Quality is Job One

Who said that? ... What is the right balance of quality, schedule, and budget on an IT project? It's situational. Just know which one is most important and plan accordingly. ...

... "Quality happens only when careful planning is done, when the entire project team maintains a quality-conscious approach every step of the way, and when problems don't escape from the phase in which they were introduced. " ...

Via CIO: Software Quality Control

Executive Support

Continuing the series of posts on Critical Success Factors, we get to Executive Support. This topic is easy to understand. It's also easy for people charged with establishing a PMO to blame lack of executive support for problems they encounter. The fact is that the kind of executive you would want as a sponsor is high enough in the organisation that they will be too busy to give detailed support. So it is essential to have a common description of the relative roles of the change management team and the executive sponsor.

Some commonly quoted expectations for executive support are:
- Visible enthusiasm within the organisation for Project Management philosophy
- Advocacy between organisational groups
- Creation of, or active support for, a vision for the organisation with engrained project management processes
- Removal of barriers to change
- Assurance of funding for the implementation and continued operation of the PMO
- Enthusiasm for the use of project management information and involvement in the processes

It's important that the support should be actionable at a working level. For instance, providing some high level design principles but not insisting on detailed design approval. Or, issuing a public announcement which would then be followed up by detailed posts about specific topics from the team.

This paper describes a sponsor's role in developing project management maturity.
The Executive Sponsor - the Hinge upon which Organisational Project Management Maturity Turns?

Software Quality Assurance: Integration Testing ...

Rethink integration testing ... create an exciting process that engages developers and QA participants. Put the software product through an end-to-end process that exercises it from a user perspective. ...

... "On an iterative or Agile project, integration tests happen at the end of each iteration. But in all cases, developers need to convince themselves and others that the software really works before they feel comfortable releasing it. " ...

Software Quality Assurance: Integration Testing: Via Dr. Dobb's: Better, Stronger, Faster Integration Testing ...

Microsoft on Scrum & Extreme Programming

One way Microsoft's development teams intend to deliver products to market faster is through the use of agile development methodologies, such as extreme programming and Scrum. You may have seen some of our many other blogs on Scrum.

David Treadwell, corporate vice president of the .Net Developer Platform group at Microsoft, said that while Microsoft welcomes the use of methodologies like Scrum, "we're not mandating them, but we're encouraging them..."

"The other is extreme programming—the concept where you might have two people working on a given piece of code and the idea is that two minds are better than one. Because you can find problems faster."

Scrum process can not only be used for developing applications, but also to test them for quality assurance sign-off.

Thanks to e-Week for the news. For more see:
Microsoft Lauds 'Scrum' Method for Software Projects

ITIL CRM Solution: Amdocs

Compucom leverages Amdocs ITIL-compliant CRM solution to provision services. ...

... "CompuCom Systems, Inc. has selected Amdocs CRM to help deliver support to its enterprise customer base. CompuCom Systems is a leading Information Technology (IT) managed services provider that offers IT outsourcing, application development, systems integration, and consulting, as well as the procurement and management of hardware and software. CompuCom provides outsourced 24-hour help desk support services to Fortune 1000 companies, as well as hardware and software repair services utilizing the company's 3,100 field service technicians. To deliver an enhanced customer experience, the company chose to partner with Amdocs. Amdocs has pioneered Integrated Customer Management (ICM) - a strategy designed to help service providers worldwide deliver a better customer experience by placing the customer at the center of everything a service provider does.

CompuCom is currently using several modules of the Amdocs CRM suite of products, including customer support, contract management and quality assurance, to manage the entire customer lifecycle from proactive remote device management through the delivery of onsite field services. Amdocs CRM consolidates all customer data onto a single, unified platform that can be integrated into existing back-office systems, allowing CompuCom to easily access customer information and increase response times to help desk requests. One of the main reasons CompuCom chose to adopt Amdocs CRM is that it is ITIL-compliant. Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) represents a set of best practices around the support and delivery of IT services, including guidelines surrounding customer service and service management implementation, designed to align IT with business objectives. " ...

ITIL CRM Solution: Amdocs: Via Amdocs: Amdocs Expands Partnership with CompuCom Systems to Deliver an Enhanced Customer Experience to CompuCom's Enterprise Customers

ITGovernance: Software Quality Assurance ...

Paul Krill reports on the next wave of software capabilities planned by Compuware and NextWave. ...

ITGovernance: Software Quality Assurance: Via Computerworld: Ajax, app quality enhancements are readied ...

... "CARS 5.1 has been integrated with the Compuware Changepoint IT governance solution. A subset of Changepoint capabilities for request management, knowledge management, and reporting are featured in CARS 5.1. " ...

Compuware introduces IT governance solution that provides metrics for software development: a quality index. ...

Via Compuware: CARS 5.0 Provides Maximum Business Value to QA Organizations Through the Implementation of Effective Governance Models to Deliver Reliable Business Applications ...

... "One of the major challenges facing CIOs today is maximizing the business value of IT investments. CIOs know that business value means shareholder value, and increased shareholder value means revenue growth and/or improved operating margins. Previously, these types of goals were left up to the business managers to accomplish through business initiatives. Now business is increasingly looking towards IT to not only be linked with these initiatives, but also to be an enabler to accomplish these goals. With CARS 5.0, Quality Governance™ enables IT organizations to deliver the processes, systems and metrics to accurately assess the value, cost, risk and performance of the services they provide. By integrating with Compuware IT Governance by Changepoint, project portfolios that contain development projects will benefit from new metrics that communicate a software quality index. This integration not only increases the accuracy of tracking and evaluating a project’s health and risk, it also reduces the administrative burden of collecting and entering data into multiple systems for reporting. CARS provides CIOs with more detailed metrics about the quality of the application portfolio. This improves decision-making, and allows for better alignment with the business. " ...

Microsoft Security: Risk Govern Audit ...

Microsoft is making concerted effort on security management, appealing to technology independent partners with services focused on security policy, governance, compliance, risk assessment, risk management and auditing, while balancing its focus on infrastructure security, the technical perspective. ...

Microsoft Security: Risk Govern Audit: Via ISACA: Microsoft Partner Program Includes ISACA Certification in Restructure of Its Security Solutions Competency ...

... "Having a skilled and innovative security partner ecosystem is central to the company’s approach and, therefore, a large part of the effort has been significant changes to the Microsoft Partner Program, Security Solutions Competency, announced this week in partnership with long-established certification programs from Information Systems Audit and Control Association® (ISACA®) and International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2. " ...

Michael Domingo provides update on Microsoft's updated approach to security, which balances the technical with the strategic security management: risk, govern, audit. ...

Via Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine: Security Competency Gets Revamped

... "Microsoft says it has taken a technology agnostic approach within its Security Solutions competency, splitting it into two specializations that address technical issues and the other that looks at security policy and risk management, governance, and auditing. " ...

With more than 47,000 members who live and work in more than 140 countries, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association® (ISACA®) is a recognized worldwide leader in IT governance, control, security and assurance. Founded in 1969, ISACA sponsors international conferences, publishes the Information Systems Control Journal®, develops international information systems auditing and control standards, and administers the globally respected Certified Information Systems Auditor™ (CISA®) designation, earned by more than 40,000 professionals since inception, and the Certified Information Security Manager® (CISM®) designation, a groundbreaking credential earned by 5,200 professionals.

Enterprise Architecture: SEC Future State: Troux Metis ...

Troux and ISI partner to drive the enterprise architecture transformation at the SEC over the next few years. ...

Enterprise Architecture: SEC Future State: Troux Metis: Via Troux: SEC Taps Troux Technologies and ISI for Multi-Year Enterprise Architecture Program

... "Troux Technologies, the global leader in IT Governance and Enterprise Architecture (EA) solutions, and Integrated Systems, Inc., a foremost 8(a)-certified systems integrator, announced they have jointly won a multi-year contract from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to implement the SEC's Enterprise Architecture and increase its business value. Under the agreement, Troux and ISI will collaborate to provide the SEC's Office of Information and Technology with consulting expertise in documenting the SEC's current state architecture, and in developing and maintaining future state target architectures. ... Troux's Metis Enterprise is an Enterprise Architecture and planning solution that provides the basis for the transformation from an organization's current state to an optimized future state. It is designed with a highly scalable database that accommodates the volume of enterprise-wide data required for successful organizational transformation. Additionally, Troux's Metis offers a unique analysis capability, leveraging both the current and future EA states. The automated data collection in Metis, from disparate sources across the organization, keeps information timely and relevant. " ...

Integrated Systems, Inc. is dedicated to the development and implementation of high quality technology- and process-based solutions for government and commercial clients. Founded by Indrani Seetharam in 2000, ISI is a Minority Woman-Owned 8(a)-Certified small business, currently providing sophisticated technical solutions to the U.S. Treasury, the Departments of Homeland Security (US VISIT Program), Transportation (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration), Energy, Agriculture and Education; the National Archive and Records Administration; the State of Delaware; and the US Navy Space Warfare Center (SPAWAR). ISI's focus areas include Enterprise Architecture, Information Assurance, Information Security, Certification and Accreditation, Independent Validation and Verification and Life-cycle Management. ISI develops practical, affordable, and deliverable solutions of significant value to its clients, on or ahead of schedule.

Troux Technologies (pronounced "true") is a global provider of IT Governance software that accelerates IT and business transformation. Troux's IT Governance solutions enable organizations to strategically plan the enterprise, capture and analyze critical IT and business data and deliver actionable decisions to transform the business. Troux's breakthrough technology provides the enterprise-class information, policies, and analytics critical for IT excellence. With Troux, organizations succeed in breaking the traditional IT silos and effectively aligning IT with core business goals. Based in Austin, Texas, Troux Technologies serves the Global 1000 and government marketplaces.

Project Management: Spiral Development Definition

Project Management: Spiral Development Definition: Via Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council: Development and Acquisition Glossary: Spiral Development Definition ...

... "Spiral Development: An iterative project management model that focuses on the identification of project and product risks and the selection of project management techniques that best control the identified risks. " ...

Additional spiral project management references:

Spiral Development: The spiral model encompasses features of the phased life cycle as well as the prototype life cycle. However, unlike those life cycles, the spiral model uses risk analysis as one of its elements. ...

System Life Cycle (SLC) is defined as a structured development approach with defined activities, phases, products, and reviews that provide a standard to support the development of systems from identification through implementation, operation, maintenance, and eventual retirement. The systems life cycle process is a basic requirement for systems development. There are a variety of life cycle models, such as: waterfall, spiral, evolutionary, decomposition (or stepwise refinement), and formal transformation. The choice among the models is made based on the specific project. ...

SDLC Process: Discusses the application of software assurance best practices in the context of various SDLC methodologies, including RUP, XP, Agile, Waterfall, and the Spiral Model. ...

Project Resource Management Software: Customer Enhancements

Aveva updates its project resource management with enhancements focused on customer requirements to drive benefits, such as quality assurance time-savings that lead to high confidence in project estimates ...

Project Resource Management Software: Customer Enhancements: Via Aveva: AVEVA delivers huge package of customer-driven enhancements to Project Resource Management System ...

... "AVEVA (LSE: AVV), a leading provider of plant design and engineering lifecycle solutions, announces the release of VANTAGE Project Resource Management (VPRM) 9.6: the latest update to the materials and resource management solution from the VANTAGE suite. The launch of VPRM 9.6 was largely triggered by customer feedback, especially tighter integration with JD Edwards' financial software, which is used by many leading engineering companies. It enables the automatic transfer of cost-coded purchase order details using flexible Web Services & XML. There was also demand for a configurable technology link that would allow vendor documents to be displayed directly from the project document vault. " ...

Branded Project Management Methodology: Service Differentiator

CIBER leverages a branded project management methodology, CPMM, to differentiate its services in the information technology marketplace. It wins another e-government contract as key partner for hosting and portal management services ...

Branded Project Management Methodology: Service Differentiator: Via CIBER: CIBER Selected by City of Cleveland to be New Website Hosting and Management Partner ...

... "Following the transition, CIBER will perform an in-depth security assessment of the website system to establish additional functional requirements, including enhanced content management capabilities and increased security measurements. Based on those requirements and strengthened capabilities, CIBER will enhance the site using the CIBER Project Management Methodology (CPMM), which combines best practices from the fields of project management and quality assurance with practical insights gained from CIBER's extensive delivery experience. " ...