How to Run Successful Projects in Web Time
1st Edition
Published on 30. November 2000
266 pages
978-1-58053-460-4 (ISBN)
Description
No matter what high-tech field you work in, but particularly in software development, shortening project time is of vital importance in gaining a competitive advantage. Here's the how-to book that describes a radical technique for doing just that. shows you the way to get it done fast. It gives you the tools you need to find the critical path leading to the shortest, most-effective plan of action. Taking an approach adopted from the motion picture industry, this innovative resource teaches you how to utilize techniques, such as strip boarding, to ensure proper planning that greatly reduces project time and cost. From identifying project boundaries, calculating the reward of projects completed early, and building Work Breakdown Structures - to conducting risk analysis, monitoring and controlling a plan, and selling a plan to the powers that be, this book will help you cut project time while improving effectiveness. The book includes a fully-worked, industrial-strength example of the planning and execution of a software project, using the techniques described.
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Fergus O'Connell
How to Run Successful Projects in Web Time
Book
12/2000
Artech House Publishers
€91.80
Shipment within 10-20 days
Content
- Intro
- Contents vii
- Preface xiii
- Acknowledgements xv
- Introduction xvii
- References xxi
- PART ONE: First Things First 1
- 1 You Must Really Want To Do It 3
- Introduction 3
- How Much Planning Do We Actually Do? 4
- And Now the Bad News 5
- So Why Do Projects Take So Much Time? 5
- 2 How the Movies Do It 9
- Shooting Movies in the Shortest Possible Time 9
- Multitasking 13
- And the Result of All This? 13
- 3 Convincing the Others 15
- Introduction 15
- Building a Profit Model 16
- Show Them the Money 19
- What if it Runs Over? 21
- Reference 24
- PART TWO: Answer the Need 25
- 4 Identify the Right Project 27
- Introduction 27
- What's Our Project? 28
- Will This Keep the Stakeholders Happy? 30
- Worked Example 31
- References 40
- PART THREE: Build the Plan 41
- 5 Identify the Work To Be Done 43
- How to Build a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) 43
- How to Build a WBS From Reusable Components 48
- Estimating 52
- Worked Example 53
- Summary 70
- References 73
- 6 Add In the Project Management 75
- Introduction 75
- A Rule of Thumb 76
- Worked Example 76
- What If I Don't Have Enough Time? 76
- References 78
- 7 Get People To Do the Work 79
- Introduction 79
- People 79
- Peoples' Availability 80
- Strengths and Weaknesses 83
- Worked Example 84
- 8 Put Contingency Into the Plan 91
- Introduction 91
- Putting Contingency in the Plan 92
- Worked Example 92
- Reference 93
- 9 Do a Risk Analysis 95
- Introduction 95
- Doing a Risk Analysis 95
- Worked Example 96
- Reference 100
- PART FOUR: Turbocharge the Plan 101
- 10 Prepare To Shorten the Plan 103
- Introduction 103
- The Strip Board 105
- Worked Example 109
- Reference 115
- 11 Shorten the Plan 117
- Introduction 117
- Worked Example 118
- Epilogue 135
- 12 Sell the Plan 137
- Introduction 137
- The Team 137
- The Powers-That-Be 139
- Worked Example-Pitching to the Team 140
- Worked Example-Pitching to the Higher-Ups 163
- References 166
- PART FIVE: Execute the Plan 167
- 13 Monitor, Control, and Report 169
- Monitoring and Control 169
- Continue to Shorten the Project 170
- Where to Put Your Project Management Effort 171
- Status Reporting 172
- Worked Example 172
- References 207
- 14 Do a Post-Mortem 209
- Introduction 209
- Worked Example-The Informal Post-Mortem 213
- Worked Example-The Real Post-Mortem 214
- Reference 217
- PART SIX: Bringing It All Together 219
- 15 Run Multiple Projects 221
- Introduction 221
- Worked Example 223
- References 232
- 16 Implementing These Ideas In Your Organization 233
- Where Do I Start? 233
- How Do I Continue? 234
- Bibliography 235
- About the Author 237
- Index 239
