Case Study: Software Project Management in Industry
A CASE STUDY ON SOFTWARE PROJECT
MANAGEMENT IN INDUSTRY – EXPERIENCES
AND CONCLUSIONS
P. Mandl-Striegnitz1, H. Lichter2
1 Software Engineering Group, University of Stuttgart
2 Department of Computer Science, Aachen University of Technology
Abstract
In this paper we present and discuss the findings of two case studies on software project management in industrial software development projects and the conclusions drawn from it. These studies were motivated to improve software project management capabilities. First, we describe how these studies were organized and performed. In the main part we present our findings and conclusions showing that there are strong deficits in project management quality.
Based on these findings we briefly describe the structure of an improvement program aiming to remove or reduce those deficits.
Keywords: project management, case study, software project management improvement
1. INTRODUCTION
Many software projects are faced with a common situation: They fail in developing the required functionality within their schedule and planned budget; the results often lack the required quality. Thus, during the last years several companies have started initiatives to improve their software development. These initiatives mostly focus on improving the software processes and the technology used during software development. One area often underestimated but crucial for every software development project is project management. Project management is one of the key factors influencing the project success or failure.
In this paper we present and discuss the findings of two case studies on project management in industrial software development and the conclusions drawn from it. These studies were motivated by the company’s goal to improve software project management. Before an improvement program could be developed, we first had to identify the strengths and weaknesses mainly focusing on project management. We also wanted to get an
MANAGEMENT IN INDUSTRY – EXPERIENCES
AND CONCLUSIONS
P. Mandl-Striegnitz1, H. Lichter2
1 Software Engineering Group, University of Stuttgart
2 Department of Computer Science, Aachen University of Technology
Abstract
In this paper we present and discuss the findings of two case studies on software project management in industrial software development projects and the conclusions drawn from it. These studies were motivated to improve software project management capabilities. First, we describe how these studies were organized and performed. In the main part we present our findings and conclusions showing that there are strong deficits in project management quality.
Based on these findings we briefly describe the structure of an improvement program aiming to remove or reduce those deficits.
Keywords: project management, case study, software project management improvement
1. INTRODUCTION
Many software projects are faced with a common situation: They fail in developing the required functionality within their schedule and planned budget; the results often lack the required quality. Thus, during the last years several companies have started initiatives to improve their software development. These initiatives mostly focus on improving the software processes and the technology used during software development. One area often underestimated but crucial for every software development project is project management. Project management is one of the key factors influencing the project success or failure.
In this paper we present and discuss the findings of two case studies on project management in industrial software development and the conclusions drawn from it. These studies were motivated by the company’s goal to improve software project management. Before an improvement program could be developed, we first had to identify the strengths and weaknesses mainly focusing on project management. We also wanted to get an
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