SSC SD Software Management for Executives Workshop
Workshop Description:
An eight-hour workshop for SSC SD managers at the department, division, and branch levels on the fundamentals of fostering continuous improvement of software engineering and project management practices at the Center. This workshop covers how a process discipline provides the critical foundation for software project success, and how the Center is approaching the improvement of its software processes. This will be accomplished by discussing the rationale for the development and use of software engineering and management processes. The importance and application of measurement in tracking project progress and process improvement at various management levels also will be emphasized.
Workshop Goals:
Who Should Attend:
All department heads, division managers, other upper-level executives, and sponsors who oversee other managers directly responsible for software-intensive projects.
Workshop Objectives
To provide attendees with the ability to
Workshop Content:
Identifying Software Concerns. Current software concerns of attendees will be identified and compared to previous SSC SD concerns and typical problems of software projects.
Clarifying the Need for SPI. For any software project to choose to implement SPI, SPI must make good business sense. This section gives the attendees some return on investment data, references to success stories, and a business case for why project resources should be expended on SPI. Senior managers must believe SPI is critical to their organization’s success, and must establish an environment in which SPI is expected and achievable.
Focusing on Process. The process is the key structure to achieving software engineering and project management excellence. The definition and components of a process will be addressed, together with example software engineering and management processes.
Understanding the CMM. The CMM was developed by the Software Engineering Institute and is the model chosen by SSC SD to guide improvement activities. This section will address the structure, format, and content of the CMM.
Implementing SPI. SSC SD has identified specific steps it will follow on its approach to SPI. The Center’s Software Engineering Goals and the Software Engineering Process Policy set the stage for software process improvement within the organization and all Departments. SPI Agents must be chosen, SPI Plans developed and tracked, pilot project selected, and assessments conducted on the pilots. Project SPI plans must be developed so that SPI is managed in the same way as any project, i.e., planning and tracking, risk identification and control, training, requirements determination, etc. In this section, that process - for initiating and managing a SPI effort - is discussed. The Process Asset Libraries, training, and measurement requirements are also addressed. Once Level 3 processes have been successfully implemented on pilot projects, they are migrated to other software projects. The details of each step are covered in this section.
Tracking Progress. Guidelines and tools useful to a manager to determine project status and troubleshoot problem areas are introduced. This section addresses the Software for Management Guidebook and the SSC instruction covering program reviews.
Obtaining Resources. This section describes the resources and support available from SEPO, such as technical support, websites, process tailoring assistance, training, technical information exchange, external software community communications, and appraisals. SEPO’s functions, responsibilities, and services provided will also be discussed.
Handouts:
Workshop Instruction/Exercise Book
Software Management for Executives Guidebook
SPAWARSYSCENINST xxxx: Software Engineering Process Policy
SPAWARSYSCENINST 3912.1A: Management Project/Design Reviews
Workshop Format:
The workshop is a combination of issue presentation, strawman approach presentation, and group discussion of favored solutions. The workshop time is divided between instruction and discussion/definition of approach. The workshop is taught in two, half-day sessions or a one-day session. Best results are achieved when all attendees are from the same department or organization.
To Apply or get further Information:
If you are interested in this workshop, please contact the Software Engineering Process Office (SEPO) at (619) or DSN 553-6694 or send email to sepo@spawar.navy.mil