Strategic Issues in Managing Software Cost and Quality
Lawrence H. Putnam · Engineering Management Journal · 1989
Software development has been characterized by large cost overruns and significant slippages in schedule. Management often blames the software development people and abrogates their responsibilities to plan and manage. Management may feel that no good control methods exist for software development.In straightforward management terms, this article shows that a simple management productivity equation relates the developed functionality, i.e., the product, to the organization's software efficiency and the required schedule and effort. The key parameters are a Productivity Index and a Manpower Buildup Index, which respectively describe capital investment activities and an organization's software-building style. Both have large cost and quality leverage, and both can be directly influenced by management's policies and decisions. This article illustrates how.