: Saving for a Rainy DayThis article was originally published in The Rational Edge, April 2002. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission from IBM.
Chapter 11: Stop Promising MiraclesThis chapter was originally published in Software Development, 2000, 8(2): 49-54. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Measuring What Happens
Chapter 12: A Software Metrics PrimerThis chapter was originally published in Software Development, 1999, 7(7): 39-42. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Chapter 13: Metrics Traps to AvoidThis chapter was originally published in Software Development, 1997, 5(10): 49-56. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
Learning Continuously
Chapter 14: Learning from Experience
Chapter 15: Looking Back, Looking AheadThis chapter was originally published (with Johanna Rothman) in Software Development, 2001, 9(2): 65-69. It is reprinted here, with modifications, with permission of CMP Media Inc.
References
About the Author
About the Author :
Karl E. Wiegers is a leading speaker, author, and consultant on requirements engineering, project management, and process improvement. As Principal Consultant with Process Impact, he conducts training seminars for corporate and government clients worldwide. Karl has twice won the Software Development Productivity Award, which honors excellence in productivity-enhancing products and books.
