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Description of The Software Project Management Series: This program, designed to improve software management skills, consists of approximately The Software Project Planning series shows how to plan and estimate a software development project. Using practical examples and proven techniques, the student will learn how to assess a software project; estimate software size, effort, cost and schedule; assess risks; and plan for a successful software development.  The Software Project Execution series follows on from the planning series, focusing on the execution phase of a software project. It emphasizes practical aspects of risk management, configuration management, quality engineering, and schedule management, as well as tracking and oversight.  The Software Project Measurement and Analysis series shows how to define appropriate metrics and to make effective use of them without excessive cost or alienation of software engineering staff. The series has two running themes: taking the proper measurements and using the measurements effectively. The first theme begins with several principles of measurement theory, applying them for effective selection and analysis of metrics. The second focuses on understanding human behavior and using that knowledge for effective collection and application of metrics. Recommended metrics are discussed throughout, with examples and exercises that help the participant apply the principles to their own application.  The Software Productivity and Quality Engineering series serves as a capstone to the program, addressing how to engineer quality into a software product while improving productivity and reducing cycle time. The instructor shows in practical terms how to apply a variety of techniques within the context of the software development process. Topics include cost of quality and value-added analysis, software process improvement, software cycle time and productivity improvement, software reliability, and six-sigma techniques.  BENEFITS: After taking these courses, you will be better prepared to plan and execute a successful software development project and will understand the principles underlying the techniques you will use. INTENDED AUDIENCE: The target audience includes current and prospective software development leads and managers. It will also be of interest to system engineers, software process specialists, managers of disciplines related to software engineering (such as software configuration management), and program managers whose programs have a significant software component. PREREQUISITES: The series requires experience working with software engineering projects, primarily so the attendee can understand the problems and appreciate some of the practical difficulties. Basic college level mathematics is also required. SCHEDULE: Each series will be broadcast over a period of 6-10 weeks, one short course per week. Each course is two hours in duration taught in one day. SPECIAL NOTE: The individual courses or series may be taken independently. However they follow from each other in the order listed above. An individual may choose a "certificate" option. With this option, the individual who takes the entire program and who completes and turns in all individual exercises for evaluation will receive a certificate from SMU, attesting to their completion of the program.
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30 short courses, organized into four series. Each series is designed to focus on a different aspect of software project management: Software Project Planning, Software Project Execution, Software Project Measurement and Analysis, and Software Productivity and Quality Engineering. This short course program is based on several courses from the SMU MS program in software engineering as well as the SEI Capability Maturity Model. Each short course includes one or more exercises that apply the principles to concrete examples typical of those found in the workplace.