Abstract
For a software engineering division of a company, the most important standards are those used for the management of the software engineering projects. While numerous, relevant, de jure, software engineering standards exist, national guidelines, such as the Department of Defense’s Capability Maturity Model, and corporate standards, such as the Microsoft Solutions Framework, exert a significant influence on the marketplace. A study of the existing standards shows significant similarity across them. Case studies of the use of the standards suggest that a major factor in determining the adoption of one standard over another is the environment of the adopter. A company that depends on Microsoft in important business ways is more likely to adopt the Microsoft Solutions Framework. Likewise a company that is a major customer of the Department of Defense may be inclined to use the Capability Maturity Model. The review of software engineering management standards also reveals the dearth of explicit guidance on the roles and processes to use in upper management. Financial process and audit practices influence the application and need for standards. An examination of the operation of a major manufacturing firm (referred to as Company X) shows again the challenge of managing software projects well and the remarkable success that can accrue from a systematic and standard approach across projects.
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Additional information
Roy Rada earned a B.A. in Psychology from Yale University in 1973, an M.D. in General Medicine from Baylor College of Medicine in 1977, and a Ph.D. in Computer Science from University of Illinois at Urbana in 1980. He has served as Editor of Index Medicus at the National Library of Medicine, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Liverpool, Boeing Distinguished Professor of Software Engineering at Washington State University, and now Professor of Information Systems at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County. Roy is a Fellow of the ACM and has authored 10 books and co-authored 150 journal papers.
John S. Craparo spent 10 years at GE Capital Services, where he served as the SeniorVice President & Chief Information Officer for three business units involved in equity investment, leveraged buyout, merger and acquisition, and structured project finance activities. He was also the CIO for corporate systems and global finance operations. He holds a bachelors degree from Iona College and a Master of Science in Technology Management from Polytechnic University (Brooklyn Poly). John sits on the CSIS advisory board of Pace University, where he served as an adjunct Associate Professor of Information Systems for 11 years. John sits on the editorial board of Continuing Professional Development. John has authored several commercial software programs, including a popular telecommunications circuit optimization tool.
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Rada, R., Craparo, J.S. Standardizing management of software engineering projects. Know Techn Pol 14, 67–77 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00022276
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/PL00022276