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Software Risk Management-The Basics

“Software risk management is important because it helps avoid disasters, rework, and overkill, but more importantly because it stimulates win-win situations” – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 1999.

Risk is defined as “The possibility of suffering harm or loss; danger.” Even if we’re not familiar with the formal definition, most of us have an innate sense of risk. Risks shape many of our behaviors. Software Technical Risk can be defined as a measure of the probability and severity of adverse effects inherent in the development of software that does not meet its intended functions and performance requirements.

The term Risk Management is applied in a number of diverse disciplines. To many social analysts, politicians, and academics it is the management of environmental and nuclear risks. Software Risk Management is a proactive approach for minimizing the uncertainty and potential loss associated with a project.

It includes the set of practices that enable software development projects to identify, prioritize, address, eliminate and manage specific software risk items before they become threats to success or major sources of rework. Some categories of risk include product size, business impact, customer-related, process, technology, development environment, staffing (size and experience), schedule, and cost. Awareness of Software Risk Management has been increasing in the industry.

The primary goal of a software development project is to develop code and documentation that will meet the project’s requirements. The risks are measured in the testing phase. The specific attributes measured during software development are Maintainability-for ease of finding and fixing the errors, Reusability and above all Structure/Architecture – Evaluation of the constructs within a module to identify possible error-prone modules. Once code has been generated and completed, unit testing, formal testing – System, Integration, and Acceptance Testing – begins which usually emphasizes on correctness and reliability of the software.

Major software projects have the highest probability of being cancelled or delayed of any known business activity. Once deployed, software projects often display excessive error densities and low levels of reliability. However, it is not a law of nature that software projects will run late, be cancelled, or be unreliable after deployment. A careful program of risk analysis and abatement can reduce the probability of major software disasters, and also shorten average development cycles at the same time.

Poor estimations and planning, wrong status report of projects with misleading and unacceptably poor software quality and reliability are some of those serious and real issues against software organizations which are agreed by the software executives and managers themselves. Additional risk factors like new major requirements in mid-development and harmful schedule pressure by the executives that damages quality makes it crucial to examine the root causes which includes process factors, technology and product factors, and organizational factors, organizational capabilities and explore the current state of the art for minimizing their harmful effects.

Some paradigms, principles, techniques and tools are used to manage the risks.
The paradigm is a framework for software risk management. From this framework, a project may structure a risk management practice best fitting into its project management structure. It is usually a cyclic process containing identification, analyze, plan, track, control, formal or informal communication for achieving a common goal.

The maturity framework into which these quality principles have been adapted was first inspired by Philip Crosby in his book Quality is Free [Crosby 79]. The staged structure of the SW-CMMSM is based on product quality principles that have existed for the last 60 years. The framework provides the solutions on the basis of seven main risk management principles—shared product vision, teamwork, global perspective, forward-looking view, open communication, integrated management, and continuous process.

These principles have been adapted into a maturity framework that establishes the project management and engineering foundation during the initial stages, and quantitatively controls the process during the more advanced stages of maturity.

Top-down risk estimation maps project risk into schedule completion dates. Bottom-up risk management puts detail behind the top-down approach. Bottom-up risk management identifies underlying project strengths and risks that drive the top-down risk estimate.

Using the Project Self-Assessment Kit, these results can be achieved quickly, easily, and confidentially. The SATC has applied its metrics experience and some concepts from theoretical models of software quality to develop a unique model for evaluation of quality and project risks. This model fits the needs of project managers of many reputable organizations like NASA and GSFC because the model is dynamic, not static, in the fact that it allows the production of multiple snapshots of project status across the development.

The data is used to make projects about specific project risks at project milestones. The model uses a broad range of measures for both software products and development processes. The model is applicable across the development life cycle. The model’s metrics are derived based on aspects of the attributes that answer questions of the project managers. The model includes analysis guidelines for the data collected.

“Risk Guide 2.30 risk management tools” also helps in managing the risks in software development because for successful risk management effectiveness, continuous and open communication is prerequisite. Therefore, provide the project stakeholders a broad and highly available communication channel through which they can communicate risk-related information. On top of this communication facility establish continuous risk assessment process based on three concepts: reviews, snapshots and reports that underpin the three layers of processing the risk-related information: identification, analysis and reporting and something which creates a great ease in software risk management is risk database which should be equipped with learning facilities to provide for “learning from experience”.

The SEI Software Risk Evaluation (SRE) Service is a diagnostic and decision-making tool that enables the identification, analysis, tracking, mitigation, and communication of risks in software-intensive programs. An SRE is used to identify and categorize specific program risks emanating from product, process, management, resources, and constraints. The programs own personnel participate in the identification, analysis, and mitigation of risks facing their own development effort.

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

Large software projects are very hazardous business ventures. For projects above 10,000 function points, cancellations, delays and cost overruns have been the norm rather than the exception. But careful analysis of the root causes of large software project delays and disasters indicate that most of the problems stem from inaccurate estimation, inaccurate status reporting, and lack of historical data from similar projects.

All of these root causes can be minimized or even eliminated by the adoption of formal estimating methods and tools, by formal monthly status reports of both quantitative and qualitative data, and by benchmark analysis of similar projects to provide a solid basis of what can and cannot be accomplished.

The results of these activities are used to develop an actionable framework of risk mitigation actions based on assessor experience and individual project characteristics. Formal risk assessment is most effective for projects with relatively significant risk. In addition, the organization for which a project is being assessed needs to have sufficient project management infrastructure to be able to take action based on the results. The organization also needs to have a commitment to improving project execution effectiveness.

About the Author

I am Syed Yasir Imam, currently studying in Final Year of Computer Science Department, University of Karachi, Pakistan. In my unviersity experience regarding software development we faced a lot of problems and that was no doubt at the very basic levels and was not as much big like as of an organization but yeah when we sticked with the activities of risk management discussed here, we have got success!! pray for us!!

difference between uk and india construction risk management system?

what is the constriction risk management system are used in UK and India. what is the difference between construction risk management system. and please help me for this. thanks

One works, the other doesn’t!

Carl Shreyer Risk Management

We know what happens to an object which falls to the ground from a high shelf. It gathers speed as it falls, effectively becoming more heavy as it travels.

· In about a third of incidents where merchandise has fallen from a high shelf on to a customer, that customer has sustained a head injury. Head injuries are among the most serious, permanent, and even fatal of injuries.

· About another third of such incidents cause injuries to the customer’s feet.

· In the remaining incidents, most injuries are to the customer’s back, neck and shoulders.

Most of these accidents happen between October and January, when extra merchandise is stored in preparation for the Christmas rush. Victims can suffer from long-term impairment from spinal and brain injuries, and even wrongful death.

High-Stacking of Merchandise

From the store owner’s viewpoint, this high stacking is a smart move. It cuts way down on warehouse costs, saving them millions of dollars.

In itself, high-stacking isn’t necessarily a problem. The problem enters when the store fails to secure the stacked items to prevent them from falling.

What causes such an item to fall?

· Perhaps it was carelessly stacked so that over time it became dislodged and fell.

· Perhaps an impact to the shelves beneath it caused a wobble that sent it tumbling.

· Perhaps an employee or another customer removed another item that was keeping the first one in place.

Defense lawyers will probably say that the customer caused it to fall. The customer reached for something too high, or even climbed onto a stool or ladder, and somehow disturbed the stability of the items stacked above him.

No safety standards for customers.

There aren’t any reliable statistics about how many customers have been hurt by falling merchandise in these super-stores. That’s because the warehouse owners aren’t required to file any accident reports, and because the OSHA safety standards protect workers but not customers.

There’s no government agency responsible for protecting customers from falling merchandise.

The racks and the merchandise both unsecured.

After the 1994 earthquake in San Francisco (which luckily happened in the wee hours, so no customers were in any super-stores), there was some study done of how to strengthen and stabilize the tall racks. Many of them fell and created a twisted steel mess.

Some measures were adopted in some stores, such as:

· Bolting the base of each structure to the concrete floor using 4 bolts rather than just one

· Doubling the metal columns which supported heavier loads, and

· Adding safety clips and bolts to attach cross beams to the uprights more firmly

But even if the racks and shelves stay put, there are huge heavy loads on them which could still fall.

Some ideas have been discussed, such as tying boxes of goods together with shrink-wrapped plastic, rope or steel bands. This would decrease the number of loose items that could fall, and increase the mass of the bound items, making them more stable.

One argument against this idea is that tying boxes together will interfere with the forklifts trying to move boxes around.

Perhaps there should be size or weight limits for items stored on top of the steel racks, but who’s going to decide on what they are, and who’ll enforce them?

Long and expensive litigation.

Since the stores which do this high-stacking are usually large chains, with lots of lawyers and plenty of cash, any dangerous premises lawsuit brought against them will be protracted and expensive.

On the other hand, any compensation awarded by a jury is likely to be very large, often in the millions.

On average, such cases drag on for 3, 4 or 5 years and cost anywhere from $30,000 to $70,000 to litigate, not counting the attorney’s time.

Some attorneys specialize in this type of case, taking fewer cases than they might otherwise take, spending longer on each case, and hoping to receive larger fees from the large compensation amounts awarded. Other personal injury lawyers take them sparingly, along with more simple sorts of cases.

If you’ve been injured in such an accident, it would be wise to consult an experienced personal injury lawyer or wrongful death lawyer without delay.

For more information or to schedule a consultation, feel free to contact Jay Trucks personal injury attorney of Flint, Michigan.

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Hiring a Lewes contractor for your project can be a nerve racking experience. It is littered with questions. Are you hiring the right person? Are they reputable? Will my job be completed on time and within budget. Sometimes it is inevitable that you will select the bad apple from the bunch, but here are a few tips that will help you in your selection process and weed out the ones that will only cause you heartache and trouble.

1. Ask a lot of questions

This is fair game for anyone that you hire. You are paying good money for a service and you should be well informed about what you expect and what will be done. When I went looking for contractors for my project, I made sure that I understood everything. Most of the Lewes contractors were very understanding and responsive. The job that we were looking for Lewes contractors to perform was a simple concrete patio. Some questions you may want to ask are: What is the timeline for completion? Will you clean up afterward? Will the work be performed by skilled individuals or a hired workforce? These are all important questions and have a huge outcome your happiness with the project. Remember, no question is a bad question.

2. Don’t accept the lowest price

The lowest price is not always the best indicator when dealing with quotes from contractors. It is my experience that the contractors that throw out the lowest price are low for a reason. They hire cheap unskilled labor or will find ways to cut corners on your project to ensure that they can complete the job within the quoted price. When we were looking for Lewes contractors, one submitted a quote that was much lower than the quotes of the others. It stuck out like a sore thumb. We immediately threw that bid away and looked at other Lewes contractors for our project.

3. Have everything in writing

This is probably the most important thing. When we were looking for a quality Lewes contractors, we made sure that everything was in writing before we signed a contract. Do not think that anything is unimportant. One of the things that we requested and made sure was in the contract when looking for Lewes contractors was that any grass that was torn up and disturbed with tire ruts, etc would be fixed to our approval prior to payment being made. This turned out to be a life saver for us! A large portion of our lawn was ruined during the installation of our concrete patio and if this was not in the contract, we would have been stuck with a muddy mess!

If you follow these simple tips, like we did when we were looking for Lewes contractors, you will have a pleasant experience in dealing with a contractor from your area.

Gene Hart lives and resides in the state of Delaware. He has used and hired many Lewes Contractors over the years. He is hopeful that his experience with various Lewes Contractors will be helpful in your contractor search.

Regulations for rented property from housing associations.?

Had a new kitchen fitted a year ago and contractor said they had to renew it by 2010. Are there any regulations stating housing associations have to modify bathrooms by a certain date. ,Thanks

No, if your bathroom is damaged/dangerous then they have a responsibility to fix it. If however you don’t like it then you can fit a new one (providing the landlord agrees).

Fed contractor questions Ridley – New Hampshire, census

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As the general economy shows some signs of improving, everyone is interested in what they can do to retain qualified and dedicated staff. It is not an unwarranted interest since some job markets are beginning to open up a little and even though your workforce may have been relatively stable for the last several years that does not mean that employees are now happy and immune to attractive job offers from competitors.

For the last five years we have been involved with helping front line supervisors understand what their leadership responsibilities really are. We started doing this because we were convinced that poor supervision was the cause of a lot of staff turnover at the entry level. Supervisors were often promoted from the front lines and had little support from their employers in terms of the transition to supervisory responsibilities which usually put them in an uncomfortable new relationship with former colleagues. Indeed our convictions have been validated through our work, as we have seen real transformational change take place in those supervisors for whom we have served as teacher and mentor. However, we have also been impressed with a seeming disconnect between these front line supervisors and the organization’s recruiting and hiring efforts. Repeatedly we have heard about staff who were hired and were quickly deemed inappropriate for their job assignment. Lazy, unmotivated, uncaring, unable to communicate were words used to describe the staff they were given. At the same time we heard from HR people that front line supervisors seemed unable to describe the characteristics of staff they were looking for and had no appreciation for the hard work that HR went through to find the admittedly sub-prime employees.

All of this led us to conceptualize a process that would address some of these problems between HR and the front line staffing needs. In late 2009 we were named the sub-contractor on a grant from the NJ Developmental Disabilities Council focused on entry level turnover in residential settings. Undoubtedly the Council’s interest spurred our developmental work beyond what even we anticipated and now some six months following the inception of this pilot project we are ready to start putting some of these ideas to the test in a real life, real time, workplace situation.

Our project has involved working with an organization serving persons with developmental disabilities. Our goal is to reduce entry level turnover by 20% at the end of 90 days and another 20% at the end of the year. Most of these entry level staff work in group homes wherein reside most of the individuals served by this organization. Here is an overview of the project and it’s highlights to date.

1. We reviewed the project’s goals and objectives with a “Partnership Team” appointed by the Executive Director. Our work with the Partnership Team involved the following:

a. Completing a flow chart of the current hiring process and identifying several bottlenecks. We found out that to fill an entry level vacancy takes some 53 days.

b. We discussed and identified the culture of the organization so as to help us determine the “fit” of any applicant.

c. We identified nine competency areas that were important to entry level, direct care workers and selected a list of questions to determine an applicant’s ability to fulfill that competency.

d. We trained supervisors in “behavioral interviewing” and successfully changed their approach from asking “what would you do if…” to “in the past, how have you handled…” a specified situation. We developed a uniform way to rank applicant responses.

e. With the partnership team we established a turnover benchmark for the organization and most importantly identified the hard costs, soft costs and intangible costs of staff turnover. While not as high as some cost estimates, we determined that during the last year, the organization had spent, hard, out-of-pocket cash exceeding $50,000.

2. We researched various vendors who provided pre-employment assessments oriented toward identifying desirable personality and temperament features. The Partnership Team told us that applicants seemed to know what to say in the interview in order to get a job offer and that their true personalities began to come out only after they had started employment, and it was usually undesirable. Pre-employment assessment is designed to cut through to an applicant’s true temperament. We have recommended a particular vendor and expect that appointment to be made soon.

3. We developed an on-boarding process which will allow the organization to support new employees, facilitate their adjustment to their new workplace situation and help their learning of required skills.

What will be the end result of this project? Only time and a lot of hard work will tell. But we believe the planning process we have implemented is a positive beginning and so we wish to share it with our colleagues in human services. Essentially what we have done is to take a process which has over the years been developed in the traditional business community and adapted it to the human services industry. All of the project components we have addressed have well established ROI’s in prior implementation settings. Entry level workers in human services often turnover at a rate exceeding 30% per year and in some cases reach triple digit proportions. Entry level salaries being what they are turnover will always be higher than what would be ideal. But if even a small decrease can be achieved through this and other efforts, the effort will be worthwhile and the difference in program efficiencies will be remarkable. The worst thing that we can do is to throw up our hands in dismay and see turnover as just another cost of doing business.

A Plan for Staff Retention Through Better Hire Decisions

By Larry Wenger

Want to get your organization off of the “turnover treadmill”? Wishful thinking will not make it happen. You need a plan! We can design a customized plan for you and help you through the initial implementation. Put the money you save into program improvement. Have happier, more satisfied clients and staff. Contact us today: lwenger@workforceperformancegroup.net. 1-877-872-6195.

Read about Developing Accountability and other topics of interest to human service leaders. http://www.workforceperformancegroup.net

SubAlliance_v03.avi

Runescape question!?

In Runescape, what is the best way to gain construction XP. I am at lvl 1 right now and have never worked on it… what can I do to lvl-up fast?
What is your screen name hellokello???

Well you’ll neeb a bunch of planks and nails

You can make planks buy chopping down regular trees, and taking them to get made into planks a little northeast of varrock (sawmill). There’s a guy near a fence who will do that. He charges a small fee per plank.

For nails, just buy or make around 15 iron bars, and smelt them into nails. You’ll have around 225 nails. Next, always bring a hammer and saw! lol I always forget to bring mine and have to walk all the back to the bank.

Next, grab your nails (and hammer and saw!) and all the planks you can carry and enter your house. Make chairs/bookshelves/tables, then remove them, and then make them, then remove them… and so on. When you can make and remove a higher item, do that instead, so you make more exp.

Construction is an exspensive skill, so just remember that lol. Also, never make and remake curtains, because the bolts of cloth you will need can be rather pricey!

Do a few clue scrolls and sell your prizes, and you should have a nice amount of gold to make an awesome house

good luck!

750k Construction Xp an hour! Fastest Method! Runescape level 52-99

A general contractor is a professional in the building trades who manages construction crews and projects. The larger the project, the more skilled and competent the person running the job better be. Every occupation or field of employment draws a certain type of individual. This is due to both their aptitude and personality type. Here are some of the traits to look for when interviewing general contractors:

-High ethics: In order to be a licensed contractor, this professional must follow a multitude of rules regarding building codes. Building codes have been put into place by governmental agencies at the county and city level in order to assure the safety of each building before it’s inhabited. A highly ethical pro will be certain that all codes are met properly because they care about their customers as well as the law. An individual without an ethical bent may skimp in certain areas to save a dollar. This would result in a faulty and unsafe product.

-Intelligence: In order to pass all licensing requirements, this professional must be intelligent, have a good memory and be capable of passing tests in order to receive their contracting license. He or she must understand the importance of each area of study that he or she is tested upon.

-Math aptitude: The construction trade requires a high math aptitude. Engineering plans, measuring and leveling all entail the ability to perform mathematics functions with competence. They need to be able to handle the financial aspects of a project, which require numbers competence, too. If this pro has shaky math skills, the building projects that they work on will be shaky, as well.

-Mechanical ability: Mechanical ability is an innate sense to understand how things work. Tools, walls, roofs, plumbing and electrical systems are all components of a building that will require the knowledge of mechanics.

-Good communication skills: A good communicator is a person who listens well and is able to speak so that others understand. A general contractor will be coordinating sub-contractors, communicating with the project’s owner and governmental agencies. It is imperative that he or she be an excellent communicator.

-Gets along well with others: A manager of Construction Jobs must get along with a variety of people, including the project’s owner, the crews, vendors, suppliers and bureaucrats. He or she doesn’t need to be Sally Sunshine but must be able to command respect and give respect in order to get the job done right.

-Good reputation in the building trades community: There is a tightly woven network of workers in the trades community. Everyone within this network will know whether a contractor is fair, strong, pays on time and does stellar work. All workers want to toil for a strength based manager who dependably pays them and ends up with fine quality craftsmanship. The sub-contractors’ reputations will be affected by who they work under.

-Responsible and timely: It is crucial that things move along on time in order to meet ongoing deadlines.

Having a competent general contractor with the appropriate personality traits will mean the difference between a job well done and one that limps along.

It’s hard to know what traits make the best general contractor in Jacksonville. For help, visit http://www.pinnaclemaintenanceservices.com/

I need to have a flood light moved from the front of the house… do I hire a contractor or electrician?

I have a floodlight at the front of my house that I need to have removed and installed at a location in the back of my house. In order for the floodlight to be installed in the backyard, a new light switch will need to be installed along with the installation of the light itself. Obviously electrical cables will need to be run too.

An electrician can handle this for you, they will run the wire and put in new outlets. You might have to do some minor repair work where the flood light used to be, though, so you’ll have to figure out the best way to do that. I’m sure the electrician can suggest something, but I don’t know if they will fix it/finish it. Good luck!

So you want to be an architect – Part 7

Sample Contractor Letter?

I had a house built by a contractor who didn’t completely finish the work. I unfortunately paid him in full with the (verbal) agreement that he would come back and finish the work. We have a signed agreement that states there is a one year warranty on the house also. Does anyone have a sample of a letter you used to get a contractor to complete work in a similar situation, that worked? What is my next step if he doesn’t complete the work? Have you been in a legal situation where you had to compel the contractor to complete work? If so, what happened? Thanks for your help! By the way, this is in Montana if that makes a difference.

Unfortunately, you’re in for several months of aggravation. First, you have to create a paper trail. Write letters about once a week for 4 weeks demanding that he finish, stipulating the clauses in the agreement that apply, and indicating that he has been paid in full. Save copies of the letters. If you still don’t get results, you have to take a legal action, asking for “Specific Performance” to compel him to finish, or collect damages.
I hate to predict bad news, but the possibility is that he is going out of business and will not be able to comply. If this is the case, you will have no choice but to pay someone else to finish the work you already paid for. All we can do is learn from our mistakes – we all make them.

Good luck.

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Cathedral: The Story of Its Construction $9.64 …

Greenlee 438-2X Steel Fish Tape, 25′ $6.96 25′ Flat Steel Fishtape…

Caution Tape – 16000 3In. X1000ft. Caution Tape $3.89 Barricade tape. 2″ black characters on yellow tape. Roll is 3″ wide x 1000 feet. The word “CAUTION” printed….

Under Construction Warning Tape Streamers $1.97 From the Under Construction Party Supply Collection. Under Construction Warning Tape Streamers. This streamer looks like a yellow and black warning ribbon, and reads “Birthday Zone!”…

Kids Zone Party Tape Party Supplies $1.99 …

I have purchased a playpen for my Rabbits one of them escaped through one of the very small openings.?

I found this to be incredible that he would squeeze through as the other rabbit is smaller and couldnt do this:-). I was thinking of getting construction tape to seal the first few rows any other suggestions?

Ace hardware have wire

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1289482&cp=&origkw=wires&kw=wires&parentPage=search&searchId=17604237301

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1289483&cp=&origkw=wires&kw=wires&parentPage=search&searchId=17604237301

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1293061&cp=&origkw=wires&kw=wires&parentPage=search&searchId=17604237301

I hope this helps

Superhuman tape measure skills (original)