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[...]... Technologies, wanted to analyze and quantify, particularly the thousands of interactions that lead to deterioration of a situation, often to the point of generating a crisis Because our company has been involved in IT for many years, it is the field we selected to perform our investigation We conducted comprehensive assessments and 40 of those constitute the source of information on which this book is based Software... Key Risk Areas 207 Risk-Mitigating Key Process Areas 208 xv Foreword Risks are everywhere in life and most assuredly during the life of software projects Risk is not always avoidable, but it is controllable In his book Reducing Risk with Software Process Improvement, Louis A Poulin addresses the dominant risk types still seen in too many software projects He offers practical guidance... changed but it often requires help to change This book can help you change the system in your organization I invite you to learn and understand how you can do better on your projects I know you all can I’ve seen it many times once the organization and managers decide that there is a better way Poulin’s book can enable you to do your best and find that better way Ron Radice November 4, 2004 Andover, MA... engineering discipline The equipment needed to develop software is getting cheaper by the month and any individual with some talent and perseverance can have a go at it There is no need to deal with organizational issues or to manage groups of people to come up with a good software product that can then be easily replicated at low cost Indeed, talented individuals (artists in their domain of expertise) have... engineers/programmers often work hand in hand to define requirements or else, software engineers assume a system engineering responsibility In manufacturing organizations characterized by a strong hardware culture and in organizations where SE&IT is focused on maintaining and operating Management Information Systems (MIS), this is not always the case The software department in these organizations is often treated... part of monthly progress reviews with senior management, a large number of modifications inevitably attracts attention and gives the impression of poor planning and poor design, neither of which directors, project managers, and practitioners want to be associated with This organization has also developed a small binder (less than 200 pages) in which the entire process of carrying out an IT project is. .. rule is not somehow enforced, the child will stuff himself with pop and candy It should be the same in IT projects If it is management’s wish that any requirements changes be reviewed and signed off, it should be easy to come across a directive to that effect in the organization However, this is not what has been observed In 23 of the 40 assessed organizations, changes to requirements were performed and... written some of the best programs available today and there is a strong resistance in the field to adopt anything that could be perceived as an obstacle to individual creativity The managerial skills required in established engineering disciplines are still largely improvised in software; this is often compounded by the fact that customers have themselves been led to believe that software is easy to develop... The possibility of a downside is included in the taken risk These risks are not avoided, but are managed to minimize the problem potential Not all risks should be taken Too often a risk is taken not knowing that there is a simple, practical way to avoid the risk The worst possible risks are those not understood, seen, or appreciated by the risk taker These risks are not managed The risk taker does not... in key risk areas for small organizations (< 55 software professionals) 168 Figure 16-11 Likelihood of experiencing problems in key risk areas for large organizations (> 55 software professionals) 169 Figure 16-12 Likelihood of experiencing problems due to deficiencies in key risk-mitigating process areas for small organizations (< 25 software professionals) 169 xi xii Ⅲ List of Figures . Radice Published in 2005 by Auerbach Publications Taylor & Francis Group 6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300 Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742 © 2005 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Auerbach is an. http://www.taylorandfrancis.com and the Auerbach Publications Web site at http://www .auerbach- publications.com Taylor & Francis Group is the Academic Division of T&F Informa plc. v Contents List of Illustrations. but it is controllable. In his book Reducing Risk with Software Process Improvement, Louis A. Poulin addresses the dominant risk types still seen in too many software projects. He offers