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Michael A. Bragen, Software Productivity Research LLC

Michael A. Bragen Michael Bragen, Chief Technology Officer, is a partner in the management consultancy Software Productivity Research LLC. A software industry analyst, author, and consultant, Mr. Bragen has over 20 years of experience in the fields of strategic management for information systems, and software engineering management. Mr. Bragen's experience centers on the management and implementation of engineering technologies and processes that support, leverage, and enhance business activity. In his role as Director of Product Management for SPR, Mr. Bragen has primary responsibility for design, product direction, and marketing of KnowledgePLAN®, an award-winning, flagship software estimation solution.

As a consultant, Mr. Bragen has had international industry experience in a variety of industry sectors, including telecommunications, financial services, manufacturing, retail, utilities, and government/defense. He has significant experience in conducting capability assessments, designing improvement plans, building and launching internal measurement organizations, and in providing support to litigation activity through applied software project management forensics.

Prior to joining SPR, Mr. Bragen operated an international consulting practice focused on software engineering process management, specializing in metrics and measurement related to quality and productivity improvement, and management of the software development life cycle. He has directed numerous client efforts to assess capability, develop therapeutic strategies, communicate, and implement improvement efforts to project, program, and senior management teams in organizations across industry.

As a software engineering metrics specialist, Mr. Bragen has maintained a Certified Function Point Specialist certification continuously since 1992, and is active in the International Function Point Users Group, and numerous organizations dedicated to quality management, metrics and measurement.

Presentation: "Formal Software Estimation  Engineering Your Project Management"

Track:   Improve Your Projects

Time: Monday 14:30 - 15:30

Location: SAS Dania

Abstract: What are the key components and benefits of formal software estimation practice? Mature and experienced software development organisations recognise the importance of consistent and repeatable techniques for "costing" projects early in the life cycle. For senior management, this means establishing reasonable and quantifiable goals for the organisation, and understanding the tradeoffs between delivered quality, cost, and project duration for optimising competitive position. For project managers, the focus is on understanding resource requirements and developing appropriate plans for utilisation. Accurate and consistent estimates yield better control over the development life cycle. Customers benefit from better understanding of the impact of business changes on project cost and duration, and overall via better managed expectations.

In this session, we will describe the key factors necessary for establishing a formal, consistent and repeatable estimation process that yields the above benefits - underlying creation of a communications structure that supports the development partnership between senior management, IT, and the customer. We will explore modeling of the key parameters for demonstrating the interactions and dependencies between project effort, delivered quality, and duration.

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