Introduction to Software Project Management

Providing the know-how to manage software projects effectively, this book supplies an accessible introduction to software project management. It begins with an overview of the fundamental techniques of project management and the technical aspects of software development. The second part of the book illustrates the technical activities of software development in a coherent process—describing how to customize this process to fit a wide range of software development scenarios. The book examines open source development practices and tools so readers can adopt best practices and get started with tools that are available for free.

Although software development is one of the most complex activities carried out by man, sound development processes and proper project management can help ensure your software projects are delivered on time and under budget. Providing the know-how to manage software projects effectively, Introduction to Software Project Management supplies an accessible introduction to software project management. The book begins with an overview of the fundamental techniques of project management and the technical aspects of software development. This section supplies the understanding of the techniques required to mitigate uncertainty in projects and better control the complexity of software development projects. The second part illustrates the technical activities of software development in a coherent process—describing how to customize this process to fit a wide range of software development scenarios.

• Examines project management frameworks and software development standards, including ESA and NASA guidelines, PRINCE₂^®, and PMBOK^®
• Addresses open source development practices and tools so readers can adopt best practices and get started with tools that are available for free
• Explains how to tailor the development process to different kinds of products and formalities, including the development of web applications
• Includes access to additional material for both practitioners and teachers at www.spmbook.com

Supplying an analysis of existing development and management frameworks, the book describes how to set up an open-source tool infrastructure to manage projects. Since practitioners must be able to mix traditional and agile techniques effectively, the book covers both and explains how to use traditional techniques for planning and developing software components alongside agile methodologies. It does so in a manner that will help you to foster freedom and creativity in assembling the processes that will best serve your needs.