A big software project: secrets of most successful
developers
(Rafal Lukawiecki)
Does this session title sound like the sort of thing
you'd see on the cover of a book avidly devoured by management? It certainly
did to us, so we simply had to give it a visit. This rather informal session
is ideal if you have ever had a development project run overtime or over
budget and have the scars to prove it.
Starting with a sobering, although unverified,
statistic that over 48% of IT software development projects are “challenged”
and the more sobering, yet equally unverified, statistic that 28% of all
projects are “prone to failure”, this session was a look back at “projects
from hell” and elicited quiet groans of recognition from attendees
remembering their own horror stories. With the obvious benefit of hindsight,
this session offered hints at ways of getting a project written, tested, out
of the door and running without hitch, within budget and on time. It should
have proved useful for those developers whom have yet to cut their teeth on
a substantial project, as well as those developers who always seem to be
repeating the same problems.
The speaker, Rafal Lukawiceski, is from the
consulting group Project Botticelli Ltd. Working closely with a team of 150
developers requires management skills that would test a diplomat and Rafal
has unique project management skills that are blissfully free of Gantt
charts or flow diagrams.
How has he unlocked one of the secrets of the
software developer's universe? By using the Microsoft Solutions Framework
(which is part of the Enterprise Services Framework) and by using his
experiences developing parts of the NASDAQ and Marriott web systems. The MSF
is not a tool per se, nor is it something as fluffy as a methodology, but it
lies somewhere between, being a software-led training programme designed for
team leaders and project managers. It provides specific guidance to help
plan, build, and get projects out the door where application development,
component design, and infrastructure deployment are important.
If you have problems with the planning and
scheduling aspects of projects then have a look at
http://www.microsoft.com/business/services/mcs.asp. You might just get
home from work a little earlier.
Clive Grace
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