IT Best Practices: Management, Teams, Quality, Performance, and Projects Book

Introduction
Acquiring Knowledge Content Material

Management Best Practices
Leadership Negotiation Problem Solving Decision Making Ability to Influence the Organization Communication Meetings for Informational Purposes Meetings to Sell an Idea or Get Approval Meetings to Gather Information Improving Management Best Practice Disciplines Bad Management Practices Summary

Five Disciplines of System Thinking

The Effects of Management on Subordinates

Management Types
Manager of Maintenance Work Technical Manager Project Manager System Resource Manager

Crisis Management

Jack Welch and Management

Robert Greenleaf and Servant Leadership

Management Wrap-Up

Business Model

High-Performance Teams
Defining High-Performance Teams HPT Member Classification HPT Characteristics High-Performance Team Life Cycle

Quality
Introduction to Definition of Quality Generalist versus Specialist Tasks Grouping and Quality Reporting Quality and Performance Measuring Quality and Performance

W. Edward Deming, Father of Quality
Continuous Quality Improvement Theory of Constraints

Process Engineering

Lean Management

Six Sigma

Workplace Efficiencies and Distraction
E-mail Internet Instant Messaging Controlling Workplace Inefficiencies Getting Started for the Workday

Technology

Contractors
Contractor Behavior Contractors for Knowledge Contractors for Filling a Resource Void Using Contractors Successfully Overseas Contractors Defects Effects of Defects Causes of Defects

Knowledge Acquired So Far

Project Selection Criteria

Project Characteristics
Project Success versus Failure Successful Challenged Failed Law of Cause and Effect Identifying the Cause

Effects of Project Failure

Controlling Failure

Project Methodology

Project Phases
Documentation Phases Initiate Analyzing (Solution Scoping)
Design Development Testing Summary of Testing Steps Implementation Postimplementation

Factors That Affect Projects
Project Estimates and Staffing

Project Methodology
Spiral Project Methodology Scrum Extreme Programming (XP)
Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)
Study Functional Modeling Design and Build Implementation Feature-Driven Development Method (FDD)
Develop Overall Model Build Feature List Plan by Feature Design by Feature Build by Feature Cowboy Development Method Learning about Spiral Linear Project Management Linear Waterfall—Crashing the Timeline Law of 20–80
Linear versus Spiral Spiral Strengths Spiral Weaknesses Linear Strengths Linear Weaknesses Working Environment

Project Management Improvement
Knowledge Areas of a Project Scope and Integration Time Communication Human Resource Allotment Quality Risk Leadership Communication Negotiating Problem Solving Influencing the Organization Decision Making Project Sizes and the Amount of Form and Art Needed Small Project Characteristics Resources Areas Affected Documentation Simple Design and Development GOOD: Project manager leads the project BEST: Technical manager or leader leads the project Medium Project Characteristics Resources Areas Affected Documentation Design and Development BAD: Technical manager or leader leads the project GOOD: Project manager is assigned without a technical lead or technical manager BEST: Project manager leads with a technical lead assigned Large Project Characteristics Resources Areas affected Documentation Complex and Difficult Design and Development BAD: Project manager leads the project with a technical lead assigned Summary Never Assume, Always Validate

Conclusion

Index