Home > Store > Programming

larger cover

Add To My Wish List

Managing the Software Process

Register your product to gain access to bonus material or receive a coupon.

  • Description
  • Reviews
  • Sample Content

Product Author Bios

Known as “the father of software quality,” Watts S. Humphrey is the author of numerous influential books on the software-development process and software process improvement. Humphrey is a fellow of the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) at Carnegie Mellon University, where he founded the Software Process Program and provided the vision and early leadership for the original Capability Maturity Model (CMM). He also is the creator of the Personal Software Process (PSP) and Team Software Process (TSP). Recently, he was awarded the National Medal of Technology—the highest honor given by the president of the United States to America's leading innovators.



The author, drawing on years of experience at IBM and the SEI, provides here practical guidance for improving the software development and maintenance process. He focuses on understanding and managing the software process because this is where he feels organizations now encounter the most serious problems, and where he feels there is the best opportunity for significant improvement. Both program managers and practicing programmers, whether working on small programs or large-scale projects, will learn how good their own software process is, how they can make their process better, and where they need to begin.

"This book will help you move beyond the turning point, or crisis, of feeling over-whelmed by the task of managing the software process to understanding what is essential in software management and what you can do about it." Peter Freeman, from the Foreword


0201180952B04062001

Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars This is the inspiration for the CMM, and darned good!, March 30, 1999
This review is from: Managing the Software Process (Hardcover)
This was Watts Humphries book which inspired others at the Software Engineering Institute (SEI) to develop a model called the Capability Maturity Model for Software. The book attempts to debunk the fantasies of modern software development, such as "Superprogrammers" and "Best People." What is offered instead is a common sense approach which says that you can develop software using realistic schedules and have realistic expectations of quality if you follow common sense processes (roadmaps) for project management and quality.

There is not much mystery or razzle-dazzle in this book. I think that most of the programmers and managers who read it are usually nodding their heads in agreement with most of the ideas. Problem for us process war horses is that we lose track of what is the bottom line in software development - having a successful project. Definition: A reliable plan, on-time delivery, within the originally stated cost, and within or... Read more

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars true meat and bones, July 15, 2003
This review is from: Managing the Software Process (Hardcover)
This book is all meat and bones for anybody wanting an indepth study of the software development process. If you've graduated passed Steve McConnell's Microsoft press series, then it is time for you to move on to Watts Humphrey. I am tasked to design all the software development processes in my company and Rapid Development (and other McConnell) books only helped me in the initially phases of designing the process. When it comes to nitty gritty details, Humphrey nailed it.

The book is full of sample forms and checklists for the processes you need to put in place. Processes are broken down into generic but specific terms so that it is easily applied/tailored to your company. I was having problems with expressing the interleaving nature of the sets of processes in configuration management (version control, code review, QA, build management, ...). Humphrey's book somehow was able to express that (in other terminologies of course).

Definite must buy for anyone who is part of an... Read more

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars A Classic, September 26, 2000
This review is from: Managing the Software Process (Hardcover)
This is a classic book that every software developer and manager should read. It explains the concepts behind the five levels of CMM. I know that might sound boring, but the author does a good job of keeping the book reasonably interesting. Most of what you read will sound like common sense, but in practice many companies do not use a lot of common sense when it comes to software development. So this book can serve as a guide to help software development organizations set realistic goals for process improvement.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


Share your thoughts with other customers:
 See all 14 customer reviews...

Table of Contents



Foreword.


Preface.

I. SOFTWARE PROCESS MATURITY.

A Software Maturity Framework.

The Principles of Software Process Change.

Software Process Assessment.

The Initial Process.

II. THE REPEATABLE PROCESS.

Managing Software Organizations.

The Project Plan.

Software Configuration Management—Part 1: Software Quality Assurance.

III. THE DEFINED PROCESS.

Software Standards.

Software Inspections.

Software Testing.

Software Configuration Management (Continued).

Defining the Software Process.

The Software Engineering Process Group

IV. THE MANAGED PROCESS.

Data Gathering and Analysis.

Managing Software Quality.

V. THE OPTIMIZING PROCESS.

Defect Prevention.

Automating The Software Process.

Contracting for Software.

Conclusion.

Appendices.

Index. 0201180952T04062001

 
Buy

Book  $79.99  $63.99

Usually ships in 24 hours.

This book includes free shipping!

Purchase Reward: One Month Free Subscription
By completing any purchase on InformIT, you become eligible for an unlimited access one-month subscription to Safari Books Online.

Get access to thousands of books and training videos about technology, professional development and digital media from more than 40 leading publishers, including Addison-Wesley, Prentice Hall, Cisco Press, IBM Press, O'Reilly Media, Wrox, Apress, and many more. If you continue your subscription after your 30-day trial, you can receive 30% off a monthly subscription to the Safari Library for up to 12 months. That's a total savings of $199.