Subject: [Boston-SPIN-Announcements] SPIN Meeting Announcement: Ed Yourdon, Extreme Project Management Date: Fri, 02 Nov 2001 22:15:36 -0000 We have a new meeting location at The MITRE Corporation! Because of security concerns, you'll need a Picture ID. And it's best to leave all carrying bags, backpacks, and briefcases in your car. Any items you do bring with you will be opened and inspected when you arrive. Software Process Improvement Network (SPIN) Meeting Announcement Topic: Extreme Project Management Speaker: Ed Yourdon When: Tuesday, November 20, 2001. 6:30pm-8:30pm 6:30-7:00 Networking and Round Tables 7:00-7:10 Announcements 7:10-8:10 Presentation 8:10-8:30 Questions and Answers Who: Everyone (Industry, Government, Academia) Location: The MITRE Corporation, 202 Burlington Rd. (Rt. 62), Building S, Bedford, MA 01730 More Info: See our web page, http://www.cs.uml.edu/Boston-SPIN (soon to be www.bostonspin.org) For SPIN info, contact Linda McInnis, LindaMcInnis@yahoo.com Boston SPIN meetings are free. No RSVP is necessary. Abstract: Historically, all software projects have involved a certain degree of risk and pressure -- but many of the projects in today's chaotic business environment involve such intense pressure that they require non-standard, extreme management techniques. Ed Yourdon's presentation will provide guidance and insights for managers and project team members who are about to embark upon an "extreme" project -- i.e., a project whose schedule is so compressed, and/or whose budget, or team size is so constrained, that the only "obvious" way to succeed is to work 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, with no vacations until the project is finished. Such projects may also be using some of the concepts of the popular "extreme programming" (XP) approach; this talk is designed to be compatible with current views on XP, but it focuses entirely on the management issues, rather than the technical activities of design (e.g., refactoring), coding, and testing. Extreme project management involves five key issues: politics, people, process, project-control, and tools. About the Speaker: Ed Yourdon Ed Yourdon is one of the ten most influential men and women in the software field, according to the December 1999 issue of Crosstalk: The Journal of Defense Software Engineering. He is a member of the Computer Hall of Fame, along with such notables as Charles Babbage, James Martin, Grace Hopper, Gerald Weinberg and Bill Gates. An internationally recognized consultant and lecturer, he is the author/coauthor of more than two dozen books, including Managing High- Intensity Internet Projects (scheduled for publication this fall), Death March, The Rise and Resurrection of the American Programmer, Object-Oriented Systems Development, An Integrated Approach and Modern Structured Analysis. In addition, he has authored over 500 technical articles. Ed is widely known as the lead developer of the structured analysis/design methods of the 1970s, and was a co-developer of the Yourdon/Whitehead method of object-oriented analysis/design and the popular Coad/Yourdon OO methodology in the early 1990s. Ed currently serves as the Chairman of the Cutter Consortium, a leading research/analyst firm offering high-level advisory and continuous information services and journals. He also serves on the Board of Directors of iGate Capital Corp. and Mascot Systems, an SEI-CMM level-4 company, headquartered in India. Ed is also a member of the Technical Advisory Board for Interelate, Aspen Technology, Mintaka Technology Group, and Omni-Vista, as well as a member of the Defense Department'sAirlie Council, an advisory group that focuses on finding "best practice" guidelines and techniques for large, complex projects. Previously, Ed was on the Board of Directors of Requisite Corp (until it was acquired by Rational Software), and was a member of the expert advisory panel on I-CASE acquisition for the U.S. Department of Defense in the early 1990s. His web site is http://www.yourdon.com/ Boston SPIN Book Discussion Roundtable: Ed Yourdon's Death March Facilitator: John Brtis Death March: The Complete Software Developer's Guide to Surviving 'Mission Impossible' Projects By Edward Yourdon Editorial Review: Amazon.com Death march projects are becoming increasingly common in the software industry. The symptoms are obvious: The project schedule, budget, and staff are about half of what is necessary for completion. The planned feature set is unrealistic. People are working 14 hours a day, six or seven days a week, and stress is taking its toll. The project has a high risk of failure, yet management is either blind to the situation or has no alternative. Why do these irrational projects happen, and what, other than pure idiocy, leads people to get involved in them? Edward Yourdon has produced a wise and highly readable book on the entire death march phenomenon and the best way to steer through one. He takes a close look at the types of projects that often become death marches and the corporate politics and culture that typically produce them; Yourdon helps you examine your own motivations and those of corporate managers who enable death marches to take shape. Much of Death March is about the human element of highly stressful projects. The author's plain-spoken observations on the dysfunctional organization--the Machiavellian politics, naive optimism, lust for power, fear, and sheer managerial stupidity that guide so many death marches- -make for a refreshing change from other project management books. You'll also find much practical advice to help you survive, everything from negotiating with upper management to breathing life into faltering projects. He'll even help you determine if you should look for another job. If you've ever worked in a death march situation or been a client of a company addicted to death march management, this book will help you understand what happened. More importantly, it will help you prepare for future encounters with death marches. Death March is highly recommended for anyone involved in software development. Come join us on November 20 for a lively discussion of this book. About the Roundtables: Roundtables are focused group or "birds-of-a-feather" discussions, with a facilitator, to stimulate and moderate discussion. Roundtables are held during the Networking portion of the SPIN meeting. See our web page, http://www.cs.uml.edu/Boston-SPIN (soon to be www.bostonspin.org) to see which topics are selected for this SPIN meeting. Do It Yourself Resource Table: We are making available a Resource Table where you can place copies of Job Postings, Announcements, Resumes, Call for Papers and other Notices for SPIN attendees. Directions: A map and directions are attached to this message to ensure that you get our NEW location. Coming from 128 South or North 1. Take Exit 32A onto Route 3 North. 2. Proceed two miles on Route 3 North and take the first Exit 26 (for Route 62 Bedford). 3. Go down the ramp to the traffic signal. Continue straight across Route 62 onto Crosby Drive. 4. After a short hill, take the first right into the MITRE campus. 5. Follow the driveway, which bears left and then right and turn right into the parking lot (immediately after the third speed bump). 6. Walk into the courtyard between Buildings K and S and enter the S lobby to sign in. >From New Hampshire 1 Take Route 3 South to Exit 26 (for Route 62 Bedford). 2. Turn Left on Route 62. 3. After going under Route 3 take a left at the traffic signal onto Crosby Drive. 4. After a short hill, take the first right into the MITRE campus. 5. Follow the driveway, which bears left and then right and turn right into the parking lot (immediately after the third speed bump). 6. Walk into the courtyard between Buildings K and S and enter the S lobby to sign in. >From Logan Airport 1. Go through tunnel to Route 93 North. 2. Take Route 93 North eleven miles to Exit 37B (Route 128 (I- 95) South). 3. Take Route 128 (I-95) South six miles to Exit 32A (Route 3 North). 4. After a short hill, take the first right into the MITRE campus. 5. Follow the driveway, which bears left and then right and turn right into the parking lot (immediately after the third speed bump). 6. Walk into the courtyard between Buildings K and S and enter the S lobby to sign in. Cancellations (including weather cancellations): Starting at 3pm, we'll notify you via email to the SPIN distribution list, we'll post the notice on the SPIN web page, and we'll send the cancellation announcement to Channel 7 TV and WRKO AM 680. SPIN Sponsors: MITRE Corp., Bedford, MA http://www.mitre.org Raytheon Corp., Lexington, MA, http://www.raytheon.com Edelman & Associates, http://www.edeltech.com Quality Search, Inc., http://www.qualsearch.com We thank the Computer Science department of UMass-Lowell for providing support and hosting our web page. 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