Consultancy and Training in Software Process Management from

Venice Consulting Ltd

 

My services in Software Process Management are principally in the area of project planning, and in particular quality management and risk management in software development. They are based on a rigorous planning method called Strada. The method has three advantages

  • it is business-focussed

  • it is targeted at producing achievable and reliable plans

  • it produces sound plans quickly - no analysis paralysis

 go to Venice Consulting home page


 		  

You can read about Strada in my book Managing Software Quality and Business Risk published by Wiley (ISBN 0-471-99782-x). Click on the thumbnail at the left for details.

 
  I can use Strada to

preparing an effective project plan

help you develop a rigorous, business-focussed risk and quality management strategy for your project

building an effective and relevant QMS

help you and your staff build an effective, business-relevant Quality Management System for your software development

  I can train your staff to use Strada

three-day in-house training course on Strada

I offer an in-house three-day Strada training workshop information (96KB PDF document). Click on the button at left for details. A five-day version is also available that provides greater case study working.

look for the PRO course on the Oxford University website

I teach a one-week module Software Process Quality and Improvement (PRO) in the Oxford University Modular MSc in Software Engineering.

Preparing a Risk and Quality Management Strategy for a project
 

In the final outcome it is the way that the software development project performs that determines whether the customer receives the quality they demand and whether the project delivers it at acceptable risk and budget. As a software project manager of many years, and then having had many years' responsibility for defining and communicating good software processes both at Logica and Praxis, I know what should happen in theory … and what goes on in practice.

If you have a project that is ailing, you will need an independent and thorough assessment of both how it plans to operate and how it actually operates. And you will want an assessment that is not theoretical, comparing the project against some unattainable ideal, but one that uses fitness for purpose as its central criterion: what does this project need to do to satisfy the aims that the business has set it? As part of the assessment you will want to know about the project's ability to engineer quality through appropriate methods, and to control quality through appropriate verification and validation. In addition, you will want a clear statement of the business and technical risks the project is exposed to. If appropriate, I can facilitate structured risk management workshops that allow a software development team to address its own risks and to manage them.

Building a corporate software development strategy and a QMS
 

 

At Praxis I was responsible for the development and effectiveness of the first QMS to be registered to ISO 9001 by an independent software house, a QMS that was respected for its pragmatic value by Praxis software engineers, and respected for its integrity and delivery value by Praxis' clients. Through my role as Quality & Technical Director I know how to apply ISO 9001, TickIT, and the Capability Maturity Model (CMM) effectively .

I offer that expertise to software development groups who are planning their own QMS from scratch, or who are undertaking process improvement. When building or reshaping a software development QMS the needs of the business and the IS strategy must guide its design. Once those factors have been recognised the QMS can be structured in proven ways using international standards such as ISO 9001 and the Capability Maturity Model. If you are in the increasingly regulated pharmaceutical industry then you will need to take account of the standards being set by the regulators and industry bodies for software systems used in the development or production of drugs. I can design your software development strategy for you or assist you in that work. I can also provide the services of documentation specialists with experience in the area of defining and recording software processes and products for QMSs. If you have a QMS and are concerned about its effectiveness in supporting the business I can provide a straightforward assessment, and plans for its development. If you are seeking better performance from your software development group - however you define 'better' - I can work with them to design and work through process improvements that address your business issues. If appropriate I can bring knowledge of industry standard approaches such as the CMM.