Software Engineering Best Practices: Lessons from Successful Projects in the Top Companies

Proven techniques for software development success

In this practical guide, software-quality guru Capers Jones reveals best practices for ensuring software development success by illustrating the engineering methods used by the most successful large software projects at leading companies such as IBM, Microsoft, Sony, and EDS.

Software Engineering Best Practices covers estimating and planning; requirements analysis; change control; quality control; progress and cost tracking; and maintenance and support after delivery. Agile development, extreme programming, joint application design (JAD), six-sigma for software, and other methods are discussed.

From the Back Cover Proven techniques for software engineering success
This in-depth volume examines software engineering topics that are not covered elsewhere: the question of why software engineering has developed more than 2,500 programming languages; problems with traditional definitions of software quality; and problems with common metrics, "lines of code," and "cost per defect" that violate standard economic assumptions. The book notes that a majority of "new" projects are actually replacements for legacy applications, illustrating that data mining for lost requirements should be a standard practice. Difficult social engineering issues are also covered, such as how to minimize harm from layoffs and downsizing.

Software Engineering Best Practices explains how to effectively plan, size, schedule, and manage software projects of all types, using solid engineering procedures. It details proven methods, from initial requirements through 20 years of maintenance. Portions of the book have been extensively reviewed by key engineers from top companies, including IBM, Microsoft, Unisys, and Sony.

Manage Agile, hierarchical, matrix, and virtual software development teams
Optimize software quality using JAD, OFD, TSP, static analysis, inspections, and other methods with proven success records
Use high-speed functional metrics to assess productivity and quality levels
Plan optimal organization, from small teams through more than 1,000 personnel
Capers Jones is president and CEO of Capers Jones & Associates LLC. He was the founder and chairman of Software Productivity Research (SPR). He is the author of Estimating Software Costs, Second Edition and Applied Software Measurement. Mr. Jones was awarded a lifetime membership in the International Function Point User's Group (IFPUG), and is is a Distinguished Advisor to the Consortium of IT Software Quality (CISQ).