tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78275822428406161502011-11-27T19:32:14.779-05:00This blog is dedicated to providing managers of Software Applications Development projects a forum to discuss their special problems, processes & techniques in delivering successful applications to their customers.Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.comBlogger111100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-66696953955254155372009-12-05T09:14:00.011-05:002009-12-15T10:44:05.530-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to attend one of CAI's IT Metrics and Productivity Institute's Software Best Practices conferences. I frequently attend their webinars and have not been disappointed in any of them. Even though Applications Development is not synonymous with IT, many of the principles hold true. As I've found throughout years of practicing Software Development Project Management,

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-82146496747286925482009-10-31T08:54:00.013-04:002009-12-05T12:36:44.423-05:00

On a typical 8 hour day, how many hours do your programmers spend programming as opposed to other required/necessary activities. Some of these other activities might include non task or project related meetings & phone calls, time lost due to interruptions, training, research not directly connected to a particular task, reporting requirements, etc.... I know, I know, there's no such thing as a

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-17638641109083357142009-08-10T09:24:00.009-04:002009-08-10T15:26:55.042-04:00

This may sound odd as a topic for Applications Development for Project Managers, but having just volunteered for (and attended) a community event, I feel compelled to remark on it. The event was the 1st SQL Saturday held in South Florida. It was organized by Scott Klein & Herve Rogero & was held at DeVry University (thanks Ed Hill) . I heard of the event through my membership in the Florida .net

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-2371414038787024192009-08-01T12:06:00.003-04:002009-08-03T07:27:45.524-04:00

Last weekend I attended a presentation on the differences between the new PMBOK® 4th Edition and the previous 3rd Edition. This presentation was given by Kim Caruthers at Nova Southeastern University in association with the South Florida Chapter of PMI. I had already purchased the new edition in the hopes of keeping current with best practices (an old dog needs constant training to do new tricks)

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-16979542823702169322009-07-05T14:46:00.009-04:002009-07-07T05:08:59.916-04:00

I was going to post an article on gathering requirements. I went through the PMBOK 3rd Edition & followed up on the 40 or so references to requirements. I solicited requirements gathering tips from various groups. Then I read Chapter 5, section 1 of the new PMBOK 4th Edition. There's not much left to blog about as far as gathering requirements go. This is one of the best written, most

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-34527652762700768482009-06-07T20:34:00.002-04:002009-06-07T20:39:20.843-04:00

The PMBOK® defines stakeholders as any persons or organizations impacted by the project. They all have interests, involvement & influence on the project’s success. Most stakeholders are common to all types of projects, but this list is geared towards Software Development, & is being posted in an attempt to provide a resource to Project Managers of Software Development projects. If you have had

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-75879403429299554352009-05-25T08:30:00.006-04:002009-06-01T11:33:26.653-04:00

How are we going to communicate project information to a far flung group of stakeholders? There is a synergy between advancing communications technology & a growing number of tech savvy information consumers. The last time something like this happened was when Guttenberg invented the printing press & mass produced media became available at the same time that a growing number of literate people

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-80651531054468101552009-05-06T11:50:00.007-04:002009-05-07T07:45:24.647-04:00

I'm taking a small break from my normal posts of Project Management for Applications Developers to write about an all day seminar I recently attended. The South Florida Chapter of PMI put on an extremely professional event ( as they always do). No matter how much we know, or how long we've been practicing our trade, there's always something new to learn, or something old to remember.In recent

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-90639934844266470572009-04-25T09:01:00.007-04:002009-04-25T15:58:25.660-04:00

In a small shop, creating an app for in-house use, requested by the owner, possibly not. But, whenever an expenditure of assets or resources is required, there should be some document authorizing those expenditures & the reason for making the expenditures. The charter is external to the project & defines the project in terms of the customer's business needs or market demand. It's usually created

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-43709576021842858112009-04-20T18:41:00.008-04:002009-04-25T08:56:58.073-04:00

Project Management for Software Applications Development is not much different than for any other Project Management field. What's different is the success rate. According to the Standish Group's Chaos Report, half of all software projects end up either late, over budget, incomplete, or failed. Of course, many software development projects are led by developers with little formal training in

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7827582242840616150.post-84980438109111700952009-04-16T10:03:00.009-04:002009-04-16T14:48:58.923-04:00

Applications Development is a natural environment for Project Management. It usually involves specific features for a specific market or user group. It can usually be broken down into a list of features ( requirements), which can be analyzed for dependencies & prioritized based on value. For mass distribution applications, however, this prioritization may be more connected to market research than

Ray Almonte, PMP.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15254962655472826325noreply@blogger.com0