Towards A Software Factory

The management and control of software projects is now seen as a critical factor in the successful development of efficient and cost-effective software products. The unprecedented demand for software has been met with a dramatically increasing number of products of varying size and complexity being made available. Thus the ability to effectively manage and control the software engineering lifecycle will ensure a competitve advantage in a highly competitive industry. This book offers a systematic analysis of the critical factors involved in software engineering control and the means to achieve greater control of software projects. The central argument advocates an expansion of the current practice to include the control of development, maintenance, and re-use of software. The book not only describes what factors should be changed in the control of software engineering, it also provides guidelines for the enhancement of control factors. A number of detailed real-life' case studies of software engineering departments are included to illustrate the processes and principles involved. This book will be of interest to managers, project leaders, analysts, and programmers involved with medium to large scale software engineering projects. Additionally, higher management and consultant-level software engineers will be able to keep up-to-date on the latest research on controlling software projects.