Software Project Management is a highly challenging, dynamic activity that requires a strong mix of both technical and management skills with the ability to effectively analyze and interpret numerical data. Software Project Management involves the development of reasonable project plans and controlling project execution to ensure that all technical requirements are satisfied within the schedule, cost and quality commitments specified in the project plans.
The analysis and interpretation of the right software metrics can provide Software Project Management with valuable insight into project performance, both Job-To-Date and future project performance. A software metric alone does not provide absolute answers to project performance. When a software metric is analyzed and interpreted in conjunction with other software metrics, Software Project Management can gain valuable insight into project performance, formulate legitimate questions and apply reasonable judgment in asserting corrective actions and updating project plans. Software Project Management and the entire project team must be committed to the accurate and timely collection of software metrics to ensure project decisions made "by the numbers" produce effective results.
Mark Turner is a Senior Software Engineering Manager for the Software Design Group in the Multiband Radio Engineering department. Mark has a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Computer Science from SUNY Brockport and over nineteen years of work experience in the Software Engineering industry. He is currently responsible for the AN/PRC-117F Manpack Radio which is a state-of-the-art digital radio for military applications with over 300K SLOC (source lines of code) of embedded real-time firmware. Mark has supervised or managed the development of nearly 1,500,000 SLOC in 16 years at Harris RF Communications, ranging from embedded product firmware to multi-site communications control systems. This paper was first presented at the 1996 SEPG conference.
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