All tutorials count for credit towards CSTP (Certified Software Test Professional) re-certification
All tutorials are from 8:30 - 4:30 PM
Friday, April 7, 2006
F1: Building the Peer Review Process
Dr. Magdy Hanna
Introduction:
Software inspections have proved to be very effective in capturing more defects early enough to avoid the cost of rework. Also, many types of defects can only be found by inspection. Yet, many organizations are struggling to make the inspection process effective and to achieve the real benefits of inspections. This course will examine the different elements that make an effective inspection process and help you establish a process which is customized for your organization. This course is a must for all software persons involved in the software development and maintenance process including managers of all levels. Learning Objectives:
What you will learn:
- What the real benefits of inspections are
- How to achieve the most value of your inspection effort
- The different factors affecting the inspection process
- The different forms of inspection and when to use each of them
- How to establish different process variations to fit different environment
- How to effectively monitor your inspection process to improve its effectiveness
- Most importantly, learn from instructor's real experience with inspections
Outline:
- Introduction
- Elements of the Inspection Process
- Establishing the Process
- Why do we need a process
- Characteristics of effective process models
- Steps to establish the process
- Gathering Relevant Information
- Development process
- Types of systems developed
- Defining a Standard Inspection Process
- Defining Process Variations
- Training
- Monitoring The Process
Biography:
Dr. Hanna is a recognized educator, speaker and consultant in several areas of software engineering. His distinguished seminars on various topics have been highly rated by software professionals. Dr. Hanna's experience with software goes back to the mid 1970's when he worked as a developer at the NCR center in Cairo , Egypt . Over the last thirty years, Dr. Hanna has worked in all aspects of software projects and processes in all capacities.
Dr. Hanna is the founder, CEO and Chairman of the International Institute for Software Testing, ( www.iist.org ) the leading educational and professional development organization that provides education-based certifications to software test and quality professionals around the world.
Dr. Hanna is the founder and Chairperson of the International Conference on Practical Software Quality and Testing, (www.PSQTconference.com) and founder and Chairperson of the International Conference on Software Process Improvement, (www.icspi.com).
Dr. Hanna Also served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Software Test Professionals, a publication of the International Institute for Software Testing, now the Bug Free Zone (www.iist.org/bugfreezone)
As a consultant, Dr. Hanna has helped organizations define and improve their software processes using disciplined software engineering approaches.
As a professor of software Engineering at the University of St. Thomas , he taught graduate courses on several software engineering topics with emphasis on practical software quality techniques.
Dr. Hanna developed new approaches and methods in software engineering including the Software Quality Engineering Methodology (SQEngineer), the Unified Data Model (UDM), and the Data-Driven Object Model (DOM).
Dr. Hanna holds a Ph.D. and a Masters degree in Computer and Information Sciences form the University of Minnesota , a Masters in Operations Research from Cairo University , and B. Sc. in Petroleum Engineering from Suez Canal University , Egypt. |
Dr. Magdy Hanna |
 
F2: Estimating Resource-Constrained Projects
Robin Goldsmith, JD
Introduction:
Project managers have considerable difficulty accurately estimating effort and duration for all types of projects. Systems projects have an additional complication-resource constraints--which common estimating techniques often fail to deal with appropriately. Unlike construction projects on which many of the techniques are based, systems project tasks seldom can be performed by just anybody. Resource levels alone are not sufficient to guide such projects. Instead, these tasks are dependent upon particular individuals with specialized skills. Just as an average-sized suit fits only a few people well, project estimates can miss the mark by a wide margin when they fail to take into account these often-large differences among resources. This interactive workshop identifies critical factors for successful estimation, especially resource constraints, and shows how to address them in making more accurate effort and schedule estimates. Exercises enhance learning by allowing participants to practice applying practical techniques to commonly-occurring examples. Learning Objectives:
Particiants will learn:
- Ten reasons why effort and duration are estimated incorrectly.
- Techniques for adjusting estimates in accordance with resource variations.
- How most scheduling tools fail to recognize effects of resource constraints.
- Methods for assigning the right resources to the right tasks at the right times.
- Ways to monitor and improve estimating effectiveness
Outline:
- Critical Success Factors
- Systems industry's estimating track record
- Impact of poor credibility on estimates
- Critical success factors for estimating
- Lack of commitment to delivering results
- Political correctness--acceptable answer
- What does your boss gain when you fail?
- Why bosses give unrealistic targets
- Knowing accurate estimates are impossible
- Failure to learn how to improve estimates
- Estimating with no idea of what's involved
- The Pieces That Take The Effort
- Avoiding overlooking things
- Defining all the requirements, deliverables
- Identifying tasks needed for the delivery
- Misjudging work involved, subtasks
- Failing to provide for contingencies, change
- Sizing: Function Points, lines of code
- Calibrating effort and duration
- Accounting for differences among resources
- Normal variation and Parkinson's Law
- Work Breakdown Structure techniques
- Relating to resource type and level
- Monitoring, adjusting, and refining
- Fitting The Pieces Together
- Intrinsic vs. extrinsic duration
- Productive time, individual differences
- Where time goes during the day
- Rules of thumb adjustments
- Calendar conflicts
- Can't catch up on weekends
- Burnout issues
- Quiet time technique
- Effects of multitasking
- Tips for getting more done in same time
- Controlling time lost in meetings
- Dependency Networking
- Concurrent and dependent tasks
- Managing the Critical Path
- Leveraging with slack
- Managing resources across projects
- Resource leveling techniques
- Appropriately assigning added resources
- Only two ways to finish the project earlier
- Abide both task and resource dependencies
- Brooks' Law and its corollaries
- Recognizing resources builds credibility
- Making estimates come true
Biography:
Robin Goldsmith is internationally recognized as an authority on business engineering and software acquisition/development quality, testing, and productivity. He is a frequent speaker at leading conferences and formerly International Vice President of the Association for Systems Management. Robin is the author of the book:"Discovering REAL Business Requirements for Software Project Success".
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Robin Goldsmith |
F3: Using Metrics in Life Cycle Software Quality Assurance
Alfred Sorkowitz
Introduction:
Experience has shown that software quality must be built in at every stage of the Software Life Cycle. It cannot be added, inspected, or tested-in after the software has been built, by a separate SQA staff. This seminar focuses on the use of a set of “best practices” software metrics that can be used to make assessments throughout the software life cycle as to whether software progress, productivity, and quality goals are being met. This tutorial presents a practical guide on how to start taking advantage of these “best practices” metrics that have successfully been used by many SQA, IV&V, and Testing staffs.
Learning Objectives:
- An introduction and overview of SQA. This includes the purpose, goals, and activities performed by the SQA organization.
- A discussion of the software life cycle, from Requirements through Maintenance. For each phase of the life cycle, the following topics will be addressed:
- Activities performed in the phase
- Products developed in the phase
- Reviews conducted in the phase
- Software Metrics applicable to the phase
- A set of government/industry “best practices” metrics with numerous examples, variations, and case studies. These metrics cover the entire life cycle, and can track the, quality, productivity, and status of the various life cycle phases
Outline:
- An introduction to SQA.
- SQA – Purpose, Goals, and Activities
- The SQA Plan
- The Importance of Measurement in SQA
- Capturing and Using Metric Data To Set New SQA Goals
- SQA throughout the Life Cycle, from Requirements through Maintenance.
- Life Cycle Costs
- Activities, products, and reviews performed in each of the life cycle phases.
- A set of “best practices” metrics that can be utilized throughout the life cycle
- S/W Size Metrics
- Software Personnel Metrics
- Requirements Volatility Metrics
- Requirements Progress Metrics
- Requirement Tracing Metrics
- Testable, and Non-Testable Requirements
- Requirements; Levels of Detail
- Criteria For Good requirements
- Design Stability Metrics
- Fault Tracking and Management Metrics
- Defect Containment Metrics
- Computer Resources Utilization Metrics
- Design Complexity Metrics
- Design Progress Metrics
- CSU Development Progress Metrics
- Test Coverage Analysis Metrics
- Depth of Testing Metrics
- McCabes Complexity Metric
- Testing Progress metrics
- Breath of Testing Metrics
- Incremental Release Content Metrics
- Two Case Studies – SQA Analysis of Metrics
- SQA – Lessons learned.
Biography:
Alfred Sorkowitz was a Computer Scientist with the Department of the Navy where he was responsible for developing large, real-time software intensive systems. Prior to joining the Dept of the Navy, he was Director of the Standards and Quality Control Staff, at the Department of Housing and Urban Development. While at HUD, he initiated a successful testing procedure to improve the quality of unit testing that utilizes automated tools and testing metrics. A paper on this effort was published in a special issue of the IEEE Computer Society magazine "Computer" devoted to Software Quality Assurance, and was later reprinted and widely distributed in the Department of Defense Computer Institute "Selected Computer Articles"
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Alfred Sorkowitz |
F4: Advanced Risk Management Processes
Tom Gilb
"Advanced Risk Management Processes: A comprehensive practical set of related processes for identifying, specifying and mitigating risks."
Introduction:
This course is designed to give participants a wide variety of practical methods for dealing with project risk. This course is based on the original work and 40+ year practical experience of the course leader, Tom Gilb.
Outline:
- Advanced Requirement and Design Specification Language
- A method for specification of risk level objectives
- A template specification of risk levels
- Examples of integration of risk specification in setting any objectives
- How to clarify quality requirements by quantification and conditions.
- How to distinguish and specify the basic types of Requirements {Function, Performance, Quality, Cost, Constraints}
- How to identify all critical 'stakeholders' and elicit their requirements.
- How and why you need to distinguish between real requirements and 'designs' to get there
- Explicit specification of uncertainty, risk and approximation, assumptions and conditions
- A Template 'Policy' for Risk Management
- EXPLICIT RISK SPECIFICATION
- NUMERIC EXPECTATION SPECIFICATION
- CONDITIONS SPECIFIED
- COMPLETE REQUIREMENT SPECIFICATION
- COMPLETE DESIGN SPECIFICATION and IMPACT ESTIMATION
- SPECIFICATION QUALITY CONTROL NUMERICALLY EXITED
- EVOLUTIONARY PROOF-OF-CONCEPT PRIORITIES
- 'Impact estimation Tables' for advanced analysis of risks and design credibility
- Quantified quality and cost requirements as basis for design evaluation
- Detailed specification of any design, strategy or technique as basis
- real world basis for estimate of impact of any design on all requirements
- giving 'evidence' and 'sources' for the estimate
- specification of a 'credibility' number for each impact estimate
- safety margin, and when is there enough impact
- plus/minus uncertainty of estimates: range of experience
- calculating the worst-worst case for a project
- comparing apples and oranges: finding the best design alternatives
- systematic quality control based on Rules for Impact estimation
- Evolutionary Project Management pragmatics for risk estimation and reduction
- Evo in terms of guaranteed early delivery
- Evo from a risk point of view : identification and control of risks
- Why feedback from reality, in small controlled steps, is a powerful risk reduction method
- How to control selected risks: for example by scheduling them for early steps.
- Evo as an estimation technique based on reality of partial deliveries and partial estimates compared to frequent real experience
- Specification/Documentation/Contract/Bid 'Quality Control' methods
- how to specify what you want at an appropriately high level for contracts
- how to specify an evolutionary contract
- how to do 'inspection' quality control of contracts and bids
- how to make payments reflect real delivered results
- how to control future costs for porting and maintenance by specifying these qualities in contracts and being able to measure them before final delivery
Learning Objectives :
- How to identify even subtle risks
- How to document risks permanently so they are not 'forgotten'
- How to evaluate the severity of risks
- How to reduce risks once identified
- How to reduce the 'worst case' by early frequent feedback
- How to reduce risks by improving your organizations project management and software engineering processes
- How to control risks which creep up during projects
- How to keep risks under control even with relatively inexperienced staff
- How to set management policy regarding risks
- How to get out of project problems once you are 'in a jam'
- How to build a culture where everyone at every stage is risk conscious and 'on the risk control team'
- How to motivate people to care about risks to project success
Biography :
Tom Gilb is a freelance consultant, teacher and author serving clients in Europe and the US. His newest textbook, Competitive Engineering: A Handbook For Systems Engineering, Requirements Engineering, and Software Engineering Using Planguage", was published in the US August 2005. He has also written “Principles of Software Engineering Management” (in 20 th printing) and is Principal author of “Software Inspection” (in 13 th Printing). He specializes in software quality design and management. He lives in Norway, when he is not travelling.
He has taught and consulted with Medtronic, Cray Research, United Defense and other companies in Minneapolis. With Ericsson and Nokia in Dallas. Motorola in Austin. His methods are also in use at Hewlett Packard, Intel, GE, IBM, Citigroup, Symbian, Philips Medical Systems, Microsoft, Ericsson, Nokia, DoD and many other companies.
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Tom Gilb |
F5: Improving Project Management Results through Process Management
Dr. Rebecca Staton-Reinstein
Introduction:
Most IT efforts are organized as “projects.” Project Management in today's world, with so much to be accomplished, has become extremely complex and high profile. Successful Project Managers must be successful process and people managers with good general management, technical and communication skills. Over $500 Billion was lost in 2004 on failed projects. You have more software tools than ever to manage your projects but they cannot guarantee that you will be a successful. Learn to develop the skills you need to be a success managing large, complicated assignments using current process management and best practices, especially those of the Project Management Body of Knowledge.
Learning Objectives:
As a result of this seminar participants will learn to:
- Use basic project management tools and techniques
- Manage the processes of Project Management including Planning, Risk, Estimation, and Change Control
- Apply project management tools and techniques to all your projects
- Organize, plan and schedule current workload for efficient, effective management
- Track, monitor and communicate progress on all current work and projects
Outline:
- Context for project management
- What are your strengths and challenges in managing projects, processes and day-to-day work? Issues in juggling multiple projects and workload?
- What is a project? Relationship among a project, day-to-day work and a process?
- What are your processes, products and customers? How are they defined?
- What are Process Management and Project Management? Why is their relationship critical to successful project results?
- What is the Partnership Model and how is used?
- IT Project Management
- Basic IT quality definitions and application to projects
- Special considerations for IT Project Management
- IT Project Life Cycle, Traditional and Progressive Testing
- Apply “V” model: Static and Dynamic testing
- Building a customized “V” Model for your projects and processes
- Plan a project
- How do you begin a project and create a Project Charter?
- How do you create the problem statement and define the business problem? (A Case Study will be followed throughout the seminar followed by a Workshop where the participants apply the concepts to their own work.)
- How do you define project requirements?
- What are SMART Objectives?
- How do you identify tasks and create the Work Breakdown Structure for projects?
- How do you use the Logic Diagram and Critical Path Method?
- How do you plan:
- Resources allocation: people, HW/SW, facilities
- Effort estimates
- Develop budgets
- Project schedule and milestones
- Monitor project and track progress
- How do you track and communicate project progress using Gantt Charts and status reporting?
- How do you create a Communication Plan for standard and ad hoc project reporting?
- Adapt planning and tracking to multiple projects
- What are the relationships among projects, day-to-day work and processes?
- How do you manage multiple projects?
- How can you use software PM tools to plan, track, report on and manage multiple projects?
- Project Controls: What project controls do you need to have in place?
- What are Change, Configuration and Risk Management for projects?
- How do you deal with problems, disasters, disrupted schedules, unforeseen events and other issues in projects?
- People Management Issues for projects.
- What talents, skills and abilities do you need to be an effective project manager?
- What roles and responsibilities are associated with projects?
- How do you use the tools of process management to manage projects and people day-to-day?
- Demonstrate ROI and Improve project results:
- How do you demonstrate ROI from your projects?
- How do you continuously improve project management? How do you integrate Lessons Learned into day-to-day work?
- How do you use defect studies to improve processes and project management?
- Create Action Plan for improved project management
Biography:
Monday Thursday
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